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Transcript

King Kong (1933) · Verbal Diorama

1:15
Hi
1:15
everyone,
1:16
I'm
1:16
Em,
1:16
and
1:17
welcome
1:17
to
1:17
the
1:17
9th
1:17
Wonder
1:18
of
1:18
the
1:18
World,
1:19
Verbal
1:19
Diorama,
1:20
episode
1:20
347,
1:22
King
1:22
Kong.
1:23
This
1:23
is
1:23
the
1:23
podcast
1:24
that's
1:24
all
1:24
about
1:24
the
1:24
history
1:25
and
1:25
legacy
1:25
of
1:25
movies
1:26
you
1:26
know
1:26
and
1:26
movies
1:27
you
1:27
don't.
1:27
A
1:28
show
1:28
to
1:28
gratify
1:29
your
1:30
curiosity.
1:31
Welcome
1:32
to
1:32
Verbal
1:32
Diorama.
1:33
Whether
1:33
you're
1:33
a
1:33
brand
1:33
new
1:33
listener,
1:34
whether
1:34
you're
1:34
a
1:34
regular
1:34
returning
1:35
listener,
1:35
thank
1:36
you
1:36
so
1:36
much
1:36
for
1:36
being
1:36
here.
1:37
Thank
1:37
you
1:37
so
1:38
much
1:38
for
1:38
choosing
1:38
to
1:38
listen
1:39
to
1:39
this
1:39
podcast.
1:40
I'm
1:40
so
1:40
happy
1:40
to
1:41
have
1:41
you
1:41
here
1:41
for
1:42
the
1:42
history
1:42
and
1:42
legacy
1:43
of
1:43
King
1:44
Kong.
1:45
And
1:45
obviously,
1:46
if
1:46
you
1:46
are
1:46
a
1:46
regular
1:46
returning
1:47
listener,
1:47
thank
1:47
you
1:47
for
1:48
continuing
1:48
to
1:48
come
1:49
back
1:49
and
1:49
listen
1:50
to
1:50
this
1:50
podcast
1:51
and
1:51
support
1:51
this
1:51
podcast
1:52
over
1:53
the
1:53
last
1:53
seven
1:53
years
1:54
and
1:54
now
1:54
3,
1:55
347
1:55
episodes.
1:56
I
1:56
am
1:57
so
1:57
close
1:57
to
1:57
episode
1:58
350.
2:00
Huge.
2:00
Thank
2:01
you
2:01
to
2:01
you
2:02
for
2:02
your
2:02
support.
2:03
It
2:03
genuinely
2:04
means
2:04
so
2:05
much
2:05
to
2:05
an
2:06
indie
2:06
podcaster
2:07
who
2:07
has
2:07
done
2:07
literally
2:08
347
2:09
episodes
2:10
of
2:10
this
2:11
podcast
2:11
by
2:11
herself.
2:12
So
2:13
once
2:13
again,
2:13
thank
2:14
you
2:14
so
2:14
much,
2:14
regular
2:15
returning
2:15
listeners,
2:15
and
2:16
if
2:16
you
2:16
are
2:16
a
2:16
brand
2:16
new
2:16
listener,
2:17
you
2:17
have
2:18
plenty
2:18
to
2:19
catch
2:19
up
2:19
on.
2:20
It
2:20
is
2:21
now
2:21
the
2:21
month
2:21
of
2:21
June,
2:22
and
2:22
Kaijune
2:23
has
2:23
always
2:24
been
2:24
a
2:24
popular
2:24
month
2:25
on
2:25
this
2:25
podcast.
2:26
It's
2:26
something
2:26
that
2:27
I
2:27
really
2:27
love
2:27
to
2:28
do.
2:28
This
2:28
is
2:28
my
2:28
third
2:28
time
2:29
doing
2:29
a
2:29
Kai
2:30
June
2:30
season
2:31
and
2:31
I
2:32
love
2:32
great
2:33
big
2:33
hulking
2:33
monster
2:34
movies.
2:34
I
2:35
always
2:35
have,
2:35
I
2:36
always
2:36
will.
2:37
The
2:37
last
2:37
episode
2:38
was
2:38
on
2:38
the
2:38
Meg,
2:39
which
2:39
is
2:39
super
2:40
cheesy,
2:40
super
2:41
fun,
2:41
massive
2:42
shark
2:42
movie
2:43
that
2:43
I
2:43
think
2:44
is
2:44
a
2:44
lot
2:44
of
2:44
fun
2:44
and
2:45
I
2:45
have
2:45
a
2:45
lot
2:45
of
2:45
time
2:45
for
2:45
that
2:46
movie.
2:47
But
2:47
when
2:47
I
2:47
was
2:48
thinking
2:48
about
2:48
doing
2:49
Kaijune,
2:50
there
2:50
were
2:50
two
2:51
movies
2:51
in
2:51
particular
2:52
that
2:52
I
2:52
really
2:52
wanted
2:53
to
2:53
go
2:54
into.
2:55
And
2:55
this
2:55
is
2:55
the
2:55
first
2:56
of
2:56
those
2:56
two
2:56
movies
2:57
that
2:57
I
2:57
really,
2:57
really
2:57
wanted
2:58
to
2:58
do
2:58
for
2:58
this
2:59
particular
2:59
season
3:00
because
3:00
it
3:00
is
3:01
time
3:01
to
3:01
bring
3:01
out
3:01
the
3:02
big
3:02
guns.
3:03
And
3:03
there's
3:03
no
3:03
movie
3:04
bigger
3:05
or
3:05
indeed
3:05
older
3:06
on
3:07
this
3:07
podcast
3:08
than
3:08
the
3:09
original
3:09
kiKingKongngKongfrom
3:10
1933.And
3:12
thisisgoing
3:13
to
3:13
beahugeepisode.
3:14
We
3:14
have
3:15
so
3:15
much
3:15
to
3:15
go
3:15
into.
3:17
So
3:17
without
3:17
further
3:18
ado,
3:18
here
3:18
is
3:19
the
3:19
very
3:19
old
3:20
radio
3:20
trailer
3:21
for
3:21
King
3:21
Kong.
3:22
Be
3:23
warned,
3:23
there's
3:24
a
3:24
lot
3:24
of
3:24
screaming.
9:00
In
9:00
New
9:01
York
9:01
harbour,
9:01
Filmmaker
9:02
Carl
9:02
Denham,
9:03
known
9:03
for
9:03
wildlife
9:04
films
9:04
in
9:04
remote
9:05
exotic
9:05
locations,
9:06
is
9:06
unable
9:07
to
9:07
secure
9:07
an
9:07
actress
9:08
for
9:08
a
9:08
female
9:09
role
9:09
he's
9:10
been
9:10
reluctant
9:10
to
9:10
disclose.
9:12
In
9:12
the
9:12
streets
9:12
of
9:12
New
9:12
York
9:13
City.
9:13
He
9:13
finds
9:14
AnDarrowandpromisesherthethrill
9:16
ofalifetime,herbeingtheleadingladyinapicture.Theyaretofilmonan
9:21
unchartedisland.
9:23
On
9:23
reachingtheisland,theyfindthenativetribepreparing
9:26
tosacrificeayoungnativewoman.Thenativechiefofferstotradesix
9:31
ofhiswomenforAnne,
9:33
butthegrouprefusestogiveherover.
9:36
Thatnight
9:37
Anne
9:37
iskidnappedby
9:38
thenatives
9:39
andtaken
9:39
throughthebiggate
9:40
Ann
9:41
is
9:41
kidnapped
9:42
by
9:42
the
9:43
natives
9:43
and
9:44
taken
9:44
likebeasttheycallKong.Let'srunthrough
9:48
thecastofthismovie.WehaveFayWrayas
9:51
AnnDarrow,
9:53
RobertArmstrong
9:54
asCarlDenham,BruceCabotasJack
9:57
this
9:57
movie.
9:58
We
9:59
have
10:00
Fay
10:00
Wray
10:01
as
10:01
Ann
10:02
Darrow,
10:03
Robert
10:03
Armstrong
10:04
as
10:04
Carl
10:05
Denham,
10:05
Bruce
10:06
Cabot
10:07
as
10:07
Jack
10:08
Driscoll,
10:08
Frank
10:09
Reicher
10:10
thenativechief.KingKonghasascreenplaybyJamesA.KrilmanandRuthRose,
10:16
storybyEdgarWallaceandMerriamC.Cooper,andwasdirectedbyMerriamC.Cooperand
10:22
King
10:22
Kong
10:23
has
10:23
a
10:24
screenplay
10:24
by
10:24
James
10:25
A.
