Mighty Joe Young

1949

1h 34m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

121

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Adventure

Fantasy

Drama

Action

A young woman, Jill Young, grew up on her father's ranch in Africa, raising a large gorilla named Joe from an infant. Years later, she brings him to Hollywood to become a star.

Directors

Ernest B. Schoedsack

Writers

Ruth Rose(screenplay by)

Merian C. Cooper(story by)

Stars

Terry Moore

Ben Johnson

Robert Armstrong

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Top cast

Jill Young

Gregg Johnson

Max O'Hara

Windy

Jones

Crawford

Smith

Brown

John Young

Jill (as a child)

Schultz

Secretary (uncredited)

Ellen Corby

Orphanage matron (uncredited)

Bess Flowers

Nightclub patron (uncredited)

Gloria (uncredited)

Sam (uncredited)

Alice (uncredited)

Jones (uncredited)

Directors

Ernest B. Schoedsack

Writers

Ruth Rose(screenplay by)

Merian C. Cooper(story by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Listen you guys, cut out the rough stuff or I'll feed you to the lions. Unfairly chastised in some quarters for being a kiddie friendly King Kong, Mighty Joe Young is as charming as an Autumnal day. Many of the team from King Kong reteam to make this film, and undoubtedly it's pretty much the same plotting only with a different resolution. However, the effects work is still magical, harking back to a time when geniuses like Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen sweated buckets to make the magic move on the screen. Mighty Joe, the huge Gorilla of the title, is beautifully realised, full of expressions and emotions, he even has time for some sense of humour traits. Action is never far away, with models and sets destroyed with brute force, while plenty of beings get flung about to emphasise the madness of it all. Narratively like Kong there's still themes of greed and ignorance, the tampering with Mother Nature a big mistake, which all leads to a thrilling finale that in turn leads to something to savour. Kiddie Kong? Who cares! A wonderful film of skill and guile, of charm and brains. Go Joe Go! 8/10

John Chard22 Jun, 2015