In 1933, Depression-era New York City, actress Ann Darrow has just lost her job at the local theater and is faced with dancing at the local burlesque show to survive. Meanwhile, film director Carl Denham faces the cancellation of his latest movie because of his unorthodox methods and approach to filmmaking. After Carl recruits Ann to replace his leading lady, who joins the film because of the presence of her favorite writer Jack Driscoll, they set sail to evade the police and journey to a remote Indian Ocean island known as Skull Island to find the legendary creature known as Kong.
The film was released on December 14, 2005, and received very positive reviews, though not as positive as the reviews given to the Lord of the Rings trilogy that the director Peter Jackson had previously worked on. The film made a modest opening of $50.1 million, and significantly underperformed expectations at the box office. With a huge marketing campaign and many commercial tie-ins, the release was all encompassing for the movie market, and was seriously challenged by its only other major competitor, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, However, the DVD set record sales, and the film appears to have strong enough sales to allow Jackson to make his extended edition of the movies.
Story
Template:Spoiler
Carl Denham is a documentary filmmaker whose penchant for "safari films" does not go over well with his studio bosses who prefer to see him turn in a romance film for a change. When he discovers that they would rather sell his films off as stock footage than fund his latest movie, Denham steals the film and quickly organizes to leave for his next shoot immediately. Still in need of a leading lady, along the way he meets Ann Darrow, an unemployed vaudeville actress whose theatre was recently closed down due to lack of money. He convinces Ann to join him in his latest movie endeavour and boards a tramp steamer with her; Jack Driscoll — a hapless playwright who has written part of the screenplay - is tricked by Denham into joining the journey in order to finish the story. The ship leaves just in time for Denham to escape the police, who have been sent by Denham's angry studio bosses, and sets off on a voyage to what Ann and Jack believe to be Singapore. Along the way, Denham reveals they're actually heading for Skull Island, a place unknown to the outside world that Denham believes will make for some spectacular footage for his production. Although the first mate, Mr. Hayes, of the steamer voices his concerns about their destination, he sets out to find the island anyway. Meanwhile Ann, a fan of Jack's plays, begins to fall in love with the playwright. Eventually, Jack tells her that he's writing a stage comedy for her, and ends up kissing her. As the steamer's crew try to fix the ship, Denham, Ann, Jack and the film crew go ashore, where they are ambushed by a mob of angry natives. Denham's sound-recordist Mike and a sailor are killed, but Denham and the rest of the landing party are rescued by Captain Englehorn with his crew. They return to the boat and make preparations to leave, but a native slips on board and captures Ann. She is soon tied up and strapped to the superior posts of a thin wooden draw bridge that just across to the other side of a massive wall which separates the natives from the rest of the island. The ship's crew arm themselves and attempt a rescue mission, but are too late as Carl watches Ann get taken away by a giant ape.
File:Annkkvr.jpgAs a Vastatosaurus Rex is about to attack Ann, Kong comes to her rescue.
The crew discover that the ape, named "Kong" by the natives, lives in a massive jungle where prehistoric creatures have been protected and hidden for millions of years. After some discussion, the captain allows Denham and Jack to go look for her, with first-mate Ben Hayes and 15 armed crewmen as bodyguards. Denham attempts to take advantage of the search, and brings along all his camera gear, remaining film crew, and even the actor. As they trek through the jungle, the group have a number of deadly encounters with the local fauna, escaping from a Brontosaurusstampede, and an attack by a pack of Venatosaurus. Four men are killed, including Denham's camera-assistant Herb. Meanwhile, in an attempt to keep Kong from possibly killing her, Ann desperately resorts to trying to entertain Kong by dancing and doing tricks, which actually succeeds in amusing Kong. But when Ann stops and defies him, Kong becomes angry and throws a tantrum, but fails to intimidate her. Kong then strangely leaves, so Ann takes the opportunity to escape. As the rescue party are crossing a log bridge, Kong arrives, killing Hayes and knocking the log with all the others down a ravine. Three crewmen are killed by the fall (including Choy, the only crew member other than Hayes, Jimmy, and Lumpy to have his name spoken in the film), and the survivors find themselves trapped in a chasm with giant invertebrates, including bloodworm-like Carnictis (which kill Lumpy), weta-like Weta-Rexes, Arachno-Claws (that look like a cross between a spider and a scorpion), and endless other horrors. Most of the remaining crew are killed, but the survivors (reduced to four) are rescued by Captain Englehorn with another rescue party. Alone, Jack continues his determined search for Ann, whilst Denham (whose camera and footage were destroyed in the fall down the ravine) decides to capture Kong and bring him back to New York City.
Trying to find her way back, Ann runs into two scavenging Foetodons. Just before one comes close to killing her, a huge Vastatosaurus rex emerges and kills it, and then chases after Ann. She narrowly escapes the Vastatosaurus rex, but is cornered next to another one. Kong then returns and engages the two V-rexes — and then a third one that emerges — in a massive battle, with Ann thrown along all throughout, but saved by Kong from being killed. Eventually, Kong kills all three of the V-rexes. During the battle, Ann realizes that Kong is her only chance of surviving the island, and voluntarily lets Kong carry her with him afterwards. Kong returns to his lair atop a cliffside, where Ann observes him taking in a tranquil sunset, she goes into Kong's hand and soon falls asleep. Eventually, Jack finds Ann, and they escape while Kong is busy defending himself from an attack by giant bats. Kong catches up to them, but Denham and the surviving crew members are waiting and attempt to capture Kong (against Ann's pleas), but Kong breaks free of the trap. At the last minute, Denham successfully captures Kong by smashing a bottle of chloroform across his face. He announces his plans to display Kong as, "The Eighth Wonder of the World".
