KING KONG
1933 Directed by Meriam B. Cooper
Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot
Forget Peter Jackson's travesty against the legend of Kong-- that four hour muckiest featuring Jack Black (!) and a chubby Kong who ICE SKATES in central park is not my Kong.
I'm talking about the original. Yes, it's made in that period of the early 30s when film making was a bit creaky and the creators were still figuring out the best way to work in the new medium of Sound-- but get past that. Fay Wray is perfect, Robert Armstrong is himself and Bruce Cabot does his best to imitate the better choice of Joel McCrea (who had to pass) but it's the special effects of Willis O'Brien that really make this work. Meticulously filmed in stop motion using techniques that are still employed to this day. If you dig Nightmare Before Xmas you need to see this film.
***** Stars
