My Grandfather was one of the distribution executives of RKO Pictures and helped directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack get King Kong into production in 1933. Great Review.
I also like how this film despite being the oldest gives the most humanity to the natives. We see them suffer, see a mom dash out to save her baby from Kongs feet. 70s natives played up the foreign aspect a bit while Jackson natives were Orcs I guess?
Yeah, I never thought this portrayal of them was that problematic. In the original, they are fairly articulate, come to the aid of the Venture crew, and are clearly just doing the sacrifices to survive. I haven't seen the 70s one, but I thought Jackson's version made them too barbaric and inhuman. They kill on sight, they are so superstitious that they scamper away and are never seen again when they encounter guns, and are literally wearing brownface. The biggest issue I have with the original version is that they're all black, which seems unlikely for an island in the Pacific.
@@jacobschmitt2497 I actually can't remember where they say the island is in the original. I just know in Kong: Skull Island they say it's in the South Pacific.
@@AdrianParkinsonFilms Uh Skull Island is it's own beast. In fact damn near all the Kong movies are their own things. King Kong from 30s, 70s and 2000s. Even King Kong Escapes isn't related to King Kong vs. Godzilla.
Excellent Review, My Father when he was 10 spent 11cents to see this. He asked my Great Grand Mother for more money to see this again. We watched it on Thanksgiving before the football games came on. Treasured memories. And yes even though my Dad is long gone, I still watch this and think of him. Iconic is an understatement.
Oddly enough, most people these days don't say anything about the movie's depictions of real races. Rather, they try and spin things to make it look like Kong himself is a racial caricature, and that the film is somehow pro-slavery as a result. It's one of the dumbest cinematic interpretations ever, if you ask me.
If anything, it would be easier to argue the film is anti-slavery. It's about taking something away from it's place of origin, and presents it as a bad thing. Did anyone actually argue that it was pro-slavery?
@@FlyingFocs As loathe as I am to draw attention to it, here's a video from HuffPost that came out around the same time as KONG: SKULL ISLAND which makes that exact argument: th-cam.com/video/aySHfEz2oRw/w-d-xo.html I defy anyone who views it not to cringe.
You should do The Lost World 1925! It's pretty much King Kong but without the big monkey, the stop motion is done by the same guy who did Kong too. If anyone is going to watch it though.. DEFINITELY! see the newest restoration! That's around an hour and 40 minutes long, it makes the film feel sooo much more whole and like a proper film, felt like I was seeing an all new film after seeng only the hour long version for years.
If people can get passed that it's a silent movie, they can enjoy it. I love silent films, so the fact theres no spoken dialogue doesn't bother me in the slightest
@@fatangrygeek5746 Agreed, I really don't give a single crap weather a film is silent, sound, black and white, color, English, any foreign language, usues stop motion, uses guys in rubber suits, etc etc etc.. It really makes 0 difference to me at all :) People do have problems with it though sadly... And not just being silent, most people I know would refuse to watch a movie in black and white, let along black and white and silent. Even people that are decades older than me refuse to watch older films (I'm only 21 would you believe) I tried to show my 47 year old mother some of the original Universal Monster movies and she just wouldn't take them seriously at all, and my girlfriends parents who are 57!! They even make fun of black and white movies with stop motion and stuff, saying that they're outdated and terrible... But then.. I showed my 18 year old girlfriend (who's now almost 20) some silent films, plus the original Kong, Universals Frankenstein and Mummy movies etc, and she enjoyed them! She liked them way more than I thought she would... It's strange, seems that some younger people appreciate these things more than older people haha, similarly I showed my 10 year old brother the original 1967 Ultraseven TV show and he loved it! But then anyone else that saw it just ridiculed it.. But then there's me, when I was 10 years old watching silent horror movies and foreign films with subtitles all alone, having the time of my life. :) The Lost World 1925... I honestly think I like it more than King Kong 1933.. Not saying it is better but I enjoy it just as much and maybe even more in some cases, Kong definitely has better special effects that feel more natural with more things happening on screen at once and stuff.. But I don't know.. Lost World.. I just adore it, the newly restored blu ray version looks gorgeous too and includes many scenes that all make the film so much more enjoyable.
I love this film. What kid wasn't inspired to pick up a camera and make their own fantasy come to life? This classic is coming back to the big screen and I can't wait.
For the greatest rivalries, the characters must contrast with each other, yet still share things in common. For Kong and Godzilla, they both represent a dark chapter of their nation’s history...
King Kong represents America's struggles during and after the Great Depression while Godzilla represents the nuclear horrors and its aftermath after Japan surrendered in WW2.
Classic as it gets, the original kaiju. Edit: yes I know he isn't strictly a kaiju by creation but since he's the inspiration for the entire genre he gets grandfathered into the title.
You do know that literally all the word "Kaiju" means is "Monster" but in Japanese?... So no, Kong isn't a "Kaiju"... But what he is is a giant monkey in a film from 1933, that I suppose you could call a monster, but you should only really call him a kaiju if you are speaking Japanese.. As all it is is the Japanese word for monster, there were movies with dinosaurs and mosterous things before Kong but Kong was what made films with giant creatures such a huge hit.
@@Noaher256 You simply won't be able to get through to a guy whose username contains "Minilla" which was quite literally THE MOST retarded character and movie of ALL Kaiju films and possibly all of cinema in general... except for maybe Jar Jar Binks!
@@cookiesontoast9981 Since we're being pedantic, Kong is a giant ape (specifically a gorilla), not a monkey. Monkeys and apes are different, though both fall under the primate category.
When I first saw this in 1968, it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen and remains my favorite movie of all time even at my old age. Thanks to this movie I studied and did stop motion animation for years and got quite good at it.
My favorite movie of all time. I do find it interesting that everyone refers to the island where Kong lived as “Skull Island”, even though that name is never used in the original 1933 film.
I always loved that Kong is always shown as threatening, dangerous and terrifying. Ann Darrow is always afraid of him. But we all feel sympathy for him when he dies. De Laurentis and Jackson didn't trust the audience to feel bad for him so they both hit us over the heads with how good and nice Kong is. The Dwan and Darrow characters in the newer movies end up befriending Kong, basically telling the audience "See, see, he's a great guy. You better feel bad when he dies."