File:Beau-ti-ful.jpgAnn and Kong share one last moment atop the Empire State Building, before the arrival of the warplanes.
Months later in New York City, Ann is an anonymous chorus line dancer (after refusing large sums to appear on stage with Kong), while the lovelorn Jack watches a comedy he wrote whose lead role was meant for her. Denham puts the subdued and shackled Kong on display on a Broadway stage in front of a large audience. However, angered by the fake "Ann" presented before him, and frightened and enraged by the commotion and press-flashbulbs, Kong breaks free from his chains, charges into the crowd, and runs amok in Times Square searching for Ann. Jack attempts to draw Kong away from crowded areas, and a hectic car chase through the streets ensues, which ends with Kong almost killing Jack. Ann then approaches Kong, calming him down. Carrying Ann with him, Kong wanders through the city, eventually into Central Park, where he slides around with her on a lake of ice, in a brief moment of happiness. Moments later, they are ambushed by the Army, who attack Kong with machine gun fire and artillery rounds. Reminiscent of his cliff-dwelling, Kong escapes to the Empire State Building, which he proceeds to climb, with one hand, holding Ann gently in the other. Kong and Ann take in the sunrise at the top of the building, until six biplanes (Curtis Helldivers) appear and attack Kong. Ann tries to stay with him, but Kong puts her down, climbing to the top of the skyscraper as the planes attack. Ann tries to climb higher to save him, waving and yelling at the biplanes to stop. Kong manages to destroy three of the planes, but is repeatedly machine-gunned. Mortally wounded, Kong eventually succumbs to his injuries as Ann cries, and falls to his death. Jack rushes to comfort Ann as she stands grief-stricken, and the film ends with Carl Denham reciting the story's signature quote, "It wasn't the airplanes, it was Beauty killed the Beast."
Template:Endspoiler
This is most likely because of the release of other monster movies the same year. He then began work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. With its overwhelming box office and critical success, his desire to make King Kong was realized, and he was paid $20 million USD to direct this film, the highest salary Hollywood ever paid a director.
File:Serkiskong.jpgAndy Serkis in his Kong bodysuit.
The film's budget climbed from an initial $150 million US to a record-breaking $207 million[3], making it the second most-expensive film ever made in terms of current money spent (behind X-Men: The Last Stand) and the sixth-most expensive film adjusted for inflation. Universal Studios only agreed to such an outlay after seeing a screening of the unfinished film, to which executives responded enthusiastically. The production budget was approximately $187 million, and, in addition, it is estimated that marketing and promotion costs were about $20 million. Production had difficulties, such as Peter Jackson's decision to change composers from Howard Shore to James Newton Howard seven weeks before the film opened.[4]
Peter Jackson has stated that the script significantly changed between the 1996 and 2005 drafts. In Peter Jackson's original 1996 draft of the script, Ann was the daughter of famed English archaeologist Lord Linwood Darrow exploring ancient ruins in Sumatra. They would come into conflict with Denham during his filming, and they would uncover a hidden Kong statue and the map of Skull Island. This would indicate that the island natives were a cult religion that once thrived on the mainland of Asia, and all trace of the cult was wiped out, except for the few on the island. Instead of a playwright, Jack was the first mate and an ex-First World War fighter pilot still struggling with the loss of his best friend, who was killed in battle. Herb the camera-man was the only supporting character in the original draft who made it to the final version. Another difference was that Ann was actully caught in the Tyrannosaurus's jaws in the Kong/3 T-rexs fight, accroding to the draft, Ann was wedged in the mouth and slashed by the teeth, after the fight, Kong got her out but by some reason Ann got a fever, which she got better from. (it didn't say how Ann got it but it was almost unmistakably infection in one of her cuts.) Jackson's first rough draft was described as a "tongue-in-cheek comedic film with elements of Raiders of the Lost Ark and other films," according to Jackson himself. Originally, he wanted a comical "monkey-farce" to be released, but he credits Universal for pulling the plug; as he was able to rework things into what ended up on screen.
For the character of Kong, Andy Serkis, who modelled its movement, went to the London Zoo to watch the gorillas, but was unsatisfied. He ended up going to Rwanda to observe mountain gorillas in the wild, with a company called Rainbow Tours. Possibly as a result of this, Kong acts and moves very much like a real gorilla.
Apart from Kong, Skull Island is also inhabited by dinosaurs and other large fauna. However, though they may look similar, they are not the familiar species. Inspired by the works of Dougal Dixon, the designers have imagined what 65 million years or more of isolated evolution would have done to the dinosaurs. Naturally, the creatures are presented as more scientifically accurate than those portrayed in the 1933 version. The names of these and hundreds of other beasts are found in the book The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island. Here are the creatures seen in the film:
Vastatasaurus-Rex, which greatly resembles its relative, the T-Rex, is seen in the famous "Kong vs. T-rex" scene in the film. This creature is on-screen for about 20 minutes.
