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King Kong

  • 1933
  • Passed
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
90K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,312
112
King Kong (1933)
Trailer for the original, classic film
Play trailer1:32
1 Video
99+ Photos
AdventureHorrorSci-Fi

A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.

  • Directors
    • Merian C. Cooper
    • Ernest B. Schoedsack
  • Writers
    • James Ashmore Creelman
    • Ruth Rose
    • Merian C. Cooper
  • Stars
    • Fay Wray
    • Robert Armstrong
    • Bruce Cabot
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    90K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,312
    112
    • Directors
      • Merian C. Cooper
      • Ernest B. Schoedsack
    • Writers
      • James Ashmore Creelman
      • Ruth Rose
      • Merian C. Cooper
    • Stars
      • Fay Wray
      • Robert Armstrong
      • Bruce Cabot
    • 590User reviews
    • 201Critic reviews
    • 92Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 7 nominations

    Videos1

    King Kong
    Trailer 1:32
    Watch King Kong

    Photos186

    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Steve Clemente, Noble Johnson, and Fay Wray in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, James Flavin, Sam Hardy, Frank Reicher, Fay Wray, and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Bruce Cabot and Fay Wray in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Fay Wray, and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Fay Wray
    Fay Wray
    • Ann Darrow
    Robert Armstrong
    Robert Armstrong
    • Carl Denham
    Bruce Cabot
    Bruce Cabot
    • Jack Driscoll
    Frank Reicher
    Frank Reicher
    • Capt. Englehorn
    Sam Hardy
    Sam Hardy
    • Charles Weston
    Noble Johnson
    Noble Johnson
    • Native Chief
    Steve Clemente
    Steve Clemente
    • Witch King
    • (as Steve Clemento)
    James Flavin
    James Flavin
    • Second Mate Briggs
    Walter Ackerman
    • Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    James Adamson
    • Native Child
    • (uncredited)
    Van Alder
    • Member of Ship's Crew
    • (uncredited)
    Ed Allen
    • Native
    • (uncredited)
    Etta Mae Allen
    • Native
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Angel
    • Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    Roscoe Ates
    Roscoe Ates
    • Press Photographer
    • (uncredited)
    Ralph Bard
    • Member of Ship's Crew
    • (uncredited)
    Reginald Barlow
    Reginald Barlow
    • Ship's Engineer
    • (uncredited)
    Leo Beard
    • Member of Ship's Crew
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Merian C. Cooper(uncredited)
      • Ernest B. Schoedsack(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • James Ashmore Creelman
      • Ruth Rose
      • Merian C. Cooper(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Grossed $90,000 its opening weekend, the biggest opening ever at the time.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 14 mins) A Skull Island resident jumps from a hut and falls beside a domed chicken cage, which then hinges backwards and catches the actor's wig, taking it off his head, and remaining on top of the cage.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Police Lieutenant: Well, Denham, the airplanes got him.

      Carl Denham: Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening Card: And the prophet said: "And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty. And it stayed its hand from killing. And from that day, it was as one dead." Old Arabian Proverb
    • Alternate versions
      On November 22, 2005, Turner Classic Movies premiered a version with a four minute overture added. This increased the run time to slightly over 104 minutes. This is also the U.S. two-disc DVD collector's edition version. Note, however, that the overture was not part of the film's original exhibition. According to John Morgan's notes on the score's re-construction, the overture was not written by Max Steiner. Morgan writes, "Another rumour has recently surfaced that Steiner composed an Overture for the film's world premiere opening in 1933 - there was even a recent recording claiming to be this long-lost Overture. Hearing the recorded "proof" of this Overture confirmed our suspicions: it was merely those same few acetates that have been floating around for years, professionally edited into a short Suite and called an Overture. In conversations I had with people who attended and remembered this opening, there was no music from the film used in any of these shows." Source: John Morgan, "Reconstruction Notes by John Morgan," Steiner: King Kong. Marco Polo (8.223763), 1997, pg. 21 (near bottom).
    • Connections
      Edited into The Ghost Ship (1943)
    • Soundtracks
      St. Louis Blues
      (1914) (uncredited)

      Music by W.C. Handy

      Whistled by Robert Armstrong

    User reviews590

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    King Kong - One small step for man. One giant leap for film making!
    It's a shame that young people these days, don't know how to enjoy a black & white movie! I'm 14, and I love black & white movies. We saw this movie at school, and everyone hated it. They said it sucked, because it was in black & white, and the effects were hilariously bad!

    I disagreed!

    This movie is nearly 80 years old, and it's still a hit!

    The cinematography is incredibly beautiful. One of the greatest shots of all time is when Kong is on the top of the building!

    The acting is fine.

    The story is great, but my friends found it stupid. They thought it was unrealistic because there were dinosaurs and a giant gorilla on the island etc.

    This movie is entertaining throughout the whole movie! Most black & whites movies got a lot of dialog and long scenes with no editing, but not in this one! There are plenty of scenes in this movie where there are no dialog, but great editing and entertainment!

    The effects are so fantastic! Young people may find Kong hilarious when they see a close-up picture of him. But I was absolutely blown away! Imagine that you're in 1933. You go to the movies and you've never seen something like this before!

    King Kong is a one small step for man. One giant leap for film making!

    10/10
    helpful•76
    6
    • jon-larsen
    • Apr 25, 2010

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    FAQ25

    • How long is King Kong?Powered by Alexa
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    • Why did the natives build such a huge door if they wanted to keep Kong out?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 28, 1933 (Netherlands)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • King Ape
    • Filming locations
      • San Pedro Harbor, Long Beach, California, USA
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $670,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $651
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White

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