« Paper, Rock, Scissors: the New Death Sport | HomePage | Mice! »
April 11, 2006
The Gospel According to Kong
From the very beginning of the film, we see New York City during one of the darkest times in American history: The Great Depression. Life is hard, people are harder, and it's every man/woman for him/herself. From the get-go, we see the "what-can-you-do-for-me" filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) as he deceives his entire crew, cast, and producers to get just what he wants: the script he wants, the location he wants, and to some extent, the level of conflict he wants. He's just crazy and selfish enough to get it all. And in the process, he leads a crew of ship navigators, actors and actresses, and screenwriters into the most dangerous and frightening journey of their lives: the uncharted land of Skull Island.
As the ship crash-lands onto the primitive island and the crazy filmmaker and his cast walk onto the stony cliffs of what look like ancient ruins, they see a group of eerie, almost ghost-like natives who look like they have all been through hell and bought the tunic hides to go with it. These freaky people seem to be beckoning the travelers to go back to where they came from, but when the travelers (primarily Denham) refuse, they become violent and attack, finding their ship and attacking the crew as well.
When lead-actress Ann Darow (Naomi Watts) is captured and offered as "live bait" for the terrifying monstrous beast that rules the island - a twenty-five-foot-tall gorilla simply known as KONG, she finds that she is able to stand up to KONG, thus earning the beast's respect, and before long, his love. After facing many daunting insects the size of camels and dionasaurs that didn't take the hint of the Ice Age millions of years ago, hero and screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) comes to the rescue, taking Darrow back to their ship. As KONG finds the "trespassers" and his beloved "prisoner" Darrow, he is attacked with chlorophorm and captured by the money-hungry filmmaker Carl Denham. We see the giant monkey as he looks in the direction of Darrow. Defeated, deceived, heartbroken.
When we next see KONG, he is being featured as "entertainment" on Broadway, making Denham a fortune by being placed on humiliating display. The once KING of his own land is now a PRISONER. Even as KONG escapes and rampages through New York, we feel such sorrow for this beast. We can sense his heartache, his confusion, and his rage at his attackers. As was once said in the theatrical trailer for the Bourne Supremacy, "They should have left him alone."
For those of you who have lived in a bomb shelter for the last seventy-five years and haven't seen either of the three versions of King Kong, I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that if you go looking for God in the movies, you'll find God! And if there is anything that one can take away from this picture, it's a mirror that should make one examine him/herself. What are our motives in the things we're doing? And in so doing, are we being careful not to exploit someone? Animals? The planet?
In King Kong, we see the very best of humanity displayed in the heroism and compassion of Driscoll (Brody), and in the bravery (and compassion) of Ms. Darrow (Watts). And in the film, we also see the worst in human behavior, displayed in the selfishness and deceit of Mr. Denham (Black). We see the destructive nature of humanity that (isn't it just like God?) so often reminds us in these types of films. And if we look closely, we can see how intricately God set things into motion. God places human beings where they should be, where they can learn to cohabitate together and work together. We see that animals are placed in their environments as they glorify God through their very existence. We see how peaceful the very planet is when left intact the way God created it. And we see how when we as humans cross that line - discarding God's vision and seeking only to fulfill ourselves - we tear down and destroy and we insult God's vision for our lives and for our world. And that truth is revealed to us in a twenty-five foot gorilla named KONG and through a scraggly young hobbit-friend New Zealander named Peter Jackson.
04:40 Posted in Film , The Gospel of... | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: Christian
Comments
I see God in my animals all the time. It is amazing to watch and learn from. With that said the picture scared the tar right out of me. I clicked the link, looked down at something on the floor and looked up to that! I'm awake now!! :)
Posted by: Kellie | April 13, 2006