Foetadon is the reptile-like creature which chases Ann into a rotting log. Moments late, the foetadon is grabbed by a Vastatasaurus-Rex, pulled from the log, and eaten.
Deleted scenes
There are many deleted scenes known to exist in King Kong. One is where the film crew are on the shore, where Denham films another scene with Ann and tells her to scream. Kong's roar is then heard for the first time, as if responding from hearing her. (This scene makes more sense of the timing of Captain Englehorn's rescue of the film crew from the natives.) The rescue party build a couple of rafts to cross the swamp, and are attacked by a Piranhadon. Denham tries to use a Tommy gun, but shoots very badly. One (or more) of the group is caught and killed by the creature. Kong tramples over one of the army trucks. Ann struggles against 2 armed soldiers restraining her, either before she reunites with Kong, or after Kong had died. It is shown how Kong was transported to New York on the Venture. Two armed soldiers shoot at Kong. (This is probably in the scene where the soldiers restrain Ann, and Kong steps on the army commander — see below.) Kong reacts as if threatened by a statue that resembles him.
Some scenes took place in the novelization of Kong that may appear on the extended DVD that Jackson has suggested will be made. After the conversation with Hayes, Lumpy the cook, and Jimmy, Denham privately confides later on to Driscoll that the map came from the Norwegian captain. Denham also reveals hearing of an ancient legend of "Kong", but declares that it had nothing to do with his interest in Skull Island. Herb the camera-assistant (who has an artificial leg) tells how he lost his leg on an earlier film shoot with Denham. This scene would explain Herb's waddling run, and being unable to climb, later in the film. The rescue party encounters 2 Ligocristus dinosaurs, and shoots them both. Kong, with Ann, is attacked by a pair of either Venatosaurs or juvenile V-rexes. Afterward, Kong eats the kills. Kong tramples the army commander (seen in the movie yelling the command, "Fire!").
Release
File:King kong peter jackson brisbane.PNGA massive advertisement in Australia
The marketing campaign for King Kong started in full swing on 28 June2005, when the teaser trailer made its debut, first online at the official Volkswagen website at 8:45 p.m. EST, then 8:55 p.m. EST across media outlets owned by NBC-Universal, including NBC, Bravo!, CNBC and MSNBC. That trailer appeared in theatres attached to War of the Worlds, which opened on 29 June.
Jackson also regularly published a series of 'Production Diaries', which chronicled the making of the film. The diaries started shortly after the DVD release of The Return of the King as a way to give Jackson's The Lord of the Rings fans a glimpse of his next project. These diaries are edited into broadband-friendly installments of three or four minutes each. They consist of features that would normally be seen in a making-of documentary: a tour of the set, a roving camera introducing key players behind the scene, a peek inside the sound booth during last-minute dubbing, or Andy Serkis doing his ape movements in a motion capture studio.
The production diaries were released on DVD on December 13, 2005, one day before the U.S. release of the film. This was one of the first occasions in which material that would normally be considered supplementary to the DVD release of a film, was not only released separately, but done so in a prestige format; the Production Diaries came packaged in a box with a set of prints and a replica 1930s-era clipboard. It is also the first time such material was published prior to the release of the film.
In a unique co-promotion, New York State held a special King Kong lottery game in which tickets were sold for a one time drawing to be held on December 5, 2005 offered a grand prize of $50 million and several second prizes of $1 million.[5]
Reception
With a rather modest $9.7 million box office on its opening day, King Kong failed to live up to its pre-release hype, and did not meet expectations of Universal Studios executives.[6] It had an opening weekend of $50.1 million, good for most movies, but short of the inflated expectations caused by the movie's enormous budget and marketing campaign. It opened to over $15 million less than its only serious challenger in December, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, did during its opening weekend one week earlier.
As of May 11, 2006, the film has grossed $218.1 million in the United States (putting it in the top five grossing films of 2005 domestically [7] and approximately an additional $331.1 million outside North America, leading to a worldwide total of $549.2 million. It is a general rule of thumb that a big-budget movie must earn at least twice its production and promotion budget to break even. In the case of King Kong, that would mean $600 million, considerably more than what it is expected to earn at the box office. Other factors affect a film's profitability besides box office, such as the King Kong DVD sales, which as of April 3rd sold more than 6.5 million DVDs, generating $100 million in the largest six-day performance in Universal Studios history.[8] And as of June 4, 2006King Kong has generated $35.8 million from DVD rental gross. Universal will earn a certain amount of revenue from home television rights, advertising tie-ins (such as Burger King's King Kong-themed commercials), and other sources; however, they will pay a certain amount of gross and net revenues to producers and members of the cast and crew. These figures, which, unlike box office revenue, are not a matter of public record, will ultimately determine King Kong's financial success or failure from Universal's point of view.
File:15939121 full.jpg2005 stamp set issued by New Zealand commemorating the film.
