Photo of the Day

Jessica Lange is about to get drenched in KING KONG (1976)

The 1970s version of KING KONG was the most hyped film in history. Bar none. I was young enough back then to remember the massive publicity campaign which lasted forever even though I never saw the film in 1976. Nothing today compares to the level of hype this film had. Many were disappointed by the final result, that it hardly lived up to the hype (of a working 40 foot tall mechanical Kong, etc...) but this scene, and ONLY this scene, lives up to the hype. It's quite magical actually. You can view it on Youtube here.

KING KONG is a real mishmash of genres: it's part South Seas adventure, Jungle adventure, Lost Civilization adventure, Monster adventure, Monster-on-the-loose, Fantasy, Gigantism, Beauty & the Beast, a bit of Sci-Fi and Macrophilia (Google it). It does fall under the PEPLUM umbrella mainly due to the first hour of the story with the South Seas adventure, Lost Civilization and GULLIVER'S TRAVELS aspects, such as sacrificial offerings, dancing and ritualistic ceremonies with people in skimpy costumes, small humans vs gigantic ape, etc. Once the story moves to New York city it's pretty much not a PEPLUM anymore.

The film was produced by Dino de Laurentiis, who produced many PEPLUM classics, and the special effects of the mechanical arm and such were designed by veteran effects maestro Carlo Rambaldi, who also designed the Medusa from PERSEUS THE INVINCIBLE, posted here.