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King Kong (2005 film)

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King Kong
Promotional poster for King Kong
Directed byPeter Jackson
Written byMerian C. Cooper (story)
Edgar Wallace (story)
Peter Jackson
Fran Walsh
Philippa Boyens
Produced byPeter Jackson
Fran Walsh
StarringAdrien Brody
Naomi Watts
Jack Black
Music byJames Newton Howard
Distributed byUniversal Studios
Release dates
December 14, 2005
Running time
187 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Budget$207,000,000

King Kong is a 2005 action-adventure film with elements of romance and horror. It is a remake of the original 1933 King Kong movie about a giant ape named Kong, which was written by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace. The film was directed by Peter Jackson, produced by Jackson and Fran Walsh, and written by Jackson, Walsh and Philippa Boyens. The cast includes Naomi Watts in the role of Ann Darrow, Jack Black as Carl Denham, Adrien Brody as Jack Driscoll, and, through performance capture, Andy Serkis as Kong. Much of the crew had previously worked on Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, with the exception of the composer James Newton Howard, who replaced Jackson's Lord of the Rings collaborator Howard Shore due to "differing creative aspirations for the score of King Kong."

Filming was done in Miramar, New Zealand, and the film was released on December 14, 2005. It was rated PG-13 in the US, and 12A in the U.K. for frightening adventure violence and some disturbing images.

  • Tagline: The Eighth Wonder of the World

Story

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Denham (Jack Black) speaks with Captain Englehorn of the SS Venture (Thomas Kretschmann).

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 organises 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 captain 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, falls in love with the playwright.

Eventually the ship's captain discovers Denham has an arrest warrant out for him and decides to change course and head to Rangoon for the sake of his crew. However, a thick fog sets in and they find themselves at the island, crashing the boat into massive rocks.

File:Kingkong20051.jpg
Jack (Adrien Brody) comforts Ann (Naomi Watts).

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. Some of the crew are killed, but Denham and the rest of the landing party are saved by the ship's captain. They return to the boat and make preparations to leave, but a native slips on board and kidnaps Ann. She is soon tied up and strapped to a wooden frame that juts across 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.

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 15 armed crewmen as bodyguards. As they trek through the jungle, the crew has a number of dangerous encounters with the local fauna, escaping from a Brontosaurus stampede and a raptor attack, but 4 of them are killed, including Denham's cameraman. When they are crossing a log bridge, Kong arrives and knocks the bridge down a ravine. Several crewmen are killed by the fall, and the survivors find themselves trapped in a ravine with giant invertebrates, including giant maggot-like earthworms (who kill Lumpy, the ship's cook), crickets, praying mantists, and several things that look like a cross between a spider and a scorpion. Most of the remaining crew are killed, but the survivors are rescued by Captain Englehorn. Alone, Jack continues his determined search for Ann whilst Denham (whose camera and film were destroyed in the fall down the ravine), decides to capture Kong and bring him back to New York City.

File:Annkkvr.jpg
As a Vastatosaurus rex is about to attack Ann, Kong comes to her rescue.

Meanwhile, Kong brings Ann to his home high up on a cliff. In an attempt to keep Kong from killing her, Ann dances and does tricks, which amuses Kong, but when Ann stops, Kong becomes angry, and after failing to intimidate her, he leaves. Ann takes the opportunity to escape, but is attacked by three huge Vastatosaurus rex dinosaurs (which resemble tyrannosaurs but are creations of the film). Kong shows up and defeats the creatures, protecting Ann from being eaten alive. Tired, Kong carries Ann back to his cliff and falls asleep with her in his hand.

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, 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 parade Kong as 'the eighth wonder of the world'.

Months later in New York City, Ann is an anonymous chorus line dancer, while the lovelorn Jack watches a comedy he wrote whose lead role was meant for her. Denham puts the shackled and captive Kong on display in front of a large audience on Broadway, insisting that the chains holding him are "made of chrome steel". Intimidated by the attention and frightened by the press flashbulbs, Kong breaks free from his chains, charges into the crowd, and runs amok through the city searching for Ann. After finding her, Kong calms down and takes her to Central Park where he slides around with her on the 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.

File:Beau-ti-ful.jpg
Ann and Kong share one last moment atop the Empire State Building while the warplanes circle around them.

