Tuesday 15 October 2013

King Kong (1933) Review Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack

King Kong (1933) Review
Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack


King Kong is a black and white adventure-fantasy film with hints of horror directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The film has been a classed as iconic and a must see to any film fanatic, since its original release in 1933 it has had two remakes made from the story, one in 1976 and the most recent in 2005. 

King Kong has been well renowned for its incredible use of special effects, both in the 1933 original and the 2005 remake. Willis O'Brien's use of special effects in the picture contributed largely to the films success, using a variety of methods such as live action, back projection, stop-motion animation, miniatures, models and matte paintings. A statement has been said that the film achieved "a sophistication and beauty that eclipsed anything that went before." (Ebert, 2002). 
The films set design also let the audience delve into worlds they had never seen before. Due to the fact that in 1933 much less holidays and visits were taken abroad than today, the films design of forests and jungles let the audience see what it is like in other countries. This film looked as though Skull Island had been based on an African tribe which today can be classed as very racist and stereotypical. 

Positives and negatives can be drawn from both the original King Kong and the 2005 remake of the classic. First of all, the advancement in technology let Peter Jackson create a much more realistic Kong with almost entirely CGI. This allowed the audience to feel emotions towards the creature, such as feeling sorry for Kong when he has been dragged to a place where he didn't belong. This was harder to achieve however in the 1933 original due to basic effects that were had hand.  
However the remake lacks the originality that the 1993 version has. After watching the original after the remake, Cooper and Schoedsack's version feels like an entirely different film due to its incredible use of effects compared to other films of its time. "The film endures because of the timelessness of its central story and the care that went into its creation." (Film 4, s.d.).

 
 
King Kong since its release is one of the great classics of all time and will be viewed by hundreds of generations to come due to its fantastic feat in special effects and all round enticing adventure story line. "King Kong is the father of "Jurassic Park," the "Alien" movies and countless other stories in which heroes are terrified by skillful special effects." (Ebert, 2002).


Bibliography

Ebert, R (2002) 
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-king-kong-1933 
(Accessed on 15/10/2013)

Film 4 (s.d.) 
http://www.film4.com/reviews/1933/king-kong
(Accessed on 15/10/2013)


Images 

1 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Kingkongposter.jpg
     (Accessed on (15/10/2013)

2 - http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/5-king-kong-1933-granger.jpg
     (Accessed on (15/10/2013)

3 - http://www.energyenhancement.org/King%2520Kong%25202005%25201-720028.jpg
     (Accessed on (15/10/2013)

4 - http://www.doblu.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/kingkong12203.jpg
     (Accessed on (15/10/2013)



1 comment:

  1. Hi Will,

    This review sounds so much better, now that you are writing in the 3rd person - well done :)

    Be careful that you italicise ALL your quotes; you have missed one in the middle... also, when introducing the quote, try using the author as a way in; so, for example you write -
    'A statement has been said that the film achieved "a sophistication and beauty that eclipsed anything that went before."

    This would sound a bit better if you said, 'As film critic Roger Ebert noted, the film achieved "a sophistication and beauty that eclipsed anything that went before."
    See what I mean?

    You need a bit more information in your illustrations list, namely what the image is (ie film still etc). You should also label your images Figure 1, or Fig. 1 and give them a brief title.
    This is the example from the referencing guide -

    Fig. 1. Nylon Fashions. (1959) From: Nylon Fashions, British Pathé. Directed by: unknown. [Film still] Great Britain: British Pathé. At: http://www.britishpathe.com/video/nylon-fashions (Accessed on 20.03.2012).

    (Both titles, 'Nylon Fashions,' should be in italics...)

    Check out the guide for full details of what is required!!

    ReplyDelete