King Kong: A Cultural Snapshot

Within society, we see a constant struggle between savagery and civilization, whether that battle is fought within oneself or among others, it exists nonetheless. This very struggle is a consistent underlying theme throughout the 1933 film, King Kong. In the film, this battle between two forces will be seen in Carl Denham’s struggle with his persistent need to make art and money versus the consequences his obsession might bring, in Kong’s attempt to resist the malignant “temptations” of beauty and finally, in the portrayal of African-Americans as savages and white people as educated civilians. In this essay, we will further delve into the struggle between savagery and civilization, the characters

The mouse we all grew up to love and adore, Mickey Mouse, the face of the Walt Disney Corporation, has a racist past. Although he was initially created to become a satirical character, he ended up as the face of racism as well. Sadly, not many are aware of Mickey Mouse’s cartoon shorts, Mickey’s Mellerdrammer and The Opry House, which incorporate blackface in a minstrel and vaudeville show. Considering, that these films were made in the early 1930s, it is not surprising that they contain racist ideals. Thus, this raises questions about Disney’s past. It even makes me wonder if this all started from the creator, Walt Disney, because many assume that “Walt Disney himself was a famous anti-Semite, and under his direction, notoriously racist and sexist films were completed” (Dague 1). For instance, after the Mickey Mouse debacle, films, such as Pocahontas and Peter Pan; contained racist characteristics. Ironically, Disney always reiterates the importance of teaching a moral lesson, so it is quite baffling that they would have forms of racism and cultural appropriation in their films.

culturally inaccurate. At the time, Asians were still very much underrepresented in film and many

Aesthetics help contribute to make a movie more enjoyable. Breaking it down, there are a few types of aesthetics that can be observed, including formalist and realistic aesthetics. The film The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters uses realistic aesthetics, such as on camera interview, Text/data on screen, real mise-en-scene, and existing footage to make up the movie. On the other hand. Wreck-It Ralph uses formalist aesthetics like expressive mise-en-scene and expressive editing throughout the film.

The rise of Blaxploitation films such as Coffy revived the social problem films of the 1940s, but instead introduced new representations of race and gender as well as the drug crisis of the 1970s. Despite the progressiveness of Blaxploitation films in relation to previous films such as Birth of a Nation–where black characters were exploited through flat, racial stereotypes for the enjoyment of white audiences–they also thrived on the exploitation of evolved black stereotypes of the 1970s; Bogle’s “black buck,”1 characterized by violence and insatiable sexual desire evolved into the 1970s “pimp daddy,” thriving through hustling women, selling drugs, and sending hits when necessary. The representation of black women in films followed a

African Americans have had a long history in the American motion picture industry. Early depictions of African American men and women were limited to demeaning stereotypical images of people of color. During the first decades of the 20th century, many films depicted idealized vision of life in the South. These films glorified the image of the Old South .African American characters, in keeping with the dominant stereotypes, were portrayed as incompetent, child-like, hyper-sexualized, and criminal.

If a movie of this sort had such an emotional impact on me, it is no wonder people embraced these ideas back then. The use of new and popular media methods in those days was more than adequate in transferring the black inferiority ideas to the general public. Beginning at the early 19th century with the happy, dancing, toothless, drunken Negro with big, bold and white lips to the image of the mid 21st century African-American, the media has always used these images to convey inferiority. These images implied inherent traits in the black community. This whole community was represented in the new media as one who can not be collateralized and integrated in to society without being happily enslaved. Most of these images had great commercial values that made it all the more impossible for the rest of the nation not to embrace the African American stereotypes.

It’s evident that black performers in Hollywood cinema are customarily depicted as unpleasant based on the clichéd roles they play, for example: the mammy, the promiscuous character, or the angry black woman. Within this paper, I will incorporate Bell Hooks idea of “The Oppositional Gaze”, and Marina Heung ideas discussed in the article "What 's the Matter with Sara Jane?” Daughters and Mothers in Douglas Sirk 's "Imitation of Life”. The film of focus is Imitation of Life (1959) by Douglas Sirk, the film will be analyzed, but I will scrutinize representation of black female characters within this film; in attempt to verify if this portrayal of the mammy and the mulatto child is a positive reference for black females in cinema (because they

The fact that racist elements make a work more appealing is a stark reflection on the inherent racism present in the 1920s, and the fact that the average American citizen believed in racial stereotypes and wanted them to be found everywhere in society, from

The book “Beauty Beast” states black male characteristics of being innately savage, animalistic, destructive, and criminal (Smith,1893). In modern day society, one might see young black men fighting each other and fighting police. In the novel Red Rock the black male was lynch for “Terrible Crime” which was raping a white women (Fredrickson, 1971). One of the biggest Brutes you will ever hear about is King Kong. This tells the story of a black ape taken from Africa who was shipped to America and made into a show monkey. He eventually breaks free and goes on a rampage. He abducts a white women and carries her up the Empire State Building and is shot down and killed just like the man in the Red Rock. King Kong feeds into all the colonial hysteria about black hyper-sexuality. (McKenzie, 2005) Many interpret the story of King Kong as racist because it tells the story of a black ape who falls in love with a willowy white

While Stockett depicts the African-American women in the novel primarily by their body image, the white characters in the story are not left untouched. The stereotypical image of the time for white

While Godzilla can be seen to share similar meanings, the depiction of King Kong in Merian Coopers’s 1933 film King Kong, there is quite a drastic change between the 1933 version and the 1962 version. When depicted in the 1933 version of King Kong, Kong was a symbol of the United States progressive movement and how they exploited resources for financial gain. The idea that Kong was taken from his home and put on display for others to observe shows a parallelism between that of colonialism. In contrast, the Kong in the 1962

Over the years, the television and the entertainment it brings along has been one of man’s many inventions which has embellished living rooms around the world. As the television, advanced in luminosity, resolution and clarity, so has the want for its presence increased in people’s lives. Programming on the big screen has brought laughter, tears, terror and even education to the modern world. One of such terror, is the fascination with evil, bloodshed and portrayal of doom on the big screen. It is even more fascinating to realize that some people want more, and more of these gory and terrifying displayed imagery. One of such scary movies displayed on television, is that of a creature that looks more of a cross breed

While looking through the history of thriller/horry films, its impossible to ignore the Hollywood cult classic, King Kong. It broke the genre barriers and went into thriller, horror, animation, romance, it had it all! King Kong, despite the lack of recognition from the Academy, this film influenced its successors, and inspiration can be found in movies even in current movies. The thrill of the movie called to the masses, but the advanced technological achievements also were an intrigue to audiences nationwide. While looking at other films of this time its easy to see how the so advanced were also aspect of the film not only impressed movie goers,

A good movie can either be captivating or thrilling depending on the plot of the movie. Like the thrill of a rollercoaster, so is the thrill that comes from watching the King Kong movie. It is both captivating as well as intriguing in the sense that it provides rich thematic presence and sceneries. In this paper, the learner will take a look at the King Kong movie from a critical perspective to deduce whether the movie really should be living up to its fame.