Critical reaction
King Kong received a favourable critical response, garnering an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[9] The most common criticisms of the film were: excessive length, over-use of slow motion, and several moments where the audience was aware of CGI effects. Positive critical reviews regarded it as one of the few good epics and all-round best movies of 2005. Both Roger Ebert and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave it their highest rating. Similarly, King Kong has been included in many critics' Top Ten of 2005 lists.[10] The film received four Academy Award nominations for visual effects, art direction, sound mixing, and sound editing, winning all of them except for art direction[11]
Legacy
Peter Jackson has expressed his desire to remaster the film in 3-D at some point in the future. [12] This has been officially disclaimed by Universal Studios, however, it is a fact that both
Shrek and Terminator 2: Judgment Day had short 3D versions made for the Studio as theme park attractions. With 7 animation features coming out in 2006 in 3D, it is somewhat likely that a 3D version might be created. The film is more than 90% CGI mastered, so converting the scene to 3D is largely a software exercise, with some creative work required for the closer shots of actors. All the face shots of Kong can be "3D-ised" from the original animation files. It is estimated that the conversion will cost about 10 million dollars, due to the great length of the movie. (3 hours 8 minutes) Also, a novelization of the movie was written, and a multi-platform video game entitled Peter Jackson's King Kong was released and met with mixed reviews.
Al Jolson performer of song that plays during the introduction of New York.
Cinematic and literary allusions
Ann Darrow's vaudeville act looks like an imitation of Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp. The music upon the first sighting of dinosaurs is inspired by the music of the BBC series Walking with Dinosaurs. Kong's tender moments and behaviours were inspired by actual, documented (captive) gorillas, particularly Koko (gorilla). The bats that attack King Kong look a lot like the first movie version of Dracula, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, especially from the artwork in an original German theater-poster made for the movie in 1922. Driscoll's comedy-play performed at the end bears a striking resemblance to Brandon Thomas's 1892 farce Charley's Aunt While openly referring to Heart of Darkness several times in the movie, there are also subtle references to Moby Dick. There is a Maori crew-member (Moby Dick's Queequeg is a South-Pacific Islander), while the characters of - and relation between - Ben Hayes and Jimmy might have some similarities to Queequeg and Ishmael (Moby Dick). Other Moby Dick references are King Kong's slanted jaw, the resemblance of Carl Denham to a Captain Ahab figure, and the harpoon used during the scene in which they capture Kong.
References to other versions of King Kong
In the 1933 original, the ship-cook's name was originally "Lumpy" in the script, and was changed to "Charlie" during production, possibly because a Chinese-American actor, Victor Wong, was cast in the part. But the theater programs at the film's premiere screenings at Grauman's Chinese Theater (and possibly other theaters) listed the character's name as "Lumpy" next to Victor Wong's name. (The 1933 film's DVD — in the keepsake tin — includes a reproduction of that Grauman's program.) In the 2005 movie, "Charlie" is renamed "Choy", and Lumpy and Choy are two separate characters this time. In the 1933 film, King Kong is displayed at the Palace Theatre in New York City. Along with the film itself, the marquee makes references to the folktale of "Beauty and the Beast".
A poster for Chang, an earlier movie by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack that provided some of their inspiration for King Kong, is in the background of the room when Denham is listening in on the backers' discussion to scrap his movie. This is the second movie in which Adrien Brody's character has had his life saved by a character played by Thomas Kretschmann, and also the second time Colin Hanks plays a character contending with negative influence from a character played by Jack Black. (The first movies being The Pianist and Orange County, respectively.) When Kong is revealed to the public for the first time, it is Howard Shore, whose score was dropped from the film, conducting the orchestra as the curtain goes up. He ends up being crushed by Kong, as the gorilla leaps from the stage. Fay Wray, the original Ann Darrow, was planned to appear and say the 2005 movie's final line, "It was beauty killed the beast." Sadly, she passed away before doing the scene, so the line went back to the character of Carl Denham (played by Jack Black).
Forbes Magazine asked a small sample of scientists who would win in a battle between King Kong and a Tyrannosaurus rex. The consensus named Kong as the probable victor. Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie suggested shooting the movie in black and white at one point during pre-production. An ad for Universal Pictures is visible while Kong is tearing up Times Square. In actuality, an ad for Columbia Pictures was in the same spot in the 1933 film, but the studio refused to allow its name to be used, so effects artists replaced it. In the scene where Jack Driscoll is searching for a place to sleep in the animal storage hold, a box behind him reads 'Sumatran Rat Monkey — Beware the bite!' - a reference to the creature that causes all the mayhem in Peter Jackson's filmBraindead (and is also, according to the 1992 film, only found on Skull Island). The humorous line about the Abominable Snowman also makes practical sense for 1933: Bigfoot was still completely obscure, and the Loch Ness Monster was just starting to become world-famous that very year. The Snowman was the most widely-known cryptid at that time. (Not to mention that (a) Kong met and befriended the Yeti in Kong: The Animated Series.) The Wilhelm scream is used (again) for the sailor knocked off the ledge during the Brontosaur stampede. Kong and Lumpy the Cook — both performed by Andy Serkis — share a single scene in the movie, and only one shot in that scene. Perhaps as an in-joke, that only shot that Serkis shares with "himself" has Lumpy shooting at Kong.
