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King Kong
Introduction by Greg Bear
Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz
The giant prehistoric gorilla King Kong is one of the most recognized images in our culture. So great is the mighty Kong’s hold on the popular imagination that his story–a gripping yarn of man versus nature, coupled with a fantastical update of the Beauty and the Beast legend–has been thrice made into a motion picture (most recently in 2005) and referenced endlessly in every medium, from books to prime-time sitcoms.
Beneath King Kong’s cultural significance, however, is a tense and surprisingly tender story. One cannot help but be frightened by Kong’s uncontrollable fury, be saddened over the giant’s capture, mistreatment, and exploitation by venal showmen, or sympathize with the beast’s ill-fated affection for the down-on-her-luck starlet Ann Darrow.
This Modern Library edition of a true colossus among adventure stories is reprinted from the original 1932 novelization of the movie script, and includes a Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz, the preeminent biographer of Merian C. Cooper, producer of the original 1933 classic film.
Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz
The giant prehistoric gorilla King Kong is one of the most recognized images in our culture. So great is the mighty Kong’s hold on the popular imagination that his story–a gripping yarn of man versus nature, coupled with a fantastical update of the Beauty and the Beast legend–has been thrice made into a motion picture (most recently in 2005) and referenced endlessly in every medium, from books to prime-time sitcoms.
Beneath King Kong’s cultural significance, however, is a tense and surprisingly tender story. One cannot help but be frightened by Kong’s uncontrollable fury, be saddened over the giant’s capture, mistreatment, and exploitation by venal showmen, or sympathize with the beast’s ill-fated affection for the down-on-her-luck starlet Ann Darrow.
This Modern Library edition of a true colossus among adventure stories is reprinted from the original 1932 novelization of the movie script, and includes a Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz, the preeminent biographer of Merian C. Cooper, producer of the original 1933 classic film.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
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874 people want to read
About the author
Delos W. Lovelace
15 books13 followersDelos Wheeler Lovelace (December 2, 1894 – January 17, 1967) was an American novelist who authored the original novelization of the film King Kong (1933) published in 1932 by Grosset & Dunlap, slightly before the film was released. Lovelace was a reporter for the New York Daily News and New York Sun in the 1920s.
He authored some two dozen books, including a biography of football coach Knute Rockne and one of Dwight D. Eisenhower. He co-authored three books with his wife.
He authored some two dozen books, including a biography of football coach Knute Rockne and one of Dwight D. Eisenhower. He co-authored three books with his wife.
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June 10, 2017It seems to me that classics tend to become classics for one of two reasons. The first being that they are incredibly well written novels that become examples of their craft. The second being that they may contain ideas which are universally relevant. I'm not suggesting that a classic cannot be both, for instance Pride and Prejudice is both a social commentary and beautifully written. Yet I believe that one of those two features dominates as to why it is remembered as a classic work of fiction.
In the case of King Kong, the legend of the beastly Kong survives mainly due to the second reason, with the nature of its ideas being greater than the book itself. It reminds me of a similar book by Edgar Rice Burroughs in Tarzan of the Apes, as the idea behind King Kong - that of a savage king of the wild encountering westernised civilisation - is similar. Yet, interestingly, in the case of this classic novel, like with another classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, the book is a novelisation of the film. However, this novelisation was written and released before the movie reached cinema screens.
By now almost everyone in western civilisation knows the basic premise of King Kong. Most people know of how he came from a mysterious island to New York. There are fewer who do not know how he ultimately ends up atop the giant Empire State Building battling planes, the symbol of nature battling the enforcers of civilisation. The image of Kong atop the Empire State Building is one ground into the public consciousness and reinforced by advertisements, films, video games and slogans. This book, like most source material, contains this very legendary story and fleshes it out for the reader who has not yet discovered the entire story.
The writing in this novel is somewhat rough and at times poetic. It is hardly the most artistic writing and yet it has a historical charm about it that speaks of adventure and exotic action. It is a writing style that works in connection with the powerful ideas and the legend of King Kong to provide a fascinating storytelling experience.
As a final note it can be hard not to see the tale of King Kong as a metaphor given the period of history in which it developed. The idea of a creature being taken from its homeland and chained for the amusement of (presumably) white American Broadway attendees and press hints at issues in the consciousness of the time. It hints at the cultural condition of the African-American people and slavery. And yet I would be wary to consider this book as one which endorses and upholds white supremacy as I would be wary to consider the legend of Tarzan in the same way. There can be such an issue as reading too deeply into any narrative. I would also be reluctant to see Kong as a symbol of masculine strength and domination over women (therefore creating a chauvinistic narrative from this text), though an argument could perhaps be made for this.
However, I would consider the tale of Kong as one which considers the idea of western civilisation versus the forces of nature. Kong, the mighty king, can be seen as a force of the wild. An untamed, spirit of nature which is ultimately destroyed by the power of progress and the machines of war. Yet at the same time it is a clearly a reworking of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast, a fairytale referenced often in this book.
Ultimately, the story of Kong is one which is a powerfully symbolic tale. Yet at its heart it is also classic adventure fiction of the best type, full of pulpy writing and characterisation. As such it is a fun read yet hardly the most compelling novel ever written. In this case I sense that the beast within this novel is perhaps greater than the novel itself. A primordial force which cannot be contained by the bounds of literature or film.
In the case of King Kong, the legend of the beastly Kong survives mainly due to the second reason, with the nature of its ideas being greater than the book itself. It reminds me of a similar book by Edgar Rice Burroughs in Tarzan of the Apes, as the idea behind King Kong - that of a savage king of the wild encountering westernised civilisation - is similar. Yet, interestingly, in the case of this classic novel, like with another classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, the book is a novelisation of the film. However, this novelisation was written and released before the movie reached cinema screens.
By now almost everyone in western civilisation knows the basic premise of King Kong. Most people know of how he came from a mysterious island to New York. There are fewer who do not know how he ultimately ends up atop the giant Empire State Building battling planes, the symbol of nature battling the enforcers of civilisation. The image of Kong atop the Empire State Building is one ground into the public consciousness and reinforced by advertisements, films, video games and slogans. This book, like most source material, contains this very legendary story and fleshes it out for the reader who has not yet discovered the entire story.
The writing in this novel is somewhat rough and at times poetic. It is hardly the most artistic writing and yet it has a historical charm about it that speaks of adventure and exotic action. It is a writing style that works in connection with the powerful ideas and the legend of King Kong to provide a fascinating storytelling experience.
As a final note it can be hard not to see the tale of King Kong as a metaphor given the period of history in which it developed. The idea of a creature being taken from its homeland and chained for the amusement of (presumably) white American Broadway attendees and press hints at issues in the consciousness of the time. It hints at the cultural condition of the African-American people and slavery. And yet I would be wary to consider this book as one which endorses and upholds white supremacy as I would be wary to consider the legend of Tarzan in the same way. There can be such an issue as reading too deeply into any narrative. I would also be reluctant to see Kong as a symbol of masculine strength and domination over women (therefore creating a chauvinistic narrative from this text), though an argument could perhaps be made for this.
