The True Nature of Kong

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

King Kong had a great effect on screen when the movie was released in 1933. The ape that terrorizes New York is changing its scale between 6 and 20 meters according to the scenes. In real life, however he was not a stretching monkey. His image was the result of close-up photography of articulated models whose largest copy was 56 cm high.

The armature of this biggest copy, used for the famous scene of the Empire State Building, will be auctioned at Christie's in London on November 24. Accompanied by an important documentation and photographs, this piece is estimated £ 100K.

This metal frame looks like a real monkey skeleton. For the purposes of filming, it was surrounded with a cotton and rubber flesh that did not hamper the extreme flexibility of joints. And here's the scoop: the latex skin of the terrible King Kong was covered with rabbit fur!

Let's come back into the atmosphere of the time by copying, as Christie's in its press release, the patter of the human hero of the film:

“And now, ladies and gentlemen...I'm going to show you the greatest thing your eyes have ever beheld. He was a king and a god in the world he knew, but now he comes to civilization merely a captive - a show to gratify your curiosity.
Ladies and gentlemen, look at Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World.”

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Once again, King Kong has met its contract: 121 K £ including premium.