I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (2005) User Reviews

The amazing life of the man who did more than father King Kong is required viewing for anyone who loves movies or just a really good story

[dbborroughs · 9/10 · 10 December 2005]

This is a most amazing documentary about Merian C Cooper, the man who created King Kong. Cooper's statement that he was King Kong was made when he described his life to the man who was helping put together his (unfinished) autobiography. It was not an idle boast since Cooper did more than 20 other normal people, from fighting in three wars, escaping from a Russian prison camp, making movies, running an airline, having a family, and on and on and on. This documentary about his life is a wonderful look at man little known to most people. Thats due, as one person says, to the fact that he was doing so much you could never get a hold of him. Done for Turner Classic Movies and on the new DVD release of King Kong, this is a must see documentary for anyone who loves movies, regardless of if you like King Kong or not. This is the story of a man that changed the face of not only the movies, but the world we know today. What he did, what he developed influences how we see the world and what we think America is (This goes for everyone in the world who has ever seen any of his films as well). This is a movie that will move you and make you wonder why someone hasn't made a movie about Cooper himself since it has more drama than 99% of the movies ever made.

The only flaw in the film, and the one thing that prevents me from giving it a 10 out of 10 is that after the film deals with King Kong the film loses sight of Cooper the man, instead focusing on his technical achievements. Cooper's life should have been told in twice the 57 minute running time. Its a minor flaw, that doesn't diminish the "Oh Wow!" factor, however it does increase the "I want more" factor by several degrees.

See this film.

Excellent documentary on "King Kong"'s creator

[jluis1984 · 7/10 · 14 June 2007]

A lot has been written about "King Kong", the legendary 1933 movie about a giant gorilla and its adventure in New York, as there is no doubt that this classic masterpiece, directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, was a truly important movie in the filed of special effects, as well as in the development of the horror and adventure genres. However, the lives of the people behind this monumental movie is probably as interesting as the movie itself, specially when talking about Merian C. Cooper, a man who not only created one of the most powerful stories ever told in a movie, but also was a brave pilot, decorated soldier, a pioneer of film-making and most importantly, an all around adventurer. "I'm King Kong", is a documentary about the life and times of Merian C. Cooper, definitely one of the most outstanding persons in the history of film.

Narrated by Alec Baldwin, the movie deals extensively with the adventurous nature of this man, taking us from his early days at the National Guard, to his years as a bomber pilot during World War I; and later it explores his friendship with Ernest B. Schoedsack, the man who according to Cooper, "taught him everything about film-making". Of course, it also dedicates time to the filming of "King Kong", the movie that would make their names legendary in the history of cinema. Using clips from his several movies, the movie brings back many memories of the duo's other classic films like 1932's "The Most Dangerous Game", and it also includes interviews with historians, intellectuals and people who actually met Cooper, like Fay Wray and Ray Harryhausen. "I'm King Kong" even includes several audio clips from archived interviews with Cooper and Schoedsack themselves.

What makes this documentary interesting, is that it is not only based around the making of "King Kong", but instead it covers the Merian C. Cooper's life since he was born in Jacksonville, Florida, until his final days as a film producer in California. Directors Christopher Bird and Kevin Brownlow did a great job in condensing the most important of the many achievements and adventures of Merian C. Cooper. As usual in this kind of movies, it is in the interview section where the most interesting and informative comments appear, and this movie doesn't disappoint, as a through anecdotes and stories we get to know a bit more of the persona of this legendary man. The movie even dedicates a segment to explore how Cooper and Schoedsack met Willis O'Brien, the man behind the outstanding special effects of "King Kong", as well as exploring a bit the process of making them.

It is clear watching this movie that directors Christopher Bird and Kevin Brownlow did an enormous research on the subject, as they manage to show clips from almost every film done by Cooper and Schoedsack, and the prints shown are of excellent quality. There are also many clips from the movies produced by Cooper later in his career, exploring his influence over the works of RKO Pictures (when he was the president), his partnership with John Ford (Cooper produced many of Ford's best and most famous films), and specially, his important position in the development of new technologies (mainly Cinerama). Finally, the opportunity to listen to audio recordings done by Cooper and Schoedsack themselves is another of the reasons that make this documentary a must-see for every fan of this period of the history of cinema.