Plus, other characters are made more villainous in both remakes. Carl Denham in the '05 remake becomes incredibly obsessed with his film even when it goes against common sense. In the '33 film, Denham's enthusiasm and desire to see Skull Island puts people in danger, but he's not selfish and uncaring at heart. He's still friendly and seems to care about Ann and Jack. Also, Fred Wilson in the '76 remake is basically a cliché greedy corporate executive. The Skull Islanders become almost nightmarish in the '05 version. In the '33 film, they are at least shown in a sympathetic light when Kong rampages through their village. I definitely don't think you need to make a movie monster cute in order to make him sympathetic. Kong in the original was shown to be ruthless and powerful on Skull Island as he was the dominant creature there, but him being taken away from his home and being killed is what drew our sympathy towards him.
Probably my favourite movie of all time, with out a doubt one of the most influential movies of all time. Probably every blockbuster owes its success to Kong!!!!
I have a King Kong t-shirt and i have received comments from both 60+ year old dudes and 20 something dudes about how cool it is this big monkey has been killing dinos and entertaining people for a long dang time and this movie still holds up incredibly well. you really gotta love Willis O'Brian's work.
King Kong (1933) is one of my favorite Kaiju/monster/ movies of all time. This movie brought me into the world of monster movies and changed my life forever,. I clearly remember watching this during my childhood and kept watching it over and over, I became a fan of Kaiju and monster movies after watching this (yes even before watching any Godzilla movie). The stop motion animation amazingly still holds up, the atmosphere and mythic feel of the island captivated me thru out the film, the human characters are actually pretty decent and finally kong himself is an amazing piece of stop motion that posses character, emotion and a tragic backstory. It’s truly a cinematic wonder and icon that gave birth to the monster movie genre and still impresses people to this day. Give it 5/5
I agree, the original Kong is a masterpiece, and I also saw it before even hearing about Godzilla's existance.. Although Kong isn't what got me into monster movies, that award would go to Jurassic Park 1 and 3. But yeah, I didn't even know Godzilla existed until I was around 11, mostly because I live in the UK and the only Godzilla movies ever released theatrically in the UK are the American ones... And up until the recent Classic Media Godzilla Showa blu ray set, the only Godzilla movies even released on DVD were King Kong Vs Godzilla, the American Godzilla movies and 1 very rare and obscure release of Gojira 1954 that was featured in a little cardboard sleeve inside 1 single issue of "The Daily Mail" which is a newspaper here in the UK.. So it was a very very limited release and 99% of people wouldn't have gotten it, oh yes and Shin Godzilla got a limited release over here back when that was released physically. And as for games we did get a few over here but again they're more obscure and rare, I only ever came across 1 through my childhood. Godzilla has never really had much publicity or popularity over here in the UK, No one I knew even knew any Godzilla movies existed aside from the 1998 film.. It's such a shame. Thank you classic media for finally releasing the whole Showa series officially in the UK 🙏 I was finally able to sell my region 1 and region 4 DVD imports of the Showa series and replace them with blu rays that are actually the right region for my location.... Now can you please maybe release the Heisei and Millennium Godzilla films on blu ray now? 😁
Pretty much the perfect movie. Also I still find matte paintings more appealing than CG backgrounds. Are you gonna cover The Lost World at any point? Even Kong had its predecessors after all.
I also usually do, but the odds are kinda in their favor, since theoretically there's no reason for cg easily to look as good...when it's static, but they are precisely used because they give you the ability to turn the camera. In fact they are usually called digital mattes because the shading is done by hand, not by a computer shader since the shadows in the far the background are usually static, do not interact with any moving objects. Also a big differences is when they are done from scratch like most sci fi cities, landscapes etc. and with actual photographic reference from the real world for projection mapping, even some examples from the 90's look absolutely photorealistic today, like the pod racing scene from phantom menace or the famous bullet dodging scene from the Matrix!
One of the most important films ever made. It’s good to acknowledge it’s stereotyping faults and I’m glad they were here. If you have an understanding of how films were put together back it gives you a great context to really appreciate what an achievement this film is.
Personally, the dated stereotypes never bothered me. While I can see why modern audiences find such portrayals problematic in modern films, I don't see myself being troubled,regardless of time period. I'd like to think that a majority of us are insightful enough to know that a film doesn't necessarily reflect reality and the actors are working off of a script. So, that said, King Kong is right up there with the 1954 Godzilla and the Heisei Gamera trilogy as absolute must-sees in the genre. I'm very curious to hear your thoughts on Peter Jackson's epic. It seems to be fairly divisive but you have a talent for seeing the good in the disliked and noting the obstacles that prevent the liked from being near-perfection.
King Kong (1933), Godzilla (1954), Gamera (1995), and Pacific Rim are the perfect movies to introduce anyone to the genre. If those don't make you into a fan, nothing will.
Pacific Rim is a fair inclusion, especially since this genre is definitley an acquired taste. For those friends or family who are, maybe, more distracted than entertained by the stop-motion animation, black-and-white filming, and/or Japanese suitmation. I believe it, combined with Cloverfield - though it likely could've had a similar effect without it, helped make the kaiju subculture more mainstream and acted as an introduction for many. It's a good, first film to help set expectations in terms of focus, characterization, particularly of human characters, and storytelling.
Well, it definitely is representative of reality, for it’s time. I think a better take is to acknowledge it, but understand that these were views of a different era that were as wrong then as they are now. We can acknowledge this but still not take away the influence and impact the film had. The film still is one of the most important ever made.
I find stereotypes annoying when in stuff from the 50s on, but when its in films this old, I don't get bothered as much, I guess since this film is close to being a centenarian I view it as an old man of a film compared to films 30 or more years 'newer'.
@@AdrianParkinsonFilms I agree although if I'm trying to get someone into kaiju movies I wouldn't start with the original Godzilla or Kong. I would start with Pacific Rim and the Monsterverse movies because those are the "cool" movies with all the big budget CGI effects and action. Then, if they're willing to learn more, that's when I'd ease them into the classics because, at least for my friends, getting them to watch old black and white movies is like forcing 6 year olds to eat veggies.
God, I absolutely love this film. Since I watched it in infants school,till now,it just never gets old. Very few films have stayed with me like Kong have.
"All hail King Homer! The eighth wonder of the world!" "Wow! Look at the size of that platform!" I liked how the Simpsons could do the whole King Kong story in seven minutes and it took Peter Jackson over three hours.