10:25
Creelman
10:26
and
10:26
onthispodcastare
10:27
SnowWhiteandtheSeven
10:28
Meriam
10:29
C.
10:29
1937and
10:30
the
10:31
was
10:31
directed
10:32
by
10:32
Meriam
10:32
C.
10:33
Cooper
10:33
and
10:34
Ernest
10:34
B.
10:35
1933overyearsagoandjustlikethosetwomovies,remainsageless.AndalthoughKing
10:44
Kongisbeingincluded
10:46
inKaiju,technicallyit'snotaKaijumovie.ThedefinitionofKaijubroadlyrefers
10:52
tothegenreofgiantdestructivemonstersandtendstohavemetaphoricalmeaningsrepresentingthingslikeforces
10:58
ofnatureandnuclearwarfare.Butthatdoesn'tmean
11:02
King
11:03
Kongisn'taKaijumovieinthemodernsense,
11:06
nordoesitmean
11:06
ithasnolinkstotheOG
11:09
Kaiju.Kaijuasagenreisgenerallytracedbackto
11:13
Godzillain1954,whichwasitselfdirectlyinspiredbytheBeastfrom20,000Fathoms.TheBeastfrom20,000Fathongsfeaturedspecialeffects
11:23
fromRay
11:23
Harryhausen,whowas
11:25
Willis
11:25
H.O',Brien,King
11:27
Kong'svisualeffectssupervisor'sownprotege.O'Brienworkedonthe1925movieTheLostWorld,whichdirectly
11:35
inspired
11:35
KingKong.
11:37
Sothetreegoesfromo'Brien
11:39
to
11:39
the
11:40
LostWorldtoKingKongtoHarryhausentothe
11:43
beastfrom20,000fathomstoGodzilla,whichthenbirthedtheentireKaijugenre.KingKongwasinventedbyMerrianC.Cooper,aglobetrottingadventurerwhowas
11:54
alsoawarhero.He'dbeen
11:56
shotdownmultipletimesinBothWorldWarIandthePolishRussoWarandescapedfromaprisoner
12:01
ofwarcamp.The
12:02
storywasconceivedpartlythroughhistripstoAfricaandSoutheastAsia
12:07
toshootdocumentaryFilmswithErnestB.Schoedsack.Whichplantedthe
12:11
ideaofsettingaprimitive
12:12
giantape.
12:13
was
12:14
invented
12:14
by
12:14
Merian
12:15
C.
12:15
Cooper,
12:15
a
12:16
globe
12:17
Cooper's
12:18
friendDouglasBurdenhadtraveledtothe
12:20
IndonesianislandofKomodo.And
12:22
returned
12:22
toNewYorkwithlivingspecimensofKomododragons.Puttingthemondisplayatthe
12:28
BronxZoo.Cooperwasfascinatedbytheideaofexplorersventuringtoaremoteisland.Andcomingbackwith
12:34
agiantcreature.Hisinitialconceptwasafilmaboutagorilla
12:39
fightingKomododragons.
12:41
He
12:41
chosegorillasoverbaboonsbecausehefeltgorillashadmorepersonality.Andcrucially,gorillasatthetimewerealmost
12:48
mythicalcreaturesto
12:49
Westernaudiences.
12:50
MeaningCoopercould
12:52
shapethemintowhateverhewanted
12:54
themto
12:54
be.Sadly,
12:56
theKomodo
12:57
dragonsatthezoodiedshortlyafterarrival.
13:00
Butthisalsodirectlyshapedthestory's
13:02
ending.Becausewhenhewasthinking
13:04
abouthisgorillapicture.CooperwantedtobringKongbacktoNewYork
13:08
incaptivity.Andbecausehewasalittlebitofadramaqueen.Ratherthanhavingthecreaturesimplydiein
13:14
azoo.Hewantedittoescape
13:17
andcausehavoc.KomodosalsoinspiredKong'sname.CooperwasfondofwordsthatstartedwiththeletterK.Maybehewasthe
13:27
originalKardashian.AndfollowingBurden'striptoKomodo.Cooper
13:31
wantedto
13:32
capturearealgorillafromtheCongo.
13:34
Whichdoesn'tstart
13:35
withK,buthas
13:36
thatsamehardK
13:37
start.CooperwasfascinatedbyBurdon'sadventuresAschronicledin
13:42
hisbook
13:42
DragonLizardsofKomodo.WherehereferredtotheanimalastheKingofKomodo.Itwasthis
13:49
phrase,
13:49
alongwithKomodoandKongo.And
13:52
hisoverall
13:53
loveforhardsounding
13:54
K
13:54
words.Thatgavehimtheidea
13:56
toname
13:57
the
13:57
giantape
13:58
Kong.Butthiswas
14:00
allhappeningduringtheGreatDepression.
14:02
AndCooperneededaproductionstudiotomakehis
14:05
Kongfilm.Butheknew
14:07
itwouldlikelycomeatgreatcost.InOctober1931,
14:11
DavidO.Selznickhadbeenhiredasheadof
14:14
productionatRKOPictures.Butthestudiowasstrugglingfinancially.
14:19
Selznickchampionedthe
14:20
unitproductionsystem.
14:22
Which
14:22
gave
14:23
theproducersofindividualmoviesmuch
14:25
greaterindependenceThantheyhadundertheprevailingcentralproducersystem.
14:30
Afterachieving
14:31
costsavings
14:32
of30to40%.Selzick
14:34
thenrecruited
14:35
behind
14:35
thecameratalent
14:36
likeGeorgeCuka.AndandaskedCoopertojoinrko.Andalthoughhe'donlyproduced
14:42
threefilmsinhiscareerthusfar.Cooperbegan
14:45
workingasan
14:46
executiveassistant.Andofficiallypitchedthe
14:49
ideaforkingKonginDecember1931.Cooper's
14:54
firstmovewastobring
14:55
inEdgarWallace.Ahugelyprolificandpopular
14:59
BritishcrimeandadventureWriterto
15:01
draftthe
15:01
script.WallacestartedworkinDecember1931,withCooper
15:06
tellinghimexactlywhathewanted.
15:08
IncludingWallace'sdraftcontainsseveralinstancesofattemptedsexualassaultandracial
15:14
tensionsbetween
15:15
characters.ThatfirstdraftwascalledtheBeast.Itwasdated5
15:20
January1932andwascompletedshortlybefore
15:24
Wallace's
15:24
unexpected
15:25
death.Hediedjust
15:27
amonthafterfinishingit.
15:29
Some
15:29
ofhisideas
15:30
didsurvive
15:31
intothe
15:31
finalfilm.Kong
15:33
removingAnne'sclothesfromherbody.The
15:35
rough
15:35
outline
15:36
ofthe
15:36
NewYorkscenesandajunglechasesequencealltracedbacktowalldraft.JamesAshmore.Creelmanwasbroughtinnext,andhefound
15:45
it
15:46
difficulttomeetCooper's
15:47
demands,feelingthereweretoomany
15:49
fantasticalelementsforthe
15:50
filmtobebelievable.Though
15:52
heincorporatedCooper'srequests,thedialogueproved
15:56
tobetooextensiveand
15:57
Cooperwas
15:58
unsatisfiedwiththework,FeelingthatCreelman'sdraftwasslowpaced,
16:02
weighted
16:03
downwithlongscenesofexpositionandwrittenon
16:06
ascalethat
16:06
wouldbeprohibitivelyexpensivetofilm.Creelmanproduced
16:10
twofurtherdraftstitledTheEighth
16:13
Wonder
16:13
andKong,
16:14
datedMarchandJune1932,respectively,before
16:19
heexitedtheprocess.After
16:21
Creelmanquit,Cooperstruggled
16:24
tofindareplacementscreenwriterRuth
16:26
Rosehadneverwrittena
16:28
screenplaybeforeandhappenedtobeErnest
16:31
Schoedsack'swife,
16:32
but
16:32
sheendedupbecomingthesecretweapon
16:35
ofKingKong.ShegaveKongtheheart,butshealsotrimmed
16:39
thefat.