The scene for the theatre in which King Kong was displayed in was set in a theatre in Auckland, New Zealand, The Civic Theatre in Queen Street. The title of Jack Driscoll's stage comedy in the movie, Cry Havoc!, is a quote from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, but might also be the filmmakers' reference to actress June Havoc. (In the end credits, under "Personal Thanks ... for Their Contribution", is the name "June Havoc".) Havoc was a major star performer on vaudeville before successfully going into Broadway, movies, and television. But, she is today much less remembered than her sister, Gypsy Rose Lee, the inspiration for the musical, Gypsy. Ironically, long before Gypsy, Lee's fame began from performing in the burlesque theater, after having difficulty finding success in vaudeville like her sister Havoc. In King Kong (2005), Ann Darrow is recommended to a burlesque theater for a job, which she rejects outright. An anachronistic detail in the 2005 remake, are the girlie pictures displayed at the burlesque theater. Some of the pictures were actually from the 1950s and late 1940s. Perhaps actual 1930s pictures (excluding nudies) would have been too quaint (to today's audiences) to convey the theater's implied sleaziness. Two scenes in the trailer contain music from film composer James Newton Howard's earlier work, Batman Begins, which was released earlier in 2005. The film was released on Monkey Day. During the crossing a Morse Code message is received by the radioman. The actual code message you hear is "Show Me The Monkey".
This version of the film is set in the original film's then-contemporary setting of 1933. The background under the main titles at the beginning and end of the movie is the same as the background of the 1933 RKO film. When Denham is considering who to play the part before meeting Ann, he suggests "Fay," but his assistant Preston replies, "She's doing a picture with RKO." Music from the 1933 original comes on, and Denham mutters, "Cooper, huh? I might have known." Fay Wray starred in the 1933 film, which was directed by Merian C. Cooper and released by RKO. The 2005 remake, in a different way, also quotes the fake "Arabian proverb" about "beauty and the beast" that Merian C. Cooper made up in his 1933 film. The end credits of Peter Jackson's remake concludes with a dedication to the stars and creators of the original movie (Wray, Armstrong, Cooper, Schoedsack, O'Brien, and Steiner, but excludes Cabot), and refers to them as, "The Original Adventurers of Skull Island." The name of the boat Denham and his crew take to Skull Island is the Venture, just as in the original film. In the original, a bystander mentions that the Venture has so many men aboard, there's no place to sleep. The 2005 version makes light of this comment by having Driscoll boarded in an animal cage in the hold. Both versions have the story about the Norwegian ship finding a castaway from Skull Island, but is told very differently in each film. During the ship voyage, Denham films a conversation between his stars Ann Darrow and Bruce Baxter. The dialogue used is from the meeting between Ann Darrow and Jack Driscoll in the original 1933 film. The first line of the 1933 film, "Is this the moving picture ship?" is included in this version, spoken this time by Ann. The original Max Steiner score can be heard peppered throughout the movie, with the most notable cue accompanying the "Kong on Stage" scene. In the original, Denham — unlike Ann and Driscoll — is never seen making any physical contact with Kong in the entire movie, even when he gets close enough to do so. Peter Jackson's movie kids around with that detail by having Denham going, "I am touching the beast! I am actually laying my hand on the 25 foot gorilla!" The scene in which Ann tries to steal an apple, and a deleted scene in which Denham films Ann and tells her to scream at an unseen danger, are recreated from the original film.
Another deleted scene in the 2005 remake comes just after the rescue party escaped the Brontosaurus stampede: they then try to cross a swamp on some improvised rafts, and are attacked by a water creature called a Piranhadon. This is similar to the raft scene in the 1933 original, which led to the (very inaccurate) Brontosaur attack there. During the pileup that concludes the Brontosaur stampede, a couple of the men's screams are from the original film. At the diner, Denham assures Ann, "I'm on the level; no funny-business." This line was in the 1933 movie. Denham's movie camera is the same model Bell & Howell 35 mm in both the 1933 and 2005 films, but is considerably more battered and weather-beaten in the remake, reflecting his desperate and less-successful status compared to the original movie. Kong's New York stage appearance looks very much like a re-enactment of the sacrifice scene of the 1933 film, including the posts the 'beauty' is tied to and the nearly identical performance and costumes of the dancers. Both times Carl Denham assures his theater audience that everything is all right because Kong's "... chains are made of chromed steel." The line before Kong breaks his chains, "Let him roar. It makes a swell picture," is in both films, but is spoken by Denham in the remake. The Pepsodent, Chevrolet, and Coca Cola advertisements in New York's Times Square are present in both films. Grenade-type bombs are glimpsed among the bottles of chloroform in the Venture's hold. The bombs are identical to the "gas bombs" from the 1933 movie, and were reported to be original 1933 Kong props in Peter Jackson's own collection.
The scene in which Kong breaks the V-Rex's jaws, and then plays with it, mimics a similar moment in the original 1933 film. After the crew captures Kong on the beach, Denham speaks the line: '"The whole world will pay to see this! We're millionaires, boys! I'll share it with all of you. In a few months, his name will be up in lights on Broadway! KONG, THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD!"' The same line is in the original 'Kong.' The Bruce Baxter character is based on the actor Bruce Cabot, who played Jack Driscoll in the original 1933 film. In an interview Peter Jackson did with Fay Wray when preparing for making the movie, she described Cabot as a vain ladies man, more interested in chasing women than acting. Actor Kyle Chandler portrays Bruce Baxter as both spitting image and parody of Cabot. Elevated subways are shown, but not attacked. Kong ignores them during his rampage through the city. The shots, lighting, and music emphasize the Empire State Building. In the finale atop the Empire State Building, Peter Jackson has a small role as one of the pilots who shoots down Kong. This is a reference to the original, in which Merian C. Cooper has a similar cameo as a pilot. Ernest B. Schoedsack also appeared with Cooper as his rear-gunner. In Jackson's film, Rick Baker, who played Kong (in a rubber suit) in the 1976 remake, also does a cameo with the biplanes. The last line, in which Carl Denham reflects that 'it was beauty killed the beast', remains the same in both versions (though unlike the original, he does not say it to anyone in particular, and nobody in the entire crowd actually hears him). Just as in the original, the audience is not given a clear view of Kong's face in death.
