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King Kong is a 1933 American fantasy monster/adventure film directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose was from an idea conceived by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. It stars Fay Wray, Bruce Cabot and Robert Armstrong, and opened in New York City on March 2, 1933 to rave reviews.

The film tells of a gigantic, prehistoric, island-dwelling ape called Kong who dies in an attempt to possess a beautiful young woman. Kong is distinguished for its stop-motion animation by Willis O'Brien and its musical score by Max Steiner. It has been remade twice: in 1976 and in 2005.

King Kong in The War That Came Early

In 1943, Lieutenants Aristide Demange and Louis Mirouze happened to discuss the American film King Kong. Mirouze mentioned how the biplane fighters in the film had been as good as anybody's ten years ago but wouldn't last ten minutes against modern aircraft. Demange was surprised by the insight and agreed that equipment ten years ago was junk compared to what they had today. Mirouze then wondered what they would have ten years hence.[1]

  1. Last Orders, pgs. 152-153, HC.
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