16:41
Rather
16:41
thanexplaininghowKong
16:42
wouldbetransportedtoNewYork,shecutfromtheislandtothe
16:47
James
16:47
Ashmore
16:47
Creelman
16:48
was
16:48
brought
16:49
in
16:49
andgavethescriptsomethingCreelman'sversionlacked,ahumancore.SheincorporatedautobiographicalelementswithCooperhimselfthe
16:59
basis
16:59
ofthecharacterofCarlDenham,herhusbandinthetoughbuttenderJackDriscollandherselfin
17:06
strugglingactress
17:07
AnnDarrow.
17:08
Shealsocreatedthefilm'sopeningsequenceshowingDenhammeetingAnneonthestreetsofNewYork.Andmost
17:14
importantly,sheremovedthe
17:16
extremesexualand
17:18
racialelementsfromWallace'soriginaldraft,makingKongmoreinnocentinhisinteractionswithAnne.
17:26
EdgarWallace'sinitialdrafthadbeencalledtheBeast,butRKOexecutiveswereunimpressedwiththetitle.
17:33
DavidO.SelznicksuggestedJungleBeastasthefilm'snewtitle,butCooperwantedtonamethefilmafterthe
17:39
main
17:40
character.Heliked
17:41
themysterywordaspectofKong'sname
17:43
andthatthefilmshouldcarry
17:45
thenameof
17:46
aleadingmysterious,romantic,savagecreature
17:50
ofthestory,suchaswithDracula
17:52
andFrankenstein.RKO
17:55
sentamemoto
17:56
CoopersuggestingthetitlesKongKingofBeasts,Kong
18:00
theJungleKingandKongtheJungleBeast,whichcombined
18:04
hisAnd
18:05
Selznick'sproposedtitles.Cooperwould
18:08
eventuallynamethe
18:09
storysimplyKong.WhileRuthRosewaswriting
18:12
thefinalversion
18:12
ofthe
18:13
screenplay.Itwas
18:14
DavidO.Selznickwhoaddedtheking
18:16
toKong'sname.Inordertodifferentiateitfrom
18:19
theoneworddocudramasofthetime.
18:22
The
18:23
oldArabianproverb.And
18:25
lo,thebeastlookeduponthefaceofbeauty.Andit
18:28
stayeditshandfromkilling.And
18:29
fromthatdayitwasas
18:31
onedead.
18:32
showing
18:32
Denham
18:33
meeting
18:33
Ann
18:33
on
18:34
the
18:34
streets
18:35
andC.Cooper.
18:35
And
18:36
isn'tarealArabian
18:37
proverb.And
18:39
KingKongdidn'teven
18:40
haveacompletedscriptwhen
18:42
itstarted
18:42
filming.
18:43
Andwhenitcame
18:44
toputting
18:44
acasttogetherduringpreproduction.
18:46
Ann.
18:47
amixofknownandupandcomingnames.RKO'soriginalchoiceforthe
18:52
roleofAnnDarrowwas
18:53
Gene
18:54
Harlow.ButbecauseMGM
18:56
putHarlowunderexclusivecontractduringthepreproductionphase,she
19:00
becameunavailable.Cooperthen
19:03
approachedFayWray,oneofthe
19:05
Wampusbabystars
19:06
in
19:06
1926.
19:08
Aprolificactress
19:09
sinceherteensand
19:10
anestablished
19:11
presence
19:11
inhorror.Cooperofferedhertheroleof
19:14
Anne.AndtoldRayshewouldbeplayingopposite
19:17
the
19:18
tallest,darkestleadingmanin
19:20
Hollywood.Let'sbe
19:22
honest,hewasn't
19:23
lying.RobertArmstrongwas
19:25
aMichiganbornveteran.Broadwayand
19:27
silentfilm
19:28
characteractorBruceCabot
19:30
wasalreadysignedbyexecutiveproducerDavid
19:33
O.SelznickAsacontractplayerwithinrko.Hewasthe
19:37
leastestablished
19:38
ofthe
19:38
three
19:38
leads.Whichcreatedanoddmarketingsituation.
19:42
Becausealthough
19:42
thefilm'sromanticsubplot
19:44
belongsto
19:45
Cabotand
19:45
Ray.Itwas
19:46
theestablished
19:47
starArmstrongwho
19:48
waschosenforpromotionalmaterial.Rather
19:51
thantheunknownCabot.Interestingly,
19:54
KingKongwasn'ttheonlymovieFay
19:56
Wray
19:56
andRobertArmstrong
19:57
wereworkingonwithMerryandC.Cooper
19:59
andErnest
20:00
B.Schoedsack.
20:01
Duringthe
20:02
daytheywouldfilmKing
20:03
was
20:04
actually
20:04
written
20:04
by
20:05
Merian
20:05
C.
20:06
Cooper.
20:06
And
20:06
Gameonthesamejunglesets.Rayand
20:09
Armstrongwere
20:10
essentially
20:11
making
20:11
twofilmsatonceon
20:13
thesame
20:13
soundstage.Withthesamedirectorssleepinginbetween.TheMostDangerousGameactuallyendedupcoming
20:19
outin
20:20
1932.And
20:22
Fay
20:22
Wrayendedupstarringin
20:23
awhopping11moviesin1933.SoKingKong
20:28
of
20:28
Ann
20:29
Darrow
20:29
was
20:29
Jean
20:30
areason
20:30
for
20:30
heravailability
20:31
whichI'llcomebackto.Thiswasalso
20:34
araremovie
20:35
inthatthenativeislanderswereplayedbyactualblackpeople
20:39
ratherthanwhite
20:40
actorsinblackface.Whichwasunfortunatelysomethingprettycommoninthe1930s.Oneof
20:46
themostnotableblackactorsinthemovieisNobleJohnson.Whoactuallyalsoappearedin
20:52
theoriginalUniversal1932.TheMummyJohnson
20:56
wasapioneerintheblack
20:57
communityaswell
20:58
astheblackactingcommunity.
21:01
HefoundedLincolnMotionPictureCompanyin1916,an
21:05
AfricanAmerican
21:05
filmcompanythatproducedmovies
21:07
calledracefilmsthatweremadeforan
21:10
AfricanAmericanonlyaudience.Ata
21:13
timewhen
21:13
black
21:13
peoplecouldn't
21:14
gotoAmericanmovie
21:15
within
21:16
RKO.
21:16
themainstreamfilmindustryignoredfilmsforblackpeople.Johnsonwas
21:21
presidentofthecompanyforfour
21:23
yearsbeforehisownactingcareerwastakingoffand
21:26
hecouldn't
21:26
manageboth.But
21:28
hiscommitmenttoAfrican
21:29
Americanfilmmaking
21:30
was
21:30
extraordinary.Hehad145
21:33
actingcreditsoveracareerthatspannedfrom1915to1950,playingmostlyblackroles,but
21:40
also
21:41
NativeAmerican,ArabandAsianroles.Johnson
21:45
wouldbe
21:45
on
21:45
with
21:46
Merian
21:46
C.
21:47
Cooper
21:47
and
21:48
Ernest
21:48
B.
21:48
forthehastilymadesequel,SonofKong.But
21:52
let'sbehonest,
21:53
the
21:53
humanactorsweren't
21:54
thestarshere.Thestar
21:56
ofthemovieisKonghimself,andheisjustamarvelouscreation.Andforthatwehavetoget
22:03
intotheextraordinarywork
22:04
of
22:05
WillisH.
22:05
O',Brien,whohasbeenmentionedonthispodcastbefore
22:09
becausehewas
22:10
thementortoone
22:11
ofthegreatest
22:12
animatorsofalltime.
22:13
Theoneand
22:14
onlyRay
22:15
Harryhausenworkedunder
22:17
o'
22:17
Brienandlearnedthestopmotioncraftfrom
22:20
him,
22:20
but
22:21
thatdidn't
22:21
happenonKing
22:22
Kong.Harryhausen'stutelageoccurredonMightyJoe
22:25
Youngin1949.O'
22:28
Brienhad
22:29
worked
22:29
onthe
22:29
visualeffectsonHarryO.Hoyt's
22:31
TheLostWorldfrom1925,
22:34
andformuchof
22:34
hisfeaturecareerheworked
22:36
withRichardandMarcelDelgadotocreatedetailedstop
22:40
motion
22:40
models
22:40
thatwereallbasedono'
22:42
Brien'sdesigns,withrubberskin
22:44
builtupovercomplexarticulatedmetalarmatures.
22:48
Themodelscontainedabladderinsidetheskeletonmodelthatcouldbeinflated
22:52
anddeflatedtogivetheillusionofbreathing.
