King Kong (franchise)

King Kong is a franchise based on the story of King Kong, an enormous fictional ape living on in the Pacific that is taken to New York City and climbs the Empire State Building before being killed by airplane fire. The 1933 film is considered one of the best films ever made, and many sequels and other adaptations have been made of the story and the world of Skull Island.

Films

King Kong (1933)

The Son of Kong

King Kong Appears in Edo

nihongo|"King Kong Appears in Edo"|江戸に現れたキングコング|Edo ni Arawareta Kingu Kongu is a lost film released in Japan in 1938. [cite book| last = Morton| first = Ray | title = King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson| publisher = Applause Books| date = 2005| location =| pages = 123| url = http://www.raymorton.com/kingkong.html| isbn = 1557836698] [cite web| last = Hood| first = Robert | title = Divided Kingdom: King Kong versus Godzilla| publisher = | date = 2005| url = http://www.roberthood.net/obsesses/divided_kingdom.htm| accessdate = 2007-10-01 ]

An unofficial and enigmatic Japanese-made monster/period piece by studio Zenkatsu [cite web| last = | first = | title = Chronology of Zenkatsu films (in Japanese)| publisher =| date = 2002| url = http://www.bunkajnara.pref.nara.jp/movie/movie_zenkatsu.html| accessdate = 2007-10-01 ] in which King Kong attacks medieval Edo (the former name of Tokyo), it was one of Japan's first "kaiju" (giant monster) films, predating "Godzilla" by sixteen years. Although inaccurate to its historical setting, some Caligari-esque expressionistic buildings were added for Kong to climb.Fact|date=October 2007 The film has been lost since its theatrical run in 1938. It is claimed the film either "disappeared due to negligent maintenance" or was destroyed during the bombings of Japan in World War II. [cite web| last = Hall| first = Phil | title = Top 10 Lost Films| publisher = Film Threat (Gore Group Publications)| date = 2007-03-01| url = http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1899| accessdate = 2007-10-01 ]

Fuminori Ohashi, who would later create the suit for Godzilla in the original 1954 film, created the ape suit and special effects for this film. [cite book| last = Brin, Ph.D.| first = David | coauthors = Wilson| title = King Kong Is Back!: An Unauthorized Look at One Humongous Ape| publisher = BenBella Books| date = 2005| location =| pages = 213| url = http://www.davidbrin.com/kongintro.html| isbn = 1932100644] He explained, "The first model making to be counted as "special art direction" in Japanese cinema was a giant gorilla which I did for the movie "King Kong Appears in Edo" fifty years ago. It was also the first movie to feature certain kinds of special effects." [cite web| last = Johnson | first = Bob | authorlink = | coauthors = Ragone, August| title = A Look Back at the Many Incarnations of Ambassador Magma| publisher = SciFi Japan| date = 2007-08-27| url = http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2007/08/27/the-space-giants-series-guide/| accessdate = 2007-10-01 ]

King Kong versus Godzilla

"King Kong vs. Godzilla" (キングコング対ゴジラ, "Kingu Kongu tai Gojira?") is a 1962 tokusatsu kaiju film directed by Ishiro Honda with visual effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It was the third installment in the Japanese series of kaiju films featuring the monster Godzilla.The story has the Marketing director of the Pacific Pharmaceudical company Mr. Tako hires two employees to go to Farou Island and capture the legendary beast, King Kong. Meanwhile, Godzilla emerges from a huge iceberg and destorys a submarine. Kong is brought back to Japan, and Godzilla comes to Japan as well. At the climax of the film, King Kong and Godzilla battle on Mount Fuji. In the end both fall into the ocean and only Kong emerges from the water although the fate of Godzilla is unknownThere are several differences between this film and the original King Kong. For one thing, Kong was made much larger to compete with Godzilla, and Kong was also given the power to control electricity to compete with Godzilla's fire-breath. In this film, Kong also drinks berry juice which makes him fall asleep. Similarities include that Kong is still from an island, still wrecks a train, still carries a woman in his hand and still climbs up a building in one scene.A version was made for American audiences. Many of the scenes with the Japanese characters were cut, and other scenes with a newscaster were added.