However, I would consider the tale of Kong as one which considers the idea of western civilisation versus the forces of nature. Kong, the mighty king, can be seen as a force of the wild. An untamed, spirit of nature which is ultimately destroyed by the power of progress and the machines of war. Yet at the same time it is a clearly a reworking of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast, a fairytale referenced often in this book.
Ultimately, the story of Kong is one which is a powerfully symbolic tale. Yet at its heart it is also classic adventure fiction of the best type, full of pulpy writing and characterisation. As such it is a fun read yet hardly the most compelling novel ever written. In this case I sense that the beast within this novel is perhaps greater than the novel itself. A primordial force which cannot be contained by the bounds of literature or film.
August 8, 2014
The most awesome cover of the many editions of King Kong.
I picked up this paperback earlier in the year and probably have the finest quality edition in the world.
And I paid less than $4 for it!
Art by the great Frank Frazetta and a nice version of the story of Kong.
Here's a cool variation of the cover.
And another!
And a wonderful tribute by Frank Cho!
And one more by Frank Cho!
And one last one by an unknown artist for the Bonga comic book!
I guess Frank Frazetta must have been in love with Ann Darrow!
September 20, 2019
The 1933 film is pretty cheesy, but I liked the story well enough. Entertaining plotline, enough action and a bittersweet ending made for a great light weekend read, and I ended up sympathising a lot with the poor gorilla in the end.
August 17, 2017
Признавам си, че тук с мъка ударих дори най-ниската оценка в личната ми гуудрийдс класация. Накратко - дръжте далеч тази "книга" от себе си. Аз, уви, трябваше да се запозная с нея - все пак съм болен букинист, събиращ деветдесетарски неща, ама...
Още в началото на четивото (което има само едно положително качество - краткостта си), излязло през мътната 1991 се уточнява, че е "второ издание", а преводът звучи доста архаично и подозирам, че първото може да е било преди девети, но не откривам инфо по въпроса. Вероятно това е романизирана версия на сценария на филма (от 1933), което пък повдига още въпроси, щото... Едгар Уолъс, нает от идейния двигател на концепцията за гигантската маймуна - некой си Мериан Купър (военен пилот) да напише сценария на филма, умира преди да да успее да приключи текста, а това свършва Рут Роуз, съпруга на некой си Ернст Шодсак, военен оператор и съратник на Купър...
Още в началото на четивото (което има само едно положително качество - краткостта си), излязло през мътната 1991 се уточнява, че е "второ издание", а преводът звучи доста архаично и подозирам, че първото може да е било преди девети, но не откривам инфо по въпроса. Вероятно това е романизирана версия на сценария на филма (от 1933), което пък повдига още въпроси, щото... Едгар Уолъс, нает от идейния двигател на концепцията за гигантската маймуна - некой си Мериан Купър (военен пилот) да напише сценария на филма, умира преди да да успее да приключи текста, а това свършва Рут Роуз, съпруга на некой си Ернст Шодсак, военен оператор и съратник на Купър...
March 7, 2021
I listened to the Audible Audio special edition, with some commentaries at the end by various science fiction celebrities, including Ray Bradbury. I loved the tension when the group arrives at the island and the drums start going and the witch doctor is making his offering to the great beast. I also felt really bad for King Kong having to be brought out of his life where he really didn't harm anyone, to the big city as an attraction. Of course, that didn't end well.
I think this story tells a lot about human nature, protecting the environment, and sacrifice and love. I highly recommend this story for anyone interesting in learning more about any of these issues, or just for a good adventure story.
I think this story tells a lot about human nature, protecting the environment, and sacrifice and love. I highly recommend this story for anyone interesting in learning more about any of these issues, or just for a good adventure story.
April 10, 2017
It's money and adventure and fame! It's the thrill of a lifetime and a long sea voyage and . . .
...some uncomfortable racism?
Okay, King Kong should be pretty well spoilerized by now. Its ending is one of the most iconic scenes in cinema; I just saw it re-enacted in the Cars music video my daughter was watching. If you're reading this, and you haven't seen Kong... go see the 1933 Kong. The only excuse to read the novel first is for the people back in 1932.
So. Kong. Big ape on an island fights dinosaurs, 8th Wonder of the World, the Airplanes got 'em, Beauty killed the Beast, roll credits. Or, as Slate so elegantly said...
Generally, unlike Campbell's Creature From The Black Lagoon adaptation, the novel's the same except for a single big difference.
People. Kong is black.
Yeah, I know, you can probably guess that from endless gorilla documentaries, but I really mean black. The book really wants you to know that Kong is black. "Black paw," "black shape," "black beast-god," yadda yadda yadda. Our heroine's whiteness and blondeness are equally played up.
So, as I did as a kid, you may be able to watch the original Kong and ignore the undertone of "savage jungle male wants white female." It's there, but not as played up as in other examples of the time in film and literature.
Here, it's played up to the point that the story completely changes tones. The 2005 version had a very sympathetic Kong, but even the '33 film had moments where you cheered for Kong. King Kong is renowned as one of the most sympathetic movie monsters in cinema. People feel bad when the big lug falls.
Here? Not so much. As well as ratcheting up the dial of the subtext, the author also takes away any of those moments where Kong endears himself to us. Gone is any empathy with our poor furry schlub, once so much more relatable then the Rhendosaurus or the '54 Gojira. It's much more of a straight two-fisted pulp adventure with a standard 50's American kaiju.
There's a little more of the racism against the native played up too. Okay, the movie has cringeworthy blackface, I know. Still, I don't remember the whole tribe running when the aging ship captain grabs the strong chief's spear and buttstrokes him into unconsciousness with one blow. It would have been a fist-pump moment for many white readers in the thirties, but with the culmulative effect here is just.. ugh.
The writing is good, and it crackles through briskly. In two paragraphs, we get totally logical and concise backstories for Ann and Driscoll. The hellish nature of Skull Island comes through on all cylinders. The New York part is brisk but wonderfully flavorfull.
Also, the introduction on the creation of Kong is worth the price of admission.
Verdict? If you love siding with the ape, you may be disappointed, but it's a great action read as long as you can ignore the barely-subtext from the time it was penned.
...some uncomfortable racism?
Okay, King Kong should be pretty well spoilerized by now. Its ending is one of the most iconic scenes in cinema; I just saw it re-enacted in the Cars music video my daughter was watching. If you're reading this, and you haven't seen Kong... go see the 1933 Kong. The only excuse to read the novel first is for the people back in 1932.
So. Kong. Big ape on an island fights dinosaurs, 8th Wonder of the World, the Airplanes got 'em, Beauty killed the Beast, roll credits. Or, as Slate so elegantly said...
Generally, unlike Campbell's Creature From The Black Lagoon adaptation, the novel's the same except for a single big difference.
People. Kong is black.
Yeah, I know, you can probably guess that from endless gorilla documentaries, but I really mean black. The book really wants you to know that Kong is black. "Black paw," "black shape," "black beast-god," yadda yadda yadda. Our heroine's whiteness and blondeness are equally played up.
So, as I did as a kid, you may be able to watch the original Kong and ignore the undertone of "savage jungle male wants white female." It's there, but not as played up as in other examples of the time in film and literature.
