The Italians are masters of the rip-offs. "Alien," "Jaws," "Dawn of the Dead" …and they do it well. How about "King Kong" you ask? Yep! Today we look at an Italian film shot in Toronto in which a behemoth hairy ape thing grabs a nubile babe and climbs to the top of the city. 1977's "Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century" (directed by Gianfranco Parolini) is our feature today.
A discovery in northern Canada's ice! A 20 foot (or maybe 50 foot, depending on which scene of the film we're watching) ape man (Mimmi Crao). A huge drilling corporation headed by oil magnate/promoter Morgan Hunnicut (Edoardo Faleta) sees instant marketing opportunity for this pre-historic giant. He summons old pal, scientist Professor Wasserman (John Stacy) to head operations on its recovery. Wasserman ups the ante...he thinks he can bring it back to life. This is good news for the under-loved Euro-babe Jane (Antonella Interlenghi)…who is at the site because she's hot and pouts a lot. After some electrodes are put in strategic places, our ape-man wakes and screams. First he screams in anger, then he sees Jane and screams at...I don't know, lost opportunity, perhaps?
Okay...the thing breaks loose from its straps and cage, grabs the Italian hottie and scampers in the wilderness to...well...to get to know Jane better. He's captured again, brought to Toronto to be exhibited at some World's Fair type gala...and then escapes again. When Jane gets trapped in a crowd, he rescues her and goes to old Exhibition Stadium (where the Blue Jays first played). Now Jane loves the big ape-man...probably not because of his wonderful head of hair, either. Goons and thugs try to pin some murders on the beast and now the cops are ordered to kill him. Jane pouts some more and looks like an Alberto VO5 commercial and tries to save the monster. Now the ape-man saves dogs, little children, and nubile Euro-babes while trying to escape greedy humans.
What does Jane hope for in her relationship with the 50 foot macho monster? Okay, stupid question. Is this film an answer to Canada's inferiority complex in not having a King Kong legend or an Empire State Building phallic symbol in their largest city? Is the recently erected CN Tower in Toronto in response to this film? Fun, syrupy sweet, and way too corny, enjoy "Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century" and imagine how Sigmund Freud would have analyzed this film.
I"m sure there is stealing of ideas across the globe, just change the language and no one will be the wiser, the Chinese do it all the time, even steal pop hits. And repackage it as their own. Good point about copy rights.
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