Ape (1976 film)
A*P*E | |
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Hangul | 킹콩의 대역습 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Kingkongui Daeyeokseub |
McCune–Reischauer | K‘ingk‘ong ŭi Taeyŏksŭp |
Directed by | Paul Leder |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | |
Edited by | Paul Leder |
Music by |
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Production companies |
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Distributed by | Worldwide Entertainment |
Release dates |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Budget | $23,000[1] |
A*P*E, released in South Korea as King Kong's Great Counterattack (
A*P*E was released at approximately the same time as Dino De Laurentiis' 1976 remake of King Kong. The film is generally regarded by some critics as a campy Z movie. In later years, the film has gone under the titles of Attack of the Giant Horny Gorilla (for its 1982 grindhouse re-release),[2] and Hideous Mutant (for its original home video release).[3]
Plot
A 36-foot-
Tom drops by the film set as Marilyn is filming a rape scene; he warns her after a
While the prehistoric creature battles helicopters, destroying a handful and giving the others the middle finger, Tom rescues Marilyn. The monster then enters Seoul, following Tom and Marilyn, and begins damaging buildings. After the creature kidnaps Marilyn again, tanks and increased firepower bring the beast down, and Tom and Marilyn are reunited.
Cast
- Rod Arrants as Tom Rose
- Joanna Kerns as Marilyn Baker
- Alex Nicol as Colonel Davis
- Lee Nak-hoon as Captain Kim
- Yeon-jeong Woo as Mrs. Kim
- Jerry Harke as Lt. Smith
- Larry Chandler as First Mate
- Walt Myers as Seaman
- J.J. Gould as Soldier in Jeep
- Charles Johnson as American Tourist
- Paul Leder as Dino
- Choi Sung Kwan as Film Producer
- Bob Kurcz as American Actor
- Jules Levey as Reporter
- Josh Luckritz as School Child #1
- Park Kwang Nam as Ape
Production
The movie was a quickie production meant to capitalize on the upcoming release of Dino DeLaurentis'
The film's special effect budget for the miniature buildings was only $1,200. The entire budget for A*P*E was $23,000. The film was shot in just 14 days.[1]
The film's title A*P*E is jokingly explained as an abbreviation of "Attacking Primate monstEr", with the deliberate intention to spoof the acronym title of M*A*S*H, a popular 1970 film and subsequent 1972–1983 television series that was based in Korea where this film was produced.[citation needed]
The movie pitted the titular giant ape against a huge great white shark, meant to take a shot at Jaws, a movie about a giant shark made a year earlier. A famous cover of Famous Monsters of Filmland even addressed this scene.[9]
The film hit North American screens in October 1976, merely two months before the release of King Kong.
Reception
Much of the commentary on A*P*E focuses on the film's low-quality
In a scathing review, monster movie critic Mike Bogue states that "A*P*E may not be the worst giant monster movie ever made, but it would have to chart high on any Top Ten Worst list." Citing such things as the ape vomiting and the ape dancing to the film score, Bogue states that "as the genre magazine Castle of Frankenstein used to say in its movie reviews, this one is so bad it has to be seen to be disbelieved."[12]
In reviewing A*P*E, along with other King Kong parodies, Roy Morton states that the film "quickly degenerates into a dreadfully campy spoof." He speculates that on realizing the low quality of their production, the producers deliberately tried to make an already bad film worse in the hope that moviegoers would laugh with them, instead of at them. To that end, Morton states that while cinematically inferior to The Mighty Peking Man, A*P*E does have an "it's so bad it's good" cult film appeal the aforementioned film lacks. Nevertheless, he closes his review stating that the scene where the ape looks directly at the audience and gives everyone watching its movie "the finger" sums up the entire film.[13]
In a review from the time period in which the film was released, Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune called the film "exactly what the annoying television ads make it out to be—a cheap Korean-made picture attempting to cash in on the new, multimillion-dollar 'King Kong' film due at Christmas." He added that "we never see the monster stand next to any people, because that would give away the monster's actual size as it rips apart a rubber shark, model boat, model helicopter, and cardboard town."[14] He later put it on his list of the worst films released in Chicago during 1976.[15]
References
- ^ a b "Podcast on Fire Network Bonus Episode 7: A*P*E".
- ^ "Attack of the Giant Horny Gorilla promotional poster". Retrieved 2014-09-27.
- ^ "킹콩의 대역습 - Ape (1976)". [www.mydvdlist.co.kr]. Retrieved 2009-06-30.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "The New King Kong".
- ^ Stephen Jones. The Essential Monster Movie Guide Titan Publishing Group. 2000. Pg.36
- ^ "3D Film Archive".
- ^ "Super King Kong (Turkish Poster)". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2014-09-27.
- ^ "King Kong Returns (French Poster)".
- ^ "Famous Monsters of Filmland #146".
- ^ a b Wilson, John. The Official Razzie Movie Guide. New York: Warner, 2005. 7-9
- ^ A*P*E at AtomicMonsters.com. Screenshot captured January 6, 2017. Retrieved via Wayback Machine on May 5, 2018.
- ^ A*P*E at Americankaiju.com. Retrieved 18 June 2009
- ^ Morton, Ray. King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon. Applause Theater and Cinema Books: New York, 2005. pg 300
- ^ Siskel, Gene (October 4, 1976). "Slow film lives up to track record". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (January 2, 1977). "Reeling off the top 10 films in the year of Hollywood remakes". Chicago Tribune.
External links
- Ape at IMDb
- A*P*E at DVDCult.com
- A*P*E at Americankaiju.com
- "킹콩의 대역습 Ape, 1976" (in Korean). [www.cine21.com]. Retrieved 2009-07-15.[permanent dead link]
- "Great Counterattack of King-Kong (Kingkong-ui(King...(1976)". [KMDb Korean Movie Database]. Archived from the original on 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2009-06-30.