Here, it's played up to the point that the story completely changes tones. The 2005 version had a very sympathetic Kong, but even the '33 film had moments where you cheered for Kong. King Kong is renowned as one of the most sympathetic movie monsters in cinema. People feel bad when the big lug falls.
Here? Not so much. As well as ratcheting up the dial of the subtext, the author also takes away any of those moments where Kong endears himself to us. Gone is any empathy with our poor furry schlub, once so much more relatable then the Rhendosaurus or the '54 Gojira. It's much more of a straight two-fisted pulp adventure with a standard 50's American kaiju.
There's a little more of the racism against the native played up too. Okay, the movie has cringeworthy blackface, I know. Still, I don't remember the whole tribe running when the aging ship captain grabs the strong chief's spear and buttstrokes him into unconsciousness with one blow. It would have been a fist-pump moment for many white readers in the thirties, but with the culmulative effect here is just.. ugh.
The writing is good, and it crackles through briskly. In two paragraphs, we get totally logical and concise backstories for Ann and Driscoll. The hellish nature of Skull Island comes through on all cylinders. The New York part is brisk but wonderfully flavorfull.
Also, the introduction on the creation of Kong is worth the price of admission.
Verdict? If you love siding with the ape, you may be disappointed, but it's a great action read as long as you can ignore the barely-subtext from the time it was penned.
April 4, 2022
Este libro es una novelización de la película del siglo pasado. Tal cual en la película trata sobre un famoso director que quería hacer una película que fuera su legado, que todos la reconocieran como la mejor película por lo que contrata un barco y marineros para inicial un viaje donde grabaría su película, cabe mencionar que antes de iniciar su travesía contrata a una joven rubia muy atractiva para que fuera su actriz principal.
Llegando al destino buscado llamado la isla calavera se topan con un grupo de negros nativos del lugar los cuales al parecer estaban haciendo un sacrificio de una mujer a una entidad que llaman Kong. Estos nativos quedan cautivados por la rubia a la cual raptan durante la noche para sacricarla a Kong. Al hacerse presente esta bestia enorme con aspecto de gorila se lleva a Ann y al igual que nos nativos queda cautivado por la naturaleza exótica que es para el la chica de los cabellos dorados. Es ahí donde inicia la aventura del director y tripulantes del barco por rescatar a la actriz principal.
Me gustó y disfrute la película a pesar de ya saber sé lo que iba, sin embargo el final se me hizo muy insulso, pudieron a ver hecho mucho más.
Llegando al destino buscado llamado la isla calavera se topan con un grupo de negros nativos del lugar los cuales al parecer estaban haciendo un sacrificio de una mujer a una entidad que llaman Kong. Estos nativos quedan cautivados por la rubia a la cual raptan durante la noche para sacricarla a Kong. Al hacerse presente esta bestia enorme con aspecto de gorila se lleva a Ann y al igual que nos nativos queda cautivado por la naturaleza exótica que es para el la chica de los cabellos dorados. Es ahí donde inicia la aventura del director y tripulantes del barco por rescatar a la actriz principal.
Me gustó y disfrute la película a pesar de ya saber sé lo que iba, sin embargo el final se me hizo muy insulso, pudieron a ver hecho mucho más.
August 20, 2019
As I write this review, the Broadway musical version of “King Kong” finished its run last night. Presumably, life will continue on the touring circuit. However, I’m grateful for the show’s run because it was responsible for KING KONG (the novelization of the original screenplay for the 1933 classic film) coming back into print. I recall reading a Bantam Books paperback copy (which I still have) long, long ago when I was in elementary school. But, while the copyright of the motion picture was faithfully renewed, no one ever renewed the copyright of the novelization and it disappeared into the oblivion of OOP books.
Three thoughts came to mind as I started collecting my points for this review:
* It my seem ridiculous, but I need to hide the review because it contains Spoilers. No, there’s nothing Earth-shatteringly new in the book, especially for film fans who have studied the original concept drawings and also knew about the “nasties” lurking in the bottom of the ravine (excised from the original movie). But, I do need to mention the ending. This is quite like needing to hide a review of STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. Yes, folks mostly likely know that the two entities are the same person ... yet, if you don’t, that’s a doozy of a Spoiler.
* The KING KONG novelization received an extra star for extensive nostalgia reasons. The writing is competent, though not great by any means. Yet, KING KONG is a character who has sparked the imaginations of Monster Kids for over 80-years (as of this writing). Such an icon readily deserves an extra star.
* Although KING KONG is a classic that still enthralls, I have always had a very difficult time watching it because of Kong’s death at the Empire State Building. (There’s the Spoiler.) The filmmakers really gave their tiny model a wonderful personality, and I’m always very saddened when the fighter planes shoot him down. He has the same fate in this book, and I dreaded my approach to the ending. I suppose that’s why I’m a bigger fan of MIGHTY JOE YOUNG even though KING KONG is the better movie.
In addition to the famous excised ravine scene with the sailor-munching giant spiders and lizards, Ann Darrow is a bit pluckier in the book version. The Reader also learns more about her backstory.
The novelization does omit my favorite dialogue exchange from the movie as a Man and a Woman sit in the theater waiting for the display of Kong:
WOMAN: Say, what is it, anyhow?
MAN: I hear it’s a kind of gorilla.
WOMAN (as another theater patron pushes past her without apology): Gee, ain’t we got enough of them in New York?
KING KONG is a remarkably short read. Its charm is in recalling the film ... and there were plenty of exciting moments when those classic memories lit up my mind.
Three thoughts came to mind as I started collecting my points for this review:
* It my seem ridiculous, but I need to hide the review because it contains Spoilers. No, there’s nothing Earth-shatteringly new in the book, especially for film fans who have studied the original concept drawings and also knew about the “nasties” lurking in the bottom of the ravine (excised from the original movie). But, I do need to mention the ending. This is quite like needing to hide a review of STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. Yes, folks mostly likely know that the two entities are the same person ... yet, if you don’t, that’s a doozy of a Spoiler.
* The KING KONG novelization received an extra star for extensive nostalgia reasons. The writing is competent, though not great by any means. Yet, KING KONG is a character who has sparked the imaginations of Monster Kids for over 80-years (as of this writing). Such an icon readily deserves an extra star.
* Although KING KONG is a classic that still enthralls, I have always had a very difficult time watching it because of Kong’s death at the Empire State Building. (There’s the Spoiler.) The filmmakers really gave their tiny model a wonderful personality, and I’m always very saddened when the fighter planes shoot him down. He has the same fate in this book, and I dreaded my approach to the ending. I suppose that’s why I’m a bigger fan of MIGHTY JOE YOUNG even though KING KONG is the better movie.
In addition to the famous excised ravine scene with the sailor-munching giant spiders and lizards, Ann Darrow is a bit pluckier in the book version. The Reader also learns more about her backstory.
The novelization does omit my favorite dialogue exchange from the movie as a Man and a Woman sit in the theater waiting for the display of Kong:
WOMAN: Say, what is it, anyhow?
MAN: I hear it’s a kind of gorilla.
WOMAN (as another theater patron pushes past her without apology): Gee, ain’t we got enough of them in New York?
