Flim Review - King Kong
Fig. 1 King Kong Poster (1933) |
One of the many techniques that was used on the film was matte painting a technique that involves recreating landscape backgrounds by painting them onto glass and merging them with live action footage giving the illusion that the two are joined together. These realistic backgrounds where created by some of the top set designers working in Hollywood at the time, these included Mario Larrinaga and Willis H. O’Brien.
The artists where most likely to have been inspired by the work of illustrator Gustave Dore as it is easy to match up the way that they have framed the jungle shots by looking at the foreground and the way that it makes the viewer focus on the background.
Fig. 2 Satan In Paradise (1866) |
Fig. 3 King Kong set still (1933) |
This was not the only use of merging two sets of film together as stop motion models were used to bring the creatures of Skull Island to life including Kong himself. These models were filmed in separate scaled down sets with the live action footage being carefully lined up so that the actions being performed by both actor and puppet matched, even to the point where Kong puts down the puppet Ann Darrow to reveal the real Ann Darrow seconds later. The life sized bust, foot hand and miniature models of Kong where created by sculptor Marcel Delgado and where made from a metal ball and socket skeleton that was covered with cotton, rubber and rabbit fur. The models were also fitted with an inflatable diaphragm to make it look like Kong is breathing.
Fig. 4 Stop motion and live action together (1933) |
It’s hard to fully explain the impact King Kong had in the world of cinema but Jason Fraley is able to sum it up pretty clearly - “Kong is more than just the origin of special effects; it’s a cultural staple and legend of Hollywood; the godfather of blockbusters; the birthplace of movie scores; and the standard bearer of adventure, fantasy, horror and romance.” (Fraley, 2012)
Illustrations
- Figure 1. King Kong Poster (1933) [Poster] At: https://www.justcollecting.com/miscellania/werewolf-in-london-topples-king-kong-in-1-48m-movie-poster-sale (Accessed on 09.10.2016)
- Figure 2. Dore, Gustave (1866) Satan In Paradise [Illustration] At: https://www.wikiart.org/en/gustave-dore/satan-in-paradise?utm_source=returned&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=referral (Accessed on 09.10.2016)
- Figure 3. King Kong set still (1933) [Film still] At: http://21essays.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/king-kong-in-dore-land.html (Accessed on 09.10.2016)
- Figure 4. Stop motion and live action put together (1933) [Film still] At: https://modelmakingresearchiadt.wikispaces.com/Puppetry+in+King+Kong,+1933 (Accessed on 10.10.2016)
- Edwards, Graham. (2013) How King Kong Was Filmed (or Not) At: http://cinefex.com/blog/king-kong-or-not/ (Accessed on 08.10.2016)
- Fraley, Jason. (2012) King Kong At: http://thefilmspectrum.com/?p=5407 (Accessed on 06.10.2016)
- Geldner, T. A. Mario Larrinaga Biography At: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0488637/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm (Accessed on 09.10.2016)
- Pitsburghfuzz Willis H. O’Brien At: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0639891/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm (Accessed on 09.10.2016)
"It’s hard to fully explain the impact King Kong had in the world of cinema but Jason Fraley is able to sum it up pretty clearly - “Kong is more than just the origin of special effects; it’s a cultural staple and legend of Hollywood; the godfather of blockbusters; the birthplace of movie scores; and the standard bearer of adventure, fantasy, horror and romance.” (Fraley, 2012)" Great quote, Rhia - told you King Kong was a big beast in terms of cinema history and genre tropes! :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent review, Rhia :)
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