MovieChat Forums > King Kong (1933) Discussion > Watched it again last night.

Watched it again last night.

posted 10 years ago by BuddyLove63
11 replies | jump to latest

Love the film obviously but I always have to think that the scene in the cavern with the elasmosaur needn't be there. Its just a repeat of the T-rex fight and doesn't say anything that the T-rex scene didn't already tell us. Hindsite tells me it should have been scrapped as we very soon after get the pteranodon scene. Maybe they could have alternatively included a scene where Denham is chased through the jungle before he gets to the wall or has to duck out of the way and hide when encountering a big beastie. Don't get me wrong, I love the technical aspects of the elasmosaur scene but it's really just filler.

Another nitpick. I really dont like the use of the giant bust. It just doesn't fit and its a real flaw in the movie in my view. The puppet model's head looks much more chilling, for example when we see Kong's face outside the skyscraper window. The full size bust looks comical in comparison.

[–] Skye_Reynolds 10 years ago

I completely disagree about the elasmosaur fight. It was an entirely different fight and gave Kong a good compliment to the earlier encounter.

Tyrannosaurus fight:

- against a larger and stronger, yet slower enemy
- done without a musical score
- Kong faces the immediate danger of suffering an injurious bite
- Kong dominates the offense except for a few moves on the tyrannosaur's part

Elasmosaur fight:

- against a smaller and weaker, yet faster enemy
- music blaring
- Kong isn't in immediate danger of losing, but is instead slowly worn down through attempted strangulation
- the elasmosaur gets the bulk of the offense until the very end

The two fights are polar opposites and allow us to see how Kong handles different challenges. While I still like the tyrannosaurus better, I think the elasmosaur's fight is very underrated and added a lot to the overall film. If I had to choose between one or the other, I'd still go with the T-Rex battle though.

[–] BuddyLove63 10 years ago

The elasmosaur fight adds nothing to the story. Ann faces a threat from a beastie and Kong comes to her rescue and defeats said beastie. We already had that scenario with the T-rex fight. The elasmosaur scene is pure story repetition.

You are talking about the technical differences. I am talking about the story. Now the pteranodon scene is important because that is the means to an escape for Ann and Jack. It has worth to the story. Had Jack managed to rescue Ann while Kong was fighting the elasmosaur then that scene would have had a point. As it is in the film it adds nothing to the story. It's a nice special effects scene (probably the most technically accomplished in the whole film) but it doesn't add anything or tell us anything different to the T-rex scene. And the opponent is of lesser threat than the T-rex and seeing as Kong has already beaten the most dangerous challenge he can face, then the scene is rather superfluous, except to please the audience from a technical special effects level. On that level I can appreciate it. From the story standpoint, it's superfluous and showy.

I love King Kong 1933 but there are some flaws in it.

Now how about the giant bust?? Any thoughts?

[–] BuddyLove63 10 years ago

I have to add as well, when showing people King Kong to them for the first time the most often criticism I hear is "not ANOTHER dinosaur fight/encounter". It tends to get repetitive for some people who aren't really into the technical aspects so much. The big bust also gets laughs.

[–] ptlucmarsh3 10 years ago

I see your point about the Elmosaur fight being unnecessary, especially after giving the t-rex a beating. However, a split second before it attacks, Kong bends down and picks up what looks to be a flower which I assume he is about to give to Ann (this happens very fast, blink and you will miss it), due to what happens next I see it as a lost opportunity for Kong to show Ann his more humane side and emotional intelligence.

As to the head bust scenes, I agree whilst it looked very good for the time, they make him look too dopey (I always think he looks like Homer Simpson in those scenes). There is one scene during the t-rex fight where we see a close up of Kong's face which does not use the bust and looks amazing. It is a shame they did not just stay with that instead of the bust.

I have to say I love this film as well, though I prefer watching it on VHS as opposed to DVD . I plan to get it on blu ray soon as I have heard it is supposed to be even better. Hopefully one day they will show it in a cinema over here like they do in America, that would be fantastic.

[–] Big G-2 10 years ago

Somewhere, elsewhere, I recall someone stating that the battles with the elmosaur and the pterodactyl, would parallel to what would happen in NYC. Kong thinking that elevated train was another elmosaur, was a reason on why he attacked it. Then onto of the Empire State Building and the biplans. Kong thinking they were going to take away Ann, as the pterodactyl tried to do when Kong was atop of Skull Mountain, so naturally, he tries to fight them off as well.

Of course, I am not sure if there would be something similar in regards to the T-Rex. Kong did have to scale over the carnivore in order to defeat it, and Ann was now his again. In NYC, Kong scaled that building (one which Ann coincidentally happen to be in), and Ann was once again his!

[–] BuddyLove63 10 years ago

Somewhere, elsewhere, I recall someone stating that the battles with the elmosaur and the pterodactyl, would parallel to what would happen in NYC. Kong thinking that elevated train was another elmosaur, was a reason on why he attacked it. Then onto of the Empire State Building and the biplans. Kong thinking they were going to take away Ann, as the pterodactyl tried to do when Kong was atop of Skull Mountain, so naturally, he tries to fight them off as well.

Yeah I can see the parallel betwen the pteranodon and the bi-planes but I can't see that with the elasmosaur and the elevated train. The elasmosaur was a water beastie from the pond, wasn't it? And the train was a long way off and posing no immediate threat until Kong decided to stand there and wait for it. It was Kong who picked that particular fight when he could have just walked off.

[–] PaladinNJ (21383) 3 years ago

I thought that was obvious.

[–] BuddyLove63 10 years ago

I see your point about the Elmosaur fight being unnecessary, especially after giving the t-rex a beating. However, a split second before it attacks, Kong bends down and picks up what looks to be a flower which I assume he is about to give to Ann (this happens very fast, blink and you will miss it), due to what happens next I see it as a lost opportunity for Kong to show Ann his more humane side and emotional intelligence.

Yes I never even noticed what he was doing there until I saw the documentary on the DVD where they pointed it out. It would definitely have been nice to see them expand on this in the scene.

As to the head bust scenes, I agree whilst it looked very good for the time, they make him look too dopey (I always think he looks like Homer Simpson in those scenes). There is one scene during the t-rex fight where we see a close up of Kong's face which does not use the bust and looks amazing. It is a shame they did not just stay with that instead of the bust.

Agreed. I know the shot you mean. Yeah the head of puppet Kong always looks better than the full size bust.

I have to say I love this film as well, though I prefer watching it on VHS as opposed to DVD . I plan to get it on blu ray soon as I have heard it is supposed to be even better. Hopefully one day they will show it in a cinema over here like they do in America, that would be fantastic.

I bought it on Blue Ray, which is why I watched it again recently. Now it IS clearer than the DVD but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's well worth getting and if you prefer it on VHD to DVD then I wouldn't bother. The extras are the same as on the DVD.

[–] ptlucmarsh3 10 years ago

To be honest that's how I know about the scene as well and I have seen this film countless times. But that is the beauty of this film, so many things happen at once, there may well still be things I haven't yet noticed.
I do like the dvd version as I never noticed the ship and the outline of the wall and village when Ann and Jack are escaping down the cliff. It is nowhere near as clear on vhs.

[–] BuddyLove63 10 years ago

I do like the dvd version as I never noticed the ship and the outline of the wall and village when Ann and Jack are escaping down the cliff.

Oh that is great. I love that. Just shows us how much further Ann and Jack have to go. I would have loved an expanded sequence showing more of their flight from Kong.

[–] millsey72 (10000) 3 years ago

Thats my favorite part of the movie. You could also say we didn't need to have the T Rex fight instead