KING KONG is a remarkably short read. Its charm is in recalling the film ... and there were plenty of exciting moments when those classic memories lit up my mind.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2017
Excellent. Although it’s a novelization, this book is an accomplishment unto itself. If read alongside Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World and Edgar Rice Burroughs’s The Land That Time Forgot, King Kong shoulders up with those classics. In terms of the cohesive, crisp storyline, and vivid descriptions, King Kong is better than The Land Time Forgot. In terms of sharply drawn characters like Denham and Kong himself, King Kong competes with The Lost World's marvelous Professor Challenger. Where King Kong surpasses them both is imbuing the monster with a mysterious mix of menace and majesty as opposed to Doyle and Burroughs’s (and later Crichton’s) parade of nameless, faceless dinosaurs.
Delos Lovelace has a charming way with words. I was floored to read that he had a journalism background, because I associate newspaper writers with effective but colorless prose. Lovelace uses artful but very natural expressions to convey nuanced ideas economically.
Also, the style is strikingly contemporary. It is vivid and Lovelace is always “showing not telling.” He did everything in 1932 that writers in 2017 are told they must do if they want to be published.
Ann Darrow doesn’t become a damsel in distress until after her first abduction. Prior to that, it was fun to read about her and get a better feel for the strength of her character especially during the journey to Skull Mountain Island. Denham calls her the pluckiest girl he’s ever known, and she does come across that way. She’s a great, spunky character with a mix of Depression-era hunger and assertive femininity.
There are few differences between the movie and the novelization. The book describes more about what Denham sees in Ann Darrow’s potential. It also provides more details of Driscoll’s pursuit of Ann up Skull Mountain, and we get deeper look at their burgeoning romance as they float downriver during a longer getaway scene from Kong. The movie has a couple of scenes the book doesn’t, like Kong’s fierce attack against the islanders’ village and his derailing of a train in New York.
For those who find the special effects in the King Kong movie to be dated or hokey, no worries here with the book. The images it will conjure in your mind are very real.
Delos Lovelace has a charming way with words. I was floored to read that he had a journalism background, because I associate newspaper writers with effective but colorless prose. Lovelace uses artful but very natural expressions to convey nuanced ideas economically.
Also, the style is strikingly contemporary. It is vivid and Lovelace is always “showing not telling.” He did everything in 1932 that writers in 2017 are told they must do if they want to be published.
Ann Darrow doesn’t become a damsel in distress until after her first abduction. Prior to that, it was fun to read about her and get a better feel for the strength of her character especially during the journey to Skull Mountain Island. Denham calls her the pluckiest girl he’s ever known, and she does come across that way. She’s a great, spunky character with a mix of Depression-era hunger and assertive femininity.
There are few differences between the movie and the novelization. The book describes more about what Denham sees in Ann Darrow’s potential. It also provides more details of Driscoll’s pursuit of Ann up Skull Mountain, and we get deeper look at their burgeoning romance as they float downriver during a longer getaway scene from Kong. The movie has a couple of scenes the book doesn’t, like Kong’s fierce attack against the islanders’ village and his derailing of a train in New York.
For those who find the special effects in the King Kong movie to be dated or hokey, no worries here with the book. The images it will conjure in your mind are very real.
March 8, 2021
This was bad.
Sure it had it's moments, but they were a few, like.. two.. and it's not a book book. It reads like a script book and that's bad bad.
You're better off watching the movie!
This book is NOT better than the movie.
Sure it had it's moments, but they were a few, like.. two.. and it's not a book book. It reads like a script book and that's bad bad.
You're better off watching the movie!
This book is NOT better than the movie.
April 25, 2024
This was a fun audiobook - Stefan Rudnicki has a fantastic voice! Looking forward to rewatching the original 1933 movie with its fun stop-motion and cheesy effects. :) 3.5 rounded up
December 9, 2019
The simple tale of a complicated plan gone amuck.
If you pull the racism out of King Kong--and it is racist--and update the science, you end up with Jurassic Park. A well-told pulp tale told with perfect control in the novelization of a movie, so perfect that I went, "Wait, the movie came first? Not this???"
Don't screw around with evolution, kids.
Recommended for lovers of pulp fiction.
If you pull the racism out of King Kong--and it is racist--and update the science, you end up with Jurassic Park. A well-told pulp tale told with perfect control in the novelization of a movie, so perfect that I went, "Wait, the movie came first? Not this???"
Don't screw around with evolution, kids.
Recommended for lovers of pulp fiction.
March 14, 2017
Without doubt, this is one of the finest movie novelizations ever written. In a genre of literature that is so often a cash grab in modern times, 1932's King Kong by mystery writer Delos W. Lovelace is a cut above the rest.
If you've seen the movie, you know the story: reckless film director Denham has a map to a lost island, and he wants to go and film a movie there. Bowing to public pressure to have a female love interest, he hires out of work Ann Darrow, and they set off for the island aboard the Wanderer. Ann falls in love with the ship's hunky first mate, Jack Driscoll. Upon arriving at the isle, the gang discovers it is inhabited by natives who worship a huge gorilla named Kong. The natives kidnap Ann and give her to Kong as a sacrifice, forcing Denham and Driscoll to lead a rescue party to try and get her back...
Based on earlier drafts of James Creelman and Ruth Rose's scripts, Lovelace's book contains numerous differences from the complete film. Some are cosmetic, such as renaming the Venture the Wanderer. There's a few wholesale character substitutions (instead of a Chinese cook named Charlie, we get a salty old seadog named Lumpy), and entire scenes that didn't make it into the film, including the infamous spider pit as well as a scene where Kong fights a group of triceratops in a morass of molten asphalt (!).
Some of the slang and word usage is dated, particularly Lovelace's use of "ejaculate" to mean "shout" or "yell."
The 2005 Modern Library edition(s) is probably the best version to get. Not only is it a more recent printing, but it contains both an introduction by Merian C. Cooper biographer Mark Cotta Vaz and a preface by Greg Bear. Both contain a lot of interesting information about author Lovelace and the writing of the book. Unfortunately if I have one complaint about this edition, it's that the information about the author is buried amidst the usual regurgitated stories about the making of the movie and focuses way too much on the two men it shouldn't: Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace.
Cooper, obviously, has a lot to do with King Kong, as Kong was his idea and he was the only who paid Lovelace to write the book, but since this is supposed to be about the novelization, which he did not write, the lengthy passages about him are just filler. And I've never understood why Wallace is discussed so often in connection to King Kong. He wrote one draft, which Cooper hated and didn't use, and he was only ever credited to add prestige. Now that Kong has established itself as a pop culture staple, it has no further need of the boost given to it by attaching Wallace's name, so I don't get why publishing companies keep listing him on the front cover along with Cooper and Lovelace. All I can figure is it must be for the same reason George Lucas keeps being credited as the Star Wars novelization's author, despite his own admission it was Alan Dean Foster - namely, that who is credited and how is tied up in the publishing rights.
But they get "About the Author" sections in back and Lovelace doesn't. heck, Greg Bear (!!!) gets an "About the Author" bit and not Lovelace. I'd say I've never seen such contempt for the person who wrote a novel based on someone else's idea, but I'd be lying; that'd be the Joe DeVito and Brad Strickland wholesale rewrite of Lovelace's book which mentions him not one single time despite borriwing passages from his novelization verbatim. At least here, Lovelace is mentioned, discussed and credited.