King Kong Escapes

King Kong (1976)

King Kong Lives

King Kong (2005)

Television

There have been several adaptations of the King Kong story into television.

Print adaptations

"Kong: King of Skull Island" is an illustrated novel labeled as an authorized sequel to King Kong (1933) and was published in 2004 by DH Press, a subsidiary of Dark Horse Comics. A large-paperback edition was released in 2005. Authorized by the family and estate of Merian C. Cooper, the book was created & illustrated by Joe DeVito, written by Brad Strickland with John Michlig, and includes an introduction by Ray Harryhausen. The novel's story ignores the existence of Son of Kong (1933) and continues the story of Skull Island with Carl Denham and Jack Driscoll in the late 1950s, through the novel's central character, Vincent Denham. (Ann Darrow does not appear, but is mentioned several times.) The novel also becomes a prequel that reveals the story of the early history of Kong, of Skull Island, and of the natives of the island. On the novel's official website; it has stated that it would become a major motion picture. It is said to be released in 2009.

Characters

Kong

Ann Darrow

Carl Denham

Jack Driscoll

Captain Englehorn

"Captain Englehorn" is a fictional captain in the films "King Kong" and "Son of Kong" (both released in 1933), the 2005 remake of "King Kong", and in the television series "The King Kong Show", and a 2004 illustrated-novel "Kong: King of Skull Island". The role was played by Frank Reicher in the 1933 films and by Thomas Kretschmann in the 2005 remake.

In the 1933 "King Kong", Englehorn appears to be much older than he is in the 2005 version. In the remake he appears to be more rough and heroic, rescuing the main characters twice. In the new version Englehorn treats the character Carl Denham with more anger and is less polite to him than the first version. In the original Englehorn appears to be loyal to Denham, sticking with him during several adventures; in the remake Englehorn is fed up with Denham, finding him barely tolerable and desiring to remove his presence.

Minor characters

"Jimmy" is a fictional character who appears in both the 1933 and 2005 versions of the movie "King Kong", as well as the 2005 game. In the 1933 film Jimmy is a sailor aboard the tramp steamer the "S.S. Venture". In the 1933 film he is played by an unknown, uncredited actor, and in the 2005 film by actor Jamie Bell. Jimmy is a relatively minor character who doesn't actually appear until after Ann Darrow's sacrifice to Kong by the natives of Skull Island. He is one of the crew members who volunteers to accompany Jack Driscoll and Carl Denham on their mission to rescue her, and is the man chosen to carry Denham's gas bombs. His name is only mentioned once ("Jimmy, bring the bombs!"), and he is killed in the log shaking sequence, the last sailor clinging to the log as Kong drops it down into the deep chasm.

In the 2005 remake, Jimmy's role is expanded, making him a much more important supporting character, the lookout of the "Venture" and a close friend with first mate Ben Hayes who he views as a father figure. He is much younger and something of a kleptomaniac, introduced stealing Jack Driscoll's pen when he brings him his lunch. After making Jimmy return the pen and chasing him off, Hayes tells Driscoll that Jimmy doesn't mean any harm, and informs him that he found him hiding in a cage some years ago, with his arm broken in two places, and "wilder than half the animals in here." Hayes says, further, "He still won't tell me where he came from, but it wasn't any place good." In the scene where Kong tries to recapture Ann, Jimmy shoots at Kong with a tommygun but is mortally injured when Kong throws his boat against a boulder. He is seen conscious but being held above water by Jack Driscoll who was also in the same boat thrown against the boulder. Jimmy watches Carl take down Kong with chloroform while he is quickly losing his energy. After the crew makes it to the ship, an assisstant tries to tend Jimmy's wounds and save his life, but his wounds are too grave and all he could do is comfort him. After Jimmy died and was buried, Carl presented Kong to New York.

