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King Kong

  • 19331933
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
85K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,892
320
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 an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who takes a shine to their female blonde star. He is then captured and brought back to New Yor... Read allA film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who takes a shine to their female blonde star. He is then captured and brought back to New York City for public exhibition.A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who takes a shine to their female blonde star. He is then captured and brought back to New York City for public exhibition.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
85K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,892
320
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Merian C. Cooper(uncredited)
      • Ernest B. Schoedsack(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • James Ashmore Creelman(screen play)
      • Ruth Rose(screen play)
      • Merian C. Cooper(from an idea conceived by)
    • Stars
      • Fay Wray
      • Robert Armstrong
      • Bruce Cabot
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Merian C. Cooper(uncredited)
      • Ernest B. Schoedsack(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • James Ashmore Creelman(screen play)
      • Ruth Rose(screen play)
      • Merian C. Cooper(from an idea conceived by)
    • Stars
      • Fay Wray
      • Robert Armstrong
      • Bruce Cabot
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 565User reviews
    • 183Critic reviews
    • 90Metascore
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 7 nominations

    Videos1

    King Kong
    Trailer 1:32
    King Kong

    Photos176

    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    King Kong in 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
    King Kong
    King Kong
    • The Eighth Wonder of the World
    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)
    • Directors
      • Merian C. Cooper(uncredited)
      • Ernest B. Schoedsack(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • James Ashmore Creelman(screen play)
      • Ruth Rose(screen play)
      • Merian C. Cooper(from an idea conceived by) (story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Merian C. Cooper's first vision for the film was of a giant ape on top of the world's tallest building, fighting airplanes. He worked backward from there to develop the rest of the story.
    • 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 reviews565

    Review
    Top review
    They weren't just making a film when they made this one.... they were inventing rules and ideas that would be followed for decades to come.
    How many films can truly be said to be definitive? The answer is probably "not many", but the original 1933 version of King Kong is certainly one of them. For its time, every aspect is innovative. First-of-their-kind special effects, first-of-its-kind plot, famous performances and a final sequence that remains unequalled as an eye-popping cinematic experience. The quality of cinematography and visual trickery has progressed a long way since 1933 - so the special effects obviously look rather primitive to 21st Century eyes - but anyone with a shred of common sense will still be astounded by what they see. This is movie history in the making. Had this never been made, the whole history of films may have taken a different course.

    Ace film director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) hires an unemployed, attractive New York woman Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) to star in his new picture. He takes her by boat to remote Skull Island where, according to legend, there lives an awesome god-like beast named Kong. Denham's plan is to shoot a variation of the Beauty and the Beast story, using Ann as his beauty and Kong as his beast. Everyone involved gets more than they bargained for when Ann is kidnapped by the island natives and offered as a sacrifice to Kong. She is kidnapped by a gigantic prehistoric ape and saved only by the courage of ship's mate Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). But Denham has one more trick up his sleeve when he captures Kong and takes the beast back to New York. You don't really think those chains will hold him, do you?

    Virtually every monster movie ever made owes something to King Kong - even colossal modern hits like Jurassic Park, The Lost World and Godzilla (not to mention thousands of small scale homages such as The Land Unknown and Gorgo). It is arguably the most influential film of all-time. I genuinely envy people who were lucky enough to experience this film during its 1933 opening week - what must they have thought? Did they realize they were witnessing something utterly extraordinary? I could go on all day giving reasons why you should see it, but it would be pointless. It can all be summed up in one sentence: if you have even the slightest interest in movies SEE THIS FILM!
    helpful•158
    20
    • barnabyrudge
    • Oct 28, 2004

    FAQ6

    • What is 'King Kong' about?
    • Is "King Kong" based on a book?
    • Why did the natives build such a huge door if they wanted to keep Kong out?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 7, 1933 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • King Ape
    • Filming locations
      • Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, 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
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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