It's ironic that Bear mentions in his preface that movie novelizations are often ghostwritten and published under the director or screenwriter's name because "naive audiences need to believe that a film and everything connected to it come from a single creative mind," when the Modern Library only helps perpetuate this belief by crediting Cooper (who only commissioned the book) and Wallace (who had nothing to do with it) ahead of the actual author. Oh well.
If you've seen the movie, you know the story: reckless film director Denham has a map to a lost island, and he wants to go and film a movie there. Bowing to public pressure to have a female love interest, he hires out of work Ann Darrow, and they set off for the island aboard the Wanderer. Ann falls in love with the ship's hunky first mate, Jack Driscoll. Upon arriving at the isle, the gang discovers it is inhabited by natives who worship a huge gorilla named Kong. The natives kidnap Ann and give her to Kong as a sacrifice, forcing Denham and Driscoll to lead a rescue party to try and get her back...
Based on earlier drafts of James Creelman and Ruth Rose's scripts, Lovelace's book contains numerous differences from the complete film. Some are cosmetic, such as renaming the Venture the Wanderer. There's a few wholesale character substitutions (instead of a Chinese cook named Charlie, we get a salty old seadog named Lumpy), and entire scenes that didn't make it into the film, including the infamous spider pit as well as a scene where Kong fights a group of triceratops in a morass of molten asphalt (!).
Some of the slang and word usage is dated, particularly Lovelace's use of "ejaculate" to mean "shout" or "yell."
The 2005 Modern Library edition(s) is probably the best version to get. Not only is it a more recent printing, but it contains both an introduction by Merian C. Cooper biographer Mark Cotta Vaz and a preface by Greg Bear. Both contain a lot of interesting information about author Lovelace and the writing of the book. Unfortunately if I have one complaint about this edition, it's that the information about the author is buried amidst the usual regurgitated stories about the making of the movie and focuses way too much on the two men it shouldn't: Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace.
Cooper, obviously, has a lot to do with King Kong, as Kong was his idea and he was the only who paid Lovelace to write the book, but since this is supposed to be about the novelization, which he did not write, the lengthy passages about him are just filler. And I've never understood why Wallace is discussed so often in connection to King Kong. He wrote one draft, which Cooper hated and didn't use, and he was only ever credited to add prestige. Now that Kong has established itself as a pop culture staple, it has no further need of the boost given to it by attaching Wallace's name, so I don't get why publishing companies keep listing him on the front cover along with Cooper and Lovelace. All I can figure is it must be for the same reason George Lucas keeps being credited as the Star Wars novelization's author, despite his own admission it was Alan Dean Foster - namely, that who is credited and how is tied up in the publishing rights.
But they get "About the Author" sections in back and Lovelace doesn't. heck, Greg Bear (!!!) gets an "About the Author" bit and not Lovelace. I'd say I've never seen such contempt for the person who wrote a novel based on someone else's idea, but I'd be lying; that'd be the Joe DeVito and Brad Strickland wholesale rewrite of Lovelace's book which mentions him not one single time despite borriwing passages from his novelization verbatim. At least here, Lovelace is mentioned, discussed and credited.
It's ironic that Bear mentions in his preface that movie novelizations are often ghostwritten and published under the director or screenwriter's name because "naive audiences need to believe that a film and everything connected to it come from a single creative mind," when the Modern Library only helps perpetuate this belief by crediting Cooper (who only commissioned the book) and Wallace (who had nothing to do with it) ahead of the actual author. Oh well.
October 17, 2014
Perhaps among the imaginary giant characters I am more familiar with, King Kong stands out among them. I can see his replicas in toy stores (And for sure you can even come across him in Universal Studios). I can play him on video games. I can read him in comics. I can see him making fun of children as a mascot at birthday parties. He could scare the living day lights out of me in a haunted house at an amusement park or even on Halloween day. Above all, he could make an antagonistic cameo appearance in fantasy dramas or movies. He can be famous in any situations. Thanks to its movie adaptation, he is now immortal. For sure, he will be borne upon in the mind of the next generation since it is said to have another movie remake.
I have seen its 2005 movie remake and I enjoyed it a bunch. Comparatively, having watched its movie adaptation gave me the ideas of the plots and settings. However, nothing beats the book. It gave me more clear description and narration. Imagining King Kong gave me the creeps. Also, I could feel the atmosphere of the unchartered, far-flung Kong Island. I could feel the breath-taking hue and cry among the characters.
Although I am now a young adult and I no longer believe in fantasy, I still find it fascinating. King Kong is a downright strange, far-fetched creature. Something or someone unusual can get my attention. Besides, the theory of poor old Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is instilled in me. So a confluence of questions popped into my head. Pop! How if there were such a gigantic monkey? Gee whiz!
Granted that it is a fantasy, Cooper seems to have made a botch of , or to put it bluntly, to have monkeyed around with some settings. He must have intended to leave us readers hanging, turning over the questions such as: How long does it take the main characters to get to Kong Island? How do they manage to load King Kong onto a ship back to New York? Hehehe Even a genius kindergarten could call it into a question.
In the end, it just occurred to me that we, the said highest mammal on this planet, would be defensive against another species superior to us. It would be a big, big threat. Figuratively speaking, King Kong resembles some hot issues today such as the advanced robotics, nations with big economy, nuclear deterrent, etc.
Admittedly, I am still completely flummoxed by some latent meanings of this book. Obviously, the themes have something to do with survival, lost civilization, dominance of human to animals….But the book gives emphasis on the Beauty and the Beast. King Kong represents The Beast who will fall for Anne Darrow as the Beauty. At the end of the story, Danhem bragged before the news reporters that, “It’s the Beauty killed the Beast…” What do you think Danhem means?
I worried that I would not enjoy it since I have seen its movie; it could be kitsch; it could have been just a product of a child’s imagination. Also, the passages must be awash with low standards of languages. Not bad. It is still a classic everyone should not underestimate. Merian Cooper had somehow what it took to be a fantasy-adventure writer.
I’m looking forward to its most-awaiting movie remake since we have now ultramodern media production ^^
I have seen its 2005 movie remake and I enjoyed it a bunch. Comparatively, having watched its movie adaptation gave me the ideas of the plots and settings. However, nothing beats the book. It gave me more clear description and narration. Imagining King Kong gave me the creeps. Also, I could feel the atmosphere of the unchartered, far-flung Kong Island. I could feel the breath-taking hue and cry among the characters.
Although I am now a young adult and I no longer believe in fantasy, I still find it fascinating. King Kong is a downright strange, far-fetched creature. Something or someone unusual can get my attention. Besides, the theory of poor old Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is instilled in me. So a confluence of questions popped into my head. Pop! How if there were such a gigantic monkey? Gee whiz!
Granted that it is a fantasy, Cooper seems to have made a botch of , or to put it bluntly, to have monkeyed around with some settings. He must have intended to leave us readers hanging, turning over the questions such as: How long does it take the main characters to get to Kong Island? How do they manage to load King Kong onto a ship back to New York? Hehehe Even a genius kindergarten could call it into a question.