Kong and Ann take in the sunrise at the top of the building but soon enough, six Navy biplanes appear and fire at Kong. Ann wants 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 at the biplanes to stop. Above her, Kong manages to destroy three of the planes, but is repeatedly strafed and machine-gunned by them. Mortally wounded, Kong eventually succumbs to his injuries, and falls, riddled with bullets, to his death.

Jack rushes up to the building to comfort Ann after Kong falls, while Carl Denham arrives at the scene where reporters, police, soldiers, and bystanders crowd around Kong's body. Gazing upon Kong's corpse, he notes that it wasn't the planes that killed Kong, but rather "It was beauty that killed the beast".

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Finance & box-office

The film's budget climbed from an initial $150 million to a record-breaking $207 million, making it, by a small margin, the most-expensive film ever made in actual dollars spent (US Dollar equivalent) 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. In addition, it is estimated that marketing and promotion costs exceeded $100 million. [1]

With a rather modest 9.7 million dollars on its opening day and worse box office performance than was expected, King Kong failed to live up to its pre-release hype, and did not meet expectations of Universal Studios executives. Kong was beaten in the box office by its only serious challenger, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, but had done better than it in the regards of worldwide sales. As of 5 February 2006, the film had grossed over $214,000,000 in the United States (putting it in the top 5 grossing films of 2005 domestically [2]) and approximately an additional $320,000,000 outside North America, leading to a worldwide total of around $534,000,000. Typically a Hollywood film must make at least twice its budget, including marketing and promotion ($600,000,000), to break even for the studio. Current box office figures can be found at the Box Office Mojo website.

Critical reaction

King Kong received a favorable critical response, garnering an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes [3]. The most common criticisms of the film were: excessive length, over-use of slow motion, overly sentimental scenes, 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. Similarly, King Kong has been included in some critics' Top Ten of 2005 lists. The film received Academy Awards nominations for: visual effects, art direction, sound mixing, and sound editing [4].

Marketing Campaign

File:King kong peter jackson brisbane.PNG
A massive advertisement in Brisbane City in Australia

The marketing campaign for King Kong started in full swing on 28 June 2005, when the teaser trailer made its debut, first online at the official Volkswagen website at 8:45 pm EST, then 8:55 pm 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 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, one day before the U.S. 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.

3D version in the making?

The BBC and Hollywood Reporter disclosed in late November that a 3D version of the film was proceeding on a test basis, with a spring or summer release planned. 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 7 minutes)

Comparison to the 1933 film

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 the footage he had already shot.
  • The remake also 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 value as "canon" is unclear right now.)
  • While the natives kidnap Ann in both versions, in the 2005 version they are violent towards Denham's team from the start, biting, impaling and striking the visitors; in the 1933 version, the natives had at first attempted to communicate with the visitors and had asked if they could purchase Ann - one of the visitors was familiar with the type of language of the island natives and was able to translate. The language they spoke was akin to Indonesian and they looked rather like Papuas. The natives in the New Zealand movie are more of a fantasy creation.
  • The fates of the other sacrificial women before Ann is unrevealed in the 1933 original. The 2005 remake shows what happened to all of them.
  • Ann Darrow becomes a struggling vaudeville actress who charms Kong by entertaining him with her acrobatic skills.
  • Jack Driscoll is changed from the ship's first mate to a playwright and screenwriter.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Rather than gas bombs, as seen in King Kong (1933 film), bottled chloroform is used to knock Kong unconscious. (Though in the original film, Denham mentions the gas bombs containing "trichlorate" or "trichloride", which might be an abbreviation of "trichloromethane", an alternative name for chloroform.)
  • Kong destroys three biplanes in the 2005 film, while in the original he only destroys one.
  • The 2005 film includes a sequence in which the explorers are attacked by insects after Kong makes them fall into a 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 since been lost (though some who worked on the film's creation say it was never actually shot). As a result, the 1933 film gave no explanation for what happened to the men who fell, a gap in the story the 2005 film fills.
  • In the 1933 film, Ann Darrow was simply terrified of Kong. In the remake, she comes to sympathise with him and even feel affection, to the extent that she tries to save his life upon leaving the island and in New York. (She was in tears when Kong fell off the Empire State Building and was knocked-out by Carl Denham in Skull Island)
  • During Kong's rampage he wrecks a street trolley rather than the elevated subway he destroys in the original.
  • 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.
  • 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 this with Denham going, "I am touching the beast! I am actually laying my hand on the 25 foot gorilla!"
  • Rather than being a successful director like in the 1933 version, Denham is depicted as a struggling one with little to no support or respect for his efforts.
  • 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").


