@@HuntingViolets Exactly, it is a bit annoying to have had to blur it (I think that's what you're referring to). I am going to experiment in future videos at not blurring certain things unless it's gore or something extreme. All depending, as the lighter things flagging up could be blurred in the editor if needs be
When they filmed Gone With The Wind in 1939, for the burning of Atlanta scene, they took all the old sets and set them all on fire. Right in the middle you can make out the King Kong wall scene.
Several years ago, I saw this film presented in a theatre. No matter that I had seen it on TV multiple times I was not prepared for the first full shot of King Kong's face 30' feet high on the screen. I nearly jumped out of my seat; it was so impressive. Fay Wray's daughter was the guest speaker before the movie was shown and she had some wonderful stories passed down from her mom. Faye Wray was a talented actress and is considered to be the first Scream Queen of films.
I also saw this in a theater in 2020. It was the last film I saw in a theater before they all closed down due to the pandemic. I was absolutely BLOWN away by the experience and I will never forget it!
This was my fathers first movie. His mother, my grandmother, took him in 1934 when he was 3 years old. He thought it was fantastic but the major thing he remembered was the ushers running up and down the aisles with smelling salts for all the women who fainted out of shock.
That's wonderful! Your father and your grandmother chose the perfect film for it being the first. Oh wow, I knew it would have affected people a lot more back then with it being something so different and somewhat scary to what they were used to, but I never expected them to be getting the smelling salts out! Stories like this are so fascinating, I appreciate you sharing it. Thank you Gary
Woah, I didn't see that mentioned anywhere, thank you for letting me know. Such a shame tey burned it, but as long as it was used in the making of another film, then at least it was put to good use. Thanks for watching!
It is so good to know there are still film fans that can appreciate all the great work of the pioneers of cinema visual effects. This brain dead generation usually can't pay attention unless a film has crappy, lazy made cgi fx. Willis O'Brian put his heart and soul into his work in all his films. He didn't just sit on his ass and tap a few keys on a keyboard or fondle a mouse and call that work. No heart and soul in that, just coffee and energy drinks.
This film inspired a boy in the audience....the master of stop motion Ray Harryhausen....start with the Seventh voyage of Sinbad. Others include...Mysterious Island....Earth versus flying Saucers....his masterpiece...Jason and the Argonauts....enjoy... I do enjoy your selections of films to react to....your perspective...and the post reaction trivia....great stuff!
Oh wow! I bet that was amazing, I can't imagine how it must have been being there. It must have been extravagant with it being the ESB! I'm sure Fay was lovely in person, it must have made your grandfather's year! I would have loved to have met her. Thank you for sharing that and for watching along too. I hope you're having an amazing day, take care!
@@MoviesWithMartyat the height of Depression, people lined up around the block to see this. It was the Star Wars of its time. $90,000 is the equivalent of over $2 million today. Kong cost nearly $700,000 to make and grossed over $5 million.
Oh, also. Fay Wray's character Ann Darrow was going to steal that apple, but it was because she was hungry and hadn't eaten in days. She was one of many that the depression had affected and hadn't worked in awhile. She passed out from hunger in that scene then Driscol took her to get something to eat.
Apart from all the other influences, the tall giant gates that swing open into the park in the first Jurassic Park movie were a direct reference to this film.
Ahh, YES! I'd spotted that when researching in the edit at the gates moment. It's great that they made mention of it in Jurassic Park, with their original design supposedly being different until changed to be like the King Kong ones. Thank you for watching!
91 years later this film still packs a punch. There is a great documentary called RKO Production 601 which is very detailed and highly watchable. Peter Jackson got to remake that deleted, horrific scene when the men fall into the pit, and it's very good. Great reaction!❤
When I was a kid her screams used to scare the daylights out of me. What still freaks me out is Kong's smile/grin when he lifts her from under the log 😱😱😱😱
This was a special effects extravaganza. Stop motion. Rear projection. Composited images. Scale models. Matte paintings. Animation over film. Of course, the studio had no confidence in it. Most of the movies they made were proven conceptually as stage productions. Here was a fantastic spectacle that could only be done on film. Would there be an audience for it? Would ordinary people be interested in seeing the fantastical? Considering the popularity of side show exhibits at the time they should have known the answer was yes.
In 1933, they had the precedent of The Lost World (1925) which was a very successful monster adventure film featuring pioneering stop motion special effects by Willis O'Brien, who also did the stop motion special effects on King Kong. The Lost World was a resounding success, in both the U.S. and abroad. It became a “box-office phenomenon” the Chicago Tribune reported in 1925. Its success was even part of its advertising. In Paris, a donkey wandered around the streets with a placard reading: “All the world has seen ‘The Lost World’ except me because I am a donkey.” The Lost World was chosen to be the world’s first in-flight movie, being shown on an Imperial Airways flight from London to Paris in April 1925.
There is never any reason to belittle stop motion animation. It is true, beautiful art. Willis O'Brien, the animator on this film, was a groundbreaker in the field. He worked on the silent era version of The Lost World, and after King Kong he made Mighty Joe Young. Mighty Joe Young was one of the first films that Ray Harryhausen worked on, who made many other great films.
I love how the model maker's fingers touching Kong between frames makes it look like his fur is blowing in the wind. That effect would take extra steps with CGI, but it just happens organically.
I was able to attend a screening of this film some time ago on a big screen, with Faye Wray presenting the movie. She referred to Kong as her tall, dark leading man. Those close up shots of Kong's face were truly terrifying. I've read that this movie inspired Peter Jackson to become a filmmaker, so we have a LOT to thank this film for! You won me over as a subscriber with this reaction. Bravo!!!!!
Thank you for another great reaction. Watching such a film with special effects from 1933 takes believing in the film. We do it with all new films, each time we enter the theatre. Your honesty in believing makes watching the reaction so enjoyable. It lets the viewer know your joy of the moment. It takes a dedicated, interested viewer to discard today's expectations and truly immerse themselves in the past, to what the audience of the day saw, believed, and experienced. Beauty did kill the Beast because he never harmed her, kept her safe from peril after peril, including making sure she survived, knowing he was at the end on the Empire State Building. The story is riveting. You cannot really guess what will happen next, and can only react with surprise and amazement. I think their was truly good chemistry between Fay Wray and Bruce Cabot. Your gush and enthusiasm is palpable. Thank you, once more, Marty. The lighting in the filming, especially in the jungle with such depth, was amazing. I like how you make changes or corrections to your comments as an overlay, such as identifying the Chrysler Building in the background. The fur animation movement is endearing, representative of the accomplishment of the period, for those of us who just love vintage. Marty, you are a treasure. Post note: The actor with Fay Wray in the clips and photos you show from The Most Dangerous Game, 1932, was Joel McCrea.
Great reaction to a legendary movie. My favorite of all time. Got to meet Fay Wray in 2003 in New York at a screening of one of her films "Mills of the Gods". She was indeed lovely and such expressive eyes.
The Empire State Building, which features so much in the finale, had just been completed a few years earlier - 1931. It was the tallest building at the time, a record it held for four decades, as the ensuing Great Depression halted such big buildings right after it was finished.
@@MoviesWithMarty Also noteworthy: the very top of the building originally actually looked like it does in the film; it had been built as an airship docking point, the floors later used for gift shop/ viewing platform etc. were originally immigration and customs facilities for debarking airship passengers. This was visualised in the 2004 cgi fantasy film "Sky Captain and the World of tomorrow" which contained many references / bows to 1930's films.
The thing that I love about the special effects in this movie (in addition to their technical brilliance) was that they seem organic to the story. Not one of the scenes impresses me as being in the movie just to show off. Everything Kong does seems motivated. By the way, a piece of trivia that was not mentioned is that Faye Wray's screams were reused in countless movies made after this. She was, by far, the best screamer in the history of the movies.
I just remembered a funny story from the book "The Making of King Kong". An animator was working on a sequence for hours when he noticed he's left a pair of pliers on the table that was in the frame of the camera. Rather than start over and waste hours of animating, he slowly inched the pliers out of the scene while he finished animating the creature featured in the scene. He hoped it would look like the tail of another creature moving away. Not sure if it's true. I've watched the film several times trying to catch the pliers. But never saw it.