If the movie has any flaw, it must be the fact that the list of achievements in Cooper's life was so extensive to be properly explored in the 57 minutes that this movie lasts. Proficient pilot, prisoner of war during World War I, adventurer in Poland and filmmaker in the U.S., influential producer and once again to war as commander of the "Flying Tigers" during World War II; there is simply too much to cover in the life of this man that it would take several movies to properly cover his many adventures. Despite this flaw, "I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper" is an extremely detailed documentary that manages to give a nice idea of how was this notable man's life. 8/10

Fun Look at Cooper's Life

[Michael_Elliott · 6 January 2012]

I'm King Kong! The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (2005)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Here's yet another wonderful documentary from Turner Classic Movies that is co-directed by the one and only Kevin Brownlow. The film tells the rather wild and unbelievable story of producer-director-maverick-war hero-adventurer Merian C. Cooper who is best remembered today for bringing KING KONG to the big screen. Alec Baldwin narrates and we get interviews with Rudy Behlmer, Ray Harryhausen, Ray Bradbury, Bob Burns, Paul M. Jensen, James D'Arc, Faye Wray, James Karen and Harry Carey, Jr.. We start off hearing about Cooper's early life and how thinking he disappointed his family led to a rather incredible life where he cheated death several times. We hear about him being reported dead in WW1 and the amazing story of survival. From here we learn about the creation of some of his documentaries (GRASS and CHANG) and then we get into the production of KING KONG and how no studio in Hollywood wanted to make it. From here we follow Cooper as he gets involved in WWII, begins working with John Ford and eventually doing MIGHTY JOE YOUNG and introducing Cinerama. While watching this film it's rather amazing to see what type of life Cooper lived. It's amazing to see how many times he should have died and how many of his own life experiences ended up in all of his movies. The film historians do a great job at telling the story and getting to hear from those who personally knew Cooper was also a major plus. Fans of his films are certainly going to want to check this out but more important is just those interesting in seeing how much this man actually did.

Parts are obviously missing--as if the film was rushed into production.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 11 September 2011]

Although this biography of Merian C. Cooper was originally included as a special feature for the DVD release of "King Kong", it was recently shown on Turner Classic Movies. I am glad, as Cooper was a producer/writer and director about which few talk about today--and I've never heard of a biography of him other than this one.

The first portion of the film was about Cooper's life before he began making films. I was very surprised how exciting and wild his life was--and his life sounded like it could have made an exciting movie on its own! He was a WWI pilot, fought in Poland against the Russians after the war, escaped from a Soviet prison some time after his plane crashed and THEN began traveling the world having various adventures. Only after all this occurred did he begin making wonderful documentaries in very exotic locales--such as the wonderful "Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness"--one of the best silent films I've ever seen.

Then, it entered his years as the executive producer of a ton of films with RKO, such as the iconic "King Kong" as well as films like "Flying Down to Rio". Then, later in life, it discusses his collaborations with John Ford as well as his work on starting the Cinerama process. Then, inexplicably, the film just ends....even though Cooper lived for another 20 years and went on to make a few more films. Because it skipped so much and told very little about his personal life beyond his early exploits, I felt quite disappointed--like it was a biography only about a small portion of his life. Good and quite interesting--but woefully incomplete.

A Real-Life Indiana Jones

[ccthemovieman-1 · 1 August 2007]

Having recently watched a documentary on the movie, "Mighty Joe Young," where someone mentioned that Merian C. Cooper led an unbelievably-interesting life, I was anxious to see documentary about the man who brought "King Kong" to life on-screen.

Well, the first few sentences in this feature seem to confirm that. "He was the genuine Indiana Jones," said one man. "We will never see his like again."

"His whole life was adventure," says another. "He was unbelievable.....if it weren't all true. He was a legend unto himself."

This 57-minute look at Cooper and not only his adventures but his movies and innovations in motion pictures, like the incredible "This Is Cinerama" were all fascinating to watch.

Cooper, like others who wound up "overachievers," if you will, had that mindset to succeed early on in life for two big reasons: 1 - he was kind of short and stocky and wanted to prove he could do a lot things physically others couldn't do, and 2 - more important, he wanted desperately to impress his father and gain approval through deeds. Often, one of these is a big motivator, and Cooper had both, and he certainly accomplished both goals.

There is no sense detailing all his adventures and accomplishments. Suffice to say they are many, and he was ahead of his time on a lot of his ideas and deeds. He also was unbelievably courageous. The story of how he survived after being shot in the neck and his WWI plane on fire, or being held in a Russian prison camp in the middle of winter with dead bodies piling up each day, are pretty wild.

In addition to tales of the real-life adventures, there are film clips from many of the Cooper- Ernest B. Schoedsack films and, since this is part of the "King Kong" special-edition DVD, the emphasis is on some technical aspects of making that film.

Unlike the others here, I enjoyed the last 60 percent of this which dealt with the movies and didn't mind they switched to that topic. They still mentioned more of Cooper's adventures, like his WWII heroics so, overall, you had half and half - half of Cooper's wild adventures and half his movie-making genius.

The only downside of this documentary is that Cooper and Schoedsack are heard on tape describing some of their adventures and they use the Lord's name in vain about every third sentence. That's ridiculous to hear on a documentary, of all things, but it only lasts for about a five-minute period.

Overall, a fascinating look at a real "original," and an amazing person.