The year is 1933 and the nation is beginning to reconstruct its landscape. Assembly of the Golden Gate Bridge is underway, Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated, and the first Newsweek magazine has hit the stands.
But the true marvel of the epoch was the motion picture event King Kong. Its innovative stop-motion animation and astoundingly extravagant scale transformed the movie industry overnight.
Viewers returned again and again to see Cooper and Schoedsack?s epic description of a beautiful actress and the giant gorilla in love with her.
Among the mesmerized crowds was 9-year-old Peter Jackson. Jackson, who would go on to direct Universal?s latest rendition of the classic tale, said in an interview that his 1933 cinematic encounter with Kong had a profound effect on him.
With the Great Depression taking its toll on the American public, the people were already craving a method of dodging the melancholy of the time. Kong seemed a form of escapism for the withering spirits of the public.
However, the real reason the movie was so successful was because the viewers found it easy to relate. The tragedy of King Kong provided an emotional regard between the crowds and the beast; even a young Jackson could not keep from tearing up.
In an MSNBC interview with Jackson, he said, ?This was the time that I said to myself, this is what I want to do [direct films]. It was the defining moment in my life as a filmmaker.?
Jackson?s 2005 recreation of the timeless tale raked in over $12 million on the opening day alone. But for this enduring Kong enthusiast, the colossal undertaking of recreating such a beloved classic was, for him, merely an act of affection and service to the original film.
It was his intention to present the youth of today with the same level of awe and inspiration he felt as a boy. It can be a difficult task to capture the attention of youth given the widespread impatience that kids today share with past generations, but the movie performed beautifully.
Jackson?s King Kong explodes onto the screen with visuals that are unrivaled. Despite the film?s three-hour span, the captivating element of the story along with the astounding cinematography is eye-candy for even the most critical of crowds.
But for Jackson, the accomplishment is not in the movies success, but in the story?s vital core. What was a dream since his childhood has truly become this filmmaker?s lifetime achievement.
For more information, go online to MSN.com and read Stone Phillips? Dec. 2 article, ?Peter Jackson?s Labor of Love? at http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10299834.
