King Kong: The ‘civilized’ beauty killed the ‘savage’ beast!!
The debate of Civilized and Savage, Urban and Rural, advanced and out-dated is very old and has been tackled in a number of ways in different forms of arts including cinema. The 2005 film King Kong by Peter Jackson is yet another installment and argument in the debate, though metaphorical. The film is a remake of 1933 film King Kong by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The film is approximately 200 minutes long and pushes the limits of technology and imagination at the same time. Film wins three academy awards for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.
The
film's narrative is presented in terms of the dichotomy of Civilized, the
director - Carl Denham against the savage - the Kong. We can read the film from
both these poles. The uncivilized Kong who is the King of his province falls
for one of his prey, Ann Darrow and in the act of her protection, he eventually
gets killed. He succumbs to modern chemicals like chloroform and later the
modern warfare equipment and techniques. In spite of his physical
strength, huge body, and capacity to beat the T-Rex and Dinosaurs, his emotions
for a woman brings his death. Though King Kong is the central figure of the
movie, he lacks the agency; the narration is governed by the civilized agent.
The way histories are being written, from the perspectives of the winners.
The
film has maintained the time scenario of 1933. The entire New York City is
affected by the Great Depression. The show-business of the time is also
affected by these economic conditions. Theater actress Ann Darrow, like her
colleagues, is not paid her salary and the theater is closed off by the
authorities. Wildlife film maker Carl Denham is looking for a female lead for
his next venture which is being scripted by Jack Driscoll, Ann's favorite
play-writer. On Driscoll's name, Ann accepts the role and the condition to
travel with the crew on ship, S S Venture. Denham bribes the Captain of the
ship to travel as per his plan, because Denham wants to go to Skull Island to
film the unknown monster of the myths. Nobody else is aware about the plans of
Denham. Denham is a metonymic representation of Western money-minded approach,
a civilized persona for whom money is the criteria of success and for that he
can go to any extent.
But,
on the way, Captain receives a message of Denham's warrant and order to turn to
Rangoon instead of continuing the journey. In the process of turning the ship,
it gets stuck into rocks of Skull Island due to heavy fog. Denham is actually
looking for it, he wanted to come here. Few people go to island where they are
attacked by the native people. They tried to capture Ann. Two crew-men got
killed, the rest of them managed to reach the ship. The natives kidnapped Ann
for the sacrifice to Kong, a huge gorilla, who lives in the jungles of Skull
Island. Crew goes back to rescue Ann, but by the time they reach there, she is
in the hands of King Kong. Denham gets a sneak of Kong through the huge door of
natives resident. Few members of the crew decide to go into the jungle to
rescue Ann. Denham joins them with a hidden agenda of shooting every live
action in the jungle. According to him, the film made from these footages will
make him millionaire and a great director too. And at the time of violent
attacks, instead of helping and saving his crew-mates, he was busy in shooting.
Ultimately the camera breaks in one of the struggles. They are rescued by the
other crew members, only Driscoll moves further to save Ann.
On
the other side, the 'uncivilized' Kong develops a new kind of relationship with
his prey, Ann. In order to save her life, Ann juggles and dances in front of
Kong. She once escaped from Kong. But, in the forest she had to face dinosaurs
and other predators. At one time, she is surrounded by three dinosaurs and Kong
comes and saves her by killing them. After killing last dinosaur, he stands and
thumps his chest propagating his victory and kingship of the forest. Ann also
realizes that this wild and huge beast possesses an emotional heart and she
will be safe with him. Finally, Driscoll manages to rescue Ann. Kong follows
them.
Denham
has a new plan. His camera is broken, he cannot shoot the movie, so now he has
decided to capture King Kong and earn by his shows in New York. They wait for
Ann and Driscoll followed by Kong. By using heavy dose of chloroform and ropes,
they finally manage to capture Kong. Ann and Driscoll did not like this, they
didn't support Denham. But, Denham is stubborn and ready to lose the lives of
many of his crew members for earning millions. Here, it becomes clear that he
is not an artist who wants to make a great film. He is a businessman who wants
to earn millions. In New York, Kong is presented in front of the elite audience;
he is tied with heavy chains. After dramatic tribal ritual, an actress is
presented in front of him as Ann. Flashes of photographs is seen as an attack
by Kong, he breaks the chains and moves out in the street of New York to find
Ann. Driscoll also follows and diverts Kong. Kong finds Ann; he plays with her
in the ice until the army attacks. Kong climbs with Ann on Empire State
Building where he was killed by Navy Planes. The photographers, the civilians
and the police gather around Kong's dead-body to have a last look at the beast.
Denham gives the concluding remark, "The beauty killed the
beast".
The
forest and various predators there, is a symbolic representation of
'Uncivilized' tribal life. The film shows predators like Venatosaurus
saevidicus, Brontosaurus baxteri, Scorpio-pedes, Piranhadon, Vastatosaurus
rex, Terapusmordax, etc. All these predators, including
the natives, don't kill for joy or making a shoot. Their survival is based on
prey. Only civilized beings like Denham preys, captures and imprisons wild
animals for hobby and money. Kong is on the streets of New York, but not to
hunt. He is searching for Ann, and once he finds her, he starts playing with
her happily. Civilized beings go to forest to hunt and destroy the forest and
take advantages from the forest products. Kong's approach is emotional,
civilized approach is monetary.
Jack
Driscoll is another character who acts emotionally. He is a writer. He doesn't
get a room on the ship; instead he is given a cage of Sumatran Rat Monkey. He
sits in the cage and types the script. This symbolically represents the plight
of a writers, thinkers and emotional beings in this money-driven civilized
world. Benjamin Hayes, a black man and former soldier, is part of ship-crew. He
is constantly considerate about Jimmy, a young orphan white-boy who was found
on the ship. Their communications many times refer to 'Heart of Darkness' by
Joseph Conrad. Conrad's central feature is the idea of Civilized and Savages.
Are they really different? Here, the table is turned; the black person who is
generally considered savage is taking care of a white boy. The white skin is
taken as an icon for civilized and cultured mind. Like Conrad, this sub-plot
also questions the prejudice of skin color and intelligence. Benjamin dies like
a brave soldier saving his crew-mates.
One
more important question that we need to think over is why Kong has to be male
and he needs young and beautiful females as a sacrificial prey. As shown in the
movie, there were plenty of human skeletons at Kong's den which means he has
eaten many females from native tribe before. But, Kong falls for a blond, fair
skinned girl only, and he doesn't kill and eat her as he did with the other
girls before her. The filmmaker makes a clear statement about the nature
of beauty which, incidentally, is a western notion of beauty.
Denham
is of the opinion that due to cinema one can see the strangest part of the
world by buying just a ticket. His films are part of this philosophy. But when
he fails to shoot the movie, he decides to take King Kong in New York, and
allows people to look at him by 'buying a ticket'. He mentions that the Kong
was a King of his forest but he is a slave here. This reminds us the innumerable
of natives captured by the westerners and made them into slaves. Presenting
Kong in front of the public is a kind of Museum for living things which are not
only different but also queer for most of the civilized. For the city-dwellers,
he is just another entertainment. The shape, size and might of the Kong are a
symbolic representation of statistical shape and size of native tribes as
against few 'civilized' western societies. Kong is constantly concerned about
the safety of Ann. Even when he was attacked, he made sure that Ann is safe
then he fought back.
Published in: The Hills Times – Heritage July 13, 2017. Page No. 07
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