This was an unbelievably fantastic reaction video, wow, yet again! Not only did I love the commentary during the film, the post-movie remarks and all the trivia was fantastic as well! I wish more reactors would do this one, in fact all of 'em! But I couldn't imagine a better reactor for this than you, I'm so happy this won the poll. And it was tough for me not to vote for A Hard Day's Night! Actually.......I DID vote for A Hard Day's Night! But......I had to! That's what being a diehard fan is all about! But I'm happy King Kong won! 🤣 Hey, i stayed to the very end of the video, I didn't hear a secret phrase I'm supposed to mention! I only heard you explaining that you do it. Did I miss something? PS: Regarding Wes Anderson: "The Royal Tenenbaums" is one of my favorites! If you haven't seen that one, I would absolutely watch your reaction to that one! THANKS, MARTY!!!!!!!!!!
The monster fan magazine "Famous Monsters of Filmland" ran a picture of a spider that was supposed to be from a lost sequence that showed what happened to the men that fell off the log when Kong rocked it. At the bottom of the crevice were a variety of creatures that attack and eat the men. It was said the sequence was cut from the film because it "stopped the show". There's a hint of the scene in the film where we see a creature climbing up the wall of the crevice to where Jack is hiding from Kong. When Peter Jackson remade King Kong, he included the sequence. Not only that, he had stop-motion animators recreate the scene in the style of the original 1933 film. He included it on the DVD of his film and inserted into the 1933 footage of the scene where it would have been included. You can see it on TH-cam. BTW, I highly recommend Jackson's remake. It's very reverent to the original (unlike the atrocious 1976 remake). Naomi Watts is perfect as Ann in Jackson's remake. YES, I SHOULD PROBABLY WATCH ALL OF THE VIDEO TO AVOID REPEATING WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW
I am not a fan of either of the remakes. It seems to me that much of the point of the story is lost when you have Ann Darrow fall in love with King Kong. In the Jackson version, they even go skating in Central Park. King Kong is not cuddly.
My biggest complaint about the Peter Jackson version is the way he takes many of the iconic moments from the original and cranks them up beyond 11!!! For example, the T-rex fight was great, but why stop with just one? And why not take it over the cliff?
This was my favorite movie when I was a kid up until 1968 when I went to the premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was blown away by the effects in that film as well. In fact, both films inspired me to get into special effects where I worked on Harry Potter, Judge Dredd and others. Your reaction simulates my feelings watching this film every single time I've seen it. (which is hundreds). You must not miss Carl Denim going back to Skull Island and meeting SON OF KONG! Then he reappears in his third ape movie MIGHTY JOE YOUNG! All three are fantastic!!! Then Peter Jackson did a remake of King Kong and although the characters are nowhere near as great as the original, the special effects are off the charts!!! The Kong T-Rex fight in Peter Jacksons movie is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen! Not only does Kong fight a T-Rex, but he FIGHTS THREE OF THEM AT ONCE - all while holding Ann Darrow in his hand!!! The fight choreography is SPECTACULAR! I would forget about reacting to them and jump on them immediately and be astonished like the rest of us. Great reaction to this fantastic film! And if you like stop motion you must get into the great Ray Harryhausen, who started as an assistant to Willis O'Brien on Kong and went on to entertain us through our childhood with pictures like The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, It Came From Beneath The Sea, 20 Million Miles to Earth and dozens of other incredible spectacles. You've got a lot of homework ahead and I envy you for it. These are masterpieces revered by people like Spielberg and Lucas.
Ooh! Thank you for the suggestion Retro, I'll add it to the list! I didn't realise that existed, it sounds like it might be interesting, especially if it's a natural follow on from this. Thank you for watching
I'm so glad to see your reaction to this classic, Marty!!! Great reaction!!! This is my favorite movie of all time!!! More reactors need to see this great classic!!! There's a certain magic about it that no other version was able to quite capture!!! 👏👏👏👏 I just subscribed to your channel, Marty. I'm a life-long "Doctor Who" fan, and I'm really looking forward to your reactions to the classic episodes. All the best to you from America!✌️
Music by Max Steiner was revolutionary in movies at the time...he wrote to the story and emotions, one of the first to do so rather than bland background music so many did at the time. I read the book on him...he influenced al that came after him. IMO, no Max Steiner, no John Williams. Steiner's film scores include Gone with the Wind, Casablanca and many others.
Thank you Barton! I can't believe I got them mixed up. I found out after in the trivia section, but it's much appreciated you letting me know. Thank you for watching too!
Along with it's originality and amazing special effects, one of the best things about the film is that when Kong appears the film from then on never lets up, going at a breakneck pace with one damned thing after another. A sequel was made Son of Kong that's not very good but opens with a great joke, the director hiding out from creditors who had sued him for the damage Kong had done to New York!
One of my favorite movies. Saw it when I was maybe 10 years old and was absolutely captivated. I do NOT like the 1976 remake, but I really enjoyed the 2005 remake. You should check out The Most Dangerous Game, which is not only a good movie, but used some of the same sets & cast (and crew, I believe). It came out a year earlier, but was, if I remember right, essentially being filmed almost simultaneously.
Wow, yeah I can see why you'd have been mesmerised. Kong has something about him that's equally scary and yet kind-hearted in some scenes. Ohh really? Some have said they enjoyed 1976 one. What about it did you dislike please? (Spoiler free if you can) I'd be curious to know before watching it when I get around to it, as a few others have asked after it. After editing, I did notice there are a lot of other reactions on here to the 1976 one, but weirdly not this one, almost as if this one was cast aside or because it's black and white. I loved this one a lot though and proud to say I've seen the original. 2005's one may have been better because Jackson adores the original and even took the time for that recreated scene. Ooh yes, as you mentioned after, I found out about The Dangerous Game. It's genius they started shooting scenes for it whilst filming this. It totally makes sense they did. Yeah it's likely the same crew for those re-used sets due to shooting at the same time. Saved time and potentially money if he bundled it all into the time constraints of the one film. It'll be great to see it l though, so yes I shall put it on the suggestions list! I can't guarantee it'll be anytime soon, but I will watch it on here! Thank you so much for watching
@@MoviesWithMarty I'll admit, it's been a LONG time since I watched the '76 version. My memory of it was that it seemed "cheap." Granted, a lot of Sci-Fi/Fantasy films of the 1970s looked somewhat cheap until Star Wars hit big and studios started taking genre film seriously again. But I still love movies like Logan's Run, Soylent Green, The Omega Man & West World. So, it can't just be the wonky effects. Also, while I love Jeff Bridges, I've never liked Jessica Lang or Charles Grodin. Like, even as a little kid, I couldn't stand Charles Grodin. So, when two of the three leads are actors you don't like, it doesn't help the film any. I should probably give it another chance. I bet it's been more than 30 years since I last watched it. The Peter Jackson one isn't perfect. It has a couple sequences that probably should have been trimmed, including one fairly early chase scene that looks awful and seems to go on forever. But I really do love it. And yes, it's clear that Peter Jackson has a deep love for the original. I think it's a very worthy remake. I own a copy of the extended version and I watch it every couple of years.
Yeah, it does feel like a love letter seeing all the things he has said about it and done in tribute for it, like the recreated sequence. I'm glad that a well known Director who loved the film decided to give it the love it deserves. Thank you for watching!
So he claims. But then why cast friggin' Jack Black as Denham? Other flaws aside, that campy casting was an insult to the creators of the original Kong and made the Jackson movie unwatchable as far as I'm concerned. It's like remaking "The Ten Commandments" starring Eddie Murphy as Moses.
@@RickTBL Spacey is a bit of a lounge lizard type where Denham was an adventurer modeled on Merian C. Cooper himself (one of the King Kong's creators) but Spacey's a good actor - I imagine he'd have been just fine.
@@paintedjaguar I feel that Black does not come off as likable as Robert Armstrong. Despite being a reckless individual Carl Denham has to be very charismatic in order to convince not just Ann but the entire Venture crew into going along with his plans. Jack Black is just not that type. although Peter Jacksons version is fine it will never replace the 1933 original, at least to me.
It really is! They were fairly limited in comparison, but did really make the most of it all. It's honestly a wonder to look at, as you realise just how many hours of hand crafted work went into it. Thank you for watching!
