Is 'King Kong' a Racist Movie???

Is KING KONG racist? asks Jim Pinkerton in his Thursday NEWSDAY column.

"Lots of people say it is. And, if it is, why does the film keep getting remade? What does it say about us if the new KONG is a huge hit?"

Pinkerton writes: Any movie that features white people sailing off to the Third World to capture a giant ape and carry it back to the West for exploitation is going to be seen as a metaphor for colonialism and racism. That was true for the original in 1933 and for the two remakes: the campy one in 1976, and the latest, directed by Peter Jackson. (In addition, a KONG wannabe, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, has been made twice.)

Movie reviewer David Edelstein, writing in SLATE, notes the "implicit racism of KING KONG - the implication that Kong stands for the black man brought in chains from a dark island (full of murderous primitive pagans) and with a penchant for skinny white blondes." Indeed, a GOOGLE search using the words "King Kong racism" yielded 490,000 hits.

Comparing the new film with the original, the WASHINGTON POST's Stephen Hunter observed, "It remains a parable of exploitation, cultural self-importance, the arrogance of the West, all issues that were obvious in the original but unexamined; they remain unexamined here, if more vivid."

And by more vivid, Hunter might be referring to the natives of mythical Skull Island, where Kong is discovered. Director Jackson took people of Melanesian stock - the dark-skinned peoples who are indigenous to much of the South Pacific, including Jackson's own country of New Zealand - and made them up to look and act like monsters, more zombie-ish than human. Indeed, one is moved to compare these human devils to the ogre-ish Orcs from Jackson's mega-Oscar LORD OF THE RINGS films. The bad guys are dark, hideous and undifferentiatedly evil.

The Kid Rasta :evil:

 

wow, very observant, something to ponder. now that you mention it

 

Lets not read too much into everything, alright?

 

why, does it bother you if someone uses a critical analysis of pop culture? whats wrong with that? if it turns out to be nothing great, but I think it is worth exploring and discussing.

so, like all other topics, if you dont like them just move on to another one

 

It's quite possible that the original was made to show that white men have a fear of their women being attracted to black men.

 

yes just as birth of the nation was and other kinds of media products. the way they made Jack Johnson, the great boxer to be a raging gorilla in the papers

 

My comment wasn't directed at you Mr 'reed. Flaming is just not my style. You are right though, I haven't been participating a lot on the board these days. I got stuff going on ... (but there are a number of threads I've been meaning to join).

That said, I still think its possible to over-analyse. For example, I've heard some academic (a white man) attempt to find hidden meaning into the song, "I Wanna Be Like You" featured in the Jungle Book (movie). If you remember, the apes sang the song to mowgli (man cub). The academic of which I speak believes the song is intended to mimick the black man, personified by the ape, and his desire to be like a fair skinned boy! I think this is another example of reading too much into stuff. The original Jungle book was written by Rudyard Kipling, and made into screen play by some guys at Disney, but the song "I wanna be like you" was written by The Sherman brothers (two Jewish guys). Even then, I see no grand attempt to dehumanising the black man.

Whatever resemblances we see are mere conincidences, but are hardly seen as such in the racially sensitive world we live in today.

Here endeth my 2 cents.
"Let a thousand flowers bloom, a hundred schools of thought contend" [Mao Tse-Tung]

 

i agree, but we can still explore some of the implications of racial connotations in the visual representation of personification of king kong cant we?

 

Of course, we can. But I hope some of us will not be shot down for saying "I disagree" (with reason)

 

I dont see racism. I see a cool movie.

 

a discussion is about disagreeing sometimes. i dont give to craps one way or another, its a childish movie, i am almost 40, but it is an interesting way to look at the historic creation of this movie and its racist connections.

what do you talk about if you dont like disagreements, cereal boxtops?

 

[quote='Sup.]I dont see racism. I see a cool movie.[/quote]

So far, it's doing very weak business at the box office. Let's hope it tanks like the Titantic -- the ship, not the movie.

The Kid Rasta 8)

 

cereal boxtops? ... LOL ...

 

i agree kid, of all the remakes or movies to write, another one about king kong?? whew, the brain power in hollywood. thats why i do foreign and indie films, the american films cater to the lowest intelligent qoutient

 

I never thought that King Kong is a racist movie, probably because I never thought about black people as more "ape like" than whites. (While I know a "white" man who always reminds me about an ape and it seems like I'm not the only one who is feeling that way ... :lol: )

 

About "black" and the color symbolism, I was always wondering about that. The symbolism and meaning of "black" is almost universal, almost all cultures connect it with death and fear. It's not only a "western" tradition. In hinduism for instance, black symbolizes killing and anger, ancient Egyptians used black to symbolize death and the underworld. Osiris, the king of the underworld for instance, was referred to as "the black one". This kind of color symbolism is as old as mankind, and existed long long before people got the idea to put color labels on humans.

I remember when I watched the movie Malcolm X, the scene when Eljiah told Malcolm about all the negative things the color black is associated with. I thought to myself: So if you know all that, why do you keep on calling yourself black? Why do you keep on embracing a color label, especially if its connected with so many negative things? Why don't you refuse it? That would be a much easier approach than the attempt to change a cross cultural color symbolism which is some thousands of years old.

Well, since movies don't talk, maybe somebody here can answer it?

 

amen, i was wondering if anyone was from the USA and understood the history of race in the world, thanks man

 

What's the difference between....

that animal and....

this one?

If you ask me, they are one and the same. King Kong IS a Black Bull. Here are a few similarities:

1) Say it loud, they're black and they're proud!

2) They will go to extreme lengths to get their hands (or hoofs) on a precious, porcelain princess.

3) White guys love to watch them on film.

4) They have been known to turn out pretty white women.

5) Somewhere down the line, the threesome backfires when someone involved starts feeling insecure.

And King Kong goes to the next level. Just like a black man, he goes to New York and raises hell until he's shot down by the police. The government, the citizens, the media, they all hate him except for the grieving white girl. Was it worth it? You be the judge.

Anyway, Hollywood has a certain fetish for beasts and pretty white chicks. Do you remember the Creature From The Black Lagoon?

The creature kept "taking" the woman until a white guy comes along and puts him in his place....just like he did King Kong!

I hope you guys realize that I'm only joking. :lol:

Peace.
_________
"Back then they didn't want me; now I'm hot, they all on me"

 

man you guys have it, black lagoon, black bull, king kong black ape!! its moral is to keep their WW away from teh dangerous animals

 

thats why we are called studs and black bulls, buck, ox