I was walking through the gas one day... Well, the big ape is going to stand around for a few hours, and then we'll close with the ethnic comedy of Dugan & Dershowitz! You couldnt get away with that today. Thanks for reminding me of a classic Simpsons episode!
An incredible movie that to this day still manages to have impact. Kong himself was never more threatening and terrifying-his rampage through NY is something to behold and his attack on the overhead railway is still deeply disturbing. FAYE RAY without doubt eclipsed all the other actors and is the human star of this movie. Like STAR WARS etc which came later, the inspiration and imagination sparked in countless generations of children cannot be understated. This movie has fascinated me since a small child and stands as a cornerstone in our shared cultural heritage.
Not my favourite Kong film but definitely a classic. It's an absolutely essential kaiju movie to watch for fans of the genre. Can't wait for the rest of the King Kong Marathon.
One of the most beautifully-paced fantasy/adventure films. Slow build to Kong's first appearance, and from there on it's a race, with one awesome scene after another. It hasn't lost a thing with age--the 'flaws' some see with the stop motion just add to the fantastic atmosphere and strangeness of Kong.
When the T-rex shows up and Anne's scream hurts it's ears always floors me. Conversely, when the guy who foolishly climbed the tree to get away from the brontosaur and then you hear that terrible high-pitch screamin, that scarred me as a 12 year old who snuck downstairs after midnight on a schoolnight and finally got to watch the whole movie on a 12" b/w tv about a week before the '76 version was released. I honestly dont remember knowing that the movie was going to be on tv that night and I was usually sound asleep by that time. It's like I was called to it.
Probably one of the most important movies to ever be made. Cinema owes a LOT to the iconic 8th wonder of the world😄 Even back before Godzilla was a thing, King Kong was nicknamed the original king of the monsters.
The aliens in District 9 don’t exist, that doesn’t mean that the film isn’t about racism. Things that don’t exist are frequently stand-ins for things that do exist. Godzilla doesn’t exist, the bombs that he’s a representation of sure do tho. Skull island doesn’t exist, but the group that they represent-native islanders and uncontacted tribes-absolutely do. The depiction of “ooh spooky scary savages” is the core of this issue, nobody’s defending the honor of Skull Islanders specifically but rather what they are archetypal of in a broader sense.
Crado Dragmire The point isn’t that it’s not A Movie, the point is that movies are a result of choices made by the creators-and the attitudes that inform those choices are a result of the prevailing culture of the time. Movies are an expression of culture as much as they are an expression of individuality. They also inform culture because our culture gets too much of its ideas about the world through using movies-curated by artistic choices-as case studies and microcosms through which we try to understand the world. That’s what art is: contextualizing a human condition that’s too broad to truly be fully experienced. Narrative art is Life By Proxy. Also autistic is a stupid insult. This isn’t pearl-clutching “oh no I’m offended,” it’s just genuinely not something that ought to be insulting. Regardless, the kind of Othering that using someone’s existence as an insult will and does contribute to isn’t a matter of being personally offended or not. The same way that stories are known inform the way society as a whole thinks about things, the way we talk about things-like autism, like mental illness-impacts the way that society en masse thinks and behaves about them. Normalized Othering-whether racial or otherwise-doesn’t de-stigmatize that Othered existence; by definition it contributes to it.
@@Irrelevant402 Alot of people don't even talk about it anymore. It's sad because it's so amazing! It had everything that kaiju fans love. I wish more people talked about it today.
@@Assassin199410 I kinda wish George vs. Lizzie went a little longer. Wanted to see her swing that tail around and smash stuff! Still pretty good appetizer for Godzilla vs. Kong.
@@frogurtcremebrulee5252 Yeah, some people probably wrote it off because it was different, but thats why I liked it! It wasent yet another retelling of the original. Instead it showed more could be done with the character!
Kong fights dinosaurs in the original though.... Not komodo dragons. But yeah I like how Skull Island did something different, we don't need so many retellings. Which is also why I really like movies such as Son of Kong 1933, King Kong Vs Godzilla, King Kong Escapes and King Kong Lives, they all did something different.
Do to think you could maybe do the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy next? Anyway, great review I love your content. EDIT: I mean after the Kong videos obviously.
Oh yes, King Kong is great! I also have found it cool and interesting that Kong fights a creature from the land, the water, and the air. Those being the Tyrannosaurus rex (land), the Elasmosaurus (water), and the Pteranodon (air). Another thing that I find cool and interesting is that Kong was originally supposed to fight Komodo dragons and in Kong: Skull Island he fights Skullcrawlers which resemble Komodo dragons. And of course their design also takes inspiration from the two-legged lizard that emerges from the pit in the original.
A couple years ago, my best friend asked my what my favorite movie. After thinking for a month, i had to say Kong. Saw it when i was 5. My dad turn the channel to when Kong was in the theater. After Kong died i said "I hate those airplanes". My dad laughed. It's a perfectly pace movie. Fun Fact: It's the first movie to open at Radio City Music Hall and the Roxy. The 2 largest theater in America.
I still can't perceive how they made that shot of Kong climbing up the Empire State Building that looks like it was filmed a few miles away. That is an organic being climbing up the set. When Kong falls to his death from the same angle, it looks phony, but how did they do the first shot? Amazing. I'll be seeing this on the big screen next month in Tacoma. See you there! :)
All I have is, I've been watching this movie since I was a kid, and, the visual effects and cinematography is breath taking, especially considering that its 1933
You do have a point, Kong definitely inspired many many many monster films, even if Kong wasn't even the first of its kind, there were giant monster movies before Kong rolled around but Kong did it so well and popularised it a great amount.. But, as the other guy said, if Japan wasn't bombed by America back in the day then Godzilla wouldn't exist, Godzilla isn't solely here because of Kong, he's probably here even more because of the bombing than Kong.
@@cookiesontoast9981 I do agree with that. Though Kong likely help with the inspiration of having Godzilla be a giant monster movie. For example, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was where Gojira drew most of its inspiration from and King Kong likely inspired that movie.
