What Makes King Kong (1933) Great.

The "8th Wonder of The World" himself has in many ways has earned his title as a world wonder in more ways than just a fictional tagline. When you look at its technical achievements as well as the hundreds of thousands of filmmakers that were inspired when they saw it and the thousands that continue to be inspired by it, King Kong may just be that 8th wonder after all.

Wildlife filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Amstrong) is looking for inspiration for his next film when he comes upon a map from the sole survivor of a previous exhibition to the remote Skull Island. Carl recruits Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher) and First Mate Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) to lead the exhibition. He also wants a leading lady for his movie and finds the young and beautiful Ann Darrow (Fay Wray). When they make their way to Skull Island they encounter dangers such as hostel natives, Dinosaurs, and of course King Kong himself. I think we all know how the rest goes.

To say this film is a landmark in the adventure and monster genre is a major understatement. While Directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack are to be commended for effectively bringing the story to life, the real stars of the film are the technical team, in particular, the legendary Willis O Brian with his groundbreaking special effects, and the term "special" is yet another understatement. The sets and images of the film are some of the most iconic in all of cinema, from the giant wall that separates the natives, the design of the jungle, Kong's fight with the T-Rex, and the thrilling climax of Kong going on a rampage ending with his rise and fall from the Empire State Building. The stop motion effects and hard work it took to bring it to life is still to this day an unbelievable achievement. The filmmakers used various creative techniques to make the creatures, the environment, and the actors blend together perfectly. In fact, when Peter Jackson was working on his 2005 Remake of King Kong, he and his crew worked on a separate project to bring a deleted scene in the original with giant spiders to life using the same techniques as the original. Jackson and his crew found it immensely challenging, which goes to show you how imaginative filmmakers were forced to be in the age well before CG. It's that kind of imagination that inspired people like Ray Harryhausen, Steven Speilberg, Ishiro Honda, and the previously mentioned Peter Jackson. This means that without King Kong, we might not have films like "Clash of The Titans", "Jaws", "Godzilla", and "The Lord of The Rings" film trilogy.

The Human characters well not being that fleshed out, do a serviceable job in keeping our interest. There is of course the iconic blonde Ann, and while Fay Wray gives a good performance she is mostly there just to be a beautiful image, and to give Kong a human side. The best human character though as Carl Denham. This character could have easily been just a greedy businessman who wants to use Kong to become rich and famous, but thanks to the solid work by Armstrong, he comes off as more of an overly ambitious and eccentric adventurer that you can't help but like him. The scene-stealer though is Kong himself. Thanks to Willis O'Brian's great work with Kong's movements and expressions. King Kong is more than just a monster, he is a legitimate character and tragic figure. We see this in the way the film explores Kong's personality, he's curious and intelligent much like the real apes he is based on. He is struck by Ann's great beauty and this very human connection turns him into a victim of capitalist greed where he and his love for Ann are turned into an over-the-top production on Broadway. While Kong does indeed go on a rampage and destroys and a good chunk of New York, this is all because he fell victim to men taking advantage of his image, and his heart. Kong's attractiveness to Ann is the true reason he is gunned down by the planes, it truly was "Beauty that killed the beast", as, without his initial attraction to Ann, Kong probably would not have been taken to New York and unjustly killed, truly one of the most tragic love stories in the history of cinema.

Every time I stumble on King Kong I continue to be in awe of it. It truly is one of the most timeless films of all time. It's a film that I truly believe will still be respected and studied well after even I'm gone as long as there is still a passion for great imagination There may have been many imitators after the film's release, and likely more still to come, but the original is still truly the king.