Occasionally, I find it difficult to explain to younger audiences what it was like growing up being a fan of certain pictures.
In the not so distant past, this point-and-click possibility of entertainment being readily available at the click of a button just didn't exist. Back in my youth, there were no such places as video stores to go and pick up a VHS tape because, simply, the technology never existed. There was no home video. There was no streaming agency. The only way to enjoy some of our movie favorites was to -- weekly -- scan the published movie guide and actually take note of when a certain picture was going to play. And, Hell, if we were lucky, then one of our favorites would have to have been popular enough to warrant some annual broadcast on whatever of the three, six, or nine channels we had available to us.
Suffice it to say, that wasn't the case with so very many flicks.
Perhaps it's better that a young child like myself couldn't have just plopped himself in front of the television set every day after school and watched another screening of 1933's King Kong. You know? Maybe the story of the mighty ape and the love of his life wouldn't have been as impactful if I had worn out the VHS tape with daily visits. Perhaps I wouldn't have developed an unquenchable thirst for monster movies if I had had immediate access to an entire library of them. Instead, I learned to love them one at a time, and I learned to appreciate how old school effects work was as much a labor of love as it was a job for some of these technically-skilled craftsmen and women.
And that's probably why the motion picture that turns 90 years young today still has a place somewhere in an available corner of my beating heart. Like Kong, I can recall a day when things were simply. All I had to do was run through the jungle -- erm, backyard -- and have something waiting for me to occupy my time that was provided by the natives -- erm, parents. Life was a big and bold adventure meant to be lived in the wild and not within the confines of a two-bedroom house. Civilization, in fact, meant the end of all good things -- as Kong no doubt learned -- and even a pretty face could spell doom if one wasn't careful.
Yes, yes, yes. I've said too much.
Here's the film's plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who takes a shine to their female blonde star. He is then captured and brought back to New York City for public exhibition."
In the not so distant past, this point-and-click possibility of entertainment being readily available at the click of a button just didn't exist. Back in my youth, there were no such places as video stores to go and pick up a VHS tape because, simply, the technology never existed. There was no home video. There was no streaming agency. The only way to enjoy some of our movie favorites was to -- weekly -- scan the published movie guide and actually take note of when a certain picture was going to play. And, Hell, if we were lucky, then one of our favorites would have to have been popular enough to warrant some annual broadcast on whatever of the three, six, or nine channels we had available to us.
Suffice it to say, that wasn't the case with so very many flicks.
Perhaps it's better that a young child like myself couldn't have just plopped himself in front of the television set every day after school and watched another screening of 1933's King Kong. You know? Maybe the story of the mighty ape and the love of his life wouldn't have been as impactful if I had worn out the VHS tape with daily visits. Perhaps I wouldn't have developed an unquenchable thirst for monster movies if I had had immediate access to an entire library of them. Instead, I learned to love them one at a time, and I learned to appreciate how old school effects work was as much a labor of love as it was a job for some of these technically-skilled craftsmen and women.
And that's probably why the motion picture that turns 90 years young today still has a place somewhere in an available corner of my beating heart. Like Kong, I can recall a day when things were simply. All I had to do was run through the jungle -- erm, backyard -- and have something waiting for me to occupy my time that was provided by the natives -- erm, parents. Life was a big and bold adventure meant to be lived in the wild and not within the confines of a two-bedroom house. Civilization, in fact, meant the end of all good things -- as Kong no doubt learned -- and even a pretty face could spell doom if one wasn't careful.
Yes, yes, yes. I've said too much.
Here's the film's plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who takes a shine to their female blonde star. He is then captured and brought back to New York City for public exhibition."
Why, it's only natural for Hollywood to attempt to recapture that original movie magic; as such, there have been a few incarnations of Kong on the silver screen. But for my money none of them have been as good as that original ... and, yes, I say this full well knowing that the 1933 film's effects aren't exactly spectacular by comparison. Still, this is the big ape I knew in my earliest days, and I think I'm comfortable sticking with him until my bitter finish. It's the least I could do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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