Despite me being a Godzilla fan I still plan on watching this film because it's one of the reasons why Godzilla exists and also because I think it s interesting
The screenplay was written by Ruth Rose, producer Ernest Schoedsack’s wife. Rose would accompany her husband on his jungle safaris with Cooper and was a true partner on their adventures. The whole “women are a bother” thing was an inside joke that Rose put in the film to tease her husband because on one safari, one of their elderly rich, lady patrons insisted on accompanying them, a condition of her subsidizing the trip. She drove Schoedsack crazy, with her never ending pieces of luggage, tents, makeup, etc. Rose and Cooper laughed as Schoedsack seethed. So it was put in the picture. You can’t take it seriously, as Driscoll learns to love “women” rather quickly. I would also argue that the natives don’t come across as racist as they could. Their costumes are beautiful, Noble Johnson makes a regal chief, and in no way do they become parodies. Decades later, Peter Jackson would try to “correct” these stereotypes in his version of Kong and instead his natives come across as aboriginal horror cannibals. No improvement here.
There were films before it with dinosaurs and things, which if you class a giant monkey as a monster then you should also class dinosaurs as monsters, so nah Kong isn't actually the first. Also the word Kaiju Litterally only means monster but in Japanese, calling anything a kaiju is pointless, just say monster... Because that's all you're saying anyway but in Japanese. I only say kaiju when I'm specifically referring to a Japanese monster movie, then there's at least 1 reason to say kaiju.
Kong isn't a kaiju movie either... Kaiju just means monster but in Japanese, there's no reason to say kaiju unless you actually mean a Japanese monster, which Kong is American.
MechaMinilla99 dude... Kaiju can be from anywhere, Japan, America etc Kaiju literally means “strange beast” there’s nothing that says what size it has to be to qualify as a Kaiju, so King Kong is technically a Kaiju, not a traditional Kaiju, but still a kaiju
i never had problems with the sexism or the racism, because it is what it is. and unlike most modern ppl, i don't really cringe at it. all in all it's still a perfect movie.
I usually roll my eyes at channels who just do kaiju movie reviews, but your editing is so crisp and knowledge so good it's a perfect short video review. So keep making them!
This isn't a kaiju movie.. It's just a monster movie, it's not Japanese.. And all kaiju means is monster in Japanese. Also, why would you roll your eyes at people doing monster/actual Japanese kaiju movie reviews?... Are they not allowed to speak their thoughts on the films?..... There's no reason to roll your eyes, it's the same as doing reviews for any other film.
Problematic by today's standards? It was a realistic depiction of how much larger the world was back then, and how alien people from the other side of the world seemed to people here. Remember, much of the world still lived in a primitive, pre-industrial culture, and people everywhere were very conscious of that difference.
My Grandfather was one of the distribution executives of RKO Pictures and helped directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack get King Kong into production in 1933. Great Review.
OMAHA16 - Machinima and Film Dude that’s super cool
Dang
KING KONG FO LIFE
#TeamKong
@@SaurianStudios1207 hell yeah!
I also like how this film despite being the oldest gives the most humanity to the natives. We see them suffer, see a mom dash out to save her baby from Kongs feet. 70s natives played up the foreign aspect a bit while Jackson natives were Orcs I guess?
Yeah, I never thought this portrayal of them was that problematic. In the original, they are fairly articulate, come to the aid of the Venture crew, and are clearly just doing the sacrifices to survive.
I haven't seen the 70s one, but I thought Jackson's version made them too barbaric and inhuman. They kill on sight, they are so superstitious that they scamper away and are never seen again when they encounter guns, and are literally wearing brownface.
The biggest issue I have with the original version is that they're all black, which seems unlikely for an island in the Pacific.
Adrian Parkinson i thought they were in the Indian Ocean
@@jacobschmitt2497 I actually can't remember where they say the island is in the original. I just know in Kong: Skull Island they say it's in the South Pacific.
@@AdrianParkinsonFilms Kong Skull Island has no continuity with any other Kong film though.
@@AdrianParkinsonFilms Uh Skull Island is it's own beast. In fact damn near all the Kong movies are their own things. King Kong from 30s, 70s and 2000s. Even King Kong Escapes isn't related to King Kong vs. Godzilla.
Excellent Review, My Father when he was 10 spent 11cents to see this. He asked my Great Grand Mother for more money to see this again. We watched it on Thanksgiving before the football games came on. Treasured memories.
And yes even though my Dad is long gone, I still watch this and think of him.
Iconic is an understatement.
Oddly enough, most people these days don't say anything about the movie's depictions of real races. Rather, they try and spin things to make it look like Kong himself is a racial caricature, and that the film is somehow pro-slavery as a result. It's one of the dumbest cinematic interpretations ever, if you ask me.
Not only an opinion, but a fact that it’s the dumbest cinematic cinematic interpretation.
If anything, it would be easier to argue the film is anti-slavery. It's about taking something away from it's place of origin, and presents it as a bad thing.
Did anyone actually argue that it was pro-slavery?
Omni Viewer not as omnipotent as they think? 🤔
@@FlyingFocs As loathe as I am to draw attention to it, here's a video from HuffPost that came out around the same time as KONG: SKULL ISLAND which makes that exact argument: th-cam.com/video/aySHfEz2oRw/w-d-xo.html
I defy anyone who views it not to cringe.
@@omniviewer2115 That video is just pure cringe.
You should do The Lost World 1925! It's pretty much King Kong but without the big monkey, the stop motion is done by the same guy who did Kong too.
If anyone is going to watch it though.. DEFINITELY! see the newest restoration! That's around an hour and 40 minutes long, it makes the film feel sooo much more whole and like a proper film, felt like I was seeing an all new film after seeng only the hour long version for years.
I love that movie, used to watch it as a kid alot.
If people can get passed that it's a silent movie, they can enjoy it. I love silent films, so the fact theres no spoken dialogue doesn't bother me in the slightest
@@fatangrygeek5746 Agreed, I really don't give a single crap weather a film is silent, sound, black and white, color, English, any foreign language, usues stop motion, uses guys in rubber suits, etc etc etc.. It really makes 0 difference to me at all :)
People do have problems with it though sadly... And not just being silent, most people I know would refuse to watch a movie in black and white, let along black and white and silent. Even people that are decades older than me refuse to watch older films (I'm only 21 would you believe) I tried to show my 47 year old mother some of the original Universal Monster movies and she just wouldn't take them seriously at all, and my girlfriends parents who are 57!! They even make fun of black and white movies with stop motion and stuff, saying that they're outdated and terrible... But then.. I showed my 18 year old girlfriend (who's now almost 20) some silent films, plus the original Kong, Universals Frankenstein and Mummy movies etc, and she enjoyed them! She liked them way more than I thought she would... It's strange, seems that some younger people appreciate these things more than older people haha, similarly I showed my 10 year old brother the original 1967 Ultraseven TV show and he loved it! But then anyone else that saw it just ridiculed it..
