King Kong (1933)

I watched the original King Kong. I had watched it once this year along with the remake with Jessica Lange. This was however my first time watching it on DVD. It was just recently released for the first time on DVD. This film is still incredible for many reasons. Although there are some comedic moments, whether intentional or accidental this film is classic. The stop motion, live action against a ground breaking form of animation and special effects. As I watched the film I wondered about some films that were surrounded by controversy. Howard Hughes' The Outlaw received flack because of  Jane Russells breasts. Yet, Fay Wrays nipples were at attention in one of the earlier scenes of the film and one breast gets exposed when she is rescued from the water. I also began to think about the fact that the NAACP has never rallied about the treatment of blacks in this film. They always felt Gone with the Wind treated the blacks poorly. It's film, it's fantasy. Of course there are instances where art imitates life and vice versa. In any event these things are prevalent in out society. To not see this is to be in denial. This was one of the things I couldn't understand about blaxploitation films of the 70's. This was the world I knew. So what was it? Art imitiating life or ... There will always be controversy in film, in art in general. Take a real look at King Kong and see it for its artistry. I also realized that King Kong has now had two remakes and Mighty Joe Young has had one, but the Son of Kong has never been remade to my knowledge. Or prehaps that was the one with Linda Hamilton. Help me out if you know of a remake of SOK. I remember when Kong roamed the streets of New Orleans. That's another story, check out my journal for that one. Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Tomorrow I'll watch episode 6 of the L word and the feature will be Top Gun with Tom Cruise.