22:56
By
22:56
1931,O'BrienhadworkedwithHoyton
22:59
aseries
23:00
ofcancelledprojects,includingAtlantisforFirstNationalStudio,Frankenstein
23:05
andCreationforRKOPictures.Creation'scancellation
23:10
in1931would
23:12
bethecatalystfor
23:13
hisworkonKingKong.He'donlycompleted
23:16
20minutesofeffects
23:18
footagetoshowforanestimated$120,000developmentcost,andthestudio'sheadofproduction,whichwasMerryandC.
23:26
Cooper,recommendedthecancellationofo'
23:29
Brien'sprojectbecausehethoughtthestory
23:32
wasboring.
23:33
But
23:33
he
23:33
wasimpressedbytheeffectsworkandhealsowanted
23:36
itforhisgiantgorillamovie,which
23:39
isonewaytogetyourownway.Cancelone
23:42
movieso
23:43
theguy
23:43
canworkontheoneyouwant.O'Brienandthedinosaurmodelshe'dcreatedforthecancelledproject.Wereputtowork
23:51
onKingKonginstead.Ando'Briensetto
23:53
workbuildingthelegendaryapex.Cooper
23:56
insisted
23:57
thatKongcouldn'tbeportrayed
23:59
asanactorin
24:00
asuitfor
24:01
Kong'sphysicalproportions.O'BrienconsultedzoologistsattheAmerican
24:06
MuseumofNaturalHistory.To
24:08
getexact
24:08
measurementsfora
24:09
bullgorilla.Theisland'sjungleenvironments
24:12
weremeticulouslyconstructed.Miniature
24:14
setswithplantsdrawnfromknown
24:16
junglesettings.Created
24:18
bylayeringglasspaintings,
24:20
whichwerecreatedbyMarioLarinagaandByronL.Crabb.
24:25
ThephysicalKongpuppetwas
24:26
amarvelofminiatureengineering.WhileMaryand
24:29
C.CooperenvisionedKongasbeing40to
24:32
50ft
24:32
tall.WillisO'
24:34
Brienandhiscrewbuiltthemodelsandsets.ScalingKongtobeonly18ft
24:39
tallonSkullIsland.Andrescaled
24:41
to
24:42
be24foottallinNewYork.Although
24:44
insomesceneshewasrescaledtobeaslargeassix
24:47
60ft
24:48
tall.
24:49
The
24:49
puppetwasmadewithcotton
24:50
andlatex,
24:52
coveredwith
24:52
rabbitfur.Overapreciselymachinedball
24:55
andsocketmetalarmature.Amoresophisticated
24:58
internal
24:59
skeletonthathadever
25:00
been
25:00
usedbefore.
25:02
Fourstop
25:02
motionmodels
25:03
werebuiltin
25:04
total.Threefromaluminium,foam,rubber,
25:07
latexandrabbitfur.Andasimpler
25:09
leadandfur
25:10
model
25:11
usedspecificallyforthefamousEmpireStateBuildingfallforclose
25:15
up
25:16
shots.Theteamalsobuiltgiantfullscalearms,handsandfeet.Whilea
25:21
giant40footmechanizedmodelhead.Usedcablesandleverstosimulatefacialexpressions.And
25:28
couldcarryhumansinitsmouth.RKO'spromotionalmateriallistedKong'sofficial
25:34
heightas50foot.
25:36
Thesoftfur
25:37
onthepuppetretained
25:38
indentsand
25:39
movementsfromtheanimator's
25:40
fingersbetweenframes.WhichactuallymakesKong
25:44
feelmorereal.But
25:46
itwasn'tjustKong,butawholehostofprehistoriccreaturesinhabiting
25:50
SkullislandorSkullMountain,asit'sknown
25:52
inthismovie.AndthesewerebroughttoLifebyO'Brienandhisassistant
25:56
animatorsE.B.BuzzGibson,CarolSheppard,
26:01
Marcel
26:01
Delgado,OrvilleGoldnerandFredReef.Manyofthesecreaturesweretheonespreviouslycreatedforcreation.Andmanyof
26:11
the
26:11
techniquesusedin
26:12
makingKingKongwereeithercompletely
26:14
revolutionary.Ortheyweremakingitup
26:16
astheywentalong.
26:18
Thestop
26:18
motionanimationwas
26:19
generallyfilmed
26:20
first.Withthe
26:21
liveactionfootagematchedto
26:22
itafterwards.
26:24
FayWrayactuallyendedupspending22
26:27
hours
26:27
positionedina
26:28
faketree.Reactingtoabattlesceneprojectedontoatranslucentscreen
26:32
behindher.Whilethecamerafilmed
26:35
herreaction.Animmersivesetupthatallowedhertoconvincinglyportrayhercharacter'sobservationoftheanimatedbattle.Buttheprocesscouldalsoruninreverseandtheactorswouldbeshotfirst
26:47
withtheanimation,
26:48
thencreated
26:49
tomatchtheirmovementsandreactions.Toachievethat,O'Briencreatedtheminiature
26:55
rearprojectioncamerain1933.Whichallowedhimtoprojectapartoftheshotasaminiatureframebyframe,thenproceedmaking
27:04
thestopmotionaccording
27:05
towhat
27:06
washappening
27:07
intheminiature.Rearprojection
27:09
wasthe
27:10
backboneofmostofthehumanKong
27:12
interaction.KingKongisoftencreditedas
27:15
thefirstfilmtouseminiaturerearprojectionstocreatespecialeffectssequences.Formorecomplexshotswherelive
27:22
actorshadtoappearwithinthesameframe
27:24
asKong,theyusedtheDunningprocessinventedbycinematographer
27:29
CarolH.Dunning,
27:31
which
27:31
usedblueand
27:32
yellowlightsfilteredandphotographedintoblackandwhitefilmbypackingthe
27:36
cameratocombinetwostripsoffilmsimultaneously
27:39
creatingthefinalcompositeshotincamera.Itwasusedinsceneslikethe
27:44
climactic
27:45
momentwheretheplanecrashesfromthetop
27:47
oftheEmpireStateBuilding.AndwherenativesrunthroughtheforegroundwhileKongbattlesothersat
27:52
thewall.Forwider
27:54
shots,theyusedtheWilliamsprocess,inventedbycinematographerFrankD.Williams.Itdidn'trequirecolored
28:01
lights
28:01
andusedanoptical
28:03
printertosynchronizea
28:04
projectorwithacamera.Soseveralstripsoffilmcouldbecombinedintoasinglecompositedimage.
28:10
Itwasusedin
28:11
the
28:11
scenewhereKongshakesthe
28:13
sailorsoffthe
28:14
logandwhereKongpushesthegatesopen.Theopticalprinterwouldcontinue
28:18
tobe
28:19
used
28:19
infilmuntil
28:20
the
28:21
late1980s
28:22
when
28:22
itwas
28:22
supersededbydigital
28:24
compositing.Animation
28:26
forthemoviewascompleted
28:28
after55weeksandthe
28:30
actorsfilmedonseveral
28:31
stages
28:32
overaneightmonthperiod.Someactors
28:35
hadsomuchtimebetweenfilmingKingKongthattheywere
28:38
abletofullycompletework
28:40
onotherfilms.AndthisishowFayWrayhas
28:43
somanyfilm
28:44
credits.In1933,herphysicalexperienceofmakingKing
28:49
Kongwas,byherownaccountinherautobiography,gruelling.Notonlywasshealmostconstantlyscreaming,sheistheoriginalscreamqueen.Shealsohadtobalance
29:00
herself
29:01
inKong'ssix
29:02
footlong
29:02
giantmechanicalhandattachedtoa
29:05
leverwhichcouldberaised
29:06
orloweredwithwindmachinesgivingmotiontoherclothes.FayWrayreally
29:11
wentthroughitonthismovie.AndIthinkher
29:14
performancereallydoesgenuinelyconvey
29:17
thefearthatsheisfeelingatthetime.Becauseatanymomentshe
29:21
could
29:21
havefelloffthathand.Theydidn'treallyhavehealthandsafety
29:26
inthe1930s.
29:28
Pharaohwouldalsothenrepeatallofherscreamsinasoundstudio.Thestopmotionworkin
29:34
particularwaspunishing.Mostsequencehadtobeshotnon
29:39
stop,oftenrequiring20hourworkdays.Sometimesthe
29:43
shrubsusedto
29:44
dressthe
29:45
Miniaturesetswilted
29:46
duringfilming,butsimilarly,
29:48
at
29:48
onepoint,oneofthe
29:49
plantsflowered,whichlefta
29:51
day'sworthofanimationrendereduseless.
