Episode 8: Ben Avery vs. ‘King Kong’ (1976)

2020-01-08

Hello, kaiju lovers! We’re kicking off 2020 with the Eighth Wonder’s return to Hollywood in a film brought about by Italian producer Dino de Laurentiis. Writer/podcaster Ben Avery joins Nathan to discuss the 1976 remake of King Kong starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, which is firmly entrenched in its time and was touted as “the most exciting original motion picture event of all time.” What’s interesting is it straddles the gritty cynicism of early ‘70s films like Dirty Harry and the more hopeful films o...

Hello, kaiju lovers!

We’re kicking off 2020 with the Eighth Wonder’s return to Hollywood in a film brought about by Italian producer Dino de Laurentiis. Writer/podcaster Ben Avery joins Nathan to discuss the 1976 remake of King Kong starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, which is firmly entrenched in its time and was touted as “the most exciting original motion picture event of all time.” What’s interesting is it straddles the gritty cynicism of early ‘70s films like Dirty Harry and the more hopeful films of the late ‘70s like Star Wars (because no MIFV episode is complete without mentioning that franchise). This was the first time Nathan had seen Kong ‘76 in years, and while he didn’t like it as a teen, he softens to it thanks in part to Ben’s love of it. Their discussion also touches upon the weird love triangle between Dwan, Jack, and Kong; the great but sometimes wonky special effects; and how modern audiences may feel about the film’s climax on the World Trade Center post-9/11. The Toku Topic is the 1973 Energy Crisis since it directly influenced the filmmakers’ decision to have the characters’ expedition be about finding untapped oil reservoirs.

Here’s to the big one!

Check out all of Ben’s podcasts:
–Strangers and Aliens
–Welcome to Level 7
–The Comic Book Time Machine
–Supersonic Pod Comics

Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00-3:33
Entertaining Info Dump: 3:33-11:10
Toku Talk: 11:10-1:16:53
Toku Topic: 1:16:53-1:47:11
Outro: 1:47:11-end

Read Jimmy’s Notes on this episode when you finish it.

Bibliography/Further Reading:

“The 1973 Arab Oil Embargo: The Old Rules No Longer Apply” by Greg Myre (NPR)
“1973 Oil Crisis” (Wikipedia)
“Background: What caused the 1970s oil price shock?” by Terry Macalister (The Guardian)
King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson by Ray Morton
“King Kong (1976) Review – Kong-A-Thon Episode 5” (DMan1954)
Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island by John LeMay
“Milestones: 1969-1976 – Oil Embargo, 1973-1975” (Office of the Historian)
“Oil Shock of 1973–74” (Federal Reserve History)
“OPEC Oil Embargo, Its Causes, and the Effects of the Crisis: The Truth About the 1973 Arab Oil Crisis” by Kimberly Amadeo (The Balance)
“Terrorism and Godzilla’s Future” by Mike Bogue (G-Fan #53)
Wiki Articles for King Kong (1976)
–Wikipedia
–IMDB
–Gojipedia
–Wikizilla