My First: King Kong, 1976

'A petroleum exploration expedition comes to an isolated island and encounters a colossal giant gorilla. The most exciting original motion picture event of all time is also one of the great love stories of our time.'

It was the 1976 version of King Kong that I saw first.  It was in the late 80's and I was around 10 or 11. We were still watching movies on VHS and my family headed to our local video store to pick up some movies.  My father wanted to rent King Kong, which I thought was odd.  Usually he didn't care what we watched, and let my mother make the final choices.   My siblings and I all my suggestions, but she was definitely the ultimate ruler on our family's island.

I wasn't too pleased, my begging and pleading to rent The Empire Strikes Back or Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, (or the umpteenth time) were easily ignored my parents.  On this occasion, I was glad they won out.  I ended up being surprised about how much I loved the movie.

I hadn't seen the 1933 version at that point, so the story was brand new to me.  I ended up getting caught up in the visuals and the love story between Kong and Dwan. (Jessica Lange)  Little boys, especially those still in the closet, often have infatuations with beautiful women.  Although they're real, they also conveniently provide a cover, a cover for something they may not even know that they're hiding.

I was totally in awe of Jessica Lange, her character in the film, her wavy blonde hair, and her beauty.  I totally understood why Kong was so captivated and beguiled.   I barely noticed actor Jeff Bridges who played Jack Prescott in the film.  Bridges would have been about 27 at the time of filming, but when I first watched, I viewed him as  another old guy in the film.

Re-watching the film years later however, I looked at Bridges in an entirely different light.  I was probably in my 20's when I caught the movie again on television, and watched it again in preparation for this piece.  This time I definitely noticed Bridges and his intense hotness.  This time, it was Jessica who? 

Since that first viewing, I've also seen both the 1933 versions, and Peter Jackson's adaptation in 2005.  I liked both, however, Fay Wray's screeching did eventually get on my nerves. I've also seen a few of the sequels and spin-off films.  Although Jackson's 2005 version was certainly more technologically advanced than the previous films, I still thought it lacked the heart and emotion of the 1976 film. 

Maybe it's just that I saw the 76 version first, or maybe there was too much time put into the special effects, and less on the story.  I know one thing, it took too damned long for Jackson to get his characters to the damned island.  I think we were almost an hour in before we even got to see the Island or Kong.

Of course given my altered focus on Jeff Bridges in the film, it seemed appropriate to spend some time researching his on-screen nude scenes.  Check out my Actors & SKIN feature on the actor on FH HERE: