Who saw this in theatres?
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jrs-8 — 16 years ago(November 21, 2009 08:47 PM)
Not sure what you mean TAM. Shocked that I liked both movies? I never said one was better than the other. I take it you are not a fan of the 76 version but a big fan of Jackson's? Fair enough. The 76 version is camp all the way and I liked it for what it is. Obviously Jackson's version is all over this film in the way of its special effects but Jackson's version, IMO, has its problems. I thought both Adrien Brody and, especially, Jack Black were miscast. I also thought Jackson's version was WAY too long. A good 30 minutes could have been cut without hurting the movie. Again just my opinion but at least qualify your remark with explanation. The 76 version means a lot to me as I was just a kid whose love for movies was still being nurtured. That's why I call it a guilty pleasure. I see the film for all its problems but it brings back good memories personally so I can always watch it and enjoy it. Jackson's version is a good one and obviously better made but it's by no means a classic.
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jrs-8 — 16 years ago(November 23, 2009 09:11 AM)
I think the film is "camp" because it never takes itself too seriously. I don't think I will explain myself too well here but the film always seems to have its tongue firmly in its cheek. It certainly has a lighter tone than either the 33 or 05 version and that adds a "camp" air to it. Certain lines such as Dwan referring to her life being saved by "Deep Throat" and things like that. I think the filmmakers also realized that the audience was going to be savvy enough to figure out the ape was nothing more than a man in a gorilla suit and they went with it. I like the movie but I just don't take it too seriously.
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namaGemo — 14 years ago(August 19, 2011 11:44 AM)
It certainly has a lighter tone than either the 33 or 05 version
I think this is completely off base. I think this film of the three created the most emotion when it came to Kong's death. No one cared that the 33 Kong was killed. The characters saw Kong as a monster, and most of the cast in the 05 saw him the same way. The 76 Kong gave Kong a personality and pathos that made him a victim of his situation, and you routed for him when he faught back at the end of the film. -
praxagora — 9 years ago(July 01, 2016 08:48 PM)
Stan - I was 12 when this hit the theaters, so even though I don't really remember it, I must have seen it. I do remember seeing lots of advertising, and I still have my Mad Magazine version.
They must have done a lot of tie-ins because I had a pair of 'King Kong' tube socks (the mid-70's was a strange era).
But they really hadn't figured out toy tie-ins yet. 'Star Wars' hadn't happened yet, with it's failure to have 8" Mego action-figures (The 4" 'Star Wars' toys were usable, but IMHO, they were crap compared to the 8" Mego DC & Marvel Superheroes at the time), and I really do not remember any toy tie-ins.
But this was a time when newspapers & magazines were huge, so there were probably tons of print campaigns promoting it. -
namaGemo — 14 years ago(August 19, 2011 11:40 AM)
I'm guessing this is coming from someone who didn't see it at the theater. How old are you? Despite some flaws, lack of dinosaurs, man in costume instead of stop motion, this film was a hit. There was no laughter. There was cheering for Kong as he faught the military, and there were tears at the end of this film. This was the only Kong film of the 3 named KING KONG that got this effect.
What was there to laugh about? -
aac7294 — 16 years ago(December 09, 2009 09:51 AM)
Funny you should ask
This movie holds the record for me
I saw it 7 times in the theatre.
Twice out of town and 5 times when it came to town (the theatre was nearing the end of its life so tickets were only $1.00!)
For many years it was my favorite movie of all time. What is now I'm really not sure.
Loved the 2005 remake but 1976 will always be closest to my heart. -
shrink54 — 16 years ago(December 10, 2009 09:02 PM)
I saw it at least 3 times when it came out. The first time I saw it, when Kong died, people were actually crying and someone in the audience clapped and cheered and a man yelled at them to shut up. That always stuck with me. The theater was packed the first 2 times (night shows) The last was a weekday show, and it wasnt as crowded.
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Dogwalker — 16 years ago(December 14, 2009 09:43 AM)
I saw this at the age of 8. I remember that fantasic poster of Kong standing over the two towers, holding the helicopter in hand. Yeah, in retrospect, this is primitive, however, this is worth watching and effective.
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BishopsPita — 16 years ago(December 15, 2009 08:01 AM)
I saw this right after Christmas in 1976, as this was the BIG blockbuster offering that season. It was an evening show and the theater was packed. People seemed to enjoy it, though as I recall there was a lot of unintended laughter throughout, especially at the special effects (the fake-looking snake and Kong blow-drying Dwan brought howls). This film was heavily hyped prior to its release and it was easily the most anticipated movie of 1976. The marketing relied primarily on that famous poster of Kong straddling the World Trade Center and there were trailers in the months leading up to the opening that only hinted at Kong's appearance.
It was one of the top 5 movies of 1977 (relased Dec. '76), but it was still considered a disappointment because the studio had been expecting another "Jaws", which came out 18 months earlier (there were many articles prior to release saying this and I think one was in TIME Magazine). Anyway, most people didn't think it was very good. Jessica Lange couldn't get a job for three years after that (not until "All That Jazz") and Jeff Bridges didn't appear in another film for two years (the Farrah Fawcett disaster "Somebody Killed Her Husband"). His career picked up again in the 80s and around the time he did "Starman", I read an article where he said something about having regrets over making the film.