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Konga (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Konga' is a 1961 technicolour British-American science fiction horror film directed by John Lemont and starring Michael Gough, Margo Johns and Austin Trevor. It was shot at Merton Park Studios and in Croydon for Anglo Amalgamated, then distributed in the United States by American International Pictures (AIP) as a double feature with 'Master of the World'. Anglo Amalgamated and AIP each provided half the funding for the US$500,000 film, with each studio receiving distribution rights in their respective hemispheres.Heffernan 2004, p. 127.
'Konga' was the basis for a comic book series published by Charlton Comics and initially drawn by Steve Ditko (prior to Ditko's co-creation of Spider-Man) in the 1960s.
The film epitomises the B-movie in terms of illogical plot and shortcut special effects, such as a man in a gorilla suit replacing special effects. Shots of screaming people looking upwards invoke the idea that they are looking up to Konga and it is not explained how the serum changes species as well as size (chimp to gorilla).
Plot
British botanist Dr. Charles Decker comes back from Africa after a year, presumed dead. During that year, he came across a way of growing plants and animals to an enormous size. He brings back a baby chimpanzee, named Konga, to test out his theory. Decker goes insane after he discovers a serum that turns his chimpanzee subject into a ferocious gorilla-sized ape. To further his hideous experiments, he mesmerizes the ape and sends it to London to kill all of his enemies who have more credit in the scientific community than he already has. Among his targets are Dean Foster, Professor Tagore, and Bob Kenton, the lover of Sandra Banks, the woman that the doctor wants for himself.
During a field trip to the woods with a group of his students he makes an inappropriate advance to Sandra. He is later confronted by her boyfriend Bob and, although seeming to concede to Bob, sends Konga to strangle him.
Decker's assistant and lover Margaret spots his affection for Sandra and attempts to get even by giving Konga an enormous amount of the strange serum and turns him into an enormous monster, although she becomes his first victim.
Just before going on a rampage, the super-sized ape grabs Decker in one of his enormous hands, while Sandra is eaten by Decker's carnivorous plants. His rampage comes to a stop when he (and Decker) are killed by the British army. Upon his death, Konga changes back to a baby chimpanzee.
Cast
* Michael Gough as Dr. Charles Decker
* Margo Johns as Margaret
* Jess Conrad as Bob Kenton
* Claire Gordon as Sandra Banks
* Austin Trevor as Dean Foster
* Jack Watson as Superintendent Brown
* George Pastell as Professor Tagore
* Vanda Godsell as Bob's Mother
* Stanley Morgan as Inspector Lawson
* Grace Arnold as Miss Barnesdell
* Leonard Sachs as Bob's Father
* Nicholas Bennett as Daniel
* Kim Tracy as Mary
* Rupert Osborne as Eric Kenton
* Waveney Lee as Janet Kenton
* John Welsh as Commissioner Garland
* Paul Stockman as Konga (uncredited)
Production
Following the success of Herman Cohen's previous British made film 'Horrors of the Black Museum' that also featured Michael Gough, Nat Cohen (who was no relation to Herman) of Anglo-Amalgamated asked Cohen for another exploitation film.
As Cohen had long admired 'King Kong', he thought of a giant ape film shot in colour. Due to Cohen's success with his 'I Was a Teenage Werewolf' (1957), AIP used "I Was a Teenage Gorilla" as the working title.Axmaker, Seam. [http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/159260%7C0/Konga.html "Article: 'Konga'."] 'Turner Classic Movies'. Retrieved: 8 April 2015. Cohen paid RKO Pictures $25,000 for the rights to the name of Kong for exploitation purposes. Cohen recalled that the special effects for the film, that was one of the first giant monster movies shot in colour (Eastmancolor), took 18 months to complete.Weaver 1994, p. 69.
The climactic scene in London streets was possible when the producer convinced the police that the scenes could be effectively staged late at night on essentially empty streets. A combination of miniature sets, an actor in a gorilla suit, and use of studio mattes also made the technical aspects of the production look better than its meagre budget would otherwise have allowed.
An unknown (and uncredited) actor named Paul Stockman was the man inside the ape suit. In an interview, he revealed "How I came to get the part of Konga: my agent told me there was an American producer looking for a six-foot actor. Would I go to Macs Rehearsal Rooms, Leicester Square, London? So I toddled along; I walked into the room and theres 20 six-foot tall blokes! I thought, "Oh, dear, its a lineup!" Anyway, the producer Herman Cohen came in carrying a big cardboard box. He said, "The actor I need must be exactly six foot, so if youre six foot, one or five foot, eleven, thank you for coming but you wont do." So everybody left except three, two other guys and myself. The producer then opened a cardboard box and took out the gorilla headpiece. He said, "Now Id like all three of you to try this on because the guy who gets the part will have to wear this six to eight hours a day, so see how you feel with it." So, we each put the gorilla head on. The other two had blue eyes and Ive got brown eyes. And we all knew a gorilla has brown eyes. So that was how I got the part!"