29:55
Beforea
29:55
scenecouldbestarted,all
29:57
thelights
29:57
onthe
29:57
soundstagehadtobereplacedwith
29:59
new
29:59
ones
29:59
toensuretheywouldn'tflicker.
30:01
Andthestagehadto
30:02
besealedso
30:03
nobodycouldenterorleave
30:05
topreventanywind
30:06
frommovingthefoliage.KingKongfinishedfilming
30:10
inFebruary1933,anditwasfilmedonlocation
30:14
atSanPedroHarbour,California,
30:16
theShrineAuditoriuminLosAngelesfor
30:19
the
30:19
Kong
30:19
onstage
30:20
scenesandthebacklotatCulver
30:22
StudioswherethejungleandGreatWallsetswerebuilt,aswellasminiaturesofthe
30:27
shipanda
30:27
shipset.Beforethefilm'srelease,Cooperhired
30:31
DelosW.LovelacetowriteanovelversionofKingKong.Thefilm'snovelization,
30:37
which
30:37
film
30:38
bipacking
30:38
the
30:39
camera
30:39
to
30:40
combine
30:40
two
30:40
public
30:41
domainthroughafailuretoincludecopyrightnotice,makingthecharactersandstorypublic
30:47
domain.ThisisimportantbecausetherightstoKingKongare
30:51
messier
30:52
than
30:52
the
30:52
jungle
30:52
afterKong'sdinosaurkilling
30:54
spree.WhenMerryandC.Coopercreated
30:58
KingKong,heassumedheownedthecharacteroutright,maintainingthathe'donlylicensedittoRKOfortheinitialfilmandthe
31:06
sequel.Butthatassumption
31:08
turnedouttobe
31:10
alittlebitdisputed,shallwesay?In
31:13
1962,Cooper
31:15
foundoutthatRKO
31:16
waslicensingthecharacterthrough
31:18
JohnBecktoTohoStudiosinJapanforafilmprojectcalledKing
31:23
Kong
31:24
versusGodzilla.Cooperhadassumedhis
31:27
rightswereunassailableandand
31:29
wasbitterlyopposed
31:30
totheproject,includingthefacttheirKongwould
31:33
beamanina
31:34
suit,somethingthathewasvehemently
31:37
against.In
31:38
1963,hefiledalawsuitagainstJohnBeck,TohoandUniversal,thefilm'sUScopyright
31:45
holder.Butthe
31:46
lawsuitneverwentthrough
31:48
because,
31:48
asitturnedout,hewasnotKong'ssolelegalowner,as
31:53
hehadbelieved
31:53
himselftobe.A
31:55
crucialturningpointcame
31:56
aroundthetimeofthe1976remake,whenit
32:00
wastimeto
32:00
sort
32:01
outwhoownedwhatrko,Universaland
32:04
Cooper'sson
32:06
were
32:06
allmet
32:06
withthecourt'sdecisionthatKingKong
32:08
wasinthe
32:09
publicdomain
32:10
becauseCooper
32:11
hadfailedto
32:11
renewthecopyrightonthe1933film'snovelization.InafourdaybenchtrialinLosAngeles,JudgeManuelRealgave
32:21
hisverdict
32:22
on24November1976,affirming
32:25
thatthe
32:25
KingKong
32:26
novelizationandserializationwere
32:28
indeedin
32:29
thepublicdomainandthatUniversalcouldmake
32:31
itsownfilmaslongasit
32:33
didnot
32:34
infringeon
32:34
originalelements.Inthe1933RKOfilm,which
32:38
atthatpointhadnot
32:40
yetpassedintothepublic
32:41
domain.
32:42
Thisruling
32:43
becameknown
32:44
astheCooper
32:44
Judgment,anditmeantthebasicstory,thecharacterconceptandthenameKingKong
32:49
fromthe
32:50
novelizationcould
32:51
befreelyusedbyanyone.RKO
32:54
Picturesstillowns
32:56
therightsto
32:56
the1933filmandits
32:58
sequel
32:59
SonofKong,also
33:00
in1933.However,
33:02
domesticdistributionrightsto
33:04
thosefilmsareownedby
33:05
WarnerMedia.StudioCanalownsthe
33:08
1976KingKongfilmand
33:11
its1986sequel,havingabsorbedtheDe
33:14
LaurentiisEntertainment
33:15
Group,with
33:16
Paramount
33:17
Picturesholding
33:17
domestic
33:18
distributionrights
33:19
tothat
33:19
variant.TheMerryand
33:21
C.Cooperestateclaimsownershipovertheoriginalbookandpublishingrightsforthecharacter.Buton1January2029,the1933
33:32
filmwill
33:33
enter
33:33
thepublicdomain,atwhichpointanythingKongrelatedasdepicted
33:38
in
33:38
the1933RKOversion
33:40
ofKingKongwill
33:42
befreeforanyonetouse.It'sworthaddingatthispoint
33:46
thatWarnerBros.Version
33:47
ofKongwithintheMonsterverse,whichisSkullisland,and
33:51
anyofthe
33:52
Godzillavs.Kongmovies,won'tbe
33:55
affected
33:55
becausethese
33:56
morerecent
33:57
filmsretain
33:58
theirownseparatecopyrights.Butspeakingoflawsuits,in1982,Universalfiled
34:05
alawsuitagainst
34:06
Nintendo,whichhadcreateddonkeyKongin1981andwas
34:10
reapinghugeprofitsovervideogame
34:13
machines.
34:14
Universal
34:14
claimed
34:15
thatNintendowasinfringingonitscopyrightbecauseDonkeyKong,beingalargegorilla,wasablatant
34:21
ripoffof
34:22
KingKong.Universalcontacted
34:25
Nintendo,giving
34:26
them48
34:27
hourstoceasemarketingDonkeyKong,todisposeofall
34:30
DonkeyKonginventory,
34:31
andtohandover
34:32
allrecordsofprofitsmadefromthegame.Nintendo'sattorney,HowardLincoln,
34:38
was
34:38
atfirstinclinedtosettleforfivetosevenmilliondollars.Buteventually
34:42
hedecidedtofight
34:43
becauseherealizedthat
34:44
Donkey
34:44
KongwasthesignthatNintendohad
34:47
madeitbig.On
34:48
3January1983,UniversalthensentceaseanddesistletterstoNintendo'slicenseesofferingthreestopusingDonkeyKongcharacters,
35:00
obtaina
35:00
license
35:01
from
35:01
Universalorbesued.LincolnhiredJohnKirbytorepresentNintendoincourt.Duringthe
35:08
court
35:08
battleandsubsequentappeal,thecourtsruledthatUniversaldidnothaveexclusivetrademarkrightsto
35:14
theKing
35:14
Kongcharacter.Theyruledthetrademark
35:17
wasnot
35:17
amongtherightsCooperhadsold
35:19
toUniversal.Whiletheyhadamajorityoftherights,theydidnot
35:23
outrightowntheKingKongnameandcharacter,andthecourt'srulingnotedthatthename,
35:28
title
35:29
andcharacterofKongno
35:31
longersignifiedasingle
35:32
sourceof
35:32
origin,soexclusivetrademark
35:35
rightswereimpossible.ThecourtsalsopointedoutthattheKongrightswereheldby
35:39
threeparties,rko,whoownedtherights
35:42
totheoriginalfilmanditssequel.The
35:45
dinodeLaurentiiscompanyowned
35:46
therights
35:47
tothe1976remake,
35:49
andRichardCooper,
35:50
thesonofMerry
35:51
andC.Cooper,ownedworldwidebookandperiodicalpublishingrights.
