King Kong 1933

At the beginning of the film an old Arabian proverb is quoted, “And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty.
And it stayed it’s hand from killing. And from that day, it was as one dead.” This quote then fades into a shot
showing a ship moving through the ocean. Carl Denham, a director, wants to get to his filming location as soon as
possible in order to avoid a monsoon that would set back his picture and cost him a lot of money. Early on he’s
described as reckless, due to his notorious recklessness he is told he can’t have a woman in his picture because of
the uncertainty that’s carried by his incautious nature. After being told no, Denham states, “Listen, I’m going out to
make the greatest picture in the world. Something that nobody has seen or heard of… I’m going out and getting a
girl for my picture… even if I have to marry one!” This scene really shows the determined mindset Denham has,
even if nobody is on board he’ll do what he thinks is right/best in order to receive satisfaction. After a close up shot
on the woman, seemingly in shock, Denham takes her out for some coffee. After a few questions, he finds out the
woman, named Ann, used to do extra work for a closed studio out in Long Island. Following a fade transition and a
wide shot of New York City’s harbor, the crew is seen on board ready for the journey. The film has a lot of fade
shots, both fade in and fade outs. Usually between the two it shows the location of the scene. For example, the ship
is shown at sea then transitions to Ann speaking to a Chinese worker on board. The film foreshadows Kong when
Ann asks Iggy, the small monkey on board, “...likes me better than anyone on board. Don’t you Iggy?” Again,
Denham has his incautiousness shown by wanting to visit Skull Island after hearing the story of the people who
visited dying, but not before one of the people was able to describe the island. Because his recklessness is known, as
mentioned at the beginning of the film, the skipper who gave it to him knew he’d be interested. Denham reveals his
plan to capture a picture of Kong, if he’s difficult to handle he’ll use bombs. As they approach Skull Island the mise-
en-scene is gray, much more dull than previous shots. The dull foggy shot and the soft, non-diegetic music makes
for a mysterious ambiance for the audience. Denham and the Captain begin to hear tribal music, this would be
diegetic sound as both the audience and the characters are aware. This tribal music sets an uneasy/mysterious setting
as they arrive and finally introduce Skull Island with a wide shot from the ocean showing them arriving by row boat.
The crew hears loud fast paced tribal chanting, also diegetic sound. The noise is revealed with the mise-en-scene
picturing a tribal dance and ritual. Non-diegetic music plays as the tribal leader approaches the crew and offers a
trade for six of his women for the ‘golden’ woman, which would make Ann a gift to Kong. Driscoll, a once stubborn
misogynist, confesses his love to Ann, with a close up shot and non-diegetic music playing, they share a kiss on
board. Members of the tribe kidnap Ann, taking her back to the island on a rowboat, shown on an aerial shot. Ann is
kidnapped in order to perform some sort of ritual, loud tribal music is being played by people of the tribe. Non-
diegetic music commences as the gates to a stage open, she is tied to two poles and left there. The gates close as the
music begins to fade, the music then again booms just before the ritual commences. The ritual reveals Kong with
loud non-diegetic music playing, Ann yells in fear. With a birds eye shot, the tribe leader sees the crew going for
Ann. The mysterious journey through the island is again shown with the fog and non-diegetic music playing as they
make a raft, the music then loudly continues as one of the men is eaten by a dinosaur in the lake, the dinosaur then
continues to chase the men through the island. This whole sequence is full of various shots, with music both loud
and quiet. The music is silenced as one man is picked and eaten out of a tree, the only noise left? His cries. Meeting
Kong for the first time, music booms as many of the men fall to their death into a pit. Kong is shown wanting to kill
those near him, but he takes care of Ann, approaching her with a much softer demeanor. He picks her up, but not
violently, he seems to be in awe with what he’s seeing. Interested in her clothing and scent, he removes pieces of her
clothes and smells them. Ann escapes Kong, soft music begins to play, giving the audience a sense of hope. Hoping
for an escape. As Kong is seen approaching the gates, the music quickly changes. Loud and fast paced as everyone
scurries to try and close the gates, the music injects a sense of fear into the viewer. Kong, accompanied by loud non-
diegetic music, quickly destroys everything in his path. Killing and crushing anything he sees. Denham, again, is
shown to be reckless by viewing Kong, a huge, wild, and violent primate, as a dollar sign. Promising to share his
millions with the crew, after he shares ‘The Eighth Wonder of The World’ with the world. Denham reveals Kong,
tied up, with loud diegetic music to the large crowd.