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King Kong (1933)

Passed  -  Adventure | Fantasy | Horror  -  7 April 1933 (USA)
8.0
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Ratings: 8.0/10 from 51,877 users  
Reviews: 353 user | 176 critic

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.

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 5 more credits »
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Title: King Kong (1933)

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2 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
Robert Armstrong ...
...
...
Sam Hardy ...
Noble Johnson ...
Steve Clemente ...
Witch King (as Steve Clemento)
James Flavin ...
King Kong ...
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Storyline

Carl Denham needs to finish his movie and has the perfect location; Skull Island. But he still needs to find a leading lady. This 'soon-to-be-unfortunate' soul is Ann Darrow. No one knows what they will encounter on this island and why it is so mysterious, but once they reach it, they will soon find out. Living on this hidden island is a giant gorilla and this beast now has Ann is it's grasps. Carl and Ann's new love, Jack Driscoll must travel through the jungle looking for Kong and Ann, whilst avoiding all sorts of creatures and beasts. Written by Film_Fan

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

island | gorilla | beast | rescue | love | See more »

Taglines:

The Most Awesome Thriller Of All Time See more »


Certificate:

Passed | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

7 April 1933 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

King Ape  »

Box Office

Budget:

$670,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (restored)

Sound Mix:

(RCA Photophone System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

To keep in line with the use of most of the cast from Hounds of Zaroff the role of Jack Driscoll was intended for Joel McCrea. According to Fay Wray however, McCrea's agents demanded more money so the role was given to Bruce Cabot. See more »

Goofs

The first Skull Island native that Kong bites after he breaks through the wall changes orientation between the long shot of him being picked up and the close-up in Kong's mouth. The head changes direction between shots. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Charles Weston: Say, is this the moving picture ship?
Watchman: The Venture? Yeah. Are you going on this crazy voyage?
Charles Weston: What's crazy about it?
See more »

Connections

Referenced in La Bamba (1987) See more »

Soundtracks

"St. Louis Blues"
(1914) (uncredited)
Music by W.C. Handy
Whistled by Robert Armstrong
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Some aspects of KING KONG people forget.
3 December 2001 | by (Huntington, NY) – See all my reviews

First, the 1933 version of KING KONG, is for me, the greatest fantasy film ever made. Sure, there are fantasy films with far better special effects (THE MATRIX, JURASSIC PARK) better acting (the acting here is of the period!) but KING KONG is a film of tremendous excitement. The suspense, pacing, sensuality, violence all adds up to a blood pumping experience. We all read about the film's history, being made, released, censored, restored, and how it's been picked to itsy-bits by every arm-chair film "expert".

What very few film-makers have focused on is the film-making itself in KING KONG. It has superb build-up. We are wondering what is on the island as we approach it. Then we wonder what is behind the wall on the island. Then we wonder what gigantic beast is sharing that frightening jungle with the rescuers, trying to save Fay Wray. The film is faultlessly edited. Many scenes begin or end with people running for their lives. Unneeded scenes just don't exsist (we go from Kong knocked out on Skull Island to his Broadway debut. We don't need to see what happens inbetween!) then there's Max Steiner's perfect music score. Before KONG, most music scores were borrowed snippets of classical or popular themes, but Steiner's score follows the action to an inch! Also, he does a great number of abstract musical strokes (I.e the clash of drums when Kong beats the giant snake to it's death. The lovely string piece that jumps to pulsating chase music in a milli-second.) When I hear of a friend say they never saw this film, it's like hearing a child say they never had ice cream. Long Live Kong!


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