Mighty Joe Young starts as Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) needs some publicity for the opening of his new Golden Safari nightclub in Los Angeles, he organises an expedition to Africa. There he captures some Lions & runs into a huge Gorilla named Joe by local farmer Jill Young (Terry Moore) who has known him since he was a little baby Gorilla. Amazed by Joe & sensing a publicity stunt Max convinces Jill to sign a contract to go back to the US with him & perform on stage with Joe in his nightclub. Starstruck Jill agrees but soon regrets her decision when Joe is treated badly & kept in a cage all day only to come out & perform at night...
Directed by Ernest C. Schoedsack one has to say that Might Joe Young is King Kong (1933) in all but name although it's still a great film in it's own right. The similarities are there for all to see, director Schoedsack directed King Kong, actor Robert Armstrong plays virtually the same character who tries to exploit Kong/Joe for his own gain, Ruth Ross provided the scripts for both films while both were produced by Merian C. Cooper & of course not to mention both King Kong & Mighty Joe Young revolve around huge Gorillas who both have special feelings for a blonde, both are transported to the US & exploited, both escape & go on a rampage & both end with their hairy over-sized stars climbing up large structures. However Mighty Joe Young is so much more than just a rehash, while it doesn't feature any other monsters or the terrific Skull Island expedition & certainly is softer in tone it's a a very enjoyable fast paced monster film with some truly mesmerising scenes & special effects. Forget about films like Independence Day (1996) & The Matrix (1999) this was the special effects Hollywood blockbuster of it's day just as those other two films are now. The story is good, it's maybe a bit predictable & there's a slightly sweet sugary happy ending but I must admit I was captivated by every minute of it.
The sheer magic of Mighty Joe Young has to go down to stop motion animators Willis O'Brien & Ray Harryhausen who work miracles here. Some of the effects work is truly amazing, from spectacularly animated scenes of Joe running in Africa with a heard of Elephants to the scene when Max & his men try to lasso him to the nightclub scene where he runs amok climbing support pillars, swinging on ropes & fighting Lions to a scene where he leans out of the back of a moving truck or the amusing tug O'war scene to the magical image of Joe holding a huge platform above his head with Jill on it playing the piano & singing Beautiful Dreamer or the sequence when Joe gets angry & smashes the door to his cell open. Each effects sequence seems to have had so much care & attention lavished on it, stop motion animation is a laborious task & it's clear the effects guy's who worked on Mighty Joe Young loved the process. Deservedly Mighty Joe Young won an Oscar for best special effects in 1950. But that's not all since they saved the best for last as Joe rescues several children from a burning building as it crashes down around him, another truly spectacular scene which is just one of many. The animators give Joe real personality & sympathy, you really feel for the big guy. Unlike King Kong which was fairly horrific at times Mighty Joe Young has more of a heart & tones the horror elements down. Filmed in black and white it's also available in a computer colourised version.
Technically the film is impressive with some truly dazzling special effects scenes although the films depiction of Africa & it's natives is poor with very flat fake looking painted backdrops. Certain shots in the cowboys in Africa sequence were apparently taken from footage originally shot for a King Kong sequel which was never completed. A sequel called Joe Meets Tarzan was planned to be made in 1950 but the box-office failure of Mighty Joe Young meant the project was canned & never made. The acting is fine, it's a little wooden at times like a lot of these early films are but it's alright.
Mighty Joe Young is for all intents & purposes a King Kong rip-off but it's a bloody damned good King Kong rip-off, while not quite as wonderful as King Kong it's not too far behind. Remade to less than stunning effect as Mighty Joe Young (1998), definitely watch this one instead.
Directed by Ernest C. Schoedsack one has to say that Might Joe Young is King Kong (1933) in all but name although it's still a great film in it's own right. The similarities are there for all to see, director Schoedsack directed King Kong, actor Robert Armstrong plays virtually the same character who tries to exploit Kong/Joe for his own gain, Ruth Ross provided the scripts for both films while both were produced by Merian C. Cooper & of course not to mention both King Kong & Mighty Joe Young revolve around huge Gorillas who both have special feelings for a blonde, both are transported to the US & exploited, both escape & go on a rampage & both end with their hairy over-sized stars climbing up large structures. However Mighty Joe Young is so much more than just a rehash, while it doesn't feature any other monsters or the terrific Skull Island expedition & certainly is softer in tone it's a a very enjoyable fast paced monster film with some truly mesmerising scenes & special effects. Forget about films like Independence Day (1996) & The Matrix (1999) this was the special effects Hollywood blockbuster of it's day just as those other two films are now. The story is good, it's maybe a bit predictable & there's a slightly sweet sugary happy ending but I must admit I was captivated by every minute of it.
The sheer magic of Mighty Joe Young has to go down to stop motion animators Willis O'Brien & Ray Harryhausen who work miracles here. Some of the effects work is truly amazing, from spectacularly animated scenes of Joe running in Africa with a heard of Elephants to the scene when Max & his men try to lasso him to the nightclub scene where he runs amok climbing support pillars, swinging on ropes & fighting Lions to a scene where he leans out of the back of a moving truck or the amusing tug O'war scene to the magical image of Joe holding a huge platform above his head with Jill on it playing the piano & singing Beautiful Dreamer or the sequence when Joe gets angry & smashes the door to his cell open. Each effects sequence seems to have had so much care & attention lavished on it, stop motion animation is a laborious task & it's clear the effects guy's who worked on Mighty Joe Young loved the process. Deservedly Mighty Joe Young won an Oscar for best special effects in 1950. But that's not all since they saved the best for last as Joe rescues several children from a burning building as it crashes down around him, another truly spectacular scene which is just one of many. The animators give Joe real personality & sympathy, you really feel for the big guy. Unlike King Kong which was fairly horrific at times Mighty Joe Young has more of a heart & tones the horror elements down. Filmed in black and white it's also available in a computer colourised version.
Technically the film is impressive with some truly dazzling special effects scenes although the films depiction of Africa & it's natives is poor with very flat fake looking painted backdrops. Certain shots in the cowboys in Africa sequence were apparently taken from footage originally shot for a King Kong sequel which was never completed. A sequel called Joe Meets Tarzan was planned to be made in 1950 but the box-office failure of Mighty Joe Young meant the project was canned & never made. The acting is fine, it's a little wooden at times like a lot of these early films are but it's alright.
Mighty Joe Young is for all intents & purposes a King Kong rip-off but it's a bloody damned good King Kong rip-off, while not quite as wonderful as King Kong it's not too far behind. Remade to less than stunning effect as Mighty Joe Young (1998), definitely watch this one instead.