But then there's me, when I was 10 years old watching silent horror movies and foreign films with subtitles all alone, having the time of my life. :)
The Lost World 1925... I honestly think I like it more than King Kong 1933.. Not saying it is better but I enjoy it just as much and maybe even more in some cases, Kong definitely has better special effects that feel more natural with more things happening on screen at once and stuff.. But I don't know.. Lost World.. I just adore it, the newly restored blu ray version looks gorgeous too and includes many scenes that all make the film so much more enjoyable.
No era talk about the Lost world airlines say that be the 1st monster movie with dinosaurs
Fun fact the lost world is almost 100 years old now
I love this film. What kid wasn't inspired to pick up a camera and make their own fantasy come to life? This classic is coming back to the big screen and I can't wait.
For the greatest rivalries, the characters must contrast with each other, yet still share things in common. For Kong and Godzilla, they both represent a dark chapter of their nation’s history...
Ironic how both Kong and Godzilla came out during a Pandemic, and saved a lot of movie theaters that have been going through a “dark chapter” too.
King Kong represents America's struggles during and after the Great Depression while Godzilla represents the nuclear horrors and its aftermath after Japan surrendered in WW2.
@@randallrona9618 Question: How does King Kong represent the great depression?? Please elaborate.
Classic as it gets, the original kaiju.
Edit: yes I know he isn't strictly a kaiju by creation but since he's the inspiration for the entire genre he gets grandfathered into the title.
You do know that literally all the word "Kaiju" means is "Monster" but in Japanese?... So no, Kong isn't a "Kaiju"... But what he is is a giant monkey in a film from 1933, that I suppose you could call a monster, but you should only really call him a kaiju if you are speaking Japanese.. As all it is is the Japanese word for monster, there were movies with dinosaurs and mosterous things before Kong but Kong was what made films with giant creatures such a huge hit.
MechaMinilla99 Kong is a Kaiju. End of story.
@@Noaher256 You're wrong though.
@@Noaher256 You simply won't be able to get through to a guy whose username contains "Minilla" which was quite literally THE MOST retarded character and movie of ALL Kaiju films and possibly all of cinema in general... except for maybe Jar Jar Binks!
@@cookiesontoast9981 Since we're being pedantic, Kong is a giant ape (specifically a gorilla), not a monkey. Monkeys and apes are different, though both fall under the primate category.
The nostalgia is real. I used to watch this film 25/7 when i was a kid!
This must have blown people's minds in 1933.
When I first saw this in 1968, it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen and remains my favorite movie of all time even at my old age. Thanks to this movie I studied and did stop motion animation for years and got quite good at it.
My favorite movie of all time. I do find it interesting that everyone refers to the island where Kong lived as “Skull Island”, even though that name is never used in the original 1933 film.
I always loved that Kong is always shown as threatening, dangerous and terrifying. Ann Darrow is always afraid of him. But we all feel sympathy for him when he dies. De Laurentis and Jackson didn't trust the audience to feel bad for him so they both hit us over the heads with how good and nice Kong is. The Dwan and Darrow characters in the newer movies end up befriending Kong, basically telling the audience "See, see, he's a great guy. You better feel bad when he dies."
Plus, other characters are made more villainous in both remakes.
Carl Denham in the '05 remake becomes incredibly obsessed with his film even when it goes against common sense. In the '33 film, Denham's enthusiasm and desire to see Skull Island puts people in danger, but he's not selfish and uncaring at heart. He's still friendly and seems to care about Ann and Jack.
Also, Fred Wilson in the '76 remake is basically a cliché greedy corporate executive.
The Skull Islanders become almost nightmarish in the '05 version. In the '33 film, they are at least shown in a sympathetic light when Kong rampages through their village.
I definitely don't think you need to make a movie monster cute in order to make him sympathetic. Kong in the original was shown to be ruthless and powerful on Skull Island as he was the dominant creature there, but him being taken away from his home and being killed is what drew our sympathy towards him.
I mean, the friendship angle in the ‘05 film is better than the borderline creepy relationship Kong and Ann have in the 76 and 33 versions.
Probably my favourite movie of all time, with out a doubt one of the most influential movies of all time. Probably every blockbuster owes its success to Kong!!!!
Love this movie! Kong vs T. Rex is epic! Only complaint is Anne screams too much. Jackson Ann is much better.
@Dennis Mitchell Well I mean...I'm sure some people might have died from sheer terror...
I have a King Kong t-shirt and i have received comments from both 60+ year old dudes and 20 something dudes about how cool it is this big monkey has been killing dinos and entertaining people for a long dang time and this movie still holds up incredibly well. you really gotta love Willis O'Brian's work.
And as always great video bro
King Kong (1933) is one of my favorite Kaiju/monster/ movies of all time. This movie brought me into the world of monster movies and changed my life forever,. I clearly remember watching this during my childhood and kept watching it over and over, I became a fan of Kaiju and monster movies after watching this (yes even before watching any Godzilla movie). The stop motion animation amazingly still holds up, the atmosphere and mythic feel of the island captivated me thru out the film, the human characters are actually pretty decent and finally kong himself is an amazing piece of stop motion that posses character, emotion and a tragic backstory. It’s truly a cinematic wonder and icon that gave birth to the monster movie genre and still impresses people to this day. Give it 5/5
I agree, the original Kong is a masterpiece, and I also saw it before even hearing about Godzilla's existance.. Although Kong isn't what got me into monster movies, that award would go to Jurassic Park 1 and 3.
