Just because a film is a classic doesn’t mean I want to read an exhaustive account of its making, Of course, 1933’s King Kong is an exception, and Ray Morton’s King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon the authoritative last word on the subject — especially now that the book been significantly expanded and revised since its initial publication in 2005.
Researched to the point of minutiae and lavishly illustrated with a host of photographs, illustrations and storyboards, this History lesson begins with a brief overview of Kong creator Merian C. Cooper. If you’ve read Mark Cotta Vaz’s Cooper biography, Living Dangerously, this short chapter yields no new information. But it’s a mere appetizer to the meat: a long, hard look at Kong itself.
Arguably, the story behind the movie is more interesting than the story of the movie. With so many egos vying for control, movie sets are a hotbed of in-fighting, and Kong was hardly immune. Drawing Cooper’s particular ire was special effects genius Willis O’Brien, who soon would suffer a string of tragic events. The revelations are not limited to the original Kong, either, as Morton’s book devotes lengthy chapters to every sequel and remake thereafter, including the rushed Son of Kong and Japan’s one-two punch of the kiddie-matinee faves King Kong vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes.
For example, had Dino De Laurentiis had his way, his ’76 Kong would have outgrossed Jaws and been directed by Roman Polanski. At the time, Universal was trying to develop its own remake with a Bo Goldman script, which turned into a huge legal battle for Dino. He won, of course, leading the way for his Jessica Lange-starrer (wrongly thought of as a flop today) and its turkey of a follow-up, King Kong Lives, which screenwriter Ronald Shusett insists was written as a spoof, though not shot that way. The shooting of Lives may be the most interesting section of the book, as the process of an ill-fated film from idea to box-office bomb is something I always find fascinating.
Morton goes further to include a look at the King Kong films “that never were,” from a project announced by Roger Corman to a John Landis remake. (However, his scope pales next to John LeMay’s Kong Unmade.) Furthermore, Morton discusses the franchise’s various parodies, rip-offs, TV incarnations and mass merchandising efforts, with lots of photos of long-forgotten memorabilia.
With this second edition for Bloomsbury, Morton’s been able to cover Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning blockbuster in full, as well as the recent Broadway musical and Warner Bros.’ current “Monsterverse” franchise with such hits as Kong: Skull Island. The beast remains alive and well. (Note: While this Bloomsbury edition has more content, owners of the Applause original may want to keep that one on shelves for being in color, which this new one is not.)
At more than 350 oversized pages, Morton’s History of a Movie Icon is an absolute treasure trove for Kong-philes, overflowing with more information than you ever knew before (and possibly wanted to) about filmdom’s most famous “Giant Terror Gorilla,” as Cooper so fondly referred to him.
If there’s a negative aspect to the book, it’s the beat-by-beat plot summaries of each film covered; they’re simply not needed and tiresome. That said, it’s obvious Morton undertook the project seriously and, more importantly, with genuine love. —Rod Lott