The 2005 version follows the overall pattern of the original film closely, but changes some details and adds considerably more background and depth to the characters. Unlike the original, the existence of Kong is unknown to Carl Denham before he reaches Skull Island; his reasons to look for the island is to film a land unknown to modern eyes. Along with his desire for fame, fortune and acceptance by his peers, his motivation to capture Kong later in the film is also linked to the deaths of his cameraman and sound recordist, and the destruction of his camera and all his footage. The remake does not explain where and from whom Denham got the map and coordinates of Skull Island, nor who made the map or found the island in the first place. (The "prequel" novel, King Kong: The Island of the Skull, fills in those missing pieces of information, but the novel's status as canon is currently unclear.). In the 1933 version, the natives look rather like Papuans, and speak a (fictional) language akin to Indonesian, which Captain Englehorn was familiar with and able to translate. The natives in the 2005 version are not clearly linked to any real culture. The fates of the other sacrificial women before Ann is unrevealed in the 1933 original. The 2005 remake shows a pile of human bones along with necklaces like the one Ann was given to wear, only a short distance from the wall, suggesting Kong killed them (Lumpy the Cook, upon finding the bone pile, exclaims "They've been ripped limb from limb!"). However, in the case of Ann, he shows an interest in her hair (which is unlike that of the natives) from the start, which may be his reason not to kill her. Statues and effigies that resemble gorillas are visible on the rocks along the coast, and on the ruins scattered all over the island, hinting at a deeper connection with the long-dead civilization than was shown in the 1933 original. Kong is depicted as a more physically accurate (while very stylized) gorilla in the 2005 version than in either the 1933 original or the 1976 version (both completely stylized instead of realistic). Jack Driscoll is changed from the ship's first mate to a playwright and Denham's screenwriter. Also, in the 1933 version, Jack Driscoll is a brawny, brash character, while in the 2005 rendition, he is a lot less built-up, quieter, and seemingly more intelligent. In the 1933 film, Ann Darrow was simply terrified of Kong, and was depicted as a naive-innocent (and somewhat as a dumb blonde). The 2005 remake depicts Ann as seemingly coming from a life of long and difficult experience, and displaying surprising inner courage and ability to think fast in situations. Most significantly, Ann comes to understand and sympathise with Kong, and even feel affection. The 1933 film's Darrow never seems to grasp that Kong is protecting her, and that her survival on Skull Island depends on Kong's protection. Rather than being a successful director as in the 1933 version, Denham is depicted as a struggling one with little to no support or respect for his efforts. And while both versions of Denham are reckless risk-takers, the 2005 Denham crosses over into criminal action and close to callous disregard.
In the original movie, Carl Denham and Captain Englehorn are old friends. In the remake, Denham and Englehorn are working together for the first time, and Englehorn can barely tolerate Denham. Peter Jackson took the character of burly, gruff, lovesick sailor Jack and split him into three characters: Bruce Baxter, the vain yet kind-to-Ann actor, Ben Hayes, the grim, tough first mate of the ship, and Jack Driscoll the shy and lovesick playwright. Both films have the character of Weston, the theatrical agent. In the original film, Weston represents Denham, while in the 2005 film, Weston has no connection to Denham, but is consulted by Ann for an audition in Driscoll's play. The 2005 film emphasises the poverty of Depression-era New York more than the original, though this is probably due to the fact that the original came out during the Depression, so audiences in 1933 were quite aware of Ann's plight at the beginning of the film where she steals the apple. The 2005 film puts emphasis on the Depression to create the setting for people who are not familiar with the Great Depression. The 2005 film includes a sequence in which the explorers are attacked by giant insects after Kong makes them fall into the chasm. This is based on a sequence that was cut from the original film (as it was felt to distract from the battle between Kong and the Tyrannosaurus) and has been lost ever since. What remains in the 1933 film implies that all the men were killed immediately by the fall, while the 2005 film goes to great detail to show how some of them had their falls broken without serious injuries. Peter Jackson has recreated the original bug sequence for a special feature on the DVD of the 1933 film. The battle between Kong and the three Vastatosaurus rex (killing one with a boulder) is not only based on the original film's Tyrannosaur battle, but also a scene in the original script of the 1933 film, in which Kong battles against three Triceratops, with Kong using boulders as weapons. It is unknown whether the battle against the three Triceratops was ever actually shot (for unlike the original's chasm sequence, nothing of the Triceratops scene has been found except sketch drawings), but it was included in the novelization of the original film. Kong is seen overtly killing fewer people in the 2005 film, however the fates of the many he has put in harm's way (such as the women he mistakes for Ann or the numerous automobile accidents he causes) are not disclosed to the audience. The scene in the theatre, with the mocking of Kong, who eventually escapes, is prolonged, and has a much darker feel than the 1933 version. Kong savagely bites several people to death in the 1933 film, and does the same thing at least once in the 2005 film.