35:56
Thejudge
35:57
thenruled
35:57
that
35:57
RKO,
35:58
Universal
35:58
onlythoserightsintheKingKongnameandcharacterthatRKOCooperand
36:03
theDinoDe
36:04
Laurentiis
36:04
companydidnot
36:05
own.The
36:07
courtofappealsalsonotedthatUniversalknew
36:10
thatit
36:10
didnothavetrademarkrights
36:12
to
36:12
KingKong,yetproceededtobroadlyasserttheirrightsanyway,andthis
36:17
amountedtoa
36:17
wantonandrecklessdisregardofNintendo'srights.Second,Universaldidn'tstopafteritasserteditsrights
36:24
toNintendo
36:25
andembarkedonadeliberatesystematiccampaignto
36:29
coerceallofNintendo'sthird
36:31
partylicenseestoeitherstopmarketingDonkeyKongorpayUniversalroyalties.Finally,Universal'sconductamountedtoan
36:39
abuseof
36:40
judicialprocessand
36:41
inthatsensecausedalongerharmtothe
36:43
publicas
36:44
awhole.Universal
36:46
alternatively
36:46
arguedtothe
36:47
courtsfirstthatKingKong
36:48
was
36:49
partofthepublicdomain,andthensecondthatKingKongwasnotpart
36:53
ofthe
36:53
publicdomainand
36:54
thatUniversalpossessedexclusive
36:56
trademarkrightsto
36:57
it.Universal'sassertionsincourtwasbasednotonany
37:00
goodfaithbeliefintheirtruth,butonthemistakenbeliefthat
37:04
itcouldusethe
37:04
courtstoturnaprofit.AndbecauseUniversalmisrepresentedtheir
37:09
degreeofownershipofKingKong,claiming
37:11
theyhadexclusivetrademarkrightswhen
37:13
theyknewthey
37:13
didnot,andtriedtohaveit
37:15
bothwaysincourt.
37:16
Regardingthepublicdomainclaims,thecourtsruledthatUniversalactedinbad
37:21
faith.
37:22
Theywereorderedtopayfinesand
37:23
allofNintendo'slegalcostsfromthe
37:26
lawsuit.That,alongwiththefactthat
37:28
thecourtsruled
37:29
that
37:29
therewassimplynolikelihood
37:31
ofpeople
37:31
confusingDonkey
37:33
Kong
37:33
with
37:33
KingKong,causedUniversalto
37:35
lose
37:36
thecaseandthesubsequentappeal.Andasfor
37:39
Nintendo'slawyer,
37:40
John
37:40
Kirby,
37:41
Nintendoconsideredhimto
37:43
havesavedtheentirecompanyby
37:46
defendingthemagainstthelawsuitfromUniversal.Somuchsotheynamed
37:50
thevideogamecharacterKirbyafterhim
37:54
aswellas
36:56
boughthima$30,000boatwhichwaschristenedDonkeyKong.It'stimetosegue
38:02
intothe
38:02
obligatoryKeanureferenceofthisepisode.Andifyoudon'tknow
38:05
whatthatis,it's
38:06
whereItryand
38:07
link
38:07
every
38:07
moviethatIfeaturewithKeanuReeves
38:09
becauseheisthebestofmen.AndI
38:13
truly,
38:13
trulydonotknowhow
38:15
tolink
38:15
Keanu
38:16
ReevestoKingKong.It'ssoverydifficult.Whenamovie
38:20
came
38:20
outin
38:20
1933,literallylikealmost100yearsago,
38:25
thereis
38:25
nophysicalwayofmelinking
38:27
Keanutothismovie.However,I
38:31
decidedthatIdidn'twanttoletitbeat
38:33
me.Sotheeasiestwaytolink
38:35
KeanuReevestothis
38:36
movieisthatKingKongisthekingof
38:39
hisworldandKeanuisthekingofmen.Andit'sgoofy,but
38:45
it'stheonly
38:45
waythatIcando
38:46
it.Butlet'stalkaboutthemusic.Becausethescore
38:51
forKing
38:51
Kongreallydidrepresenta
38:53
shiftinthescoring
38:54
ofmoviesingeneral
38:56
andoftheuseof
38:57
nondiegeticmusicin
38:59
movies.RKObosseswereinitially
39:02
skepticalabout
39:03
theneedforanoriginalscore.However,they
39:05
agreedtoletMaryandC.Coopertrytoimprovethe
39:09
filmwiththeuse
39:11
ofmusic.Thestudiosuggestedusingoldtracks
39:14
inordertosavemoney.ButCooperaskedregularRKOmusicalcollaborator
39:19
Max
39:20
Steinertoscorethefilm.
39:22
Andbecausethefundingforthefilmhadalmostrunout,hesaidhewouldpersonallypayfortheorchestra.Steiner
39:29
wrotethescoreintwoweeksandCooper
39:31
paidhim$50,000.AndKingKongbecame
39:35
alandmarkoffilmscoring,includingtheuseof
39:38
leitmotifsforKong,Anneandthejungleitself.SteinerwouldsaythatKingKongwasmadefor
39:46
music.KingKong'sroarwasactuallyalion'sroarand
39:49
atiger'sroarcombined,
39:51
sloweddownandranbackwards.Uponthereleaseofthefilm,thescorereceivedverylittle
39:58
criticalreviewbecauseitwasmostly
39:59
overshadowedbythespecialeffects.
40:02
However,itstartedtoreceivemoreattentionasthemoviebecamemorefamousintheyearsthatfollowed.ComposerChristopherPalmerwrotethat
40:10
thescoremarkedtherealbeginningsofHollywoodmusic.
40:14
Andprofessorofmusicatthe
40:15
UniversityofNottinghamMervynCookaddedthatitalmostsinglehandedlymarked
40:20
the
40:20
comingofageofnon
40:22
diegeticfilmmusic.It
40:24
wasthefirstfeaturelength
40:25
originalscoreforatalkie.Thefirstmajor
40:28
Hollywoodfilmtouseanoriginalfilmthematicscore
40:31
ratherthanbackgroundmusic.Thefirstscoreto
40:33
usea
40:34
46pieceorchestraand
40:36
thefirstscoreto
40:37
berecordedonthreetracks.
40:39
Oneforsoundeffects,
40:40
onefordialogueand
40:41
oneformusic.
40:43
KingKongisknownasaprecode
40:46
adventurehorror
40:47
monsterfilm.Andtounderstandwhatthatactuallymeansandtheimplications
40:50
ithadonrereleasesofthe
40:52
movie,weneedtotalkbrieflyaboutthehayscode.In1922,aftersomerisquefilmsandaseriesof
41:00
scandalsinvolving
41:01
Hollywoodstars,thestudiosenlistedPresbyterianelderWillH.Hayes
41:07
torehabilitateHollywood'simage.Andthewayhedid
41:11
thatwas
41:11
theHaysCode
41:12
whichwas
41:13
adoptedin1930.Butoversight
41:15
waspoorand
41:16
itwasn't
41:17
rigorouslyenforced
41:18
untilthe1st
41:19
ofJuly
41:20
1934.SotheyearafterKing
41:23
Kong,with
41:23
the
41:24
establishmentoftheProductionCodeAdministration.ThisiswhyKingKong,releasedinMarch1933,isclassified
41:32
aspreCode.Therules
41:34
technicallyexistedonpaper,butnoonewasreallyenforcingthem.Whatfinallyforcedgenuineenforcementinlate1933
41:42
and
41:42
escalated
41:43
throughoutthefirsthalfof
41:44
1934wasAmerican
41:47
Catholicswholaunchedacampaignagainstwhat
41:49
theydeemedtheimmoralityofAmerican
41:51
cinema.KnownastheLegionofDecency.This,alongwithapotentialgovernmenttakeoveroffilmcensorship,wasenoughpressuretoforcethestudios
42:02
tocapitulateto
42:03
greateroversight.Thecodeprohibited
42:06
profanity,suggestivenudity,graphicorrealisticviolence,
42:10
sexual
42:11
persuasions,andrape.
42:13
Ithad
42:13
rulesaroundthe
42:14
useofcrime,costume,dance,religion,
42:17
nationalsentiment
42:18
andmorality.More
42:19
specifically,
42:20
itforbadetheuseofprofanity,obscenityandracialslurs,Graphic
42:25
violence,criminality,substanceuse,
42:27
promiscuity,miscegenation,
42:29
andhomosexuality.
42:31
Itwaseven
42:32
whymarriedcoupleswererequiredtosleepinseparatebedsforat
42:35
leasttwodecadesofHollywoodfilmmaking.Whiletheoriginalreleaseof
42:40
KingKongin1933wasprecode,whenitwasreissued
42:44
in1938,
42:46
the
42:46
newlyempoweredProductionCodeAdministrationdemandedthat29scenesfromtheoriginalversionbe
42:52
cutbeforethefilmcould
42:53
begranted
42:54
asealofapproval.ThesescenesincludethescenewhereKongholdsan
42:59
unconsciousAnnecaptivewhilegentlypeelingoff
43:02
herdress.Thatwasconsideredcompletelyunacceptableandeliminated
43:06
entirely.Thebrontosaurusattackwaseditedsothecreatureclaimedonlythree.Threevictimsratherthan
43:12
five,because
43:13
apparentlythree
43:13
deathsaremore
43:14
morallyacceptablethanfive
43:15
deaths.
