Eric Ludwig
Music 202
December 12, 2017
The King of Film: An In-Depth Analysis of King Kong (1933)
Max Steiner’s King Kong would forever change Hollywood. Before Steiner stormed the filming industry with an incredible 80-piece orchestra (The Film), Hollywood put little importance on the music of a film. In fact, every film that came before King Kong spliced together tracks from other recent films. Lucky for us, however, this was not the case for Steiner. But how did Steiner accomplish such a feat? To understand this, we must look at (a) Steiner’s career, (b) background information on the film industry at the time, and (c) the details of the King Kong score, which produced such a masterpiece.
Steiner’s Career. Max Steiner was born into a musically talented family. As the son and grandson of theatrical producers who produced the operettas of Franz von Suppe, Jacques Offenbach and Johann Strauss (Chang), Steiner almost couldn’t avoid the music industry. Before ever coming to Hollywood, Steiner worked on Broadway for 15 years (Chang). There he found moderate success in arranging, orchestrating, and conducting several musicals. Steiner was soon known for the ability to depict things that occur in real life through music. This skill would become invaluable as he made a transition in his career. After his stint on Broadway, Steiner was headhunted to Hollywood. There, he would become a hit sensation, arranging the score for several hit films including The Three Musketeers, 1935; Gone with the Wind, 1939; and our topic of interest King Kong, 1935.
Hollywood. When Steiner arrived in Hollywood, the studio that hired him was struggling. The motion picture King Kong was expensive, and it didn’t seem like there would be enough money in the budget for Steiner to create a score that would take advantage of his composition skills. Luckily, the director of the film personally funded the project (The Film) and it was a good thing he did. Released in the middle of the Great Depression, King Kong drew an incredible crowd. People were drawn to the idea of a 50-foot ape; however, it was the score of the film that has made the name “King Kong” stand the test of time. But what exactly was it about the score that has made this film such a success?
The Score. Several reasons contributed to the revolutionary score of King Kong. The motion picture was quite the accomplishment in its time. Having just left the silent era of film, “talkies” were really the wild west of the film industry. As such, there were no expectations and all could be explored. Throughout the film, Steiner conveys emotions of love, sadness, and drama using music. This was truly unprecedented. This freedom merges with Steiner’s artistic style, resulting in two main areas which set this film apart from the rest of its era: (1) Steiner’s use of Mickey Mousing and (2) the film’s story told through lyrical motifs.
Mickey Mousing. Max Steiner uses a music style in King Kong called Mickey Mousing. Mickey Mousing is a technique that syncs actions on the screen with its accompanying music. The first use of this technique is seen with the island’s tribe. The tribal dancers dance in beat with the music. Another great example follows immediately after. As the chief of the tribe steps forward to the crew, we see the chief’s steps match perfectly with the music. As the chief cuts off screen, we continue to hear the beat of the chief’s steps, adding to the ominous nature of the scene.
Mickey Mousing returns as the tribal chief accompanies Ann up the steps to be tied down for tribute to Kong. Learning from before, we hear the beats of music, which sound to be footsteps. We know that something is ominous. And it is upon that knowledge that we soon see Kong. Once again, in reference to footsteps, we hear the steady march forward that the crew syncs with the beat. This occurs several times as they search for Ann. It could be considered “the march” (King Kong).
The style continues with the stegosaurus. As the music aligns with the dinosaur’s steps and then its gaze as it looks both ways, we know it is on the prowl. Mickey Mousing returns when Kong returns for Jack. The music is in sync with Kong as he tries to grab Jack and when Jack tries to stab Kong. The final use of Mickey Mousing in the film can be heard by the airplanes attacking Kong, through the low strings imitating the humming engines. Now outdated, Mickey Mousing was a revolutionary form used by Steiner to convey emotion, impact, and liveliness within his films (Chang).
