Merian C. Cooper
James Ashmore Creelman
Fay Wray
Bruce Cabot
Merian C. Cooper
Merian C. Cooper
J.O. Taylor
Vernon Walker
King Kong is a 1933 American Pre-Code fantasy monster/adventure film directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose was from an idea conceived by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. It stars Fay Wray, Bruce Cabot and Robert Armstrong, and opened in New York City on March 2, 1933 to rave reviews.
Synopsis[]
A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal giant gorilla who takes a shine to their female blonde star.
Plot[]
In New York Harbor, Carl Denham, famous for making wildlife films in remote and exotic locations, charters Captain Englehorn's ship Venture for his new project, but he is unable to secure an actress for a female role he reluctantly added. Denham searches the streets of New York for a suitable woman. He meets penniless Ann Darrow and convinces her to join him for the adventure of a lifetime. The Venture quickly gets underway. The surly first mate, Jack Driscoll, gradually falls in love with Ann. After weeks of secrecy, Denham finally tells Englehorn and Driscoll that their destination is Skull Island, an uncharted island shown on a map in Denham's possession. Denham speaks of something monstrous there, a legendary entity known only as "Kong".
When they find the island and anchor off its shore, they can see a native village, separated from the rest of the island by an enormous stone wall. A landing party, including the filming crew and Ann, witnesses a group of natives about to sacrifice a young maiden as the "bride of Kong". The intruders are spotted and the native chief angrily stops the ceremony. When he sees the blond Ann, he offers to trade six of his women for the "golden woman". After refusing him, the landing party returns to the Venture.
That night, a band of natives kidnaps Ann from the ship and conducts her through the huge wooden gate in the wall. Tied to an altar, she is offered to Kong, who turns out to be a giant gorilla. Kong carries her off into the jungle as the alerted Venture crew arrives. They open the gate and Denham, Driscoll and some volunteers enter the jungle in hopes of rescuing Ann. They discover that, in addition to Kong, other giant creatures inhabit the island, including dinosaurs. A Stegosaurus charges them and they kill it. When they raft across a swamp, a Brontosaurus capsizes their supplies and kills several men. Fleeing through the jungle, they soon meet Kong, who tries to stop them from following him across a ravine by shaking them off a fallen tree that bridges it. Only Driscoll and Denham, on opposite sides, survive.
A Tyrannosaurus tries to eat Ann, but Kong kills it after a colossal battle. Driscoll shadows Kong and Ann while Denham returns to the village for more ammunition. Upon arriving in Kong's lair in a mountain cave, Ann is again menaced by a snake-like Elasmosaurus, and the giant ape again kills it in her defense. While Kong is distracted killing aPteranodon that tried to take off with Ann, Driscoll reaches her and they climb down a vine dangling from a cliff ledge. When Kong notices and starts pulling them back up, they let go and fall unharmed into the river below. They run through the jungle and back to the village, where Denham, Englehorn and the surviving crewmen are waiting. Kong, following, breaks open the gate and murderously rampages through the village. On shore, Denham, now determined to bring Kong back alive, knocks him unconscious with a gas bomb.
Chained and shackled, Kong is presented to a Broadway theater audience as "Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World". Ann and Jack, who are now engaged, are brought on stage to join him, followed by an invited group of press photographers. Kong, believing that the ensuing flash photography is an attack, breaks loose as the audience flees in terror. Ann is whisked away to a hotel room on a high floor, but Kong, scaling the building, soon finds her. Carrying her in his hand, he rampages through the city. He wrecks a crowded elevated train and ultimately climbs up the Empire State Building. At its top, he is met by four military P-12 planes. Kong sets Ann down and grabs at the planes, managing to down one of them, but he finally succumbs to their gunfire and falls to his death as Jack and Ann reunite. Denham arrives and pushes through a crowd surrounding Kong's body in the street. When a policeman remarks that the planes got him, Denham tells him, "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast."
Cast[]
- Fay Wray as Ann Darrow
- Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham
- Bruce Cabot as Jack Driscoll
- Frank Reicher as Captain Englehorn
- Noble Johnson as the Native Chief
- Steve Clemente as the Witch Doctor
- James Flavin as Briggs
- Victor Wong as Charlie the Cook
- Sam Hardy as Charles Weston