If you can appreciate the work put into these, they are so much more enjoyable. The first film I ever saw in a cinema as a child was King Kong 1977. That version is totally underrated and gets forgotten between this and the modern versions.
The marketing materials exaggerate his size. In the 1970's remake, where the final showdown was moved from the Empire State Building to the World Trade Towers, the marketing materials showed Kong straddling the two buildings, one foot on each tower, where as in the film, Kong, although big, was small enough to fit on top of one tower, and he leapt from one to the other during the fight. A lesson that I learned in 1975 at the age of 9 while watching Jaws and waiting for the scene depicted on the poster, is that marketing materials lie. The shark wasn't as large and you never saw the shark rise up and eat Chrissy, like on the poster. Kong wasn't as large as to wrap around the Empire State. :) The scream by Faye Wray was so impressive, that it became part of RKO's sound effects library and was used numerous times in other films.
My mother and grandmother used to recall when the film would first coming out, they would just play roars on the radio to promote the film. Grandmom use to say the roars would just come out of nowhere and scare her.
3:59 Yep - if I've heard right the 1933 movie was one of Peter Jacksons favourite movies, that's why he wanted to remake it. He managed to fit in a lot of references to the 1933 movie in his - originally was going to have Fay Wray, the original Ann Darrow guest star in it but she passed away before filming began (so the story goes). Would've been a great test to see who were the real fans of the original movie though, seeing who could recognise Fay 72 years older.
At the time, RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) was releasing their movies under the "Radio Pictures" name. Later films were under the "RKO Radio" and simply "RKO Pictures" names. RKO faced financial trouble in the mid 50s, and ultimately their production facilities were sold to Desilu Productions in 1957.
Screen RKOs 1930s version of :"SHE" with Randolph Scott!!! It's amazing!!!! An ageless cruel woman rules a secret kingdom beyond the Arctic...the special effects are mind blowing..
i'm really glad you chose this film to react to. the work involved in the special effects alone were meticulous and skilled. the 2005 remake directed by peter jackson is actually almost as good! the 1976 version, not so much. a 1932 film called "the most dangerous game" includes fay wray and robert arnstrong along with joel mccrea and the same director and production team as "king kong." ITS REAL GOOD! the early 1930s, the beginning of the "talkies," offered some exceptional films of several genres. in the gangster genre the early 30's brought us "public enemy" and "scarface." the horror genre gave us "dracula," frankenstein, "kong kong'" and "the invisible man." the screwball comedy was invented with "it happended one night" and fred astair was unleashed in great musicals such as "flying down to rio" and "top hat.' and action adventure was aptly represented with 'the most dangerous game" and "all quiet on the western front." just wonderful films every one! thanks for the video.
22:13 well when they first saw it in theaters, as a combination of both the talent of the special effects team and the grainy technology of the cinemas, audiences thought it was a guy in a suit.
Thank you for that! I spotted just how many there were after watching, but not sure I mentioned it in this. It's crazy seeing them all lined up! Thanks for watching
@@MoviesWithMartybeing a huge fan of the original, the 1976 remake was one of the most disappointing films I've ever seen. Imagine King Kong with no dinosaurs. I had to wait for Peter Jackson to get a good remake.
@@richardb6260 Yes, the lack of dinos *was* disappointing.. but other than that, I thought the 1976 version was pretty fantastic and extremely faithful to the original. The effects and cinematography were also pretty damned good (especially for the time). I was blown away seeing it in the theater when I was 11. I haven't seen the 2005 version yet... I'll have to check it out.
@@lafelong I saw it in '76 (I would have been 20). All during production, DeLaurentis hyped the giant robot they were building for the film and strongly implied that it was portraying Kong throughout the film. Then it turns out Kong is mostly Rick Baker in a gorilla suit and the giant robot is on screen for less than a minute and could barely move it's arm without toppling over. Add to that the insult of Jessica Lange playing Ann an airhead Hollywood bimbo who asks Kong what his sign after telling him she's a Libra. Then instead of Kong fighting off airplanes swooping down at him, we get a couple of hovering helicopters taking pot shots at him. It just had none of the excitement of the original. BTW, the original movie poster had Kong with one foot on one tower and one foot on the other tower while he was swatting at fighter jets, holding one jet in his hand. People actually complained that it was false advertising and they changed the poster by removing the jets and adding a shadow that made it look like he was jumping from one tower to the other. We remember films differently when we're kids. I went to see Godzilla films in the 60s and they were just a guy in a suit stomping around in cardboard cities. But I still love them. Probably wouldn't if I'd been older when I first saw them.
Great reaction! King Kong is an amazing film. I adore everything about it. If you ever watch the special features of Peter Jackson's Extended King Kong, there's a great documentary about the filmmakers re-creating the lost spider-pit sequence that was cut from the original '33 film.
Thank you Jango! It really is a great film! I'll be sure to check that out, as I didn't know there was a behind the scenes of that. I saw some modern BTS footage of the old set, some included in the trivia section. It was potentially from that. You probably saw it, but I watched the recreated sequence nearer the end of this video. It was superbly recreated! But yes, I shall check out that documentary, thank you for letting me know Jango!
@@joechill6327 Thank you so much Joe. I completely agree with you about people avoiding black and white films as if they're not good cinema or somehow lack story or quality. Honestly, some of the best stories have been told in black and white! Thank you for loving these films like I do. As you love classics, especially black and white films, you'll love the film selection here! Take care and thank you for watching
King Kong was stop motion animation,NOT,claymation since the creatures were not made from clay. Yes,Kong climbed the Empire State Building,the tall building in the background was The Chrysler Building.
Commonly called just "RKO", it was actually "RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.", so you were right at the start. Some movies had the intro with the big radio tower and "An RKO Radio Picture".I don't know if it was changed at some certain point or if it varied over time. Good choice of movie though. This was a fantastic movie at the time, and stood the test of time. Still great!
"Whatever happened to Fay Wray.. that delicate satin drapped frame.. how i started to cry, as it clung to her thigh.. cause i wanted to be just the same....." (Rocky Horror) The classic tale..remade and sequelled often. only really know this version and the remake with Jessica Lange .and I miss Kongfrontatiin at universal ..twas beauty killed the beast.
Woah! I don't remember Fay being mentioned in this and I thought Rocky Horror was amazing. Thank you for helping me notice it. Yeah, I hadn't realised just how many films Kong has haha. It feels like a rabbit hole. Although Kong is great, does it need that many. I suppose they're probably popcorn flicks for fun. I bet Kongfrontation was wild! I just looked up photos, it looks brilliant. Thank you for watching!
I'm just starting this review a d don't know if you will mention it, but this is the first film to have a custom musical score composed for it by Max Steiner. Previously, gilms eould have classical music playing or standard songs of the day. Fun fact, in the airplane attack on Kong, two of the aircrew were the producer/creators, Cooper and Shoedsack.
In the shots with the stop-motion animation rear projected, the actors weren't reacting to nothing. Practical effects have some definite advantages over CGI. You mentioned you thought Kong was bigger. You are probably remembering the movie poster, in which he looks truly gigantic.
I don't think this is THE original, but the best, yep. and most famous. I greatly prefer the mid 50's Sci Fi classics to cgi stuff - like the radiated ants....
Hi Rick! This is actually the first original appearance of King Kong on screen. The King Kong novel written by Delos W. Lovelace in 1932 was in fact requested by his friend and creator of this film, Merian C. Cooper, as part of the film's advertising. Yeah same here, the older films compared to the newer digital effects are far better and much more creative and original. Thank you for watching Rick!
When I was in film school there were a lot of younger students that didn't get the magic of Willis O'Brien and what he did with this film. They would malign the effects as dated and hokey but I would always counter with, King Kong isn't photo realistic in the same way that the Mona Lisa isn't photo realistic. The movie is not reality, its artistic fantasy and it is just as brilliantly conceived and executed today as it was back in 1933 and if you can't see that you shouldn't be here in film school. Cheers!
Thank you Mike, much appreciated! Yeah, I really wanted to see this version above any other, plus it was also suggested to me. It was only until I was getting ready to watch it that I realised that almost everyone else is watching the others and not the original, which is such a shame. You can't beat it. Yeah, I also agree about the newer ones using far too much digital effects from what I've seen since. Thank you for watching!
