at Regal Deer Park 16 & IMAX, Regal Westbury 12 and AMC Stony Brook 17. King Kong is a cinematic icon who will appear again in Godzilla vs. Sequels proliferated Dino De Laurentiis produced a remake in 1976 Peter Jackson directed another in 2005 and Universal rebooted the franchise in 2017 with "Kong: Skull Island." (There was also the 2018-19 Broadway musical.) The first is still the best, though, a classic Hollywood spectacle that hasn't lost a bit of its power. "King Kong" was rereleased into theaters five times, in 1938, 1942, 1946, 19, earning impressive ticket sales each time. The film's overarching racism is complicated and coded but impossible to ignore it's the one area where "King Kong" shows its age. "King Kong" also remains a shocker, with pre-Code scenes of brutal violence and suggestive sexuality that are far from quaint even today. (At the time, the Academy Awards did not yet have a category for special effects). jungle, man vs.beast - and partly for its pioneering visuals, which include elaborate miniatures, matte paintings and Willis O'Brien's expressive stop-motion animation of Kong himself. Smitten by the diminutive Darrow, Kong is captured by Denham and shipped to New York City as a tourist attraction but - in the film's most iconic sequence - the ape breaks loose, carries Darrow to the top of the Empire State Building and swipes at hostile aircraft until ultimately falling to his death.Įven nearly 90 years after its initial release, "King Kong" remains absolutely riveting, partly for its primal themes - city vs. There they encounter Kong, an enormous gorilla worshipped as a god by local tribesman. The film will be accompanied by recorded remarks from TCM host Ben Mankiewicz.Ī simian twist on "Beauty and the Beast" - with shades of Jules Verne and Joseph Conrad - "King Kong" tells the story of a swaggering film director, Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), and his new starlet, Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), who sail to the mysterious Skull Island. The film will play two screenings on Sunday, March 15, at several Long Island venues, as part of TCM's yearlong Big Screen Classics series. A Film Crew Goes To Skull Island For A Location Shoot And They Discover A Colossal Ape Who Takes Their Female Star, He Is Then Captured And Brought Back To New York City For Public Exhibition. Kongs exact origins vary from film to film. He remained secluded on a remote island populated by other giant creatures and was worshiped as a god by the islands natives. It's your chance to see one of the original Hollywood blockbusters and some of the earliest special effects ever committed to celluloid. King Kong is the last member of a species of giant prehistoric apes called Megaprimatus Kong. Next week, for the first time in more than 60 years, "King Kong" will return to theaters nationwide for a one-day-only engagement. If you've never seen the original "King Kong," from 1933, you're in for a treat.