43:16
ThescenewhereKongbitesoffawoman's
43:18
headandstompsavillagertothegroundwasremoved,aswasascenewherehegrabsawoman
43:23
fromahotel
43:24
roomandthrows
43:25
hertoherdeathafterrealizingshe
43:27
isn'tan.
43:29
TheCode
43:29
remainedineffect
43:30
until1968,when
43:32
itwasreplacedbytheMPAAfilmrating
43:34
system,whichisstillinusetoday.
43:37
RKOdidn'tpreserve
43:38
copiesofthefilm'snegativeorreleaseprintswiththeexcised
43:41
footage.
43:42
And
43:42
thecutsceneswereconsideredlostformanyyears.In1969,
43:46
a16millimeterprint,includingthe
43:49
censoredfootage,wasfoundinPhiladelphia.Thecutsceneswereaddedtothefilm,restoring
43:54
it
43:54
toitsoriginaltheatricalrunningtimeof100minutes.Restorationteamsthenpainstakingly
44:00
reintegratedthe
44:01
moments
44:02
thathaddisappearedacrossdecadesofreissues.AnoriginalreleaseprintlocatedintheUKinthe
44:08
1980swasfound
44:10
tocontainthecutscenesinbetterquality.After
44:13
asixyearworldwidesearchforthebestsurvivingmaterials,afurtherfullyDigitalrestorationusing4Kresolution
44:21
scanningwas
44:22
completedby
44:23
WarnerBrothersin2005.KingKong's
44:27
Hollywoodpremierewasheld
44:28
on24March1933inGrauman'sChineseTheaterandwasofficiallyreleasedon7April
44:36
1933.Despitethismoviecoming
44:39
outduringtheGreatDepression,KingKongdid
44:42
extremely
44:43
wellfinancially.Onits
44:44
openingweekend
44:45
itearned$90,000andduringitsfirstrunin1933earnedaprofitof$650,000.Infact,the
44:55
weekendafterKing
44:56
Kong's1933released,newlyelectedPresident
44:59
FranklinRooseveltorderedabankholidaytohaltthe
45:03
panicinthefinancial
45:04
sector.KingKongwasthenrereleasedin1952afterDisney'sSnowWhiteandtheSeven
45:10
Dwarfs
45:10
ownrerelease
45:11
wassuccessful.
45:13
Beforethe
45:13
1952rerelease,thefilmisreportedtohaveworldwiderentalsof$2,847,000,including$1,070,000fromthethe
45:24
UnitedStatesandCanadaonprofits
45:26
of$1,310,000.Profitsfromthe
45:31
rereleasewereestimatedbythestudiotobeabout$2.5
45:34
million,which
45:36
wasabout
45:36
double
45:37
whatthefilmearnedin1933.
45:40
NowI'm
45:41
reliablytoldthe
45:42
RottenTomatoesdidn'texist
45:44
in1933,but
45:45
I'malsotoldthatonits
45:47
releaseitreceivedgenerallypositivereviews.And
45:50
contemporaryreviewson
45:51
RottenTomatoes
45:52
are
45:52
overwhelminglypositive.Withthe97%
45:55
ratingandthesite'scriticalconsensusreading.
45:58
KingKongexploresthesoulofamonster,making
46:02
audiencesscreamandcrythroughoutthe
46:04
film,
46:05
in
46:05
largepartdueto
46:06
Kong'sbreakthrough
46:07
specialeffects.Somuchso,theAcademyofMotionPictureArtsandSciences
46:12
alsocalled.
46:13
TheAcademy
46:14
wantedtogiveWillisH.O'BrienanOscarforhistechnical
46:17
effectson
46:18
KingKong.ButWillis
46:20
insistedthateach
46:21
of
46:21
his
46:21
crewalsoreceivean
46:22
Oscar,whichtheAcademy
46:24
refusedtodo.
46:25
Soo'Brien
46:26
refusedtoaccepttheOscarawardfor
46:28
himself.Hewouldfinallywin
46:30
hisAcademyAward17yearslaterforMightyJoeYoungin1949,thefilmonwhichhetrainedayoungRay
46:38
Harryhausen.ThesameyearofKingKong'srelease,
46:42
asequel
46:43
was
46:43
fasttracked
46:44
and
46:44
released
46:45
aswellthat
46:46
was
46:46
calledSonofKongthatcameoutinDecember1933.Soliterallyninemonthslatertheymadeasequel.Inthe
46:54
1960s,RKOlicensedthe
46:56
King
46:56
KongcharactertoJapanesestudioToho,which
46:59
madetwofilms,King
47:01
Kong
47:01
vsGodzilla,thethirdfilminToho'slongrunningGodzillaseries,
47:05
andKingKongescapes.
47:07
In
47:07
1976,producer
47:09
DinodeLaurentiisreleaseda
47:11
modelremakeof
47:11
KingKong,followed
47:13
bya1986sequelcalledKingKongLives.In1998,alooselyadapteddirecttovideoanimatedversion.TheMightyKongwasdistributedbyWarnerBrothers.In
47:24
2005,UniversalPictures
47:26
releasedanotherremakeof
47:27
King
47:28
Kong,cowrittenanddirectedbyPeterJackson,whichis
47:32
setinthe1930s.As
47:33
intheoriginalfilm,legendarypicturesofWarnerBrothersmadeskullisland
47:39
in201717,whichservesas
47:41
partofacinematicuniversecalledtheMonsterverse,
47:45
followedbythesequelsGodzillavsKongin2021andGodzillaXKongtheNewEmpire
47:51
in2024.
47:53
Asequel,GodzillaXKongSupernova,isplannedforreleaseon
47:57
26thMarch2027.KingKongisincredible,butit'salso
48:03
manyotherthingsthatIcan't
48:05
nottalkaboutinthisepisode.And
48:07
it'snotaparticularlynice
48:09
subject
48:09
to
48:09
talkabout,
48:10
butweneed
48:10
totalkaboutitbecausetheracialsubtextofKingKongis
48:16
thereanditcanbeseenasracist
48:19
propagandaanditcan
48:20
alsobeenjoyedasspectacular
48:23
entertainment.Andboththingscanbetrue
48:26
atonce.Andthisisespecially
48:27
relevant
48:28
toKingKong.
48:29
Youcan'treallyescapefrom
48:31
theaccusationsofof
48:32
blatant
48:33
racism.
48:34
King
48:34
Kongpremieredat
48:35
atime
48:36
when
48:36
blackmenwereregularlydepictedasape
48:39
likeinpopularculture.Racialexploitationmovieswere
48:43
athing.
48:44
The1930swas
48:46
duringthebeginningof
48:47
theGreatMigration,when
48:48
thousandsofblack
48:49
Americans
48:50
wereleavingthesouthern
48:51
statestomovetothe
48:52
nation'sbiggestcities.Thegreateconomiccrisis
48:56
ofthe
48:56
Depressionledtomassunemploymentandanexodusofpopulationfromsouthernstates,stateswithlargeblackpopulations,intocitieswheretheywereconcentratedinghettos.
49:09
Fearoftheeconomiccrisisand
49:11
fearoftheblack
49:12
population
49:13
fedeach
49:14
otherinthe
49:15
white
49:15
Americanimagination.KingKongwasrootedin
49:19
anexplicitly
49:20
racistperiodofAmericanhistoryand
49:23
supported,at
49:24
leastimplicitly,theculturalunderstandingsharedwidelybywhiteAmericansofthequote,unquote,danger
49:31
posed
49:31
byAfricanAmericanmen.ThemostwidelydiscussedinterpretationofKingKongisthatitfunctionsasacodedrepresentationofblackmasculinity,specificallythe
49:41
whitesupremaciststereotypeofthesexuallythreateningblack
49:45
man.ScholarsdrawadirectlinefromtheBirthof
49:49
aNation,the1915film
49:51
aboutthesupposedblackmalethreattowhite
49:54
womanhood,coincidentally
49:56
thefilmthat
49:56
helpedresurrecttheKuKlux
49:58
Klanto
49:59
kingKongin1933.TheSkullislandnativesaredepictedasprimitive,
50:05
superstitious
50:06
andraciallydistinctfrom
50:08
thewhite,
50:08
quote
50:09
unquote,civilizedmentravelingto
50:11
aremote
50:12
islandtoextractsomething
50:13
monstrousandbringitbacktoNewYork.Itmirrorsthelogicofcolonialismandtheslavetradealmost
50:20
pointforpoint,whetherKong'sdeathrepresentsasymbolofblackothernesswhose
50:25
deathrestoreswhiteorderasSomeculturalcriticshavesuggested,ora
50:30
tragiclook
50:30
attheviolentoutcomes
50:32
ofa
50:32
racistsociety,
50:33
remainsanopendebate.
