King Kong (1976)

Director:

John Guillermin

Writers:

Merian C. Cooper (idea) and
Edgar Wallace (idea) ...

Release Date:

17 December 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

The most exciting original motion picture event of all time.

Plot:

A petroleum exploration expedition comes to an isolated island and encounters a colossal giant gorilla.

Plot Keywords:

World Trade Center | Gorilla | Fur Coat | Simian Fiction | El Train

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 18	1:30 AM	AMC
Fri. July 18	11:30 AM	AMC

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Jack Prescott
Charles Grodin	...	Fred Wilson
Jessica Lange	...	Dwan
John Randolph	...	Captain Ross
Rene Auberjonois	...	Roy Bagley
Julius Harris	...	Boan
Jack O'Halloran	...	Joe Perko
Dennis Fimple	...	Sunfish
Ed Lauter	...	Carnahan
Jorge Moreno	...	Garcia
Mario Gallo	...	Timmons
John Lone	...	Chinese Cook
Garry Walberg	...	Army General
John Agar	...	City Official
Keny Long	...	Ape Masked Man

Also Known As:

King Kong: The Legend Reborn (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:G (British Columbia/Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Canada:14A (Ontario - 2005) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1998) | Finland:K-12 (cut) (1977) | Australia:M (cable rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Norway:11 | Norway:12 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

Four ape suits were created and worn by Rick Baker and realistically depicted the appropriate musculature beneath the fur through a special undersuit with silicone-filled muscles. The hands of the costume used animatronic extensions, again controlled by operators off set, so as to give Kong appropriately gorilla-like long limbs.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the sailors on the log bridge are confronted by Kong, Carnahan draws his pistol twice: once when they first look up and notice Kong, and again when Jack yells for them to stop firing.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Joe Perko: OK, Boan, how much you got here?
Boan: About eighteen hundred.
Joe Perko: Eighteen hundred? What's going on?
Boan: There's Bagley.
Joe Perko: Hey, Mr. Bagley! Something's haywire. They only loaded me enough pipe to push one test hole. Less than two thousand feet.
Roy Bagley: Yeah, that'll be enough.
Boan: Are you kidding? On Bagatan, we didn't come until we were past twenty-six thousand feet.
Roy Bagley: You take my word, fellas. This hole proves out within two thousand, or it's a write-off.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Recreating the Eighth Wonder: The Making of 'King Kong' (2006) (V)

'A' for effort

Though generally regarded as inferior to the 1933 classic - which it unquestionably is - this remake of "King Kong" can at least boast the virtue of trying to be different. No mere rehash of the older film, the story has been reinterpreted, and very occasionally the effort pays off.

I rather like the notion of the explorers arriving at Kong's island with no idea of what they are going to find. The discovery of the wall - telegraphed in the original, and thus less powerful - the natives, the overall look of the island works very well.

Sadly its downhill from there. The highly touted special effects are poor. Kong is so obviously a man in an ape suit that it seems astonishing that anyone was duped by tales of giant robots. (That much publicised automaton, when it briefly appears, is ragingly bogus.) Toning down Kong's ferocity was another huge mistake. In this version he is a cross eyed lover, with little menace. In the original he was a possessive and protective lover, with a real mean streak. It worked better. And Jessica Lange lacks Fay Wray's unique blend of innocence and sex appeal. She aims at ditziness, and is merely irritating. How you'll pray that Kong makes a meal of her!

Its hard to dismiss memories of the 1933 film when it was so much more engaging. But this isn't too bad in a kiddie matinee fashion.