Since you enjoyed the stop motion and effects work on King Kong. I recommend checking out Mighty Joe Young(1949). It's made by the same team behind King Kong. The mixing of stop motion/live action in Mighty Joe Young is stunningly good and highly influential for many of the same reasons as King Kong.
Marty, you should see the 1933 sequel SON OF KONG. The machine gun pilot that kills Kong is the director Ernest B. Schoedsack. He directed THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME in 1932 that had some backgrounds that were used in Kong.
The 2005 remake by Peter Jackson was set in the same period as this. Naomi Watts played Ann Darrow. My crack headcanon is that is what happened and the 1933 version is the movie based on it. :) The 1970s version wasn't that good. Jessica Lange was the "girl" called Dwan (formerly Dawn).
Exactly How I see it, in MY head canon "Jack Black's" Denham meets Marion C. Cooper just leaving New York after 'Scouting' the Madison Square Gardens location for His "Terror Gorilla" film and accompanies Him back to California where He tells Cooper about the adventure He had just experienced, resulting in the Finished Film we all just watched again today. I can imagine Cooper telling the not - so - heroic Denham, "I'll make a Hero out of you and erase the fiasco you just created at the same time".
@@mermaidmelodies1492 And the writer writes himself as the "he-man" sailor. (Edit: That probably doesn't work with your last part, but I always think of the writer from the 2005 version writing the 1933 version in my headcanon.)
I finally got around to watch this reaction' I haven't seen to many reactors react to the original King Kong movie on here I think you might be only the 4th or 5th person who has so far, hard to believe that in just 9 years from now this film will be over a 100 years old. I first saw this sometime during in the 90's on vhs and then again when everyone later had satellite tv which appeared on TNT tv, but here is the most interesting part of all I got to see it in color so far for the first and only time. Even in color it looked fantastic' it felt almost like an entire new movie when watched in color and of course the effects held up just as good, if there were any flaws I didn't notice any when watching it a 2nd time. It is always such a great movie to watch' I own it on DVD along with Son Of Kong (1933) as well' so now that you've seen this one do you have any plans to watch the original Godzilla (1954) as well? I guess it could always be saved near its 70th anniversary for a reaction video' Godzilla's anniversary is on Nov 3rd when the king of the monsters turns 70 this year, if you do decide to do a reaction video I will keep my eye out for that one for sure.
Shout out to those warriors who stood up to Kong when he broke throu the gate and threw their spears at him. Those guys had some massive b*lls made out of mithril.
I'm with you, the reluctance of current viewers to watch masterpieces like "Kong" because they are "old" is a shame. I'd like to think that anyone watching it would find it fun, but how many these days are capable of appreciating something outside their personal bubbles is an open question. Sad.
Thank you Jag, yeah it's such a shame. Exactly! It's amazing and crazy to see how many hand crafted hours of work were put into this, which is visible in every frame. I do think that many people now just see films as fast colourful visuals and anything less than that, whether slower or black and white and they don't like it. Let's hope more do in the future, as I will continue to myself here. I love cinema, especially the classics and very much feel the love of the craft. I think sometimes if we have that love for it, we can appreciate it even more, as we know just how much work goes into a single shot. I just want to thank you for watching and taking the time to comment, plus understanding where I was coming from. Film is beautiful, we just have to take the time to soak it in and appreciate it for the art it is.
Great job Marty! Bruce Cabot's name is pronounced 'cab-it'. This is one of the saddest movies of all to me. Denham should never have taken Kong from his home. Greed wins over what the right thing to do is.Man's attempt to control nature and environment is a losing proposition. As a song says "History shows again and again How nature points up the folly of man" “Godzilla” by Blue Öyster Cult was written by Buck Dharma.
Denham’s comment at the end is, I think, supposed to be a meaningless and shallow catchphrase. He’s a showman to the end, attaching slogans to the tragedy he created.
Hi Marty! Since you enjoyed this film (and why wouldn't you? it's brilliant!) may I humbly suggest taking three minutes out of your day to seek out, and watch the 1979 short film 'The Wizard of Speed and Time' If you like it, there's also a feature film (90 minutes), released in1988 by the same name... Both are available on TH-cam, and are certainly worth a look!
Still nothing like it! There are two direct remakes (1976 & 2005). Both are worth watching but neither has remotely the impact of the original. The ‘76 version is underrated and the ‘05 is overrated… but they’re both ultimately derivative.
Imagine what it would be like if King Kong was released in today’s world, feminists would completely lose their shit and demand the movie to be pulled from cinemas immediately
Here is a TCM short on Kong, presented by Fay Wray, very charming and sweetly humorous (I love when she says she isn't tired of answering questions "because I have good energy."): th-cam.com/video/f76HELC8Wbk/w-d-xo.html
There's always been something strangely erotic about that scene where Kong removes Ann's clothes. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the jungle setting. I DO know the same scene in the 76 remake helped me, uh, come of age.
Loved your reaction. Not that many people react to the original King Kong. Is there any chance you'll react to this movie's direct sequel? It's called "Son of Kong" and it came out in late 1934. It also has a bunch of stop motion creatures animated by Willis Obrien.
I've had to remove the "secret phrase" part from this one, as I'd accidentally cut out the phrase when editing... it was that secret 😅
It _is_ hilarious that a 1933 movie is too much for TH-cam. That's pre-code Hollywood, I guess. ;)
@@HuntingViolets Exactly, it is a bit annoying to have had to blur it (I think that's what you're referring to). I am going to experiment in future videos at not blurring certain things unless it's gore or something extreme. All depending, as the lighter things flagging up could be blurred in the editor if needs be
When they filmed Gone With The Wind in 1939, for the burning of Atlanta scene, they took all the old sets and set them all on fire. Right in the middle you can make out the King Kong wall scene.
Several years ago, I saw this film presented in a theatre. No matter that I had seen it on TV multiple times I was not prepared for the first full shot of King Kong's face 30' feet high on the screen. I nearly jumped out of my seat; it was so impressive. Fay Wray's daughter was the guest speaker before the movie was shown and she had some wonderful stories passed down from her mom. Faye Wray was a talented actress and is considered to be the first Scream Queen of films.
I also saw this in a theater in 2020. It was the last film I saw in a theater before they all closed down due to the pandemic. I was absolutely BLOWN away by the experience and I will never forget it!
Fay also lent her screams to the horror movies Doctor X (1932), The Vampire Bat (1933) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933).
@@creech54 3 of my favorite films! I have seen Dr. X and Mystery of at a local theatre.
@@jeffmartin1026 We don't have theaters like that around here, so it's Blu-rays for me.
This was my fathers first movie. His mother, my grandmother, took him in 1934 when he was 3 years old. He thought it was fantastic but the major thing he remembered was the ushers running up and down the aisles with smelling salts for all the women who fainted out of shock.
That's wonderful! Your father and your grandmother chose the perfect film for it being the first. Oh wow, I knew it would have affected people a lot more back then with it being something so different and somewhat scary to what they were used to, but I never expected them to be getting the smelling salts out!
Stories like this are so fascinating, I appreciate you sharing it. Thank you Gary
The huge wall in the film was later set afire in Selznick’s production of “Gone With the Wind” as part of the “burning of Atlanta” sequence.
Woah, I didn't see that mentioned anywhere, thank you for letting me know. Such a shame tey burned it, but as long as it was used in the making of another film, then at least it was put to good use. Thanks for watching!
@@MoviesWithMartyit's at the 3:08 mark in this clip of the burning of Atlanta.
th-cam.com/video/PnEZrV_WT44/w-d-xo.htmlsi=T2qEc9pSuFOqwwbQ
It is so good to know there are still film fans that can appreciate all the great work of the pioneers of cinema visual effects. This brain dead generation usually can't pay attention unless a film has crappy, lazy made cgi fx. Willis O'Brian put his heart and soul into his work in all his films. He didn't just sit on his ass and tap a few keys on a keyboard or fondle a mouse and call that work. No heart and soul in that, just coffee and energy drinks.
@@angelohernandez6060 you're 1000% right. One must be crazy to snob at this cinematic masterpiece
This film inspired a boy in the audience....the master of stop motion Ray Harryhausen....start with the Seventh voyage of Sinbad.
