Mr. Heppler directs our attention below to the question of whether King Kong 2005 is racist. I mentioned this topic in my original post on the movie. I take the liberty of quoting myself:
There are some political angles worth mentioning. Some have said that the new Kong has racist overtones. That was certainly true of Willis O'Brien's original masterpiece. The 1930's Kong, in closeup shots of his face, looks like he fell out of the Jazz Singer. But I think the current Kong is largely innocent of the charges. The villagers on Skull Island are dark enough, but they don't look African. In fact, they look they escaped from Saruman's army in the second Lord of the Rings movie.
It is quite true that the contrast between Kong, as ever the tallest, darkest, leading man in Hollywood, and the optically reflective Ann, communicates some of the racial angst of the original movie. Jackson could only have expunged that by casting Halle Berry as Ann. But casting anyone other than a pale blond would have done too much damage to the original template. And besides, Kong is much more a character, and a much more sympathetic figure, in the new version. Racism is always undermined when we begin to see the other as human, having passions that we can sympathize with. Jackson certainly humanizes Kong.
Moreover, Jackson lampoons racism by depicting the black dancers that entertain the audience just before Kong is revealed. Whatever is wrong with King Kong 2005, it isn't racism.
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