Reception
'Konga' appeared as part of a double feature with 'Master of the World' (1961). The film was reviewed in 'The New York Times', where the film critic Eugene Archer noted it played to "misplaced guffaws" and was further described as: "... the British 'Konga' is nothing more than an overblown 'King Kong,' hammily played by Michael Gough and an improbable-looking ape."Archer, Eugene. [https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C05EEDA123DEE3ABC4E52DFBF66838A679EDE "Screen: New twin bill: 'Konga' and 'Master of the World' arrive."] 'The New York Times', September 16, 1961.
In a later 'Time Out' film review, 'Konga' was considered: "Inept, silly, and ludicrously enjoyable monster movie, with Gough as the mad boffin who injects a chimp with a growth serum, only to see it turn into an uncredited actor in a gorilla suit. Thereafter the ape grabs a Michael Gough doll and heads for Big Ben. Deeply political."Pym 2004, p. 639.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 33% based on , with a weighted average rating of 4.4/10.
Novel and comic book adaptations
A novelization of the film was released in paperback at the time of its original release ('Konga' by Dean Owen (Monarch Books 1960)).
From 1960 to 1965, Charlton Comics published 23 issues of the comic book 'Konga'.[http://www.comics.org/series/1447/covers/ "Konga (1960 series)."] 'comics.org'. Retrieved: April 8, 2015. It included work by Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko. The series was renamed 'Fantastic Giants' with issue #24, which turned out to be the last issue of the series.[http://www.comics.org/series/1722/covers/ 'Fantastic Giants', Charlton, 1966 Series"] at the Grand Comics Database. Retrieved on April 8, 2015.
Konga also appeared in a three-issue miniseries that started off as 'The Return of Konga', before it was renamed 'Konga's Revenge' with issue #2.[http://www.comics.org/series/1487/covers/ "The Return of Konga, Charlton, 1962 Series."] 'comics.org'. Retrieved: April 8, 2015.[http://www.comics.org/series/11492/covers/ "Konga's Revenge, Charlton, 1963 Series."] 'comics.org'. Retrieved: April 8, 2015. The series ran from 1962 to 1964. This was followed by a one-shot reprint issue in 1968.[http://www.comics.org/series/1841/covers/ "Konga's Revenge, Charlton, 1968 Series."] 'comics.org'. Retrieved: April 8, 2015.
In 1990, Steve Ditko illustrated a back-up story in 'Web of Spider-Man Annual' #6 called "Child Star".[http://www.comics.org/issue/97712/ "Web of Spider-Man Annual #6 [Direct Edition] (1990)."] 'comics.org'. Retrieved: April 8, 2015. In this story, Captain Universe creates huge versions of toys based on Gorgo and Konga to battle giant monsters that are attacking the neighborhood. For copyright reasons, Konga's name was altered to "Kongo". This sequence was Ditko paying homage to his earlier work with these characters from the 1960s Charlton Comics comic books.
Some of these issues were reprinted (in black and white) in a trade paperback in 2011 called 'Angry Apes n' Leapin Lizards'.[http://ditko.blogspot.com/2011/05/upcoming-ditko-new-pi-collection.html "Upcoming Ditko - New PI collection."] 'ditko.blogspot.com', May 2005. Retrieved: April 8, 2015.
In August 2013, IDW Publishing reprinted all the issues that artist Steve Ditko worked on ('Konga' #1 and 315 and 'Konga's Revenge' #2) as a deluxe hardcover collection called 'Steve Ditko's Monsters: Konga'.[http://comicbookrealm.com/series/32868/299427/steve-ditkos-monsters-hard-cover-2#299427 "Steve Ditkos: Monsters, HC (2013) IDW Publishing."] 'Comic Book Realm'. Retrieved: April 8, 2015.
In April 2019, IDW published a book called 'Konga vs. Gorgo' which collected issues #5 and 6 of the series.[https://www.outrightgeekery.com/2019/04/17/gorgo-konga-return-ditkos-monsters/ "B Movie Giants Gorgo & Konga Return in Ditkos Monsters."] 'www.outrightgeekery.com', April 17, 2019. Retrieved: July 19, 2019.
Home media
'Konga' was released to DVD by MGM (the successor-in-interest to AIP) in Region 1 first on December 6, 2005 as a standard full screen disc and then on September 11, 2007 in Region 1 as part of MGM's 'Midnite Movies' collection in a double bill with 'Yongary, Monster From The Deep' on the first disc and 'Konga' on the second, and also to Blu-Ray by KL Studio Classics (under license from MGM) on December 3, 2019 in a 'Special Edition' with the movie presented in a 2K master print and with special features included (radio spot, image gallery, and the theatrical trailer.)
References
'Notes'
'Citations'
'Bibliography'
* Heffernan, Kevin. 'Ghouls, Gimmicks, and Gold: Horror Films and the American Movie Business, 1953-1968'. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2004. .
* Pym, John, ed. "Konga." 'Time Out Film Guide'. London: Time Out Guides Limited, 2004. .
* Weaver, Tom. "Herman Cohen Interview". 'Attack of the Monster Movie Makers: Interviews With 20 Genre Giants'. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1994. .
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