Arthouse Alert: See the First "King Kong" Remake Friday at Midnight (NYC)

Sandwiched between the 1933 original’s scratchy stop-motion and Peter Jackson’s digitized 2005 remake, this 1976 version of the classic ape-meets-girl tale employed a simple tactic: the gorilla suit. A well-made gorilla suit, mind you, combined with some dramatic orchestral music, Jeff Bridges, and a scantily clad Jessica Lange. The creepiness of the infatuation between Kong and his blond lady friend is a bit more palpable in this version, perhaps because it was produced by Dino De Laurentiis, who specialized in slightly disturbing movies from the late 70s/early 80s. But it’s still an entertaining entry in the annals of giant ape movies. It also plays Saturday night at the same time.-Finn Cohen

King Kong (1976)
Friday, Feb 25 & Saturday, Feb 26
Midnight (both nights)
IFC Center
323 Avenue of the Americas, New York