Cinema Purgatorio #4 - "A King at Twilight"

[laughing_tree]

"We’re finding that horror has a lot of different flavours, and in Cinema Purgatorio we’re hoping to extend and educate both our own and the readers’ palates. And you never know, the reader might discover that they’re looking at forgettable old films completely differently and becoming aware of some of the uncomfortable shadows in the background. That has certainly been our own experience thus far, and there are an awful lot of movies or movie devices that I personally am never going to see in the same light again." -- Alan Moore

Comments

[superboyprime]

I don't get it.

[captainbellman]

The whole conceit of the Moore/O'Neill story is classic movie formats being used as metaphors for purgatory and the explusion of/punishment for sins. So this is Kong being used as a mouthpiece for the tragic life of Willis H. O'Brien, chief stop-motion animator on the film - the artist speaking through his work.

I suppose Moore is attempting to draw grim parallels between O'Brien's apparently miserable life at the hands of Hollywood and Kong's death at the hands of spiders in this alternate, "Purgatorio" cut. You may notice the figure on the cover appears to be a despondent-looking O'Brien himself, in his signature white hat.

[lego_joker]

You think Moore's ever going to move out of the silents and get to modern Hollywood? That'd be fun to see.

[captainbellman]

Not too sure...this feels like it'll be largely built on nostalgia. It would be nice to see him move on to Giallos ala "Berberian Sound Studio", though.

[alschroeder3]

Silents? The original King Kong wasn't a silent movie. It was in black and white, but almost every movie made then was.