King Kong (1933)

TCM Big Screen Classics

Over the weekend Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events presented a showing of 1933’s memorable classic King Kong. Featuring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Bruce Cabot, the film blazed a trail in special effects led by the work of Willis O’Brien and utilized the music of Max Steiner. According to a segment featuring TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz, Steiner’s original composition was the first thematic score for a major film. It was also the first feature length score for a talkie film. The movie also saved RKO Pictures from bankruptcy and put Fay Wray on the map as a certified star.

After a brief introduction by Mankiewicz, an overture was played prior to the film. Then the movie began. The resolution was very good throughout most of the film, but there were a few moments were the film appeared to go slightly out of focus. This is primarily due to the condition of the best surviving negatives used for the film’s restoration over the years. Scenes that were removed from the film after its initial release were shown in this release including a brontosaurus attack and a woman being thrown to her death.

This was the first time that I saw this particular version of the film and the first time that I got to see it on the big screen. It was great to see the movie in a theater. There were only two other people with me for the 1 PM showing, which didn’t surprise me. The coronavirus pandemic kept tons of people away from the theater on Sunday. Also, many people these days are turned off by a film if it doesn’t feature color, CGI, or the latest pop tune as part of the soundtrack. Thankfully TCM and Fathom Events are doing their best to keep these great films alive.

If you’ve never seen King Kong in all of its classic stop-motion glory, watch it. It’s available on Blu-ray, DVD, and on some streaming services. It inspired an entire era of giant monster movies, inspired special effects giants such as Ray Harryhausen, and opened the door for thematic music in films.

Thanks for reading, folks. While I don’t necessarily post often about classic films such as King Kong, I am trying my best to keep these old films alive. Keep an eye out for more black-and-white film highlights and reviews in the near future.