For decades, writers have commented on the 1933 Kong's very poor ability to distinguish individual humans (i.e. briefly mistaking dark-haired women for Ann Darrow). The 2005 Kong is shown to be very capable of recognizing individual humans, and not just Ann (while still making "honest mistakes"). The most significant case of Kong being able to recognize people is when he spots Jack in New York and furiously chases him, almost killing him in the end. Son of Kong (also 1933) made clear that there were repercussions for both Carl Denham and Captain Englehorn for the King Kong debacle, but never even mentioned Jack Driscoll or Ann Darrow whatsoever. Perhaps with this partly in mind, the 2005 film shows Driscoll receiving no public credit or acknowledgment from Denham for his part in Kong's capture, which might have ended up sparing Driscoll from blame and publicity afterwards. As for Ann Darrow, perhaps the perception of her as a victim of "the monster" shielded her from receiving blame as well.
A notable difference however at the end when the line "No, it was beauty that killed the beast" is said by Carl Denham, with a sense of irony. In the original he is sympathetic for Denham was a more likeable character: here he is very reprehensible.
The 1933 original gives no explanation why Kong climbs the Empire State Building. Both remakes provide explanations for why Kong climbs up their respective buildings. In both remakes, just before Kong appears for the first time in front of Ann or Dwan, there are shots from Kong's point-of-view as he pushes through the jungle towards the wall. In the original, there is no POV from Kong before he appears. The elaborate stage show featuring a re-enactment of the offering of a woman to Kong, complete with an adventurer in safari helmet, is not in the original version but is seen in the 1976 version and the 2005 version. The relationship between Ann and Kong in the 2005 remake is closer to the relationship of Dwan and Kong in the 1976 film than to the original. In the 1933 film, Ann is deathly afraid of Kong, cannot wait to be rescued and joins in the gawking at him on Broadway. In 1976, as in 2005, Kong is intrigued by his fair-haired captive because she has no fear in confronting him. As a result, she develops an affection for the beast and is saddened at his demise. In both remakes, she uses his fascination for her as a way to calm him down with her mere appearance.
The sympathetic depiction of Kong in the 2005 version is more similar to the 1976 remake than the 1933 original. In the 1933 film, Kong is arguably depicted as a simple monster justly destroyed by the machines of civilized man (although many viewers find him sympathetic despite the upbeat tone of the film's ending). In contrast, the 1976 film indicates Kong's fate is linked to 'civilisation's exploitation of the natural world, personified by the Denham equivalent, Wilson, who is killed by Kong, a comeuppance to be expected in a pro-environment film; in addition, the "good" characters of the 1976 version end up rooting for Kong on the basis that he was plucked from his natural environment against his will. Similar themes are found in the 2005 remake, which makes the audience sympathise with Kong's plight (although Denham does not die at the end).As in the 1976 version, reporters/photographers stand on the fallen Kong's chest. In both versions it is Jack who discovers that the natives have captured the girl. The search party still have their weapons at the log bridge in both remakes, and both times they unwisely start shooting while standing on the log instead of going back across first. Both versions have the first mate killed during the "Log Scene".
Both remakes specifically use chloroform to subdue Kong. The original is vague as to what "gas" was used in the bombs. In the 1976 version the ship which discovers Skull Island, the "Petrox Explorer", sails from the Indonesian port of Surabaya. In the 2005 remake, the Venture has "Surabaya" (of the Netherlands East Indies in 1933) labeled as its home port. Although not referred to by name in the movie itself, in the official novelisation one of the "Venture" crew members who dies on Skull Island is named Carnahan. Carnahan was the name of the first mate in the 1976 version. Ironically, these comparisons are probably completely unintentional, as Jackson has said that they were "pretending that the 1976 version didn't exist".
The original King Kong featured several inconsistencies and unanswered questions. Perhaps deliberately, the 2005 remake makes no attempt to clarify them, at least in its theatrical release. As in the 1933 film, there is no explanation of how Denham transports King Kong from Skull Island to New York on a tramp steamer apparently not much larger than him. In separate interviews, Jackson assured the public that the ship was large enough to hold Kong and that as to how Kong would be transported, he never planned on showing it. He said that Cooper, creator of the first Kong film, did the same because he "was no fool." However, in the same interview Jackson speculated that Denham and crew would merely have picked Kong up between all of them and heaved on board. There are some other subtle hints, such as photographs of the Venture crew hauling elephants on board with cranes, as well as a tracking shot across the ship's large deck. It is also not shown how Kong was transported through New York and put onto the stage. Unlike in both the 1933 original and the 1976 remake, the natives are never seen again in the 2005 remake after the rescue party force their way to the wall to rescue Ann. As in the 1933 film, there is no explanation of Kong's origin. Unlike the 1933 film, however, bones of huge gorillas are visible in his cave, implying that he is the last surviving member of his species, an explanation that director Peter Jackson has offered in interviews. Where the name Kong originated, and was that name given to the giant gorilla(s) by the primitive natives or the lost ancient civilisation, and if it had a specific meaning to the people who chose it, all remain mysterious. (Kong, or Cong, has different meanings in various regions of the world, but is also a Chinese surname.)
