King Kong (1976) Saturday Monster Movies

In the 1970s, when Godzilla had gotten so silly that the franchise ground to a temporary halt in 1975, King Kong made a cinematic comeback. A retelling of the original 1931 film that had inspired so many filmmakers and audiences, was due for an update. Not only was the plan to improve (or at least modernize) the special effects. The story needed more sophistication for a more sophisticated audience.

Or that was what they thought. No one believed in the fantastical anymore. No one would buy the premise of the film. They had to tell it with tongue firmly in cheek, and they had to laugh at the premise as they knew audiences would. They had to be in on the joke.

The result is a technical success, but a story that falls short. If a film about fantastical things does not take itself seriously, how can viewers? If the storytellers have no sense of awe, neither will the audience.

Moral of the story, respect your story. If you want to tell a joke, tell a joke. However, if you want to inspire awe, you better have awe for your story. If you want to inspire belief, you had better believe!