But yeah, I didn't even know Godzilla existed until I was around 11, mostly because I live in the UK and the only Godzilla movies ever released theatrically in the UK are the American ones... And up until the recent Classic Media Godzilla Showa blu ray set, the only Godzilla movies even released on DVD were King Kong Vs Godzilla, the American Godzilla movies and 1 very rare and obscure release of Gojira 1954 that was featured in a little cardboard sleeve inside 1 single issue of "The Daily Mail" which is a newspaper here in the UK.. So it was a very very limited release and 99% of people wouldn't have gotten it, oh yes and Shin Godzilla got a limited release over here back when that was released physically. And as for games we did get a few over here but again they're more obscure and rare, I only ever came across 1 through my childhood. Godzilla has never really had much publicity or popularity over here in the UK, No one I knew even knew any Godzilla movies existed aside from the 1998 film.. It's such a shame.
Thank you classic media for finally releasing the whole Showa series officially in the UK 🙏 I was finally able to sell my region 1 and region 4 DVD imports of the Showa series and replace them with blu rays that are actually the right region for my location.... Now can you please maybe release the Heisei and Millennium Godzilla films on blu ray now? 😁
The original King Kong still has the best train wreck sequence hands down.
Pretty much the perfect movie.
Also I still find matte paintings more appealing than CG backgrounds.
Are you gonna cover The Lost World at any point? Even Kong had its predecessors after all.
I also usually do, but the odds are kinda in their favor, since theoretically there's no reason for cg easily to look as good...when it's static, but they are precisely used because they give you the ability to turn the camera. In fact they are usually called digital mattes because the shading is done by hand, not by a computer shader since the shadows in the far the background are usually static, do not interact with any moving objects. Also a big differences is when they are done from scratch like most sci fi cities, landscapes etc. and with actual photographic reference from the real world for projection mapping, even some examples from the 90's look absolutely photorealistic today, like the pod racing scene from phantom menace or the famous bullet dodging scene from the Matrix!
@@tvsonicserbia5140 What reason does there need to be to look as good?
@@Xagzan Well, when they are still way easier to make even when they are static, so more movies could use them
@@tvsonicserbia5140 I think you've lost me. Do you mean the mattes?
@@Xagzan i meant digital mattes, it takes less skill for them to look as good as traditional painted ones so it's worth it
I'm in love with how many reviews you are cranking out at this rate. Can't wait for you to cover all other Kong films!
And still the best King Kong movie.
One of the most important films ever made.
It’s good to acknowledge it’s stereotyping faults and I’m glad they were here.
If you have an understanding of how films were put together back it gives you a great context to really appreciate what an achievement this film is.
Personally, the dated stereotypes never bothered me. While I can see why modern audiences find such portrayals problematic in modern films, I don't see myself being troubled,regardless of time period.
I'd like to think that a majority of us are insightful enough to know that a film doesn't necessarily reflect reality and the actors are working off of a script.
So, that said, King Kong is right up there with the 1954 Godzilla and the Heisei Gamera trilogy as absolute must-sees in the genre.
I'm very curious to hear your thoughts on Peter Jackson's epic. It seems to be fairly divisive but you have a talent for seeing the good in the disliked and noting the obstacles that prevent the liked from being near-perfection.
King Kong (1933), Godzilla (1954), Gamera (1995), and Pacific Rim are the perfect movies to introduce anyone to the genre. If those don't make you into a fan, nothing will.
Pacific Rim is a fair inclusion, especially since this genre is definitley an acquired taste. For those friends or family who are, maybe, more distracted than entertained by the stop-motion animation, black-and-white filming, and/or Japanese suitmation.
I believe it, combined with Cloverfield - though it likely could've had a similar effect without it, helped make the kaiju subculture more mainstream and acted as an introduction for many. It's a good, first film to help set expectations in terms of focus, characterization, particularly of human characters, and storytelling.
Well, it definitely is representative of reality, for it’s time.
I think a better take is to acknowledge it, but understand that these were views of a different era that were as wrong then as they are now.
We can acknowledge this but still not take away the influence and impact the film had.
The film still is one of the most important ever made.
I find stereotypes annoying when in stuff from the 50s on, but when its in films this old, I don't get bothered as much, I guess since this film is close to being a centenarian I view it as an old man of a film compared to films 30 or more years 'newer'.
@@AdrianParkinsonFilms I agree although if I'm trying to get someone into kaiju movies I wouldn't start with the original Godzilla or Kong. I would start with Pacific Rim and the Monsterverse movies because those are the "cool" movies with all the big budget CGI effects and action. Then, if they're willing to learn more, that's when I'd ease them into the classics because, at least for my friends, getting them to watch old black and white movies is like forcing 6 year olds to eat veggies.
Kong started it all, and it's no wonder why. This movie is a classic, Adventure and Monster movie. This is must watch cinema
For a film made in 1933, it was violent and dark fantasy adventure film
Most important outcome of King Kong: all Ray Harryhausen movies.
Please review some of his work!
Yo fingers crossed for son of Kong and King Kong escapes!
crossed 🤞
Even a century ago people still loved watching giant monsters beat the shit out of each other
Fantastic. I love that you are going to do Kong Reviews. So glad that I discovered your channel.
King Kong 1933 is a great film it's a masterpiece it still holds as the greatest films of all time and a box office success.
God, I absolutely love this film. Since I watched it in infants school,till now,it just never gets old. Very few films have stayed with me like Kong have.
Truly a classic film. One of my favorites of any genre.
I listen to this while I’m doing homework for my college, and it’s not distracting, it’s just straight up a good thing to listen to
"All hail King Homer! The eighth wonder of the world!"
"Wow! Look at the size of that platform!"
I liked how the Simpsons could do the whole King Kong story in seven minutes and it took Peter Jackson over three hours.
Well they did kinda abbreviate the Empire State Building climb...
I was walking through the gas one day...
Well, the big ape is going to stand around for a few hours, and then we'll close with the ethnic comedy of Dugan & Dershowitz!
You couldnt get away with that today. Thanks for reminding me of a classic Simpsons episode!
@@ArcaneAzmadi King Homer just needed to cut down on people.
An incredible movie that to this day still manages to have impact.
Kong himself was never more threatening and terrifying-his rampage through NY is something to behold and his attack on the overhead railway is still deeply disturbing.
FAYE RAY without doubt eclipsed all the other actors and is the human star of this movie.
Like STAR WARS etc which came later, the inspiration and imagination sparked in countless generations of children cannot be understated.
This movie has fascinated me since a small child and stands as a cornerstone in our shared cultural heritage.
Still the best Kong movie ever made.
Unlike most old black and white films of the same era, this film still holds up VERY WELL!
