King Kong (1933)

A film maker (Robert Armstrong) takes a young woman (Fay Wray) who's fallen on hard times under his wing and plans to use her in his new film. But the circumstances of this film and the unknown destination somewhere in unchartered territory are kept shrouded in secrecy. It is only when they arrive at their destination Skull Island that the enormity of their adventure is unveiled. Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. I've never been as enamored of this beloved classic fantasy/horror film as most people. Which doesn't mean I don't like it (I actually prefer the 1976 remake for several reasons), just that I can't get as involved in it as others although I can see what others see in it. There's no denying the power of its mythic creation and the film is a landmark film in many ways. The stop motion animation work by Willis O'Brien is as amazing today as it was back then. What struck me this go round was how incredibly violent it was for a 1933 film, I mean it's brutal! One can't really be afraid of Kong, he's an innocent primitive really as he drags his human doll (Wray literally cinema's first scream queen, what a pair of lungs) around. The underscore by Max Steiner is the first truly great original film score written for cinema. With Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher and Victor Wong.