Refimprove
Carl Denham is a
fictional film director in the films
King Kong and
Son of Kong (both released in 1933), as well as in the
2005 remake of King Kong, and a 2004 illustrated-novel titled
Kong: King of Skull Island. The role was played by
Robert Armstrong in the 1933 films and by
Jack Black in the 2005 remake. Denham's function in the story is to initiate the action by bringing the characters to
Skull Island, where they encounter the giant beast
Kong. Denham then brings Kong to
New York City to put him on display as entertainment, but he escapes and rampages through the city.
Characterization
The original Denham was based on
Merian C. Cooper, creator of
King Kong[Goldner, Orville and George E. Turner, The Making of King Kong, Ballantine Books, 1975] both were brave men of action who made names for themselves filming nature footage in the most dangerous of territories. In some ways, Denham's travels in
King Kong match the move that Cooper made when he shifted from documentary filming to narrative storytelling. While bold and willing to take risks, the original Denham is honest, putting his people in danger but never asking more of them than he does of himself. In
Son of Kong, he shows great remorse for what he has done and sorrow at the loss of Kong.
