SLIFF 2016 – A Tribute to KING KONG November 6th LONG LIVE THE KING and the 1933 Original!

” Throw your arms across your eyes and scream, Ann. Scream for your life!”

LONG LIVE THE KING and KING KONG screen at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Ave.) Sunday, November 6th beginning at 6pm as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. The event will be hosted by We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman. Ticket information can be found HERE

SLIFF bows down to the King — Kong, that is — with a double bill of “Long Live the King” and the 1933 classic that introduced the giant gorilla to the awestruck world at this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. The event takes place at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium on Sunday November 6^th beginning at 6pm.

First up will be the documentary LONG LIVE THE KING, which explores the enduring fascination with one of the biggest stars in Hollywood history: the mighty King Kong. LONG LIVE THE KING is produced and directed by Frank Dietz and Trish Geiger, the creative team behind the award-winning BEAST WISHES (the 20112 documentary about Bob and Kathy Burns, the goodwill ambassadors of science fiction film fandom. LONG LIVE THE KING devotes primary attention to the 1933 classic, celebrating the contributions of filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, stars Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Bruce Cabot, writer Edgar Wallace, and especially stop-motion innovator Willis O’Brien. But Kong’s legacy is also fully detailed: the sequel “Son of Kong,” the cinematic kin “Mighty Joe Young,” the Dino DeLaurentis and Peter Jackson remakes, even the Japanese versions by Toho Studios. Among the legion of Kong fans interviewed are “Simpsons” writer/producer Dana Gould, director Joe Dante (a former SLIFF honoree), and artist Bill Stout.These celebrity interviews reflect decades of passion and fandom of the original 1933 classic film, revealing how many entertainment creators’ lives were influenced by childhood first viewings of KING KONG, and how this timeless adventure fantasy influenced future careers of filmmakers, writers, actors and artists for generations since its release. These amusing personal stories weave together common threads of admiration, wonder and inspiration that all KONG fans share in their lives and work.

The double bill concludes — of course! — with KING KONG, allowing viewers to return to the treacherous jungle of Skull Island and thrill again as Kong climbs the Empire State Building with Fay Wray gently cradled in a giant paw.

King Kong (1933) is a classic tale of beauty and the beast. An ancient animal lives on a mysterious land (Skull Island) that is hidden from the rest of the world. Carl Denham and his crew travel to the island and try and locate the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. This giant behemoth is dubbed King Kong, the monster whom the natives fear. The explorers have to cross a land that time really forgot. Dinosaurs and other strange creatures inhabit the terrain and pick off the humans one by one. Normally the beast would have nothing to do with the nosy visitors but he’s smitten by the lady in the group and saves the humans. His reward for being helpful is being chained up and dragged off to “civilization”. Will King Kong adjust to life in the city? Can he find love with a woman who’s a fraction of his size? The animation and special effects of the original 1933 King Kong left a legacy of their own within the film industry. Even 80 years later it is impossible to find a special effects artist or a director of effects-heavy films who does not list Kong as a key influence. The techniques developed for Kong are applicable to modern FX technologies. As far ahead of King Kong as digital effects seem, they might not have been possible without the ingenuity of animator Willis O’Brien. KING KONG is one of those few movies that come across as vividly the 20th time around as the first and there’s no doubt 80 years from now people will still be enjoying the awesome achievement that is King Kong.

Don’t miss A Tribute to KING KONG November 6th