In the end, it just occurred to me that we, the said highest mammal on this planet, would be defensive against another species superior to us. It would be a big, big threat. Figuratively speaking, King Kong resembles some hot issues today such as the advanced robotics, nations with big economy, nuclear deterrent, etc.
Admittedly, I am still completely flummoxed by some latent meanings of this book. Obviously, the themes have something to do with survival, lost civilization, dominance of human to animals….But the book gives emphasis on the Beauty and the Beast. King Kong represents The Beast who will fall for Anne Darrow as the Beauty. At the end of the story, Danhem bragged before the news reporters that, “It’s the Beauty killed the Beast…” What do you think Danhem means?
I worried that I would not enjoy it since I have seen its movie; it could be kitsch; it could have been just a product of a child’s imagination. Also, the passages must be awash with low standards of languages. Not bad. It is still a classic everyone should not underestimate. Merian Cooper had somehow what it took to be a fantasy-adventure writer.
I’m looking forward to its most-awaiting movie remake since we have now ultramodern media production ^^
April 25, 2018
I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed this novelization of King Kong, the classic movie from 1933. Of course, unless you were born under a rock, this is the story of how Carl Denhem, a movie producer in the 30s, seeks out the legend of Kong based on a map and story he received from a Norwegian sailor. He travels on a steamer to Skull Island along with his mate, Jack Driscoll, and Ann Darrow, the young woman he finds on the streets of New York who he wants to play the lead in the story of the adventure. And when they do get to Skull Island, Ann is captured by the colossal prehistoric gorilla King Kong. And of course, Kong is subsequently subdued and brought to New York as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" where in the end "Beauty killed the Beast."
This edition was published by Modern Library and included a preface by Mark Cotta Vaz and an introduction by Greg Bear, the science fiction author. These additional 30 pages added a lot to the book. The preface tells how Kong came to be and tells the story of Merian C. Cooper who produced the film. It also gives some good information on how the film was made including the use of stop-action filming using miniature models of Kong and the dinosaurs in the movie. The introduction tells more about the novelization of the film and why many movies get novelized. It also described some of the differences between the movie and the book. The book was actually issued a few months before the release of the movie and some of it was based on earlier scripts that were changed during the filming. For example, there is one scene in the book where the heroes were chased onto a log over a pit full of large spiders and lizards which ultimately got to feast on the dying sailors. A similar scene was evidently filmed but was cut after the first preview because it scared the audience into screaming fits! The original issue of the book published by Grosset & Dunlap is quite rare as well. I've seen copies of it on eBay going for hundreds of dollars.
This edition was published by Modern Library and included a preface by Mark Cotta Vaz and an introduction by Greg Bear, the science fiction author. These additional 30 pages added a lot to the book. The preface tells how Kong came to be and tells the story of Merian C. Cooper who produced the film. It also gives some good information on how the film was made including the use of stop-action filming using miniature models of Kong and the dinosaurs in the movie. The introduction tells more about the novelization of the film and why many movies get novelized. It also described some of the differences between the movie and the book. The book was actually issued a few months before the release of the movie and some of it was based on earlier scripts that were changed during the filming. For example, there is one scene in the book where the heroes were chased onto a log over a pit full of large spiders and lizards which ultimately got to feast on the dying sailors. A similar scene was evidently filmed but was cut after the first preview because it scared the audience into screaming fits! The original issue of the book published by Grosset & Dunlap is quite rare as well. I've seen copies of it on eBay going for hundreds of dollars.
January 16, 2023
This one was a pretty great disappointment. After finishing Jurassic Park, I thought, perhaps, some of these older adventure books would be great to revisit, but this one was a bit too old, I think. One of my greatest frustrations was the way that they wrote women and the way the characters treated women. The writing style reminded me of The Great Gadsby, where a woman might be physically assaulted in public, and nobody does anything but blame the woman.
The only female character was chosen for her looks and found on the street. The photographer helped smooth out a misunderstanding with a street vendor by bribing him, so she fainted in relief and was caught by the photographer [insert huge eye roll here]. When the islanders wanted to trade her for six of their women, she was flattered and started flipping her hair about [smaller eye roll]. And when the islanders came and kidnapped her during the night, she thought to herself that screaming wouldn't help anyway, so she was just taken away without a struggle [sigh].
Now, separate to these feminine portrayals, I also felt that there were super lazy plot lines. When the crew came upon this island that no one knew existed, that has ancient creatures including dinosaurs, they also found people. When a ceremony was stopped and the chief and witch doctor came over to the crew (after apparently never seeing white people before), one of the crew members called out, "What luck! I know this language." And that was that. Easy peasy. They were able to communicate with no issues and no misunderstandings.
Another example is when the crew decided to capture King Kong. This is essentially how it went:
"Someone grab me some chains."
"But he's too big for chains."
"Well, there's one thing a man can teach any animal."
"What's that?"
"Fear. Even if the chains don't hold, fear will keep him down."
And then we skip to the opening night of the show ...
Like I said, overall, this was just a giant disappointment.
The only female character was chosen for her looks and found on the street. The photographer helped smooth out a misunderstanding with a street vendor by bribing him, so she fainted in relief and was caught by the photographer [insert huge eye roll here]. When the islanders wanted to trade her for six of their women, she was flattered and started flipping her hair about [smaller eye roll]. And when the islanders came and kidnapped her during the night, she thought to herself that screaming wouldn't help anyway, so she was just taken away without a struggle [sigh].
Now, separate to these feminine portrayals, I also felt that there were super lazy plot lines. When the crew came upon this island that no one knew existed, that has ancient creatures including dinosaurs, they also found people. When a ceremony was stopped and the chief and witch doctor came over to the crew (after apparently never seeing white people before), one of the crew members called out, "What luck! I know this language." And that was that. Easy peasy. They were able to communicate with no issues and no misunderstandings.
Another example is when the crew decided to capture King Kong. This is essentially how it went:
"Someone grab me some chains."
"But he's too big for chains."
"Well, there's one thing a man can teach any animal."
"What's that?"
"Fear. Even if the chains don't hold, fear will keep him down."
And then we skip to the opening night of the show ...
Like I said, overall, this was just a giant disappointment.
April 21, 2016
No soy muy fanático de las novelizaciones, aunque esta, está bastante bien, es prácticamente la película de 1933 plasmada en el libro. Es una lectura bastante ágil, sin vueltas ni detalles pesados. De hecho peca un poco en este sentido, ya que me hubiese gustado que profundice un poco más en algunas cosas y que se tome ciertas libertades para hacer la historia un poco mas "completa". Aún así, es bastante entretenido y es una novelita que puede leerse solo en un par de días. Le bajo dos estrellas, la primera es porque si bien, es de fácil lectura, no termina de gustarme del todo la "mano" del autor, el periodista Delos Lovelace, y porque me hubiese gustado que profundice mas en otros aspectos, como la construcción de los personajes y ciertos apartados descriptivos de la historia. Y la última estrella que le tuve que bajar, fué por el cierre abrupto de la novela, considero que podría haberse extendido varias paginas más y generar una desenlace final mas enriquecedor, daba para mucho más. Igualmente recomiendo leerla, es entretenida, ágil y está llena de recuerdos del clásico film.