References to the 1933 version

  • When Denham is considering who to play the part, before he meets Ann, he suggests Fay Wray, but his assistant replies, "Fay...no, she's working for RKO". Max Steiner's original score then comes on, and Denham mutters, "Cooper...I might have known," under his breath. In 1933, Wray would have been filming the original King Kong at RKO with Merian C. Cooper directing.
  • The end credits of Peter Jackson's remake concludes with a dedication to the stars and creators of the original movie, and referring to them as (quote), "The original explorers 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.
  • Both versions have the story about the Norwegian ship finding a castaway from Skull Island, but is done 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 Ann's New York scenes before boarding the Venture, Naomi Watts is wearing a similar (but not identical) hat to Fay Wray's in the original film. And in Ann's reunion with Kong in New York, Naomi Watts' chorus-line gown is similar to Fay Wray's formal evening-dress.
  • The scene in which Ann tries to steal an apple and a deleted scene in which Denham tells Ann to scream at an unseen monster are identical to scenes in 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 35mm 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.
  • Denham has "Carl Denham Pictures" stenciled on his equipment cases in both movies, but not on his camera in the remake.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Elevated subways are shown during Kong's rampage, but unlike the original and the 1976 remake, Kong ignores them this time.
  • 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 jaw 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: '"We're millionaires, boys! The whole world will pay to see this! I'll share it with all of you. In a few months, his name will be up in lights! KONG, THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD!"' The same line is in the original 'Kong.'
  • 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.
  • 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. The actor portraying Bruce Baxter, Kyle Chandler, is a spitting image of Cabot.
  • As in the 1933 film, the Tyrannosaurus rex-like dinosaurs have three fingers rather than two.
  • A main character stabs Kong's finger in both versions.
  • The lighting and lingering shots of the Empire State Building, and the theme music with it, emphasize its presence and importance as the pre-eminent King Kong iconic moment.
  • 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 worked on 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).

Comparisons to the 1976 remake

  • 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 p.o.v. 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 stands up to him. She, in return, ends up with an affection for the beast and is sad at his death. 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). By contrast, in the 1976 film, 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 kidnapped 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".
  • In both versions chloroform is used to subdue Kong.

Bestiary

Template:Spoiler 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 are taken from those given to them on the official website.

Dinosaurs and other reptiles

  • Venatosaurus saevidicus: 16-24 feet (5-7 m) long. The name means "furious hunter-lizard". This is the carnivorous creature that causes the brontosaur stampede. It appears to be descended from dromaeosaurids such as Velociraptor.
  • Foetodon ferreus: 15-20 feet (5-7 m) long. Its name means "stink tooth"; originally called "Wetasaurus" in reference to WETA Digital. This is the smaller carnivorous creature that attempted to kill Ann after she escaped from Kong. One was killed by a V-rex. Quite possibly evolved from a crocodilean ancestor rather than a dinosaur ancestor, looking a lot like real prehistoric creatures such as Megalania, Postosuchus and Deinosuchus.
  • Brontosaurus baxteri (not to be confused with Apatosaurus): 80-120 feet (24-36 m) long.
  • Ligocristus innocens: 26-34 feet (7-10 m) long. A Hadrosaurid (dinosaur with a "duck-bill" shaped snout), possibly the dead carcass being eaten by the Foetodon that Ann encounters, or else in a deleted scene. The name and description is found on the official website, implying that it's somewhere on film.
  • Vastatosaurus rex: 40-50 feet (12-15 m) long. The name means "Ravager Lizard King". It resembles its ancestor, Tyrannosaurus rex very closely, except that V-rex has three fingers instead of two, and is far more massive than its predecessor (approximately 10 feet taller than the T-Rex), with modified teeth, an armoured skull and reptilian scales, and particularly large feet. Vastatosaurus is a common enemy of King Kong, who fiercely defends his territory on the island.
  • Ferrucutus cerastes: A ceratopsid dinosaur only seen for a brief moment in the movie (it is also silhouetted). It is not included in the official website, but found in the tie-in book, The World of Kong.