Funny timing that you upload this 2 days after me and my friends watched it for the first time (as a prelude to our upcoming Godzilla Marathon)
One of my two favourite films of all time (tied with the 1976 remake). Great review :)
After nearly 90 years the original KING KONG stands head and shoulders above all the rip-offs and remakes that have come since.
Not my favourite Kong film but definitely a classic. It's an absolutely essential kaiju movie to watch for fans of the genre. Can't wait for the rest of the King Kong Marathon.
One of the most beautifully-paced fantasy/adventure films. Slow build to Kong's first appearance, and from there on it's a race, with one awesome scene after another. It hasn't lost a thing with age--the 'flaws' some see with the stop motion just add to the fantastic atmosphere and strangeness of Kong.
When the T-rex shows up and Anne's scream hurts it's ears always floors me. Conversely, when the guy who foolishly climbed the tree to get away from the brontosaur and then you hear that terrible high-pitch screamin, that scarred me as a 12 year old who snuck downstairs after midnight on a schoolnight and finally got to watch the whole movie on a 12" b/w tv about a week before the '76 version was released. I honestly dont remember knowing that the movie was going to be on tv that night and I was usually sound asleep by that time. It's like I was called to it.
Just watched this for the first time yesterday and it’s still absolutely incredible, loved it
Probably one of the most important movies to ever be made. Cinema owes a LOT to the iconic 8th wonder of the world😄
Even back before Godzilla was a thing, King Kong was nicknamed the original king of the monsters.
The depictions of the natives are pretty bad in this movie but the one's in Peter Jackson's much newer version are arguably faaar worse.
I could see that. They're pretty much zombies.
what natives of skull island are you comparing them too? You know they're all fictional, right? It's just a movie. Drink some soy and enjoy it.
The aliens in District 9 don’t exist, that doesn’t mean that the film isn’t about racism. Things that don’t exist are frequently stand-ins for things that do exist. Godzilla doesn’t exist, the bombs that he’s a representation of sure do tho. Skull island doesn’t exist, but the group that they represent-native islanders and uncontacted tribes-absolutely do. The depiction of “ooh spooky scary savages” is the core of this issue, nobody’s defending the honor of Skull Islanders specifically but rather what they are archetypal of in a broader sense.
Crado Dragmire The point isn’t that it’s not A Movie, the point is that movies are a result of choices made by the creators-and the attitudes that inform those choices are a result of the prevailing culture of the time. Movies are an expression of culture as much as they are an expression of individuality. They also inform culture because our culture gets too much of its ideas about the world through using movies-curated by artistic choices-as case studies and microcosms through which we try to understand the world. That’s what art is: contextualizing a human condition that’s too broad to truly be fully experienced. Narrative art is Life By Proxy.
Also autistic is a stupid insult. This isn’t pearl-clutching “oh no I’m offended,” it’s just genuinely not something that ought to be insulting. Regardless, the kind of Othering that using someone’s existence as an insult will and does contribute to isn’t a matter of being personally offended or not. The same way that stories are known inform the way society as a whole thinks about things, the way we talk about things-like autism, like mental illness-impacts the way that society en masse thinks and behaves about them. Normalized Othering-whether racial or otherwise-doesn’t de-stigmatize that Othered existence; by definition it contributes to it.
3:17 Godzilla’s two inspirations fighting, I just realized lmfao
Rampage Review Next? It's so Underrated!
Rampage was a pleasant surprise!
@@Irrelevant402 Alot of people don't even talk about it anymore. It's sad because it's so amazing! It had everything that kaiju fans love. I wish more people talked about it today.
It's decent monster movie. Needed more action.
@@doom7ish It has plenty of action though.
@@Assassin199410 I kinda wish George vs. Lizzie went a little longer. Wanted to see her swing that tail around and smash stuff! Still pretty good appetizer for Godzilla vs. Kong.
Still one of my favorites to this day. Wonderful review!
Kong Skull island seemed to have followed the originals concept. A giant gorilla fighting a giant Komodo dragon, thats basically what we got!
Levi Gifford I love how it finds its own way to be unique by showing off cool visuals and a different take on Kong.
@@frogurtcremebrulee5252 Yeah, some people probably wrote it off because it was different, but thats why I liked it! It wasent yet another retelling of the original. Instead it showed more could be done with the character!
Kong fights dinosaurs in the original though.... Not komodo dragons.
But yeah I like how Skull Island did something different, we don't need so many retellings.
Which is also why I really like movies such as Son of Kong 1933, King Kong Vs Godzilla, King Kong Escapes and King Kong Lives, they all did something different.
Do to think you could maybe do the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy next? Anyway, great review I love your content.
EDIT: I mean after the Kong videos obviously.
Oh yes, King Kong is great! I also have found it cool and interesting that Kong fights a creature from the land, the water, and the air. Those being the Tyrannosaurus rex (land), the Elasmosaurus (water), and the Pteranodon (air). Another thing that I find cool and interesting is that Kong was originally supposed to fight Komodo dragons and in Kong: Skull Island he fights Skullcrawlers which resemble Komodo dragons. And of course their design also takes inspiration from the two-legged lizard that emerges from the pit in the original.
A couple years ago, my best friend asked my what my favorite movie. After thinking for a month, i had to say Kong. Saw it when i was 5. My dad turn the channel to when Kong was in the theater. After Kong died i said "I hate those airplanes". My dad laughed. It's a perfectly pace movie. Fun Fact: It's the first movie to open at Radio City Music Hall and the Roxy. The 2 largest theater in America.
One of the best movies ever made!
I still can't perceive how they made that shot of Kong climbing up the Empire State Building that looks like it was filmed a few miles away. That is an organic being climbing up the set. When Kong falls to his death from the same angle, it looks phony, but how did they do the first shot? Amazing. I'll be seeing this on the big screen next month in Tacoma. See you there! :)
Well said. This was a solid review and you did this important , classic justice
All I have is, I've been watching this movie since I was a kid, and, the visual effects and cinematography is breath taking, especially considering that its 1933
No King Kong, no Godzilla. It's that simple.
No atomic bomb, no Godzilla. It's that simple.
You do have a point, Kong definitely inspired many many many monster films, even if Kong wasn't even the first of its kind, there were giant monster movies before Kong rolled around but Kong did it so well and popularised it a great amount.. But, as the other guy said, if Japan wasn't bombed by America back in the day then Godzilla wouldn't exist, Godzilla isn't solely here because of Kong, he's probably here even more because of the bombing than Kong.