Others include...Mysterious Island....Earth versus flying Saucers....his masterpiece...Jason and the Argonauts....enjoy...
I do enjoy your selections of films to react to....your perspective...and the post reaction trivia....great stuff!
Met Fay in 1983 for the 50th anniversary of the film at the Empire State Building. My grandfather was so excited meeting her.
Oh wow! I bet that was amazing, I can't imagine how it must have been being there. It must have been extravagant with it being the ESB! I'm sure Fay was lovely in person, it must have made your grandfather's year! I would have loved to have met her. Thank you for sharing that and for watching along too. I hope you're having an amazing day, take care!
@@MoviesWithMarty She was the original scream queen. 🙂
Just imagine how impressive these special fx must have looked back in 1933!
I can imagine the awe people must have had at it. Like some witchcraft haha
@@MoviesWithMartyat the height of Depression, people lined up around the block to see this. It was the Star Wars of its time. $90,000 is the equivalent of over $2 million today. Kong cost nearly $700,000 to make and grossed over $5 million.
Oh, also. Fay Wray's character Ann Darrow was going to steal that apple, but it was because she was hungry and hadn't eaten in days. She was one of many that the depression had affected and hadn't worked in awhile. She passed out from hunger in that scene then Driscol took her to get something to eat.
1933 was right at the height (or the worst part) of the Great Depression. Ann wasn't the only one, the majority of the world was hungry...
Wonderful reaction. I never expect younger reviewers to appreciate such old films. It's a pleasant surprise.
Kong died because instead of running away he sought out Ann.
Apart from all the other influences, the tall giant gates that swing open into the park in the first Jurassic Park movie were a direct reference to this film.
Ahh, YES! I'd spotted that when researching in the edit at the gates moment. It's great that they made mention of it in Jurassic Park, with their original design supposedly being different until changed to be like the King Kong ones. Thank you for watching!
91 years later this film still packs a punch. There is a great documentary called RKO Production 601 which is very detailed and highly watchable. Peter Jackson got to remake that deleted, horrific scene when the men fall into the pit, and it's very good. Great reaction!❤
When I was a kid her screams used to scare the daylights out of me. What still freaks me out is Kong's smile/grin when he lifts her from under the log 😱😱😱😱
That's the best final line of any movie ever written.
This was a special effects extravaganza. Stop motion. Rear projection. Composited images. Scale models. Matte paintings. Animation over film. Of course, the studio had no confidence in it. Most of the movies they made were proven conceptually as stage productions. Here was a fantastic spectacle that could only be done on film. Would there be an audience for it? Would ordinary people be interested in seeing the fantastical? Considering the popularity of side show exhibits at the time they should have known the answer was yes.
In 1933, they had the precedent of The Lost World (1925) which was a very successful monster adventure film featuring pioneering stop motion special effects by Willis O'Brien, who also did the stop motion special effects on King Kong.
The Lost World was a resounding success, in both the U.S. and abroad. It became a “box-office phenomenon” the Chicago Tribune reported in 1925. Its success was even part of its advertising. In Paris, a donkey wandered around the streets with a placard reading: “All the world has seen ‘The Lost World’ except me because I am a donkey.” The Lost World was chosen to be the world’s first in-flight movie, being shown on an Imperial Airways flight from London to Paris in April 1925.
There is never any reason to belittle stop motion animation. It is true, beautiful art. Willis O'Brien, the animator on this film, was a groundbreaker in the field. He worked on the silent era version of The Lost World, and after King Kong he made Mighty Joe Young. Mighty Joe Young was one of the first films that Ray Harryhausen worked on, who made many other great films.
And by the way, you have to stop calling stop motion animation clay-mation. They are 2 radically different things.
I love how the model maker's fingers touching Kong between frames makes it look like his fur is blowing in the wind. That effect would take extra steps with CGI, but it just happens organically.
I was able to attend a screening of this film some time ago on a big screen, with Faye Wray presenting the movie. She referred to Kong as her tall, dark leading man. Those close up shots of Kong's face were truly terrifying. I've read that this movie inspired Peter Jackson to become a filmmaker, so we have a LOT to thank this film for! You won me over as a subscriber with this reaction. Bravo!!!!!
I so much appreciate your ability to enter into the spirit of this and of the time with love for the effects and the acting.
Great reaction ! Loved it ❤
"It was beauty killed the beast" is the fulfillment of the old Arabian proverb seen at the beginning of the film.
@@ludovicoc7046
Exactly! It's amazing to me how people today don't get it and it's right in front of their faces.
Thank you for another great reaction. Watching such a film with special effects from 1933 takes believing in the film. We do it with all new films, each time we enter the theatre. Your honesty in believing makes watching the reaction so enjoyable. It lets the viewer know your joy of the moment. It takes a dedicated, interested viewer to discard today's expectations and truly immerse themselves in the past, to what the audience of the day saw, believed, and experienced. Beauty did kill the Beast because he never harmed her, kept her safe from peril after peril, including making sure she survived, knowing he was at the end on the Empire State Building. The story is riveting. You cannot really guess what will happen next, and can only react with surprise and amazement. I think their was truly good chemistry between Fay Wray and Bruce Cabot. Your gush and enthusiasm is palpable. Thank you, once more, Marty. The lighting in the filming, especially in the jungle with such depth, was amazing. I like how you make changes or corrections to your comments as an overlay, such as identifying the Chrysler Building in the background. The fur animation movement is endearing, representative of the accomplishment of the period, for those of us who just love vintage. Marty, you are a treasure.
Post note:
The actor with Fay Wray in the clips and photos you show from The Most Dangerous Game, 1932, was Joel McCrea.
Great reaction to a legendary movie. My favorite of all time. Got to meet Fay Wray in 2003 in New York at a screening of one of her films "Mills of the Gods". She was indeed lovely and such expressive eyes.
The Empire State Building, which features so much in the finale, had just been completed a few years earlier - 1931. It was the tallest building at the time, a record it held for four decades, as the ensuing Great Depression halted such big buildings right after it was finished.
Thank you for the extra information John! Much appreciated. I always love finding out more. Wow, I didn't realise that with the Great Depression
@@MoviesWithMarty The building featured in the distance was the Chrysler Building when Kong was atop the Empire State Building
@@MoviesWithMarty Also noteworthy: the very top of the building originally actually looked like it does in the film; it had been built as an airship docking point, the floors later used for gift shop/ viewing platform etc. were originally immigration and customs facilities for debarking airship passengers. This was visualised in the 2004 cgi fantasy film "Sky Captain and the World of tomorrow" which contained many references / bows to 1930's films.
The thing that I love about the special effects in this movie (in addition to their technical brilliance) was that they seem organic to the story. Not one of the scenes impresses me as being in the movie just to show off. Everything Kong does seems motivated.
By the way, a piece of trivia that was not mentioned is that Faye Wray's screams were reused in countless movies made after this. She was, by far, the best screamer in the history of the movies.
He is on the Empire State Building. The building in the background is the Chrysler Building.
I just remembered a funny story from the book "The Making of King Kong". An animator was working on a sequence for hours when he noticed he's left a pair of pliers on the table that was in the frame of the camera. Rather than start over and waste hours of animating, he slowly inched the pliers out of the scene while he finished animating the creature featured in the scene. He hoped it would look like the tail of another creature moving away. Not sure if it's true. I've watched the film several times trying to catch the pliers. But never saw it.
It's so fun watching you experience this film. Reasons Fay Wray was a legend.
Thank you LC! It's a fantastic film and really fun to watch. Oh yes, she's phenomenal! Thank you for watching
This was an unbelievably fantastic reaction video, wow, yet again! Not only did I love the commentary during the film, the post-movie remarks and all the trivia was fantastic as well! I wish more reactors would do this one, in fact all of 'em! But I couldn't imagine a better reactor for this than you, I'm so happy this won the poll. And it was tough for me not to vote for A Hard Day's Night! Actually.......I DID vote for A Hard Day's Night! But......I had to! That's what being a diehard fan is all about! But I'm happy King Kong won! 🤣 Hey, i stayed to the very end of the video, I didn't hear a secret phrase I'm supposed to mention! I only heard you explaining that you do it. Did I miss something? PS: Regarding Wes Anderson: "The Royal Tenenbaums" is one of my favorites! If you haven't seen that one, I would absolutely watch your reaction to that one! THANKS, MARTY!!!!!!!!!!