50:36
Kong'sdeath,shotdownbywhitemenfrom
50:39
biplanesatopAmerica'smosticonicskyscraper,hasbeenreadas
50:43
white
50:44
menrestoringwhiteorderafterthe
50:46
threatof
50:47
miscegenation.While
50:49
KingKongisoftencomparedto
50:50
the
50:51
storyofBeautyandtheBeast,manyfilmscholars
50:53
havearguedthatthefilmwasa
50:55
cautionary
50:55
taleabout
50:56
interracial
50:57
romance,eventhoughliterallyallandoesisscream
51:02
and
51:02
showfeartowards
51:03
Kong.WhileCooperandShoedSack
51:06
insistedincontemporaryinterviewsthattherewasnohiddenmeaningtoKingKong,aposthumously
51:12
publishedinterviewwithCooperrevealedthathisinspiration
51:15
forthefilmwasrooted
51:17
intheimageof
51:17
agiantapefallingfrom
51:19
the
51:19
tallestbuilding,whichwouldrepresenthowprimitivepeopleare
51:22
doomedbymodern
51:23
civilization.Whetherconsciously
51:26
ornot,
51:26
whether
51:27
politicallyinspiredornot,KingKongreinforcedtheracialstatusquoandpreyeduponwhitefearsofblack
51:35
Americans.Andyet,despite
51:37
thecontroversysurroundingit,it'salsoliterallythe
51:41
eighthwonderoftheworld.Thedetail,
51:43
theimagination,thevisual
51:45
splendoronscreen.It'simpressivestillnowin2026,imaginewhatit
51:51
musthavefelt
51:52
like
51:52
toseeitin1933.It's
51:55
asingularpiece
51:56
ofcinematicart.Thescoreisincredible,it's
51:59
entertaining,it'shorrific,it'sthrillingandit'sbeautiful.Andalmostsinglehandedlycreatedtheblockbusterdespitenotactuallydoingthat.Becauseasweallknow,thatwasJawsin1975.
52:11
Butit'smoviemakingatthe
52:12
heightofwhatweexpectmoviemakingtobe.Artistry,craftsmanship,emotionandrichnessofcharacter.Thelevelofdetail
52:21
inKonghimselfjustblows
52:23
mymind.Almostliketheydidn'thaveto
52:26
gosohardonhim.Buthe'ssodetailedandcharismatic
52:29
andattimes
52:30
frighteninglyscary.
52:32
His
52:32
animalisticnaturecomes
52:33
out
52:34
andthrowscrewmembersto
52:36
theirdeathandstompson
52:37
people.Andtheninthesmallmoments
52:39
withAnne,he's
52:40
playfuland
52:40
inquisitive.Theattentiontodetailand
52:43
technicalbrillianceisjustastonishing.It'sworth
52:47
addingthat
52:47
IdoreallyenjoyPeterJackson'sremake.AndI
52:50
actuallysawthat
52:50
beforeIsawthe
52:51
original.ButwhileJackson'sremakedoes
52:54
alotofthingswell,itjust
52:56
can't
52:56
matchthisin
52:57
terms
52:57
of
52:57
Kong.TheCGIKong
52:59
looksgreat,photo
53:01
realandactslikea
53:02
real
53:02
ape.Butthere'ssomethingabout
53:04
this
53:04
Kongthat'sprimeval.It's
53:07
notslick.
53:07
You
53:08
seethe
53:08
finger
53:08
marksinthefurandyouknowahumanhasmade
53:11
thismovieand
53:13
itjustfeels
53:14
sotangible.I've
53:16
alwaysbeen
53:17
in
53:17
awe
53:17
oftheworkofRayHarryhausenand
53:19
howhegavehiscreaturessouls.Heclearlylearnedit
53:23
from
53:23
the
53:23
bestbecause
53:23
thethere'ssomethingagelessaboutthis
53:26
Kong.Justthinkingabouthowmanymovies,
53:29
how
53:29
many
53:29
franchisesowe
53:30
adebttoKingKong.NotleastGodzilla,but
53:34
alsoJurassicPark.I'msurethosebiggates
53:37
werenotanaccidentalhomage.There'sprobablymuchI've
53:41
missedin
53:41
thisepisodeaspertainstoKong'slong
53:44
lastinglegacythroughcinema,videogames,comics,books,themeparkrides,musicals.90plusyearsoflegacyishardtosummariseinonepodcastepisode
53:55
byone
53:55
podcaster,
53:57
but
53:57
in1933,a
53:58
giantape
53:59
climbeduptheEmpireStateBuildingandforeverbecameaniconic
54:03
image
54:04
incinemahistory.At
54:06
atimeofGreatDepression,
54:07
atatimewhenfascismwasgainingtractioninEurope,
54:11
King
54:11
Kongwastheescapism
54:13
thepublicdesperatelyneeded.ItmaynothavebirthedKaijumovies,butitbirthedthe
54:19
tragicmonstermovieandputthe
54:21
focusonman'shubrisandtherelationship
54:24
humanityhaswith
54:25
thenatural
54:25
world.Justlike
54:27
arrogance,
54:28
greed
54:28
andignorance
54:29
becameKong'suntimely
54:31
end,
54:31
humanityis
54:32
alsoat
54:33
risk
54:33
ofthesamethingsandbeauty.
54:37
Beautywillbetheend
54:38
ofus
54:39
all.Thankyouforlistening.Asalways,
54:41
IwouldlovetohearyourthoughtsonKingKongandthankyoufor
54:44
yourquestion.Continued
54:45
support
54:45
ofthispodcastNextepisode
54:49
I'mgoingtogiveyouaquoteandthequoteis
54:52
by
54:52
TomoyukiTanakaandhesaidquoteIfeltlike
54:56
doingsomethingbig.That
54:58
wasmymotivation.I
55:00
thought
55:00
ofdifferentideas.Ilike
55:02
monstermoviesandIwas
55:04
influencedbyKingKongunquote.TomoyukiTanakawasthe
55:10
Japanese
55:10
film
55:11
producerbestknown
55:12
forcreating
55:14
Godzilla.
55:15
AndofcourseifI'mgoingto
55:17
do
55:17
KingKong,surelythelogicalnextmoveis
55:21
totalkaboutGodzilla
55:23
from
55:23
1954.Soplease
55:26
joinmenextepisodefor
55:27
thehistoryandlegacyofGodzilla.Thankyou
55:31
forlistening
55:32
toVerbalDiorama,atotallyfree
55:34
and
55:34
independentpodcast
55:36
that
55:36
relies
55:36
onlistenersupport.Ifyouwantto
55:39
showyoursupportinmultipledifferentways,
55:41
you
55:41
couldleavearatingorreviewwhereveryoufoundthispodcast.
55:45
Youcould
55:45
tellyourfriendsandfamilyaboutthispodcastoryoucouldfindme
55:49
andfollowmeonsocialmediaandyoucansharethepodcast
55:53
thatway.Iamerbaldiorama
55:56
acrosssocialmedia
55:57
whereyoucansharepostslike
55:59
posts,
56:00
commentonposts.Itallhelpsreallyto
56:03
getthewordoutthere
56:04
to
56:04
hopefullygetother
56:05
people
56:05
to
56:05
knowthis
56:06
podcast
56:07
and
56:07
knowtherecent
56:08
episodesthatI'veputout.Igenuinelylovedoingthispodcastandanythingyou
56:12
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56:13
helpwouldbeso
56:14
appreciated.Ahugethankyoutotheincrediblygenerouspatronsofthispodcast.IcouldnotdowhatIdowithouttheirsupport.To
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56:29
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56:43
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56:46
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56:47
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56:47
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56:50
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56:52
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56:54
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56:57
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56:59
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56:59
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57:07
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57:08
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57:10
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57:14
hearfrom
57:14
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57:15
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57:16
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57:17
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57:17
possible.Thanks
57:18
againforlisteningandthanksforsupporting
57:20
independentpodcasting.Itmeansmore
57:23
tousthanyouknow.Andfinally.@vy@
7:59
g
58:23
Bye.