He also appears in the video game based on the 2005 film. Jimmy appears in the 1932 and 2005 novelizations of both films, by Delos W. Lovelace and Christopher Golden respectively, as well as the 1991 Monster Comics adaptation drawn by Don Simpson. Although Lovelace and Golden's novels have Jimmy relatively similar to his counterpart(s) in both films - that is, young and not very big - Simpson's comic portrays Jimmy as being middle-aged, and quite large and brawny.

Impact on popular culture

King Kong is one of the best-known figures in cinema history. He and the series of films featuring him are frequently referenced in popular culture around the world.Erb, Cynthia, 1998, "Tracking King Kong: A Hollywood Icon in World Culture", Wayne State University Press, ISBN 0814326862.] King Kong has achieved the stature of a pop-culture icon and modern myth.Jones, Preston Neal, 2002, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419100676 King Kong] , "St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture", St. James Press, ISBN 1558624058.] Gunn, Dave, [http://www.davegunn.com/kk.html King Kong (1933)] .] King Kong has inspired advertisements, cartoons, comic books, films, magazine covers, plays, poetry, political cartoons, short stories, television programmes, and other media. The forms of references to King Kong range from straight copies to parodies and humorous references.

One of the most frequently used images of King Kong in popular culture is the scene where King Kong and Ann Darrow are on top of the Empire State Building. This image has been copied or parodied in cartoons, comic books, horror films, and television commercials. A popular television spoof was the segment 'King Homer' from "The Simpsons" episode "Treehouse of Horror III", in which the King Kong story was retold featuring "Simpsons" characters, with Homer as Kong, Marge as Ann Darrow and Mr. Burns as the Carl Denham analogues. The spoof follows the plot of the 1933 film closely; however, it ends with Marge marrying King Homer after he collapses in exhaustion, failing to climb beyond the second story of the Springfield State Building. King Homer also has a cameo in the music video for "Deep Deep Trouble" from The Simpsons Sing the Blues CD, and years later, makes another appearance in the opening couch gag of "Jazzy and the Pussycats." Homer grabs Marge from the couch and scales the Empire State Building, all while fending off 1930s-style airplanes. The film was referenced again on "The Simpsons" in the episode "Monty Can't Buy Me Love", where Mr. Burns captures the Loch Ness Monster and brings him back to America to entertain an audience; however, instead of the Monster going berserk during its debut, Burns himself is startled by the flash photography and causes the carnage. [http://www.snpp.com/episodes/AABF17 "Monty Can't Buy Me Love"] episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive.]

The film character was the inspiration for the 1981 Nintendo video game "Donkey Kong" and subsequent spin-offs. In the game, the hero must rescue his girlfriend from the eponymous ape. The maurading ape climbs a huge structure after kidnapping the woman, as in the film. The game's creator Shigeru Miyamoto, intended the name "Donkey Kong" to mean "stubborn gorilla." MCA/Universal attempted to sue Nintendo for copyright infringement in "Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd.", claiming that the game infringed its copyright for the film. However, they lost and had to pay Nintendo $1.8 million in damages when it was discovered that King Kong was in fact in the public domain at that time and that MCA/Universal knew this when they filed the lawsuit. They did not own the copyright to "King Kong" and had not trademarked the name "King Kong". They had even argued in the past that the name "King Kong" was in the public domain in Universal City Studios, Inc. v. RKO General Inc., et al.DeMaria, Rusel, and Wilson, Johnny L., 2003, "High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games", McGraw-Hill Professional, ISBN 0072231726.] Kline, Stephen, Dyer-Witheford, Nick, and de Peuter, Greig, 2003, "Digital Play: The Interaction of Technology, Culture, and Marketing", McGill-Queen's Press, ISBN 0773525912.]

References

Further reading

*Erb, Cynthia Marie, 1998, "Tracking King Kong: A Hollywood Icon in World Culture", Wayne State University Press, ISBN 0814326862.
*McCutcheon, Camillel, "Review of "Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong"," "Journal of Popular Culture" 39.4 (August, 2006), 687-688.
* [http://members.tripod.com/~megalania/kongrex1.html Megalania Dinosaurs In Popular Culture - "King Kong".]