King Kong - 1933 Screenplay

CUT TO village. Wall visible over roofs. Party enters.

Drums much louder.

ENGLEHORN
Not a soul in sight.

DENHAM
That wall, Skipper! What d'ye say
to that, eh?

ENGLEHORN
Colossal! It might almost be
Egyptian.

DENHAM
But what's on the other side?
That's what I want to know.

ANN
(awe-struck)
Who do you suppose could have built
it?

DRISCOLL
(trying not to be
impressed)
Aw, I went up to Angkor once.
That's bigger than this - and
nobody knows who built it.

DENHAM
(with a feeling of
something even more
important than a picture
pending, but trying to
strike his usual note)
Oh, boy! What a chance! What a
picture!

The chant begins, rising in volume. They all stand frozen.

Ann clutches Driscoll's arm. Sailors frightened. Chant dies
down to a mutter.

DENHAM
(shaking himself)
Come on!

They all move forward cautiously. TRUCK WITH THEM.

DENHAM
Hear that! They're saying Kong!
Kong!

DRISCOLL
Hope you'll be able to speak their
lingo Skipper.

DENHAM
Can you catch any words yet?

ENGLEHORN
I'm not sure. It sounds something
like the language the Nias
Islanders speak.

ANN
What do you suppose is happening?

DRISCOLL
Up to some of their heathen tricks.
Now don't go rushing out to see.

ANN
(meekly, but bubbling with
excitement)
All right. But isn't it exciting!

DRISCOLL
Sure. I wish we'd left you on the
ship.

ANN
I'm so glad you didn't.

They approach masking house.

DENHAM
Wait. Easy row. Stay here till I
see what goes on.

They stop in a group behind house. Denham looks round
cautiously.

CUT TO what he sees. The Ceremony.

DENHAM
Holy mackerel! What a show!
Skipper, get a look at this!

Englehorn carefully goes forward and peeps around.

DENHAM
Did you ever see anything like that
before? If I can steal a shot
before they see us -

He beckons to sailor carrying camera.

DENHAM
Hey! You with the camera!

Sailor starts forward with it.

ANN
(to Driscoll)
I want to see.

ENGLEHORN
Come on and look, but be careful.

Ann looks around house. Denham moves beyond and starts
setting up. Chant begins to rise. As it reaches forte, Chief
sees them and shouts.

CHIEF
Bado! Dama pati vego!

Ceremony stops, natives turn and stare.

DENHAM
Too late, they see us.

JIMMY
Let's beat it!

He turns to run. Driscoll seizes and holds him.

DRISCOLL
Hold on there! What are you running
for?

DENHAM
No use trying to hide now.
Everybody come out here in plain
sight. Put up a bold front.

Driscoll, Ann and sailors come forward in a group a few paces
behind Denham and Englehorn.

CHIEF
Bado! Maka mini tau ansaro.(Wait!
Two warriors come with me.)

In silence, the Chief with two warriors close behind him
advances through the crowd of natives. The women in the crowd
begin to slip away.

The group of whites watch in tense silence the approach of
the Chief.

2ND SAILOR
Say, let's scram outa this.

DRISCOLL
Stand still, you fool!

Group of sailors are fingering their rifles, shifting
nervously.

DENHAM
(over his shoulder without
looking away from Chief)
Steady, boys. Don't get nervous.

Ann takes hold of Driscoll's arm. He puts his hand on hers
without looking at her.

DRISCOLL
Never let a native see you're
worried, boys. Bluff 'em.

The chief stops.

CHIEF
Watu! Tama di? Tama di? (Stop! Who
are you? Who are you?)

DENHAM
Come on Skipper, make him a
friendly speech.
(advance)

ENGLEHORN
(slowly)
Tabe! Bala kum nono hi. Bala! Bala!
(Greeting! We are your friends.
Friends! Friends!)

CHIEF
(sternly)
Bala reri! Tasko! Tasko! (We don't
want friends, Go! Get out!

DENHAM
He understands you, Skipper! What's
he say?

ENGLEHORN
Telling us to get out.

DENHAM
Talk him out of it. Ask him what
goes on.

ENGLEHORN
Vana di humya? Malem ani humya
vana? (What are you doing? What is
that woman doing?)
(he points to girl)

CHIEF
Ani saba Kong! (She is the bride of
Kong!)

The natives all murmur "Saba Kong!"

ENGLEHORN
He says the girl there is the bride
of Kong.

DENHAM
Great! Find out what they're going
to do.

The Witch Doctor rushes forward, very angry. He addresses
Chief.

WITCH DOCTOR
Dama si kasi! Dama si kasi! Punya
bas! Punya! (Strangers have seen!
It is finished.)

CHIEF
(to Englehorn)
Tasko! (Go!)

DENHAM
What's that?

ENGLEHORN
He must be the witch-doctor. He
says the ceremony is spoiled
because we have seen it.

DENHAM
What's the word for friends?

ENGLEHORN
Bala.

DENHAM
Calm the old boy down.

He advances with outspread hands, saying, "Bala! Bala!"

Englehorn hesitates for a moment, then steps forward too.

CHIEF
(bellowing)
Punya!

The warriors move menacingly forward.

ENGLEHORN
I don't like the looks of this,
Denham. The women have cleared out.
That's a bad sign.

The Chief sees Ann.

CHIEF
(shouting to the natives)
Sita! Malem! Malem me pakeno!
(Look! The woman! The woman of
gold!)

Natives all look at her and murmur.

DENHAM
What's that?

ENGLEHORN
He says look at the golden woman.

DENHAM
Blondes are scarce around here.

CHIEF
Malem ma pakapo! Kong wa bisa! Kow
bisa para Kong! (The woman of gold!
Kong's gift! A gift for Kong.)

ENGLEHORN
A gift for Kong, he says.

DENHAM
Good Lord!

CHIEF
Dama, tebo malem na hi? (Strangers,
sell woman to us?)

ENGLEHORN
Wants to buy her.

CHIEF
Sani sita malem ati -
(pointing to sacrificial
victim)
- kow dia malem ma pakeno.
(I will give six women like this
for you woman of gold.)

ENGLEHORN
He's offering to trade us six of
his girls for Ann.

Ann gasps, tries to smile.

DRISCOLL
You got her into this, Denham.

ENGLEHORN
Tida, tida! Malem ati rota na hi.
(No, no! Our woman stays with us.)

Chief growls menacingly. Warriors take another step forward.
Sailors finger their rifles.

DRISCOLL
I'm going to take her back to the
ship.

ENGLEHORN
We'd better all get out before they
think to cut us off from the beach.

DENHAM
I guess so. But tell him we'll come
back tomorrow to make friends.

ENGLEHORN
Dulu hi tego. Bala. Dulu. (Tomorrow
we come. Friends. Tomorrow.)

Chief does not move, glares at them.

DENHAM
Get going, Ann. Don't act scared.
Everything's all right. Smile, Ann.
Talk to Jack. Keep your chin up!

Ann, very frightened, but smiling gallantly, does as he tell
her. She and Driscoll retreat slowly, pretending unconcern.
The sailors fall back one by one, Englehorn and Denham last.

Denham cocks his hat over one eye and begins to whistle
carelessly, one hand on his revolver. As they reach the
corner of masking house.