@@cookiesontoast9981 I do agree with that. Though Kong likely help with the inspiration of having Godzilla be a giant monster movie. For example, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was where Gojira drew most of its inspiration from and King Kong likely inspired that movie.
Antonio Perez Yep, Ray Harryhausen was the protégé of Willis O’Brien.
Beast from 20,000 fathoms would not be what it was if not for King Kong.
@@spockboy we didn’t want that bomb to happen in real life
Truly a great review of a great movie! It is my all-time fave! I don’t think most people today realize the impact the film has had on cinema.
An incredible movie
Still better than both remakes imo
Fay Wray was so beautiful 😍 Fun Fact: She was director James Cameron's first choice to play Old Rose in Titanic but she turned him down.
A big hit and classic from RKO but it was the Fred Astaire/ Ginger Rodgers movies that kept the studio afloat during the Depression.
I found this movie at my local barns and noble and I have no idea why I haven’t bought it yet lol
It's Giant Gorilla Theater Time, starting the great-grandaddy of 'em all!
Your content is exceptional. You deserve more subs my friend
I still love this movie but it's had to get over the fact that Kong's size keeps changing.
I have the 2 disc special edition on DVD. Such a classic
King Kong the grandfather of kaiju
Somehow,I find the stop-motion very appealing in this video.
Fathom Events is hosting 1933's King Kong March 15 at AMC Theaters
KING KONG (1933)
'Classic' original kaiju film that
started It all. #TEAMKONG.
Despite me being a Godzilla fan I still plan on watching this film because it's one of the reasons why Godzilla exists and also because I think it s interesting
Great review I remember seeing the colorized version on vhs that my aunt would let me rent from our local video rental place.
The screenplay was written by Ruth Rose, producer Ernest Schoedsack’s wife. Rose would accompany her husband on his jungle safaris with Cooper and was a true partner on their adventures. The whole “women are a bother” thing was an inside joke that Rose put in the film to tease her husband because on one safari, one of their elderly rich, lady patrons insisted on accompanying them, a condition of her subsidizing the trip. She drove Schoedsack crazy, with her never ending pieces of luggage, tents, makeup, etc. Rose and Cooper laughed as Schoedsack seethed. So it was put in the picture. You can’t take it seriously, as Driscoll learns to love “women” rather quickly. I would also argue that the natives don’t come across as racist as they could. Their costumes are beautiful, Noble Johnson makes a regal chief, and in no way do they become parodies. Decades later, Peter Jackson would try to “correct” these stereotypes in his version of Kong and instead his natives come across as aboriginal horror cannibals. No improvement here.
Well said. King Kong was technically the first monster/kaiju movie.
There were films before it with dinosaurs and things, which if you class a giant monkey as a monster then you should also class dinosaurs as monsters, so nah Kong isn't actually the first.
Also the word Kaiju Litterally only means monster but in Japanese, calling anything a kaiju is pointless, just say monster... Because that's all you're saying anyway but in Japanese.
I only say kaiju when I'm specifically referring to a Japanese monster movie, then there's at least 1 reason to say kaiju.
Excited to hear your thoughts on the Kong remake. I think it's absolutely wonderful, though I'll be the first to admit that it's very self-indulgent.
Fay's bra was lost durning the filming and later found nearly a year later,half chewed
up by Son of Kong......they had to punish him!
I would love to hear your thoughts on the Daimajin trilogy from 1966.
Maybe after these, you should start reviewing different types of monster movies, like maybe review the classic 50's monster movies and their remakes.
*The very first Kaiju movie*
Do this for all the Jurassic park movies (even though I know they aren’t technically Kaiju movies) dinosaur movies count as monster movies too.
Kong isn't a kaiju movie either... Kaiju just means monster but in Japanese, there's no reason to say kaiju unless you actually mean a Japanese monster, which Kong is American.
MechaMinilla99 dude... Kaiju can be from anywhere, Japan, America etc
Kaiju literally means “strange beast” there’s nothing that says what size it has to be to qualify as a Kaiju, so King Kong is technically a Kaiju, not a traditional Kaiju, but still a kaiju
@@SaurianStudios1207 You're making it into something it's not. just say monster.. as as I said the word kaiju literally means monster.
King Kong is the greatest movie ever made.
Wait, what the hell? His scale goes up to 5? Damn.
If Kong wasn't suppose to come into the village, why did they make the door in the wall so big? Hmmmm?
This film inspired Ray Harryhousan and he inspired all the special effects people who came after him.
OH HELL YEAH
Yes!
Definitely a classic
Peter Jackson's AND Steven Spielberg's FAVORITE film!
Do you have any plans or interest in doing some other old school monster movies like, beast from 20,000 fathoms, the giant behemoth?
i never had problems with the sexism or the racism, because it is what it is. and unlike most modern ppl, i don't really cringe at it. all in all it's still a perfect movie.
If you are fine, please, do a review about "The Black Scorpion" (1957) and also a review about "Them !" (1954)
King Kong is here!!! Also pretty sure I’m first viewer 🙌
2020 #TEAMKONG 🐵 also no King Kong no Godzilla
I usually roll my eyes at channels who just do kaiju movie reviews, but your editing is so crisp and knowledge so good it's a perfect short video review.
So keep making them!
This isn't a kaiju movie.. It's just a monster movie, it's not Japanese.. And all kaiju means is monster in Japanese.
Also, why would you roll your eyes at people doing monster/actual Japanese kaiju movie reviews?... Are they not allowed to speak their thoughts on the films?..... There's no reason to roll your eyes, it's the same as doing reviews for any other film.
Problematic by today's standards? It was a realistic depiction of how much larger the world was back then, and how alien people from the other side of the world seemed to people here. Remember, much of the world still lived in a primitive, pre-industrial culture, and people everywhere were very conscious of that difference.
That's very true. And if you check the census of America in the 1930s, 89.8% of the population was caucasian.
Please review all the kong movies
Imagine if 1933 Kong was larger & crossed over with Godzilla 1954
Now THAT would be an interesting History lesson to attend to
The eighth wonder of the world
With in 10 years I’ll be making a film like this low quality made with stop motion