Kongo (1932)

[Mr. Arkadin]

Set the recorders early for this notorious pre-code! I shall say no more!

[Dewey1960]

One of the weirdest, most salacious horror films ever made! I can't wait to see it again! (Thanks for the reminder, Ark, I'd forgotten to mark it down!)

[ChiO]

Thanks for the tip! Well worth the 5am (CST) wake-up call.

Let's see: Stylized acting, racism, alcoholism, drug addiction, white slavery, ritualized murder, sadism, madness...all from M-G-M in 1932. And some people think Poverty Row noir and '60s exploitation are troubling and over-the-top?

[jdb1]

I had to hang around at home this morning for the plumber (who never showed up, but the Super fixed the leak). I got to see just the last few minutes of Kongo. I would have liked to have seen more, it looked like fun. And my, who knew Walter Huston was so buff back in the day? That was a heck of a lotta chest and biceps he had going in his last scenes.

[moira finnie]

So, ChiO, how was the rest of your Monday, after beginning your day at 5am watching what might be one of the more depraved movies of the early '30s, (and any other decade, for that matter)?

Perhaps it is just me, but I'm curious about the reactions of others to Kongo (1932).

That great, ghastly performance by Walter Huston as ol' "Deadlegs" is fairly unforgettable don't you think? Not to mention the racism, sexism, and myriad other dark corners of the human heart that are explored here. This is a movie that should come, as James Agee wrote about another film in another decade, carrying a small bell and crying out "unclean, unclean" as it unspools onto a defenseless world...I always thought that it was REALLY scarier than any "normal" horror movie.

It is sort of incredible to think how risqué MGM could be before the Production Code, no? Thanks in advance to anyone who shares their opinion about this movie, (even if you prefer Lon Chaney & Tod Browning's West of Zanzibar (1928) version).

[rudyfan]

I recorded it, hope to watch it later in the week. My roomie absolutely loves this film.

[coopsgirl]

I set this one to record and was really looking forward to it but I had a big old brainfart and forgot to put in a blank dvd . It's not listed as coming on again (at least not through January) so if anybody has a copy and wants to make a trade I would be most grateful .