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| King Kong | |
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| Directed By | John Guillermin |
| Screenplay By | Lorenzo Semple Jr. |
| Cast | Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Jessica Lange, John Randolph |
| Produced By | Dino De Laurentiis |
| Cinematography By | Richard H. Kline |
| Film Editing By | Ralph E. Winters |
| Music Composed By | John Barry |
| Studio | Dino De Laurentiis Corporation |
| Distributed By | Paramount Pictures |
| Franchise | King Kong Franchise |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Release Date | December 17, 1976 |
| Runtime | 134 Minutes |
| Rating | PG |
| Budget | $24,000,000 |
| Gross | $90,614,445 |
| Based On | King Kong By Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace |
| Wikia | https://kingkong.fandom.com |
Plot[]
Fred Wilson, an executive in the Petrox Corporation, organizes an expedition to an uncharted island in the Indian Ocean covered in a huge fog blanket, which he believes hides a gigantic underground oil reservoir. Before the expedition's ship, the Petrox Explorer, leaves, primate paleontologist Jack Prescott bribes a guard and stows away on the ship. After the Explorer sets sail, Wilson informs the ship's crew about their destination. During this briefing, Prescott introduces himself to Wilson and the crew. He shows them various records of ships that traveled to the same island that he wants to see for himself, and tells them about a gigantic ape-like creature that lives on "the beach of the skull". But Wilson believes Prescott is a spy from a rival oil company and orders him locked up.
While Prescott is escorted to his cell, he sees a life raft floating in the open ocean. The raft is brought on board the Explorer, with only a single unconscious female occupant. The castaway is taken into a cabin. After confirming Prescott's identity, via a background check, Wilson releases him from his cell and appoints him as the official photographer of the expedition. The castaway awakens and introduces herself to Wilson and Prescott as Dwan (spelled this way so it can "sound more notable"). She reveals that she was an aspiring actress on a director's yacht which suddenly exploded. Since the Explorer is already too far from port, it is decided for Dwan to stay on the expedition. During the voyage, Dwan forms a close friendship with Prescott.
When the Explorer finally reaches the fog blanket, the fabled island appears on the radar. A landing party is organized, and Dwan convinces Wilson to bring her along. As the party reaches the coast by boat and explores the interior of the island, it comes upon a gigantic wooden wall. Wilson states that the island is uninhabited and that the wall must be ancient, but Prescott says the wall looks well-maintained and that there is a tribe of natives living behind it, hiding from something. The party passes through the wall and comes upon a ceremony being performed by the natives. They also discover a black liquid substance that could be oil. Suddenly, the witch doctor spots the party and angrily blames them for interrupting the ceremony. He also sees Dwan and offers to purchase her so she can be used as a sacrifice to their god, Kong. But Wilson rejects the offer and the party scares away the natives with their rifles before returning to the Explorer.
Wilson is determined to acquire the oil on the island and plans to return at a later time. But that night, Dwan is kidnapped, drugged and brought back to the village by the natives. They fit her in a ceremonial dress, decorate her in ceremonial jewels and tie her to a pedestal outside the wall, where Kong emerges from the jungle and grabs her, taking her into the jungle. Dwan's kidnapping is discovered by Prescott, and the crew comes back ashore and storms the village, only to see that something huge has carried her off. While Wilson sets up a base camp on the beach, Prescott, Carnahan, Joe Perko, Boan, Garcia, and Timmons follow Kong into the jungle. While on the beach, Wilson learns from his colleague Roy Bagley that the oil on the island is worthless and that it would take at least a hundred centuries for it to be usable. Unwilling to return to his superiors empty-handed, Wilson concocts a scheme to capture Kong and bring him back to the United States as a marketing gimmick for Petrox.
Meanwhile, Kong sets Dwan down in a clearing and looks at her. Dwan believes Kong is going to kill her and begs for her life. To Dwan's surprise, Kong is amused and calmed by Dwan's sweet-talk, and she soon learns he means her no harm. When Dwan accidentally falls into a mud patch, Kong takes her to a waterfall and holds her under it, cleaning the mud off of her. He drops her into the water to cool off, then uses great gusts of his warm breath to dry her, after which she falls asleep in his hand. Prescott and the team begin to get closer to Kong, and come upon a fallen log spanning a deep chasm. As they try to cross, Kong emerges from the jungle and sees them. Kong grabs the log and tosses it into the pit, sending the entire team to their deaths except for Prescott and Boan. Unable to get Prescott out of the small cave, Kong returns to the screaming Dwan. Prescott tells Boan to go back to the village while he continues pursuing Kong.
