In
several significant ways, Mighty Joe Young (1949) might be
described as the “most evolved” of the Merian C. Cooper/Ernest Schoedsack giant
ape films of the 1930s and 1940s.
In
part this is so because the third (and last) film in the cycle understands that
audience sympathies rest with the exploited main character, a kindly gorilla
named Joe, and not with the humans who exploit him for financial gain.
And
in part this is so because this film depicts the female lead character, Jill Young
(Terry Moore) as more than a screaming ninny.
The feisty Jill can see beyond Joe’s intimidating physicality -- in part because she raised him -- and
recognize that he is an intelligent creature worthy of dignity and respect. Jill is no mere damsel in distress, but rather
a very human woman trying to do the right thing, and honor the important relationships
in her life, both with Joe, and with promoter Max O’Hara (Robert Armstrong
again), the man who brought her “fame and fortune” in Hollywood.
These
elements, along with an exciting chase and nail-biting finale, make Mighty
Joe Young a solid addition to the King Kong canon, even if the film
doesn’t actually concern Kong or his progeny.
Mighty
Joe Young
begins with little Jill Young (Moore) living on her father’s farm in
Africa. She trades a baby gorilla for
several trinkets, including a flashlight, and decides to raise the ape she
names “Joe.” Her father objects to this
course of action, worrying that the gorilla will one day grow into a fierce
animal and menace.
But
Jill prevails, and a friendship is born.
Twelve
years later, Max O’Hara (Armstrong) plots to make his next Hollywood night club,
“The Golden Safari,” a runaway success.
He strikes on the idea of going on a dangerous safari in Africa with
cowboy, Gregg (Ben Johnson) in tow. Once
there, they collect man-eating lions and other animals, and then unexpectedly encounter
a fully-grown gorilla, Joe. Max urges
Jill to sign a contract making the ape and his master the newest (permanent) attractions
at the Golden Safari.
Back
in Hollywood, Joe grows increasingly depressed by the nightly festivities in
the club, and his near-continual entrapment in a too-small cage. Jill sees the gorilla suffering, and attempts
to get out of her contract with Max. He
sweet-talks her back into compliance, and the Mighty Joe Young show continues
for a whopping seventeen weeks.
Then,
one night, a trio of obnoxious drunks release Joe from his cage, feed him
champagne, and watch as the gorilla trashes the club from top to bottom. Deemed a public safety menace by a judge, Joe
is ordered executed. Realizing what he
has done to Jill and Joe, Max O’Hara teams up with Gregg and Jill to free the
ape from captivity, and return him to his home in Africa.
On
the way to freedom, however, Gregg, Jill, and Joe spy a disaster in the
making. An orphanage is burning down
fast, and three children are trapped upstairs with no hope of escape.
One
last time, it’s Joe to the rescue…
Although
there are no prehistoric monsters on hand in Mighty Joe Young, the
film nonetheless perfects (or evolves) the King Kong formula. Max O’Hara -- the familiar showman character -- undergoes his transformation from
exploiter to defender in one movie, not two (as was the case with Carl Denham),
and the movie also makes the point that there is something worse than
imprisonment…the loss of dignity.
Here,
Joe undergoes a horrible humiliation when a nightclub routine requires Jill to
dress up as an organ grinder, and Joe as her monkey. Then, the unruly crowd is encouraged to throw
giant coins at Joe while he catches them in his cap. One drunk gets out of hand and tosses a glass
champagne bottle at the ape. This is a
miserable moment for Joe, one which reduces the noble beast to the level of carnival
freak.
Joe
goes wild soon after this humiliation and destroys Max’s night club, but he
finds redemption by saving the imperiled children at the burning
orphanage. Again, this kind of
redemption was something denied Kong in the original film (though awarded to
his son, in The Son of Kong).
Though
it is impossible to argue that Mighty Joe Young is more spectacular
or exciting than King Kong was, one can certainly detect how a very similar story
(with similar characters) is more completely and emotionally told here. Some may consider that comment a heretical
remark in terms of cinema history, but at least three of the four leads in Mighty Joe Young -- Max,
Jill, and Joe himself -- are treated with greater humanity than their
counterparts were in King Kong.
While
there’s nothing as awe-inspiring as a battle with a T-Rex in this film,
Mighty Joe Young nonetheless satisfies on a purely human level. No one in King Kong really listened
to their conscience, at least until it was far too late. Here, the characters all make difficult
personal decisions to repair the breach, and honor their friendship with Joe.
I
had not seen Mighty Joe Young in several years before this recent viewing,
and was delighted to find the film so engaging, and so action-packed. My wife
watched this one with me, and was on the edge of her seat during the finale at
the orphanage. She told me that if Joe
died, I should just turn the movie off right
then, because she couldn’t handle it.
That
in-the-moment exclamation/protest reveals how successfully Mighty Joe Young works on
an emotional level. It’s not the Beauty and the Beast epic or
prehistoric safari that King Kong is, but it’s a damned
exciting and engaging adventure film with some fine special effects (from Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen).
I so wanted more adventures of Mr. Joseph Young of Africa.
ReplyDelete"Mighty Joe Young" was a very good movie. Although not related to "King Kong" in terms of story or characters, its big ape themed action serves as a finale of sorts to a "Kong" trilogy. Along with "Son of Kong", it offers engaging characters and plenty of excitement on a much smaller scale than the incredible "King Kong".
ReplyDeleteThe action in "Mighty Joe Young" is as plentiful as it was in the endearing "Son of Kong" and the effects are jaw-dropping when you take into account that this film was made seventy years ago.
The real appeal to me (other than Mighty Joe) is the Max O'Hara character. He's much easier to like than the cold and ruthless Carl Denham of "Kong Kong" but is not as endearing as the extremely softened Denham in "Son...".
It's a personal wish that today's movie watchers could get past the mindset that old movie = boring movie. They are missing out on adventurous, enjoyable movies like "Mighty Joe Young".