King Kong (1976 film)

King Kong (1976 film)

Company type	Motion picture
Industry	Film
Founded	December 17, 1976 (1976-12-17)
Founder	Dino De Laurentiis
Headquarters	United States
Key people	Dino De Laurentiis (producer), John Guillermin (director), Lorenzo Semple Jr. (screenwriter), Carlo Rambaldi (special effects), Rick Baker (makeup and ape suit performer)
Products	Film
Number of employees	Not specified

King Kong is a 1976 American monster adventure motion picture produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. Serving as a contemporary reinterpretation of the 1933 original, the story centers on a colossal ape captured and transported to New York City for public display. The cast includes Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, and marks the debut of Jessica Lange. The film showcases mechanical effects crafted by Carlo Rambaldi and makeup artistry by Rick Baker, who also performed as Kong. This production represents the fifth entry in the King Kong franchise.

The project was initiated by Michael Eisner, then an executive at ABC, who proposed the concept to decision-makers at both Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures. Producer Dino De Laurentiis acquired the rights from RKO-General and enlisted television writer Lorenzo Semple Jr. to develop the screenplay. Direction was handled by John Guillermin, with principal photography occurring from January through August 1976. Before its release, Universal filed a lawsuit against De Laurentiis and RKO-General alleging contract violations, as Universal intended to produce its own remake; subsequent countersuits were filed but all legal actions were resolved and dismissed by January 1976.

The film premiered on December 17, 1976, receiving mixed critical responses yet achieving moderate commercial success, earning $90.6 million against a budget estimated between $23 and $24 million. It won a Special Achievement Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and garnered nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Mixing. A follow-up, King Kong Lives (1986), also directed by Guillermin, was released subsequently.

Plot

Frederick Wilson, an executive at Petrox Oil Company, organizes an expedition to a newly discovered island in the Indian Ocean identified via infrared imaging. Wilson anticipates substantial oil reserves on this island. Jack Prescott, a primate paleontologist, clandestinely joins the voyage to caution the team, citing ominous warnings from prior explorers about "the roar of the greatest beast." Initially suspected of espionage, Prescott is eventually accepted as the expedition’s photographer. During their journey, they rescue Dwan, an aspiring actress whose director’s yacht has exploded. A romantic connection develops between Prescott and Dwan.

Upon arrival at the island, the group encounters a primitive tribe protected by a massive barrier erected to shield them from a mysterious deity known as Kong. Although oil deposits are discovered, their poor quality renders them unusable. The natives abduct Dwan and offer her as a sacrificial tribute to Kong, who surprisingly becomes calm under her soothing presence. After she slips into mud, Kong displays gentle care towards her.

Prescott and First Mate Carnahan attempt a rescue but face lethal challenges; Carnahan and others die when Kong topples a log bridge. Kong confronts and kills a giant snake threatening Dwan, allowing Prescott to escape with her. Kong chases after them but is eventually captured and sedated.

With no profitable oil found, Wilson opts to transport Kong to America for promotional purposes. In New York City, Kong is exhibited in chains while wearing a crown but breaks loose when he perceives reporters crowding around Dwan as menacing. He rampages through the city, killing Wilson and causing widespread destruction. Prescott and Dwan flee across the Queensboro Bridge as Kong pursues them.

Kong ascends the World Trade Center—New York’s tallest structure—despite military orders to capture him alive. The military responds with flamethrowers and helicopters; after leaping between towers, Kong sustains fatal injuries. He falls to his death onto the plaza below amid photographers swarming around a traumatized Dwan amidst the chaos.

Production

There are two narratives regarding how the King Kong remake came to be. In December 1974, Michael Eisner, an executive at ABC at the time, viewed the original movie and suggested a remake to Barry Diller, who was then chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures. Diller brought on board seasoned producer Dino De Laurentiis. However, De Laurentiis later asserted that the concept originated from him after noticing a Kong poster in his daughter's bedroom. When Diller proposed collaborating on a monster movie, De Laurentiis recommended remaking King Kong. They reached an agreement where Paramount would cover half of the $12 million budget in return for distribution rights in the United States and Canada, provided the original film rights could be secured.

De Laurentiis reached out to his acquaintance Thomas F. O'Neil, president of RKO-General, who confirmed that the rights were obtainable. After negotiations with RKO-General’s lawyer Daniel O'Shea, a contract was finalized on May 6, 1975: De Laurentiis paid $200,000 along with a share of the film’s gross revenue. Once the rights were secured and terms with Paramount settled, De Laurentiis and executive Frederic Sidewater approached international distributors and planned the film’s release for Christmas 1976.

Writing

Following the relocation of his production company to Beverly Hills, De Laurentiis hired screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr., who was then working on Three Days of the Condor. Impressed by Semple's talent, De Laurentiis enlisted him for King Kong, envisioning a contemporary setting culminating atop the newly constructed World Trade Center.