June 15, 2024
Seriously, how good do you think a film novelization in the early 1930s is going to be? If you enjoyed the original Kong and you like old-school adventures, you'll have fun with this. If you don't, then don't bother. I'm a huge Kong fan, and I enjoyed it immensely.
Incidentally, this wasn't the first film novelization, though it was probably the first for a talkie. There were previous novelizations of London After Midnight (1927) and Les Vampires (1915).
Incidentally, this wasn't the first film novelization, though it was probably the first for a talkie. There were previous novelizations of London After Midnight (1927) and Les Vampires (1915).
February 6, 2016
I didn't know a book had been written from the screenplay but it very well done. A nice fast read that comes across as a timeless tale set in any era. Great afternoon read. Very recommended
November 13, 2019
If you can turn a blind eye to prehistoric gender roles, sexism and bad writing you may enjoy this classic damsel-in-distress tale.
February 19, 2025
Knjiga je novelizacija scenarija za film King Kong iz 1933. godine. Lavlejs je napisao roman u klasičnom pulp stilu tog vremena, sa puno akcije i avanture. Priča o King Kongu je postala kultna, a knjiga je klasičan primer tropa „lepotica i zver“.
Objavljena 1932. godine, knjiga odražava stil pisanja i društvene stavove tog doba. Iako pomno prati zaplet filma, knjiga omogućava detaljnije opise i unutrašnje misli likova. Ovo vam može dati bolje razumevanje njihovih motiva i teme priče. Iako je ovo prvenstveno avanturistička priča, knjiga se dotiče i tema kolonijalizma, eksploatacije prirode i sukoba između civilizacije i divljine. Ove teme su bile relevantne 1930-ih i nastavljaju da odjekuju kod čitalaca danas.
Moram priznati da mi se film ipak više dopao. Nekako je to bio drugačiji i u neku ruku jači utisak u odnosu na knjigu. Knjiga je naravno i sama vrlo dobra, zbog čega je i stekla status kultne knjige. Zbog ove knjige potekle su mnoge ideje, što je takođe bitno. Falilo mi je ovde još bar pedesetak stranica, gde bi pre svega bilo više opisa i fokusa na nekim drugim stvarima. Naravno, knjiga je pisana u skladu sa vremenom, pa je razumljivo što nisam u potpunosti zadovoljan.
I knjiga i film pričaju ubedljivu priču o sukobu prirode i civilizacije, privlačnosti nepoznatog i tragičnim posledicama straha i nerazumevanja.
Tu je na kraju i jadni King Kong koji na silu biva odvojen od svog doma, samo da bi postao još jedna žrtva moderne civilizacije.
Bez obzira da li vas privlači književni stil knjige ili bioskopski spektakl filma, priča o King Kongu nudi bezvremensko istraživanje ljudske prirode i našeg odnosa sa svetom oko nas. Knjiga je kratka i odlična za vikend čitanje. Preporuka za ljubitelje ovakvih dela.
Objavljena 1932. godine, knjiga odražava stil pisanja i društvene stavove tog doba. Iako pomno prati zaplet filma, knjiga omogućava detaljnije opise i unutrašnje misli likova. Ovo vam može dati bolje razumevanje njihovih motiva i teme priče. Iako je ovo prvenstveno avanturistička priča, knjiga se dotiče i tema kolonijalizma, eksploatacije prirode i sukoba između civilizacije i divljine. Ove teme su bile relevantne 1930-ih i nastavljaju da odjekuju kod čitalaca danas.
Moram priznati da mi se film ipak više dopao. Nekako je to bio drugačiji i u neku ruku jači utisak u odnosu na knjigu. Knjiga je naravno i sama vrlo dobra, zbog čega je i stekla status kultne knjige. Zbog ove knjige potekle su mnoge ideje, što je takođe bitno. Falilo mi je ovde još bar pedesetak stranica, gde bi pre svega bilo više opisa i fokusa na nekim drugim stvarima. Naravno, knjiga je pisana u skladu sa vremenom, pa je razumljivo što nisam u potpunosti zadovoljan.
I knjiga i film pričaju ubedljivu priču o sukobu prirode i civilizacije, privlačnosti nepoznatog i tragičnim posledicama straha i nerazumevanja.
Tu je na kraju i jadni King Kong koji na silu biva odvojen od svog doma, samo da bi postao još jedna žrtva moderne civilizacije.
Bez obzira da li vas privlači književni stil knjige ili bioskopski spektakl filma, priča o King Kongu nudi bezvremensko istraživanje ljudske prirode i našeg odnosa sa svetom oko nas. Knjiga je kratka i odlična za vikend čitanje. Preporuka za ljubitelje ovakvih dela.
June 27, 2019
King Kong is one of the most recognizable names and images in America. He’s inspired movies, novels, comic books and more. I first became aware of him through a cartoon when I was four years old—but rather than be scary that Kong was taking care of a young boy. Since then I seem to run into him everywhere and so it was with a great deal of interest that I decided to read this novelization of the original movie.
Kong quite understandably overshadows the whole book even though he doesn’t make his first appearance until halfway through the novel. The tension builds well as Denham leads his cast out into the middle of the ocean in search of something new and exotic that he can film. He finds an isolated island he’s heard rumors of. There a great wall protects the natives from some unknown threat and adds to the sense of suspense as we, the readers, recognize that the westerners have no idea what they are getting into. They are so wonderfully confident—even after they see Kong—and so woefully unprepared for the horrors of nature unleashed on this island out of time.
Of course, the heart of the story quickly becomes Kong and Ann Darrow. This is always described as Kong falling in love with Darrow (and certainly that’s the position of Denham terming it “Beauty and the Beast”) but I didn’t feel like the evidence in the novel supported that position. My reading was that Kong was absolutely fascinated by Darrow’s hair and pale skin and the texture of her clothes—so unlike anything he had experienced before. She was akin to a new favorite pet or toy to him, and perhaps he would have quickly tired of her. We’ll never find out for certain because Jack rescues her, but I think this is a more likely conclusion than the rather absurd notion that Kong has fallen in love as if Darrow were a potential mate.
The brilliance of this novel is that there is a complete juxtaposition of hero and villain by the end of the story. Denham who was so brave in leading his men to rescue Darrow becomes a monster, torturing Kong to break his will and turn him into a sort of circus spectacle. As he does so, Kong becomes the underdog we want to escape and be free again. The fact that we know that’s not going to happen only makes the story more tragic. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this tale.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
Kong quite understandably overshadows the whole book even though he doesn’t make his first appearance until halfway through the novel. The tension builds well as Denham leads his cast out into the middle of the ocean in search of something new and exotic that he can film. He finds an isolated island he’s heard rumors of. There a great wall protects the natives from some unknown threat and adds to the sense of suspense as we, the readers, recognize that the westerners have no idea what they are getting into. They are so wonderfully confident—even after they see Kong—and so woefully unprepared for the horrors of nature unleashed on this island out of time.
