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5.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Gorilla remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Alright, so we’re talking about The Gorilla from 1930. Is it worth watching today? Only if you have a very specific taste for old, *really old*, movies. If you dig early talkies, the kind where the sound is a bit wonky and the acting feels like stage work, then maybe. It’s a definite pass for anyone wanting modern pacing or actual scares. Think of it as a historical artifact with some accidental laughs.
The whole thing kicks off in this big, shadowy mansion, which is exactly what you’d expect. Rich guy gets murdered, then another. The police, bless their hearts, immediately decide it’s an ape. A gorilla, specifically. Because, you know, that’s just a normal thing that happens in old houses. 🐒
It’s very much a product of its time. The plot relies on the standard “who’s-behind-the-mask” kind of thing. But instead of a person, it’s a big monkey suit. You can almost feel the movie trying to be scary, but it mostly just feels like a bunch of people running around in the dark.
You’ve got Joe Frisco and Harry Gribbon as the main detective duo, or rather, the main *comic* duo. And boy, do they try. Frisco has this rapid-fire, almost mumbling delivery that is probably meant to be hilarious, but just comes across as kinda hard to follow. Gribbon, meanwhile, leans into the broader physical comedy. They’re meant to be the light relief, but often, their schtick feels more like noise.
There's a scene where they’re trying to catch the 'gorilla' and just bumbling through doors. It goes on a bit too long, honestly. The sound of their footsteps and muttered comments starts to feel more awkward than funny. Like, *really* awkward.
Walter Pidgeon is in this too! Which is wild to see. He plays this rather serious, smooth character. He seems like he's in a completely different movie sometimes, a much more *serious* one. He doesn’t really mesh with the clowning around from Frisco and Gribbon.
For a movie named The Gorilla, the actual gorilla isn't on screen as much as you might think. When he is, well, it's Charles Gemora in a suit. And it’s… a suit. A very 1930s suit. You never really believe it’s a real ape, even for a second. The way he moves, it's very clearly a person. Which is fine! It adds to the camp. But it’s not scary.
One particular shot of the gorilla just standing there, kinda swaying, made me laugh out loud. It’s supposed to be menacing, but it just looks like a guy waiting for his cue. It’s endearing in its own way.
Being an early talkie, the sound is a thing. Sometimes characters speak very clearly, other times it’s a mumble. The background noise often feels a little too loud, or totally absent. It's a jumble. You often hear a door creak, then a pause, then a scream. Very deliberate. Very, very deliberate.
The pacing is… leisurely. There are long stretches of dialogue that don't really move the plot forward. It's like watching a stage play, but with more shouting and less clarity. You can feel the silences sometimes, almost like the actors are waiting for the sound engineer to catch up. A moment with someone just staring into the camera for a solid five seconds felt odd. Maybe it was an edit error? Who knows.
So, The Gorilla isn't going to blow anyone away. It’s a very specific kind of old Hollywood fun. Mostly for the curiosity of seeing how they did things back then. Don't go in expecting frights, but if you like a good chuckle at some dated effects and over-the-top acting, you might find something here. It’s a bit of a weird watch, truly.
IMDb 6.5
1925
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