King Kong Analysis

When analysing a movie such as King Kong, there is such a expansive choice of scenes to choose from when making an analysis. Due to this, I chose two scenes to analyse: The first is the crew's approach to the island in the fog, and the second is when the Crew first encounter the Tribesman.

Before I discuss these scenes, I think a quick look at an interesting aspect of the opening credits would be worthwhile. As in most early sound films, music was used throughout the beginning credits to keep the audience entertained or to play as background music as they walked in (Overture). The music used in the opening credits of King Kong was quick and emphatic, creating a 'spectacle'-like atmosphere, as if you were one of the audience members attending the first showing of Kong within the narrative. This idea is supported when the "King Kong: Eighth Wonder of the World" text appears. King Kong is referred to as if it was one of the actors. At the same time the music rises to its peak. What is interesting is that once the opening text has finished, there is no music until the crew sail into the fog surrounding Skull Island.

The lack of music throughout the first 25 minutes of the film can be analysed in many different ways. One way is to look at the music as a signal for a transition from the "normal" world into the "fantasy" world of Skull Island. Before the crew arrives they are just normal, without any excitement or tension but once they arrive to Skull Island, they are surrounded by the spectacular and the unknown. Along with this, the introduction of the music raises the tension and creates an ominous atmosphere while also announcing to the audience that they have arrived at the unknown location. At this point, the repetition of an ascending and descending melody over a sparse string section juxtaposes with the thick fog that the crew are dealing with. As well as this, the thin texture of the non-diagetic music emphasises the uneasiness that both the crew and the audience are experiencing.

The second scene where the crew spot the tribesman in a ritual dance, interweaves diagetic and non-diagetic music to create a larger musical scene. The non-diagetic music carries a long note over from the previous scene to allow a continuity of the atmosphere created in the previous scene. As the scene changes, extra drum beats enter. At this point it is unclear whether the drums are diagetic or non-diagetic but it would seem at first that they are non-diagetic as the village is devoid of people. Clearly diagetic music enters as chanting begins. At this point there is an interesting mix of diagetic and non-diagetic music as the chanting and the drums are mixed perfectly with the brass instruments.

The music in this part of the scene is fast and driving as a heavy beat is delivered with the drums to sync with the dancing. The non-diagetic music also acts as an