The first in the ongoing Prince Charles' double bill features and number 196 in IMDB's top 250, King Kong is a cornerstone in film history. Smashing boundaries (no pun intended) and pushing envelopes in several areas, most notably being one of the first films about the film making process itself.
Of course we all know the story by now. Whether you've seen this (the original version), the laughable 1974 version or even the 87 minutes longer 2005 version, you should have a good idea of what to expect. "It was beauty that killed the beast" proclaims movie mogul Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong). Erm, well yes that, the consumerist nature of an obsessive filmmaker and of course those three nasty little biplanes.
A wonderful example of early cinema misogyny where patriarchal social structures are rife. A film focused upon prizes and possessions, juxtapositions between all the male characters in the film (including the gorilla itself) make this a delight to watch. Here the term is applied in the more genteel and commonly used sense of the word, rather than the true sense which could easily be applied to a film made seven decades later called You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008).
Fay Wray's iconic "scream queen" scene hasn't dated at all. "Look up, look up" director Denham shouts, "Cover your eyes and scream as loud as you can". It adeptly highlights the reality of the filmmaking process and heightens expectations of what is to come.
The next double bill is on the 22 September; Jurassic Park (1993) and Jaws (1975)
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