I hadn't seen the original King Kong since I was a kid sneaking downstairs to watch "Chiller Theatre" on TV. Mom had said that when she'd seen it in theatres as a little girl, she was so frightened that she soiled herself, an image I found far more terrifying than anything Hollywood could muster or has mustered since.
What I did not realize until yesterday was that I had seen a heavily sanitized Kong. The real Kong grabbed people and munched on them. He maliciously stomped on them. And...and...
In an amazing sequence for any era, especially 1933, Kong uses his index finger to tear away Fay Wray's dress bit by bit. When he's done, he sniffs his finger.
Blink, blink.
I couldn't even process what I had just seen. How had I not noticed this before? The answer, of course, is that someone had edited it out. I can't agree with the censorship, but I can agree with the taste.