Arachnids, insects, and annelids

  • Moonspider: 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) long.
  • Decarnocimex: 5-10 feet (150-300 cm) long.
  • Arachno-Claw: 4-6 feet (120-180 cm) long.
  • Deplector: 4-8 feet (12-24 cm) long.
  • Carnictis: 7-13 feet (210-390 cm) long.
  • Weta-Rex: 2-3 feet (61-90 cm) long.

Centipedes of the jungle floor and canopy

  • Gyas gyas: 20-30 inches (50-75 cm) long.
  • Idolon illotus: 10-14 inches (25-30 cm) long.
  • Idolon venefaucus: 20-24 inches (50-60 cm) long.
  • Megapede dereponecis: 3-5 feet (90-150 cm) long.
  • Megapede horridus: 3-4 feet (90-120 cm) long.
  • Megapede humus: 26-40 inches (65-80 cm) long.
  • Omnimatercimex harpeforceps: 30-35 inches (75-82 cm) long.

Mammals

  • Terapusmordax (bat-like flying rodent): 8-10-foot (160-300 cm) wingspan.
  • Sumatran Rat-Monkey (carniverous rodent/primate crossbreed): 3 feet (90 cm) long. (Only mentioned, not actually seen)

Trivia

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Peter Jackson was paid $20 million USD to direct this film. This is the highest salary Hollywood ever paid a director.
  • For the character of Kong, Andy Serkis, who modelled its movement, went to 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.
  • Peter Jackson was a nine-year-old in the New Zealand town of Pukerua Bay when he first saw the 1933 version of King Kong. He was in tears in front of the TV when the big gorilla slipped off the Empire State Building.
  • Fay Wray, the actress who played Ann in the original movie, was originally planned to say the movie's final line ("It was beauty killed the beast.") However, when she passed away before doing the scene the line went back to the character of Carl Denham (played by Jack Black).
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2005 stamp set issued by New Zealand commemorating the film.
  • 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 film Braindead (and is also, according to the 1992 film, only found on Skull Island).
  • The funny line about the Abominable Snowman also makes practical sense for 1933. Bigfoot was still obscure, and the Loch Ness Monster was just starting to become world-famous that very year. The Snowman was the most worldwide known "mysterious creature" at that time.
  • 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-World War I fighter pilot still struggling with the loss of his best friend, who was killed in battle. Of all the supporting characters in the film, only Herb the camera-man was the only one in the original draft who made it to the final version.
  • In the 1933 original, the ship-cook's name was originally supposed to be "Lumpy", and was changed to "Charlie" in the movie, possibly because a Chinese-American actor, Victor Wong, was cast in the part. However, theater programs at the film's premiere screenings at Grauman's Chinese Theater (and possibly other theaters) gave 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 Graumann's program.) In the 2005 movie, "Charlie" is renamed "Choy", and Lumpy and Choy are two seperate characters this time.
  • In the film, (spoiler) Herb the camera-man is killed when he tries to save the film and camera, getting him torn apart by the raptors. In the 1996 draft, he crawls into the belly of a supposedly dead aqautic dinosaur to retrieve the camera it swallowed, but it was temporarily stunned and swallows him alive. Peter Jackson thought this version would be too graphic to show audiences. (However, the movie includes a gruesomely graphic scene of a character getting eaten alive by the Carnictus creatures.)
  • Peter Jackson has a cameo as one of the pilots who shoots at Kong during his last stand on the Empire State Building. This is somewhat similar to the 1933 original, where Merian C. Cooper is one of the pilots who kills Kong, with Ernest B. Schoedsack as his rear-gunner. Rick Baker, who worked on the 1976 remake, also has a cameo in the biplane attack.
  • An unintentional, but nevertheless obvious parallel was made by countless moviegoers between the appearance of the "Carnictus" worms and an uncircumcized penis. The topic overwhelmed many online message boards relating to the film. The design of the worms was in fact based on the common bloodworm.
  • The scene on the beach where Denham tells Ann to scream during a film test and Kong is heard roaring upon hearing her was subsequently cut from the film, despite being shown all around the world via Internet.
  • Along with the above-mentioned scene on the beach, the teaser trailer hints at other scenes deleted from the theatrical release:
    1. The rescue group crossing the swamp on either rafts or longboats, then a water creature slithering towards them (referencing the raft scene from the original film).
    2. Kong appearing to be fighting back against the soldiers.
    3. Ann being restrained by two soldiers.
  • 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.
  • 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". Interestingly enough, the Palace is the same theatre that Disney's Beauty and the Beast opened at in 1994 (and ran here until 1999). On a side note, by 1933, the Palace had become a full-fledged movie house no longer running stage acts.
  • The title of Jack Driscoll's stage comedy in the movie, "Cry Havoc!", is a quote from Shakespeare, but might also be the filmmakers' reference to actress June Havoc. Havoc was a major star performer on vaudeville before successfully going into Broadway theater, 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. In King Kong (2005), Ann Darrow is recommended to a burlesque theater for a job, which she declines outright.
  • The two scenes in the trailer contain music from this film's composer, James Newton Howard's, earlier work, Batman Begins, which was just released Summer 2005.The scenes:
    1. The scene in which the crew is searching for Ann has music from the scene in Batman Begins in which Bruce Wayne rescues Henri Ducard from the burning building.
    2. The sequence after we see Kong and the dinosaur battle has music from the scene where Bruce and Ra's al Ghul swordfight. Both extracts are taken from the track "Myotis" in the official soundtrack.
  • When this film was in development in 1996 and in 2003, the first choice for Ann Darrow was Kate Winslet.
  • The 1933 movie features a sexual subtext with the scene wherein King Kong examines Darrow's clothes. The new movie instead presents Darrow (now played by Naomi Watts) as an acrobatic juggler instead of a simple object of lust. In addition, in the new film King Kong is more snubbish towards Darrow after she tries running away during their stay in the island.
  • The cab driven by Jack Driscoll in the end has a licence plate that reads "NZ 16". "NZ" is the abbreviation for New Zealand (Jackson's homeland) and "16" is most likely a reference to the 16-millimeter camera that Jackson got at the age of 20, which he credits as starting his film career. [5]

