This is a remake of the Lon Chaney film, WEST OF ZANZIBAR--a silent film that was made just a few years earlier. The original film and this remake both are quite shocking even when seen today because of the amazingly brutal and cruel script. Both films are very similar, but since KONGO is a sound film, the shrillness of the film seems even more intense. Considering that Chaney had died of cancer two years earlier, the studio had no choice but to find another actor the the lead. While no one would ever accuse Walter Huston of being subtle in this film, his kooky and over the top performance worked because the film had no pretense--it was meant to be sadistic, sleazy and low-brow. After all, this film was made before the new and strengthened production code, so it was still an "anything goes" world in Hollywood.
The film is about a crazed magician (Huston) who lives in the middle of the African jungle. The natives are all ignorant savages and Huston controls their murderous impulses by convincing them he's a powerful witch doctor. In reality, he does a lot of really cool stage magician tricks and this is the most exciting part of the film. Apparently, he and his sleazy sidekicks have been there for many years amassing a fortune in ivory, though instead of taking the money and running, they stay because apparently Huston has a cunning plan. Only later do they realize that they've all spent years in this hellhole because kooky Huston is bent on a complicated plan for revenge. Like the original film, there is a twist and the plan backfires--leading to horrible complications.
This is really not a good film in the traditional sense. There is TONS of overacting, the script is impossible to believe and the whole thing is very shrill to say the least. However, this and its strong Pre-Code sensibilities make it a fascinating film because of its excess--and that's pretty much the same way I felt about WEST OF ZANZIBAR. Both are indeed guilty pleasures.
The film is about a crazed magician (Huston) who lives in the middle of the African jungle. The natives are all ignorant savages and Huston controls their murderous impulses by convincing them he's a powerful witch doctor. In reality, he does a lot of really cool stage magician tricks and this is the most exciting part of the film. Apparently, he and his sleazy sidekicks have been there for many years amassing a fortune in ivory, though instead of taking the money and running, they stay because apparently Huston has a cunning plan. Only later do they realize that they've all spent years in this hellhole because kooky Huston is bent on a complicated plan for revenge. Like the original film, there is a twist and the plan backfires--leading to horrible complications.
This is really not a good film in the traditional sense. There is TONS of overacting, the script is impossible to believe and the whole thing is very shrill to say the least. However, this and its strong Pre-Code sensibilities make it a fascinating film because of its excess--and that's pretty much the same way I felt about WEST OF ZANZIBAR. Both are indeed guilty pleasures.