Story and Motifs. Both the story and the music of the film are inseparable, and the motifs of the film are as much a part of the story as the characters’ words. The film opens with action. Although no filming is taking place, we see the main title of the film for several minutes while hearing many motifs which will surely come back to us. During the opening credits, we also hear these motifs. As KING KONG flashes across the screen, we hear a chilling descending three note motif. Later as an Arabian Proverb tells us that beasts who find beauty are as good as dead. The music in the background is either another motif or just a variation of the King Kong motif. Once again, three notes in descending order. The music, along with the proverb, make us believe that this film may be as much a tragedy of King Kong as it is an epic fantasy adventure (Cooper).
As the boat approaches the island, the music begins again. What sounds like a harp repeating the same harmonics accompanies the fog that adds to the mystery of the island they are about to approach. Once the fog has lifted, the winds enter into ominous chords. The film hasn’t shown anything; in fact, the characters appear excited to land. However, the music implies more. The audience is discovering something that the characters don’t yet know. We are soon entranced in the beating drums of the island’s tribe. The music sounds foreign and intriguing, setting us up with an eight-note motif (Cooper).
As the scene returns to the boat, we see Jack and Ann talking. A new motif seems to arise on the scene. This could be interpreted as the love motif, which begins to rise when Jack says, “I guess I love you” and climaxes when Ann and Jack kiss. When Ann is kidnapped by the tribal leader, we begin to hear the tribal beat once again. The music turns to despair. As Jack begins to search for Ann, the drums continue to permeate in the background. And once it is discovered that Ann has been kidnapped. As we begin to hear the island’s tribe begin to chant, a new motif comes from the orchestra. The drums in the background drive music forward as the tribe chant’s get louder and louder (Cooper).
In “Aboriginal Sacrificial Dance”, we once again hear the tribal motif. This time, more intense and appearing to be leading Ann into peril. As the music reaches a climax, Kong arrives! Although Ann is heard screaming, the music is not what we might expect. It appears the same motif of Jack and Ann comes onto scene when Kong looks at Ann. Without music, we would have no idea this character arc is building in the movie. Interestingly enough, the next time we hear the love motif is when Kong has taken Ann away to his cave. It seems that Kong has begun to really care for Ann. He even defends Ann from two separate dinosaurs (Cooper).
By the time Kong is captured and brought to New York, fanfare music is presented, which should denote a victory for our protagonists; however, Kong’s motif is also interweaved into the score, suggesting that all is not quite well. Eventually, Kong escapes and captures Ann, taking her to the top of the Empire State Building where he finally meets his demise. As he lands on the streets of New York City, the love motif returns once more and we hear the Kong motif, but it is not fierce; it is sad. The same motifs that appeared at the opening of the movie. It is at this scene we hear the famous line, “it was beauty killed the beast” (Cooper). But for the astute musical listener, we had known that from the opening scene.
The musical score of King Kong is so important, the film cannot be a standalone piece of work without it. The audience is led to know what is happening and the true meaning behind each characters’ actions not through their words or actions on screen, but through the music that accompanies them throughout their journey.
Works Cited
Chang, Ed. King Kong (Steiner, 1933), 1 Jan. 1970, cuebycue.blogspot.com/2016/02/king-kong-steiner-1933.html.
Cooper, Merian C. and Ernest B. Schoedsack, directors. King Kong. Radio Pictures, 1933.
“'King Kong' by Max Steiner (1933) and James Newton Howard (2005): A Comparison of Scores and Contexts.” David Allen – Music Composer, 26 July 2017, davidallencomposer.com/blog/king-kong-max-steiner-james-newton-howard-comparison.
“The Film Music of Max Steiner with Emphasis on King Kong (1933) and Gone With the Wind (1939).” Music for the Soul, 10 Apr. 2010, michaelpratt.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/the-film-music-of-max-steiner-with-emphasis-on-king-kong-1933-and-gone-with-the-wind-1939/.
Steiner, Max. King Kong. 1933. Hollywood: Radio Pictures, 1933. Score.