Unanswered questions and inconsistencies

The original King Kong featured several inconsistencies and unanswered questions. Perhaps deliberately, the 2005 remake makes no attempt at dealing with them.

  • 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; nor is it shown how he was put onto the stage in New York. However, there are some 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.
  • 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 Peter Jackson has offered in interviews. Also, 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.
  • Where the name Kong originated, why it was applied to the giant gorilla, and if it had a specific meaning to the people who chose the name, all remain mysterious.
  • Neither the original, nor the remake, show how Ann and Jack make the journey back from Kong's lair so quickly and without encountering the island's dangers again, or how the chasm was crossed without the log bridge.
  • 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.
  • Snow in New York: When King Kong is in New York, Central Park and many street scenes indicate snow and ice, yet other street scenes show no snow at all, and there is no snow on the roofs King Kong is crossing nor in the Empire State Building scenes.
  • 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.
  • Just like Jimmy's sideplot 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 where 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, who is responsible for the damage he caused, whether or not Denham is to blame, and what becomes of Kong's body. Denham would possibly be sued by many for several damages (this did in fact happen in Son of Kong), but then there is the possibility of the company who made the weak chains that might be to blame. If Denham sells Kong's remains and the movie rights, he might have been able to clear his debts. (In the description of Skull Island itself on the official website, and The World of Kong book, there is a mention of one way that Carl Denham might have gotten himself off the hook.)

Cast

Awards and nominations

Won (1)

National Board of Review:

  • Special Achievement Award - For the special effects

Nominated (2)

Golden Globes:

  • Best Director: Motion Picture - Peter Jackson
  • Best Original Score: Motion Picture - James Newton Howard

Nominated (4)

Academy Awards

  • Best Art Direction
  • Best Visual Effects
  • Best Sound Mixing
  • Best Sound Editing

Nominated (3)

London Film Critics Association

  • Best Picture
  • Best Actress - Naomi Watts
  • Best Director - Peter Jackson

Nominated (2)

Critic's Choice Awards

  • Best Picture
  • Best Director - Peter Jackson

Video game

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