The monster fan magazine "Famous Monsters of Filmland" ran a picture of a spider that was supposed to be from a lost sequence that showed what happened to the men that fell off the log when Kong rocked it. At the bottom of the crevice were a variety of creatures that attack and eat the men. It was said the sequence was cut from the film because it "stopped the show". There's a hint of the scene in the film where we see a creature climbing up the wall of the crevice to where Jack is hiding from Kong.
When Peter Jackson remade King Kong, he included the sequence. Not only that, he had stop-motion animators recreate the scene in the style of the original 1933 film. He included it on the DVD of his film and inserted into the 1933 footage of the scene where it would have been included. You can see it on TH-cam.
BTW, I highly recommend Jackson's remake. It's very reverent to the original (unlike the atrocious 1976 remake). Naomi Watts is perfect as Ann in Jackson's remake.
YES, I SHOULD PROBABLY WATCH ALL OF THE VIDEO TO AVOID REPEATING WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW
I am not a fan of either of the remakes. It seems to me that much of the point of the story is lost when you have Ann Darrow fall in love with King Kong. In the Jackson version, they even go skating in Central Park. King Kong is not cuddly.
My biggest complaint about the Peter Jackson version is the way he takes many of the iconic moments from the original and cranks them up beyond 11!!! For example, the T-rex fight was great, but why stop with just one? And why not take it over the cliff?
This was my favorite movie when I was a kid up until 1968 when I went to the premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was blown away by the effects in that film as well. In fact, both films inspired me to get into special effects where I worked on Harry Potter, Judge Dredd and others. Your reaction simulates my feelings watching this film every single time I've seen it. (which is hundreds). You must not miss Carl Denim going back to Skull Island and meeting SON OF KONG! Then he reappears in his third ape movie MIGHTY JOE YOUNG! All three are fantastic!!! Then Peter Jackson did a remake of King Kong and although the characters are nowhere near as great as the original, the special effects are off the charts!!! The Kong T-Rex fight in Peter Jacksons movie is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen! Not only does Kong fight a T-Rex, but he FIGHTS THREE OF THEM AT ONCE - all while holding Ann Darrow in his hand!!! The fight choreography is SPECTACULAR!
I would forget about reacting to them and jump on them immediately and be astonished like the rest of us. Great reaction to this fantastic film! And if you like stop motion you must get into the great Ray Harryhausen, who started as an assistant to Willis O'Brien on Kong and went on to entertain us through our childhood with pictures like The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad,
It Came From Beneath The Sea, 20 Million Miles to Earth and dozens of other incredible spectacles. You've got a lot of homework ahead and I envy you for it. These are masterpieces revered by people like Spielberg and Lucas.
You should definitely check out the sequel Son of Kong. It picks up a few days after the end of this film.
Ooh! Thank you for the suggestion Retro, I'll add it to the list! I didn't realise that existed, it sounds like it might be interesting, especially if it's a natural follow on from this. Thank you for watching
Absolutely FANTASTIC reaction! I always enjoy Marty's (aka the handsomer, more silver Rowan Atkinson) reactions.. but this one was outstanding.
I'm so glad to see your reaction to this classic, Marty!!! Great reaction!!! This is my favorite movie of all time!!! More reactors need to see this great classic!!! There's a certain magic about it that no other version was able to quite capture!!! 👏👏👏👏 I just subscribed to your channel, Marty. I'm a life-long "Doctor Who" fan, and I'm really looking forward to your reactions to the classic episodes. All the best to you from America!✌️
Music by Max Steiner was revolutionary in movies at the time...he wrote to the story and emotions, one of the first to do so rather than bland background music so many did at the time. I read the book on him...he influenced al that came after him. IMO, no Max Steiner, no John Williams. Steiner's film scores include Gone with the Wind, Casablanca and many others.
49:23. That is the Empire State Builing he was on. The building in the background is the Chrysler Building.
Thank you Barton! I can't believe I got them mixed up. I found out after in the trivia section, but it's much appreciated you letting me know. Thank you for watching too!
Along with it's originality and amazing special effects, one of the best things about the film is that when Kong appears the film from then on never lets up, going at a breakneck pace with one damned thing after another. A sequel was made Son of Kong that's not very good but opens with a great joke, the director hiding out from creditors who had sued him for the damage Kong had done to New York!
One of my favorite movies. Saw it when I was maybe 10 years old and was absolutely captivated. I do NOT like the 1976 remake, but I really enjoyed the 2005 remake.
You should check out The Most Dangerous Game, which is not only a good movie, but used some of the same sets & cast (and crew, I believe). It came out a year earlier, but was, if I remember right, essentially being filmed almost simultaneously.
(Ah, I see the Most Dangerous Game thing showed up in the trivia).
Wow, yeah I can see why you'd have been mesmerised. Kong has something about him that's equally scary and yet kind-hearted in some scenes.
Ohh really? Some have said they enjoyed 1976 one. What about it did you dislike please? (Spoiler free if you can) I'd be curious to know before watching it when I get around to it, as a few others have asked after it.
After editing, I did notice there are a lot of other reactions on here to the 1976 one, but weirdly not this one, almost as if this one was cast aside or because it's black and white.
I loved this one a lot though and proud to say I've seen the original.
2005's one may have been better because Jackson adores the original and even took the time for that recreated scene.
Ooh yes, as you mentioned after, I found out about The Dangerous Game. It's genius they started shooting scenes for it whilst filming this. It totally makes sense they did.
Yeah it's likely the same crew for those re-used sets due to shooting at the same time.
Saved time and potentially money if he bundled it all into the time constraints of the one film.
It'll be great to see it l though, so yes I shall put it on the suggestions list! I can't guarantee it'll be anytime soon, but I will watch it on here! Thank you so much for watching
@@MoviesWithMarty I'll admit, it's been a LONG time since I watched the '76 version. My memory of it was that it seemed "cheap." Granted, a lot of Sci-Fi/Fantasy films of the 1970s looked somewhat cheap until Star Wars hit big and studios started taking genre film seriously again. But I still love movies like Logan's Run, Soylent Green, The Omega Man & West World. So, it can't just be the wonky effects. Also, while I love Jeff Bridges, I've never liked Jessica Lang or Charles Grodin. Like, even as a little kid, I couldn't stand Charles Grodin. So, when two of the three leads are actors you don't like, it doesn't help the film any.
I should probably give it another chance. I bet it's been more than 30 years since I last watched it.
The Peter Jackson one isn't perfect. It has a couple sequences that probably should have been trimmed, including one fairly early chase scene that looks awful and seems to go on forever. But I really do love it. And yes, it's clear that Peter Jackson has a deep love for the original. I think it's a very worthy remake. I own a copy of the extended version and I watch it every couple of years.
The Peter Jackson remake from 2005 was basically a tribute to this film. It was obvious that he loved the original movie and wanted to do it justice.
Yeah, it does feel like a love letter seeing all the things he has said about it and done in tribute for it, like the recreated sequence. I'm glad that a well known Director who loved the film decided to give it the love it deserves.
Thank you for watching!
So he claims. But then why cast friggin' Jack Black as Denham? Other flaws aside, that campy casting was an insult to the creators of the original Kong and made the Jackson movie unwatchable as far as I'm concerned. It's like remaking "The Ten Commandments" starring Eddie Murphy as Moses.
@@paintedjaguar Kevin Spacey would have made a great Carl Denham
@@RickTBL Spacey is a bit of a lounge lizard type where Denham was an adventurer modeled on Merian C. Cooper himself (one of the King Kong's creators) but Spacey's a good actor - I imagine he'd have been just fine.
@@paintedjaguar I feel that Black does not come off as likable as Robert Armstrong. Despite being a reckless individual Carl Denham has to be very charismatic in order to convince not just Ann but the entire Venture crew into going along with his plans. Jack Black is just not that type. although Peter Jacksons version is fine it will never replace the 1933 original, at least to me.
It is amazing what wonderful special effects they created in the 1930s, with so many fewer options than exist today.
