Film: 'King Kong' (1933)

'King Kong' is an almost indecently good classic film. From the beginning, and even despite the overriding chauvinism built in to the story - perhaps to make the gorilla seem more decent than the humans? - it's a wonderful success story. It was one of the groundbreaking movies for special effects and blockbusting, so it has lot to be blamed for, but it works brilliantly solely as a film.

Right, let's explain what 'King Kong' actually is. It's a movie from 1933, in which a group of filmmakers land on a mysterious island in search of material and discover just what exactly is being kept safely on the other side of the massive wall that partitions off the main part of the island...

Yes, this movie was made in 1933 and is still excellent. How magnificent a feat is that? 'King Kong' is fast, very well paced, and features some of the best stop motion animation that you would never expect to find in a film from so long ago. There are such subtle characterisation moments in the character of Kong himself that you can't help but feel sad about his unfortunate demise. Kong is a wonderful achievement, and some of the effects really couldn't be done any better or more entertainingly now. More glossily and seamlessly, perhaps, but not better.

This is a legendary film, and one which breaks most of the criteria that apply to movies that I like: The monster fights on Skull Island are involved (a bit long sometimes), the spectacle sometimes dominates over all else, the screaming victim Fay Wray screams a lot, and the sad ending is a real tearjerker. None of these things break the movie for me. Why does it work? Perhaps because it powers through and doesn't dwell on anything that would deaden what is really going on. Most of the emotional impact of 'King Kong' occurs after the film, when you might begin to feel really bad about the giant ape biting his last banana after being exploited by the tacky humans. We don't come off well in 'King Kong'.

Great film, great spookiness and atmosphere. Some problems with sexism, which may be tied to the thematic content. Everyone should see 'King Kong'. My only question is this: Why build a giant ape sized door in your massive wall if you don't want the giant ape to ever get through?

O.