Unlike the 1933 film, there is no explanation in the remake of how Denham got the map to Skull Island. In addition, while in the original the Norwegian ship's captain made the map from a dying castaway's description, the 2005 film includes the castaway and Norwegian ship story, but didn't connect them with Denham's map (so far). (Full explanations are provided in the prequel novel, King Kong: The Island of the Skull - of questionable canon - and the film's official novelization.) There is no exact origin of the natives of Skull Island, but considering the ancient ruins scattered all over the island, there was once a prosperous and powerful civilization on the island. Judging from the island's state, the state of the natives and their living circumstances, and their sacrifices to Kong, it is possible that they were almost wiped out off the island. Peter Jackson and his crew describe the Islanders in their movie as descendants of unknown peoples who were stranded on Skull Island centuries after the unknown ancient civilization and all its people were wiped out, and have been squatters on a tiny sliver of the island ever since. According to the special feature on the 2005 Kong DVD (Skull Island: A Natural History), the island has been sinking (hence the craggly terrain of the Island), and the wall was created by a higher civilization to keep animals out of the interior of the island, which is why all of the structures of the civilization are only seen once the characters go inside the island. As the island sank, the animals were forced closer and closer to the wall. Eventually, they made their way into the interior, and the civilization's people were destroyed by the island's predators. The island sank to a point where the water level was almost up to the wall, leaving small stretches of coast where the descendants of stranded sailors lived. Thus, the wall changed its role, from keeping the animals out, to keeping the animals in. Therefore, the race seen in the film is in no way related to the higher civilization, and, as stated in the 1933 film, have no idea how the wall was made. The "higher civilization" (1933 film quote) that built the wall, and all the ruins, still continues to remain mysterious.
One of the most famous absurdities of the 1933 film is that the natives of Skull Island, when building a solid wall to protect themselves from the island's giant monsters, included a giant wooden door large enough to accommodate any of the creatures. The 2005 film offers no answers, and in addition shows Kong leaping over and climbing over a fiery moat and 100-foot wall that is supposedly designed to keep him out. Since Peter Jackson and crew have declared that their movie's natives were not the original Islanders, and that Skull Island was much bigger long ago, then the wall's purpose relating to Kong is all speculation and assumption. (In his authorized sequel/prequel to the original Kong movie, Kong: King of Skull Island, Joe DeVito explains that, in the context of his book, at least, the Wall was never meant to keep Kong out but to let Kong in; it was said that the people who built the Wall also bred Kong's ancestors and used them as servants.) A prominent sideplot featuring the young misfit crewmember Jimmy is dropped following the party's return to New York. The character is neither seen nor mentioned from that point on and the film ends with the plot unresolved. Nor is the ship's skipper, Captain Englehorn, ever seen after they capture Kong on Skull Island. Like Kong's unknown origins, Jimmy's origins are unknown in the film. Several fans believe that he is British, others say he was a survivor of a past ship to land on Skull Island, etc. It is generally believed that he is merely an American street orphan. Just like Jimmy's sideplot and Englehorn's fate being unresolved (as noted above), there is no explanation or scene that shows the fate of Preston, Denham's assistant. It should be noted that when he and Jack were evacuating the theatre, Jack was the only one left in the balcony when Kong broke free of his bonds. It is most likely that Preston escaped the theatre unharmed. As in the 1933 film, there is no explanation of the aftermath of Kong's rampage through New York, whether or not Denham or anyone else is held responsible, and what becomes of Kong's body. (Though the original Denham's fate was detailed in the 1933 sequel, Son of Kong, and then in an "authorized" 2004 sequel novel, Kong: King of Skull Island.) The 2005 film's website and book, The World of Kong, suggest that the remake's Denham seemed to get himself off the hook by serving as guide and advisor on subsequent expeditions to Skull Island. Skull Island: A Natural History, reports that Kong's remains are rumored to be in the possession of the American Museum of Natural History, who decline to confirm or deny this.
DVD release
King Kong was released on DVD on March 28, 2006 in the United States. The three versions that came out were single disc fullscreen, single disc widescreen, and a 2-Disc Widescreen Special Edition. An Extended Edition of the film is expected to be released late 2006, with commentaries and deleted scenes included.[13] The second disc of the Special Edition contains the remainder of almost all the KongisKing.net production diaries not contained on the Peter Jackson's Production Diaries DVD set. The only missing episode is "13 Weeks To Go" which contained footage of Howard Shore recording the original score. It is still available on the website.
All DVD versions of the movie contain at least three known instances of DVD "watermarking" that are assumed to be anti-piracy measures. In Region 1, the letters "KKDD" appear for one frame on the character Bruce Baxter's (Kyle Chandler) arm at 00:30:29 and 2:01:33. Another is seen at 1:00:05 on the arm of an islander. Region 2 has the same instances, but the letters "KKID" are used instead. An "easter-egg" for the King Kong DVD is: You click on the credits at the bottom of the screen, highlight the picture of the giant weta bug, and it will play an ad for Weta Workshop collectibles.
File:Hidden KKDDs in King Kong DVD.jpgTwo of the three known "KKDD" watermarks hidden in the (2006) King Kong DVD.