It really is! They were fairly limited in comparison, but did really make the most of it all. It's honestly a wonder to look at, as you realise just how many hours of hand crafted work went into it. Thank you for watching!
As far as I know, there was no claymation, per se, used in the production of this film. Best. Mike.
If you can appreciate the work put into these, they are so much more enjoyable. The first film I ever saw in a cinema as a child was King Kong 1977. That version is totally underrated and gets forgotten between this and the modern versions.
The marketing materials exaggerate his size. In the 1970's remake, where the final showdown was moved from the Empire State Building to the World Trade Towers, the marketing materials showed Kong straddling the two buildings, one foot on each tower, where as in the film, Kong, although big, was small enough to fit on top of one tower, and he leapt from one to the other during the fight. A lesson that I learned in 1975 at the age of 9 while watching Jaws and waiting for the scene depicted on the poster, is that marketing materials lie. The shark wasn't as large and you never saw the shark rise up and eat Chrissy, like on the poster. Kong wasn't as large as to wrap around the Empire State. :) The scream by Faye Wray was so impressive, that it became part of RKO's sound effects library and was used numerous times in other films.
Loved this! One of the greatest movies ever made. Enjoyed watching. 👍👍
My mother and grandmother used to recall when the film would first coming out, they would just play roars on the radio to promote the film. Grandmom use to say the roars would just come out of nowhere and scare her.
3:59 Yep - if I've heard right the 1933 movie was one of Peter Jacksons favourite movies, that's why he wanted to remake it. He managed to fit in a lot of references to the 1933 movie in his - originally was going to have Fay Wray, the original Ann Darrow guest star in it but she passed away before filming began (so the story goes).
Would've been a great test to see who were the real fans of the original movie though, seeing who could recognise Fay 72 years older.
I've got this movie on DVD. You're gonna love it!
There is, of course, the sequel Son of Kong and cousin production Mighty Joe Young which was acknowledged with an oscar for special effects.
At the time, RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) was releasing their movies under the "Radio Pictures" name. Later films were under the "RKO Radio" and simply "RKO Pictures" names. RKO faced financial trouble in the mid 50s, and ultimately their production facilities were sold to Desilu Productions in 1957.
Screen RKOs 1930s version of :"SHE" with Randolph Scott!!! It's amazing!!!! An ageless cruel woman rules a secret kingdom beyond the Arctic...the special effects are mind blowing..
i'm really glad you chose this film to react to. the work involved in the special effects alone were meticulous and skilled. the 2005 remake directed by peter jackson is actually almost as good! the 1976 version, not so much. a 1932 film called "the most dangerous game" includes fay wray and robert arnstrong along with joel mccrea and the same director and production team as "king kong." ITS REAL GOOD!
the early 1930s, the beginning of the "talkies," offered some exceptional films of several genres. in the gangster genre the early 30's brought us "public enemy" and "scarface." the horror genre gave us "dracula," frankenstein, "kong kong'" and "the invisible man." the screwball comedy was invented with "it happended one night" and fred astair was unleashed in great musicals such as "flying down to rio" and "top hat.' and action adventure was aptly represented with 'the most dangerous game" and "all quiet on the western front."
just wonderful films every one! thanks for the video.
I love how Kong drops the first girl when he sees she is a brunette like, no thanks.
22:13 well when they first saw it in theaters, as a combination of both the talent of the special effects team and the grainy technology of the cinemas, audiences thought it was a guy in a suit.
The first remake was 1976 with Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange then 2005 with Jack Black 😀
Thank you for that! I spotted just how many there were after watching, but not sure I mentioned it in this. It's crazy seeing them all lined up! Thanks for watching
@@MoviesWithMartybeing a huge fan of the original, the 1976 remake was one of the most disappointing films I've ever seen. Imagine King Kong with no dinosaurs. I had to wait for Peter Jackson to get a good remake.
@@richardb6260 Yes, the lack of dinos *was* disappointing.. but other than that, I thought the 1976 version was pretty fantastic and extremely faithful to the original. The effects and cinematography were also pretty damned good (especially for the time). I was blown away seeing it in the theater when I was 11. I haven't seen the 2005 version yet... I'll have to check it out.
@@lafelong I saw it in '76 (I would have been 20). All during production, DeLaurentis hyped the giant robot they were building for the film and strongly implied that it was portraying Kong throughout the film. Then it turns out Kong is mostly Rick Baker in a gorilla suit and the giant robot is on screen for less than a minute and could barely move it's arm without toppling over. Add to that the insult of Jessica Lange playing Ann an airhead Hollywood bimbo who asks Kong what his sign after telling him she's a Libra. Then instead of Kong fighting off airplanes swooping down at him, we get a couple of hovering helicopters taking pot shots at him. It just had none of the excitement of the original. BTW, the original movie poster had Kong with one foot on one tower and one foot on the other tower while he was swatting at fighter jets, holding one jet in his hand. People actually complained that it was false advertising and they changed the poster by removing the jets and adding a shadow that made it look like he was jumping from one tower to the other.
We remember films differently when we're kids. I went to see Godzilla films in the 60s and they were just a guy in a suit stomping around in cardboard cities. But I still love them. Probably wouldn't if I'd been older when I first saw them.
What a classic,fay is a fellow Canadian she was born in a small town in Alberta.
What a classic,fay is a fellow Canadian she was born in a small town in Alberta.
Kong's roar was a lion with a reversed roar of a tiger combined together, or vise-versa.
Yep! It's so amazing that they mixed the natural roars together to create the effect. It's impactful! Thank you for watching!
Great reaction! King Kong is an amazing film. I adore everything about it.
If you ever watch the special features of Peter Jackson's Extended King Kong, there's a great documentary about the filmmakers re-creating the lost spider-pit sequence that was cut from the original '33 film.
Thank you Jango! It really is a great film!
I'll be sure to check that out, as I didn't know there was a behind the scenes of that. I saw some modern BTS footage of the old set, some included in the trivia section. It was potentially from that. You probably saw it, but I watched the recreated sequence nearer the end of this video. It was superbly recreated! But yes, I shall check out that documentary, thank you for letting me know Jango!
Thank you for this reaction my good man! Not many people react to this MASTERPIECE!! Subscribed!
Yes,,it was stop motion. But when this movie was first released audiences had never experienced anything like this.
I appreciate all the respect for the OG, lots of people actively avoid black and white movies and I think that's sad.
@@joechill6327 Thank you so much Joe. I completely agree with you about people avoiding black and white films as if they're not good cinema or somehow lack story or quality.
Honestly, some of the best stories have been told in black and white!
Thank you for loving these films like I do. As you love classics, especially black and white films, you'll love the film selection here!
Take care and thank you for watching
I saw original King Kong exhibit in DC long ago-king kong on a building.
Awesome! That must have been amazing to see. Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching
King Kong was stop motion animation,NOT,claymation since the creatures were not made from clay. Yes,Kong climbed the Empire State Building,the tall building in the background was The Chrysler Building.
A true classic...
It certainly is Penny, it certainly is. Thank you for watching
~ Kong’s size differs throughout the film, depending upon the scene he’s in. Noticeable in some scenes more than others ~
Sometimes he's 25 feet sometimes he's 40 feet.
The New York City phone books (when we had phone books) listed several people named King Kong.
He's on the Empire State, Chrysler building is in the background. Empire State building would only be 2 years old at that time.
Commonly called just "RKO", it was actually "RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.", so you were right at the start.
Some movies had the intro with the big radio tower and "An RKO Radio Picture".I don't know if it was changed at some certain point or if it varied over time.
Good choice of movie though. This was a fantastic movie at the time, and stood the test of time. Still great!
RKO stood for Radio-Keith-Orpheum.
Well done, See it a theater , it is pure, intense magic.
"Whatever happened to Fay Wray..
that delicate satin drapped frame..
how i started to cry,
as it clung to her thigh..
cause i wanted to be just the same....." (Rocky Horror)
The classic tale..remade and sequelled often. only really know this version and the remake with Jessica Lange .and I miss Kongfrontatiin at universal ..twas beauty killed the beast.
Woah! I don't remember Fay being mentioned in this and I thought Rocky Horror was amazing. Thank you for helping me notice it. Yeah, I hadn't realised just how many films Kong has haha. It feels like a rabbit hole. Although Kong is great, does it need that many. I suppose they're probably popcorn flicks for fun.