Acknowledging that audiences had become more sophisticated since the original film's release, Semple aimed to craft a story with a realistic tone blended with subtle humor. He preserved the fundamental storyline and key scenes but updated certain aspects, drawing inspiration from the 1970s energy crisis and an idea from Jerry Brick. The expedition was reimagined as an enterprise by Petrox Corporation, an oil company suspecting untapped reserves on Kong’s island. Initially, Petrox was to discover the island through a Vatican Library map; however, this was replaced by secret spy satellite imagery after De Laurentiis dismissed the original subplot.

Semple excluded the dinosaurs featured in the original film to concentrate on the dynamic between Kong and Dwan while also reducing expenses since De Laurentiis wanted to avoid stop-motion animation; nevertheless, a giant boa constrictor was incorporated.

A swift writer, Semple produced a 40-page outline by August 1975. De Laurentiis accepted most elements except for the Vatican subplot, which was immediately discarded. By September, the first draft introduced Dwan (initially named Dawn) as an updated version of Ann Darrow; later drafts shortened the script from 140 pages down to 110. The completed final draft was delivered by December 1975.

Casting

Meryl Streep was considered for portraying Dwan but was turned down by producer Dino De Laurentiis for being "too unattractive." The role was also offered to Barbra Streisand, who declined. Ultimately, it went to Jessica Lange, then an unknown New York fashion model without any prior acting experience.

Filming and special effects

Producer Dino De Laurentiis initially sought Roman Polanski to helm the project, but Polanski declined the offer. Consequently, the directing responsibilities were assigned to John Guillermin, who had recently completed work on The Towering Inferno (1974). Guillermin experienced clashes with executive producer Federico De Laurentiis, resulting in warnings that he could be dismissed if his behavior on set did not improve.

With a production budget of $16 million, De Laurentiis enlisted Italian special effects expert Carlo Rambaldi to create a 40-foot (12.2 m), 6½-ton animatronic Kong, which Rambaldi likened to "the United States space program." Visual effects supervisor Glen Robinson oversaw the assembly, integrating materials such as aluminum, latex, horse tails, and hydraulic systems. For close-up shots, Rambaldi engineered mechanical hands featuring articulated fingers and partnered with Rick Baker to design a man-sized ape costume suitable for long-distance scenes. Due to the complexity of the mechanics, five distinct masks were produced to convey varied emotions. Baker contributed further authenticity by wearing gorilla-style contact lenses.

The £500,000 mechanical Kong proved challenging to operate and was ultimately featured for less than 15 seconds on screen after a hydraulic malfunction occurred during filming in August 1976. The majority of Kong's appearances were performed using the ape suit instead. Although Baker was dissatisfied with the final look of the suit, he acknowledged the emotional depth achieved through cinematographer Richard H. Kline’s work and Rambaldi’s mask engineering.

Jessica Lange shot the Petrox Explorer life raft sequence in freezing waters off Los Angeles in January 1976. During the filming of Kong's demise atop the World Trade Center, over 30,000 extras assembled, raising safety concerns for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Production was temporarily halted and later resumed with a reduced number of paid extras.

The distinctive roar attributed to Kong was sourced from the 1957 movie The Land Unknown.

Music

The film’s musical score was composed and conducted by John Barry. A soundtrack album featuring selected highlights was released in 1976 by Reprise Records on vinyl. This album later saw a CD reissue, first as an unauthorized release by Italian label Mask in 1998, followed by an official licensed edition from Film Score Monthly in 2005. On October 2, 2012, Film Score Monthly issued a comprehensive two-disc set: the first disc contains the fully remastered complete score, while the second includes both the remastered original album and alternate takes.

Distribution

The film debuted on December 17, 1976, opening in 974 theaters throughout the United States and Canada before expanding to approximately 2,200 theaters worldwide soon after.

Extended television version

NBC purchased television rights from De Laurentiis for $19.5 million, setting a record for network acquisitions of films at that time. The movie was broadcast over two evenings in September 1978 with roughly an additional hour of footage and modified musical cues. To achieve a family-appropriate rating, explicit scenes were either cut or replaced, and all profane language was removed. This extended version was subsequently rebroadcast in November 1980 and March 1983.

Home media

The theatrical cut of the film has been extensively distributed worldwide across all prominent home video platforms. Certain European DVD editions offer bonus content, including a 22-minute and 20-second "Making Kong" documentary from 2005, alongside up to ten deleted scenes derived from the extended television version, which runs approximately 16 minutes and 10 seconds. On May 11, 2021, Shout! Factory's Scream Factory issued a Blu-ray release in the United States and Canada that includes both the original theatrical and the extended TV versions.

Box office

King Kong did not meet the high expectations set by De Laurentiis and Paramount. De Laurentiis had anticipated it would surpass the previous year's Jaws in earnings, while Paramount projected revenues of $150 million. Nonetheless, the movie proved to be financially successful, generating more than three times its production costs.