Of course, the heart of the story quickly becomes Kong and Ann Darrow. This is always described as Kong falling in love with Darrow (and certainly that’s the position of Denham terming it “Beauty and the Beast”) but I didn’t feel like the evidence in the novel supported that position. My reading was that Kong was absolutely fascinated by Darrow’s hair and pale skin and the texture of her clothes—so unlike anything he had experienced before. She was akin to a new favorite pet or toy to him, and perhaps he would have quickly tired of her. We’ll never find out for certain because Jack rescues her, but I think this is a more likely conclusion than the rather absurd notion that Kong has fallen in love as if Darrow were a potential mate.
The brilliance of this novel is that there is a complete juxtaposition of hero and villain by the end of the story. Denham who was so brave in leading his men to rescue Darrow becomes a monster, torturing Kong to break his will and turn him into a sort of circus spectacle. As he does so, Kong becomes the underdog we want to escape and be free again. The fact that we know that’s not going to happen only makes the story more tragic. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this tale.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
August 2, 2024
3.75
Król Wyspy Czaszek doczekał się historii wydanej w papierze. Co prawda, potężna ta książka nie jest, bo nazwałabym te 250 stron raczej książeczką, jednak.. jest? Jest! Jeśli nie znacie sytuacji, to pozwólcie, że powiem kilka słów o tej oto historii.
Devos W. Lovelace napisał powieść na zlecenie amerykańskiego filmowca, Coopera i zgodnie z jego wizją scenariusza, choć w paru miejscach różni się ona od filmu. Sam King Kong stworzony został w 1933 roku, ale później jeszcze wiele razy witał na wielkim ekranie, choć już w wersji mniej lub bardziej odbiegającej od pierwowzoru.
Przechodząc już do mojej oceny, powiem wam, że moje oczka zaświeciły się już jak dostałam tę książkę w rączki, bo jest ona pięknie wydana!! Żółto-pomarańczowe połączenie kolorystyczne cudownie zgrywa się z twardą oprawą. Duża czcionka i mniej tekstu na stronie przyspiesza czytanie i uwierzcie mi, to jest lektura na jedno posiedzenie. Nawet nie zauważycie, że już z nią skończyliście. Historia jest bardzo zgrabna i dość krótka, więc szczerze nie dziwie się, że później filmowcy dodawali co nieco od siebie. Niby jest to typowy akcyjniak i nie powinnam wymagać wiele, ale nadal pokuszę się o stwierdzenie, że postaci mogłyby być wyraźniejsze, a relacje między nimi głębsze. Ostatecznie pozostało trochę niedosytu 🙁 Samej wielkiej małpy też mogłoby być więcej, bo jednak książka to “King Kong”, a nie “ucieczka przed małą, której nawet nie widzimy”.
Zdecydowanie pozytywnie mogą was zaskoczyć zmiany perspektyw, były dość niespodziewane, ale wprowadziły urozmaicenie. Żeby się przekonać o jakich zmianach konkretnie mówię, to już musicie przeczytać książkę, aby się dowiedzieć. Ode mnie o Kongu na dzisiaj to tyle, ale może jeszcze kiedyś napiszę tu coś o potworach, bo ta tematyka jest bardzo bliska mojemu sercu!
Król Wyspy Czaszek doczekał się historii wydanej w papierze. Co prawda, potężna ta książka nie jest, bo nazwałabym te 250 stron raczej książeczką, jednak.. jest? Jest! Jeśli nie znacie sytuacji, to pozwólcie, że powiem kilka słów o tej oto historii.
Devos W. Lovelace napisał powieść na zlecenie amerykańskiego filmowca, Coopera i zgodnie z jego wizją scenariusza, choć w paru miejscach różni się ona od filmu. Sam King Kong stworzony został w 1933 roku, ale później jeszcze wiele razy witał na wielkim ekranie, choć już w wersji mniej lub bardziej odbiegającej od pierwowzoru.
Przechodząc już do mojej oceny, powiem wam, że moje oczka zaświeciły się już jak dostałam tę książkę w rączki, bo jest ona pięknie wydana!! Żółto-pomarańczowe połączenie kolorystyczne cudownie zgrywa się z twardą oprawą. Duża czcionka i mniej tekstu na stronie przyspiesza czytanie i uwierzcie mi, to jest lektura na jedno posiedzenie. Nawet nie zauważycie, że już z nią skończyliście. Historia jest bardzo zgrabna i dość krótka, więc szczerze nie dziwie się, że później filmowcy dodawali co nieco od siebie. Niby jest to typowy akcyjniak i nie powinnam wymagać wiele, ale nadal pokuszę się o stwierdzenie, że postaci mogłyby być wyraźniejsze, a relacje między nimi głębsze. Ostatecznie pozostało trochę niedosytu 🙁 Samej wielkiej małpy też mogłoby być więcej, bo jednak książka to “King Kong”, a nie “ucieczka przed małą, której nawet nie widzimy”.
Zdecydowanie pozytywnie mogą was zaskoczyć zmiany perspektyw, były dość niespodziewane, ale wprowadziły urozmaicenie. Żeby się przekonać o jakich zmianach konkretnie mówię, to już musicie przeczytać książkę, aby się dowiedzieć. Ode mnie o Kongu na dzisiaj to tyle, ale może jeszcze kiedyś napiszę tu coś o potworach, bo ta tematyka jest bardzo bliska mojemu sercu!
August 2, 2020
If you grew up when I grew up (the 1970's) in an era before cable, before satellite, before computers and the internet you LIVED for the weekend afternoon movies and I can't overstate how important those movies were to us kids. We lived for The Blob, Dracula, Godzilla, Frankenstein etc. but none were more important than King Kong.
Greatest monster movie ever!
Yes this is a novelization of the movie and not an original novel but you have to try really hard to take a movie as exciting as King Kong and turn it into a boring book that I could not wait to get done with.
Dreadful writing, boring prose, sleepy action scenes.
This was really really bad.
Greatest monster movie ever!
Yes this is a novelization of the movie and not an original novel but you have to try really hard to take a movie as exciting as King Kong and turn it into a boring book that I could not wait to get done with.
Dreadful writing, boring prose, sleepy action scenes.
This was really really bad.
October 4, 2020
This one has been on my bookshelf for a while. It's a quick, easy read and will be of interest to fans of the original 1933 Kong. It's a basic novelization from the script, released just before the film hit theaters, and shows how the script changed to become the version we all know today. Of course, some might have been embellishment author Lovelace, but others are obvious changes in the script. One character is completely changed, and Ann's first costume test on the boat is very different from the film version. And, of course, the spider pit is included and, if Lovelace didn't change much, would have been terrifying as the men knew what was in the pit before they were forced to cross the log. It's a fun, fast read, but will likely appeal only to fans of the classic film.
March 22, 2022
This novelization was written more or less simultaneously with the original movie and is very similar, allowing for literary vs. cinematic differences and some small character changes. The final New York City part of the story is very short -most of the book is set-up, voyage, and Skull Island. Well written, but the racial symbolism (Kong = Scary Black guy chasing blonde woman) is problematic in places. Some of the dinosaurs of Skull island are identifiable, others just seem to be random reptile components put together.
March 20, 2017
I don't need to write a review because everyone knows that this was the greatest story of its time.
January 12, 2023
Vintage pulp Beauty and the Beast story at it's best. Must read for the classic monster movie fans!
January 19, 2023
fuck around and find out
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July 7, 2023King Kong Novelization Discussion
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