I bet Kongfrontation was wild! I just looked up photos, it looks brilliant. Thank you for watching!
It is the Empire State Building King Kong got shot down from. Fay Wray was the original scream Queen.
I'm just starting this review a d don't know if you will mention it, but this is the first film to have a custom musical score composed for it by Max Steiner. Previously, gilms eould have classical music playing or standard songs of the day.
Fun fact, in the airplane attack on Kong, two of the aircrew were the producer/creators, Cooper and Shoedsack.
In the shots with the stop-motion animation rear projected, the actors weren't reacting to nothing. Practical effects have some definite advantages over CGI.
You mentioned you thought Kong was bigger. You are probably remembering the movie poster, in which he looks truly gigantic.
I don't think this is THE original, but the best, yep. and most famous. I greatly prefer the mid 50's Sci Fi classics to cgi stuff - like the radiated ants....
Hi Rick! This is actually the first original appearance of King Kong on screen.
The King Kong novel written by Delos W. Lovelace in 1932 was in fact requested by his friend and creator of this film, Merian C. Cooper, as part of the film's advertising.
Yeah same here, the older films compared to the newer digital effects are far better and much more creative and original. Thank you for watching Rick!
You are correct, this was an RKO picture.
That wall was set on fire and pulled down with wires as a part of the burning of Atlanta scene in Gone with the Wind (1939).
When I was in film school there were a lot of younger students that didn't get the magic of Willis O'Brien and what he did with this film. They would malign the effects as dated and hokey but I would always counter with, King Kong isn't photo realistic in the same way that the Mona Lisa isn't photo realistic. The movie is not reality, its artistic fantasy and it is just as brilliantly conceived and executed today as it was back in 1933 and if you can't see that you shouldn't be here in film school. Cheers!
Alright, sir.I'm glad to see somebody actually watching the original instead of one of the new ones.That's all computer generated garbage
Thank you Mike, much appreciated! Yeah, I really wanted to see this version above any other, plus it was also suggested to me. It was only until I was getting ready to watch it that I realised that almost everyone else is watching the others and not the original, which is such a shame. You can't beat it. Yeah, I also agree about the newer ones using far too much digital effects from what I've seen since. Thank you for watching!
Since you enjoyed the stop motion and effects work on King Kong. I recommend checking out Mighty Joe Young(1949). It's made by the same team behind King Kong. The mixing of stop motion/live action in Mighty Joe Young is stunningly good and highly influential for many of the same reasons as King Kong.
Marty, you should see the 1933 sequel SON OF KONG.
The machine gun pilot that kills Kong is the director Ernest B. Schoedsack.
He directed THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME in 1932 that had some backgrounds that were used in Kong.
The 2005 remake by Peter Jackson was set in the same period as this. Naomi Watts played Ann Darrow. My crack headcanon is that is what happened and the 1933 version is the movie based on it. :) The 1970s version wasn't that good. Jessica Lange was the "girl" called Dwan (formerly Dawn).
Exactly How I see it, in MY head canon "Jack Black's" Denham meets Marion C. Cooper just leaving New York after 'Scouting' the Madison Square Gardens location for His "Terror Gorilla" film and accompanies Him back to California where He tells Cooper about the adventure He had just experienced, resulting in the Finished Film we all just watched again today. I can imagine Cooper telling the not - so - heroic Denham, "I'll make a Hero out of you and erase the fiasco you just created at the same time".
@@mermaidmelodies1492 And the writer writes himself as the "he-man" sailor. (Edit: That probably doesn't work with your last part, but I always think of the writer from the 2005 version writing the 1933 version in my headcanon.)
❤❤❤ great reaction. You should continue older movies like Casablanca and it’s a wonderful life and Citizen Kane.❤❤❤
I finally got around to watch this reaction' I haven't seen to many reactors react to the original King Kong movie on here I think you might be only the 4th or 5th person who has so far, hard to believe that in just 9 years from now this film will be over a 100 years old.
I first saw this sometime during in the 90's on vhs and then again when everyone later had satellite tv which appeared on TNT tv, but here is the most interesting part of all I got to see it in color so far for the first and only time.
Even in color it looked fantastic' it felt almost like an entire new movie when watched in color and of course the effects held up just as good, if there were any flaws I didn't notice any when watching it a 2nd time.
It is always such a great movie to watch' I own it on DVD along with Son Of Kong (1933) as well' so now that you've seen this one do you have any plans to watch the original Godzilla (1954) as well?
I guess it could always be saved near its 70th anniversary for a reaction video' Godzilla's anniversary is on Nov 3rd when the king of the monsters turns 70 this year, if you do decide to do a reaction video I will keep my eye out for that one for sure.
Thank you, Marty! 🦍 I hope you'll compare to KING KONG (1976) and KING KONG (2005). 🔸 In case you're curious, $20 in 1933 is worth $480 today.
It's only 6 years since they invented sound films :)
Shout out to those warriors who stood up to Kong when he broke throu the gate and threw their spears at him. Those guys had some massive b*lls made out of mithril.
I'm with you, the reluctance of current viewers to watch masterpieces like "Kong" because they are "old" is a shame. I'd like to think that anyone watching it would find it fun, but how many these days are capable of appreciating something outside their personal bubbles is an open question. Sad.
Thank you Jag, yeah it's such a shame. Exactly! It's amazing and crazy to see how many hand crafted hours of work were put into this, which is visible in every frame. I do think that many people now just see films as fast colourful visuals and anything less than that, whether slower or black and white and they don't like it.
Let's hope more do in the future, as I will continue to myself here. I love cinema, especially the classics and very much feel the love of the craft.
I think sometimes if we have that love for it, we can appreciate it even more, as we know just how much work goes into a single shot.
I just want to thank you for watching and taking the time to comment, plus understanding where I was coming from.
Film is beautiful, we just have to take the time to soak it in and appreciate it for the art it is.
Great job Marty! Bruce Cabot's name is pronounced 'cab-it'. This is one of the saddest movies of all to me. Denham should never have taken Kong from his home. Greed wins over what the right thing to do is.Man's attempt to control nature and environment is a losing proposition. As a song says "History shows again and again
How nature points up the folly of man" “Godzilla” by Blue Öyster Cult was written by Buck Dharma.
I'm not sure Kong:Ann scale is always that consistent.
Denham’s comment at the end is, I think, supposed to be a meaningless and shallow catchphrase. He’s a showman to the end, attaching slogans to the tragedy he created.
There is another actor with the last name of Cabot (Sebastian). His rhymed with rabbit.
Carl Denham killed the beast. But we'll see Denham again in _Son of Kong_ and _Mighty Joe Young._
In Mighty Joe Young, Armstrong plays a different, though similar, character.
@@TedLittle-yp7uj I knew if I just posted it, I wouldn't have to google it. ;)
You may want to check out the silent version of Conan Doyle's novel, _The Lost World._ Edit: You mention this in a note later.
Hi Marty!
Since you enjoyed this film (and why wouldn't you? it's brilliant!) may I humbly suggest taking three minutes out of your day to seek out, and watch the 1979 short film 'The Wizard of Speed and Time'
If you like it, there's also a feature film (90 minutes), released in1988 by the same name... Both are available on TH-cam, and are certainly worth a look!
Still nothing like it! There are two direct remakes (1976 & 2005). Both are worth watching but neither has remotely the impact of the original. The ‘76 version is underrated and the ‘05 is overrated… but they’re both ultimately derivative.
Imagine what it would be like if King Kong was released in today’s world, feminists would completely lose their shit and demand the movie to be pulled from cinemas immediately
Here is a TCM short on Kong, presented by Fay Wray, very charming and sweetly humorous (I love when she says she isn't tired of answering questions "because I have good energy."): th-cam.com/video/f76HELC8Wbk/w-d-xo.html
There's always been something strangely erotic about that scene where Kong removes Ann's clothes. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the jungle setting. I DO know the same scene in the 76 remake helped me, uh, come of age.
Loved your reaction. Not that many people react to the original King Kong. Is there any chance you'll react to this movie's direct sequel? It's called "Son of Kong" and it came out in late 1934. It also has a bunch of stop motion creatures animated by Willis Obrien.