I reviewed the Peter Jackson version of King Kong, and now it's my turn to review the 1976 version of the film. All in all it isn't a bad film, just has too many references that could have a lot of injokes later on. The plot for this one was set dead in the Gerald Ford presidency, and everything about this film reflected the time it was made.

Jeff Bridges did a good job acting in the film, but I think the script could have been written better. Some of the scenes were good, but they seemed to be better on paper. I will say if this was done as a paperback book, the book would be a better bet. I am right now looking for the novel to see how both compare because Edgar Wallace is more noted as a novelist than a screenwriter.

What Edgar Wallace normally wrote was crime, and the remake of the 2005 showed this side of the author. The 1976 one did the same but not as well as Peter Jackson or the original film in 1933. So I am curious to see the unused first draft of the 1933 edition of the actual screenplay. Also I noticed that the character King Kong is public domain too.

All in all, the story is creative, having King Kong run loose in then modern New York City. So in some ways, the Paramont pictures remake isn't quite a full remake -- just an updated version of the film. But to compare the three films in one review is a given.

This King Kong version was directed by John Guillermin. It was also went under the title King Kong: The Legend Reborn. Loosely based on the Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace's penned story, and the original screenplay written by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose while the 1976 screenplay was written by Lorenzo Semple Jr.

Jessica Lange plays an actress much like Naomi Watts did in the 2005 remake. There are a lot of parrells between each version, but if you were to compare them -- the 2005 film is a different entity than this one. The thing that made the 2005 remake special alone was the dinosaur brawl. The Actress character in the 1976 one survived a yacht explosion.

Kong in this one is portrayed as the beast that becomes the lovable pet, tamed by Lange's character but the horrors come when Kong trashes New York City. He kills his captor and looks for Lange's character, Jeff Bridges plays the hero in this film much like the writer character in the 2005 remake. The book edition of King Kong was first I learned later on. The screenplay for the movie King Kong was first penned in 1932.

When this screenplay was written there were jokes in here that appear somewhat dated. Other than that it isn't a bad film, just a film that could be a heck of a lot better in the way it was delivered.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older