In North America, King Kong debuted at number one with an opening weekend gross of $7,023,921—marking Paramount’s largest opening at that time and setting a December record. Despite this achievement, it fell just short of beating Jaws’s $7,061,053 opening weekend figure, even though it was shown in twice as many theaters. Internationally, within ten days and from 1,500 out of 2,200 theaters, the film earned $26 million globally, including $18 million domestically (compared to Jaws’s $21 million during the same timeframe). Ultimately, the film amassed $52 million in North America and slightly over $90 million worldwide. It ranked as the fourth highest-grossing U.S. release and third worldwide for 1976. Since most revenue was realized in 1977, it secured fifth place on Variety’s domestic box office chart for that year.

Critical response

Pauline Kael of The New Yorker described the film as a "romantic adventure fantasy" and "a marvelous Classics Comics movie," considering it a more upbeat and vibrant entertainment compared to the 1933 original. Richard Schickel from Time lauded the "marvelous" special effects along with strong performances from Charles Grodin and Kong himself. Arthur D. Murphy of Variety regarded it as "one of the most successful remakes," commending its blend of visual effects and credible drama.

Vincent Canby in The New York Times characterized the film as "inoffensive, uncomplicated fun," praising its impressive special effects but critiquing the choice to feature the World Trade Center rather than the Empire State Building. Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times admired it as "spectacular," while still preserving the essence of the classic beauty-and-the-beast narrative. Gene Siskel from the Chicago Tribune offered a mixed critique, observing that comedic elements somewhat diminished the mythic atmosphere established by the visual effects. Jonathan Rosenbaum of The Monthly Film Bulletin felt this remake failed to capture the original’s blend of horror and fantasy.

The movie’s success served as a springboard for Jessica Lange’s career despite early negative reactions to her debut performance that nearly jeopardized her future in film. Although Lange received the Golden Globe for Best Acting Debut, she took a three-year hiatus to undergo rigorous training before returning to acting.

Critical opinions remain divided: on Rotten Tomatoes, King Kong holds a 55% approval rating based on 51 critiques, with consensus recognizing its enhanced visuals but noting it does not surpass the original in most aspects. Meanwhile, Metacritic assigns it a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, signifying "generally favorable" reviews.

Accolades

The motion picture received two nominations at the Academy Awards and secured a Special Achievement Award recognizing its visual effects.

• Recipient of the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects awarded to Carlo Rambaldi, Glen Robinson, and Frank Van der Veer, shared with the 1976 film Logan's Run.
• Nominee for Academy Award for Best Cinematography awarded to Richard H. Kline.
• Nominee in the category of Academy Award for Best Sound, credited to Harry W. Tetrick, William McCaughey, Aaron Rochin, and Jack Solomon.

Controversy

Prior to Michael Eisner presenting a King Kong remake concept to Barry Diller, he had initially proposed the project to Sidney Sheinberg, then CEO of MCA Inc./Universal Pictures. Universal intended to utilize its new Sensurround sound technology to amplify Kong’s roars. On April 5, 1975, attorney Daniel O'Shea organized discussions between MCA/Universal and producer De Laurentiis regarding the film rights. Unknown to both parties, another competing studio was simultaneously negotiating with RKO-General. Universal’s offer included $200,000 plus 5% of net profits; De Laurentiis proposed $200,000 plus 3% of gross earnings, increasing to 10% if the film earned 2.5 times its negative cost. Ultimately, in May 1975, the rights were awarded to De Laurentiis.

Subsequently, Shane asserted that O'Shea had verbally accepted Universal’s offer without formal documentation; however, O'Shea denied any agreement or authorization. Universal initiated legal action against De Laurentiis and RKO-General seeking $25 million on grounds of breach of contract and fraud. At the time, Universal was developing its own remake with Hunt Stromberg Jr. producing and Joseph Sargent directing; they also filed suit contending that the story’s fundamental elements were in the public domain based on Edgar Wallace’s serialized work and Delos W. Lovelace’s novelization.

Universal commenced production on The Legend of King Kong in January 1976 with Bo Goldman adapting Lovelace’s novelization into a screenplay. In November, RKO-General responded with a $5 million countersuit alleging copyright infringement and requested an injunction against Universal’s promotional activities. De Laurentiis filed a countersuit demanding $90 million for copyright violation and unfair competition. By January 1976, both parties agreed to withdraw their lawsuits; Universal halted its production but retained the option to produce a remake eighteen months after De Laurentiis's release.

In September 1976, a federal court ruled in favor of Universal, declaring Lovelace’s novelization as public domain material, thereby permitting their remake efforts. Universal later produced the 2005 King Kong remake, which incorporated aspects from the original 1933 film under licensed rights obtained from Merian C. Cooper’s estate.