By nightfall, Kong brings Dwan to his mountain lair, where he prepares to undress his "bride". However, a giant snake appears and tries to eat Dwan. Kong attacks the snake, but it constricts itself around him. Prescott arrives at the lair and reunites with Dwan while Kong is occupied. Dwan and Prescott stop briefly to watch Kong's struggle, but upon seeing Prescott with her, Kong becomes enraged. Kong grabs the snake's jaws and tears them apart, killing it. Prescott and Dwan run through the jungle, jump into the water from the cliff and swim back to the village, where Wilson and his team have set up a trap for Kong. Kong chases Prescott and Dwan to the village and smashes through the gate in the wall, only to fall into a pit filled with chloroform, knocking him unconscious. The natives surround their fallen god and bow, as Wilson prepares to transport Kong back to New York.
Kong is loaded into the cargo hold of the supertanker Susanne Onstad, where he is fed with tons of fruit. Both Dwan and Prescott are upset at Kong's treatment, while Kong himself grows increasingly distressed throughout the voyage. One night, Dwan accidentally falls into the cargo hold, only for Kong to catch her. The captain orders the hold to be flooded after Dwan is rescued, but Kong becomes calm and allows Dwan to climb back out. The rest of the voyage goes relatively smoothly, and Kong is prepared to be put on display in New York. Wilson tries to convince Prescott and Dwan to be present at Kong's exhibition, but Prescott refuses and states he will start a fund to return Kong to his island home.
Kong, bound with chrome steel and with a giant crown placed on his head, is put on display in front of a huge crowd. When reporters try to take photographs of Dwan, Kong becomes agitated and breaks free of his bonds. He not only scares away the crowd, but also steps on Wilson, killing him instantly. Dwan runs away and finds Prescott, and they cross the Queensboro Bridge to escape from Kong. Desperately searching for Dwan, Kong destroys a subway train, then simply walks across the water and approaches Manhattan. Dwan and Prescott hide in an abandoned bar, where Prescott sees the World Trade Center, realizing it bears a remarkable resemblance to Kong's lair on the island. Prescott calls the Mayor's office, telling them to allow Kong to climb to the top of the World Trade Center where he can be safely captured. While Prescott makes the call, Kong finds the bar and grabs Dwan, carrying her off to the World Trade Center.
With the National Guard pursuing him, Kong climbs the South Tower and reaches the top. There, he is attacked by soldiers wielding flamethrowers, much to Prescott's dismay. Kong manages to jump to the North Tower, where he throws a gasoline tank at the soldiers, killing them in a fiery explosion. Ignoring Prescott's request to capture Kong with nets, the military sends in helicopters with mounted machine guns to kill him. Realizing the incoming threat, Kong sets Dwan down and holds her back. Dwan begs for Kong to pick her back up, hoping the military will not fire at him if he is holding her. Kong smiles at Dwan, then turns away and faces the helicopters head-on.
The helicopters open fire, riddling Kong with machine gun fire. Despite his grievous injuries, Kong manages to destroy one chopper. Eventually, the machine gun fire is too much, and Kong falls over, bleeding profusely. Sobbing, Dwan approaches Kong. Breathing heavily, Kong rolls off the roof of the North Tower and plummets onto the plaza below. Minutes later, reporters and onlookers have surrounded Kong, while Dwan approaches him. Kong looks at his love one last time before his heart stops beating. Mobbed by reporters, Dwan bursts into tears and calls for Prescott, who is trying to reach her through the crowds, but stops a few steps away, not wanting to be the center of attention that Dwan is surrounded with.
Cast[]
- Jeff Bridges as Jack Prescott
- Charles Grodin as Fred S. Wilson
- Jessica Lange as Dawn
- John Randolph as Captain Ross
- Rene Auberjonois as Roy Bagley
- Ed Lauter as Carnahan
- Julius Harris as Boan
- Jack O'Halloran as Joe Perko
- Dennis Fimple as Sunfish
- Jorge Moreno as Garcia
- Mario Gallo as Timmons
- John Lone as Chinese Cook
- John Agar as City Official
- Sid Conrad as Petrox Chairman
- Keny Long as Ape Masked Man
- Garry Walberg as Army General
- George White as Army Helicopter Pilot
- Wayne Heffley as Air Force Colonel
- Eve McVeagh as Reporter
- Corbin Bernsen as Reporter
- Peter Cullen as King Kong
- Rick Baker as King Kong
- Will Shepard as King Kong