This journey through the world of cinematic astrology is and has been for me an epic adventure, because through the thousands of hours of research and hundreds of films I’ve reviewed, patterns have emerged and it’s like finding a clue to the archetypes of reality through the fabric of cinema.
I was looking into Naomi Watt’s work and the LIBRA aspects it covers, but what I ran into was a more grand LIBRA/VIRGO pattern than runs through the Anne Darrow character from KING KONG movies from 1933 onward.
When observing the woman that Kong seeks to turn his beastial affections towards, there are two obvious astrological choices. One VIRGO, as many men and other primates love VIRGINS. They represent purity and newness and the ability to reproduce. The other would be LIBRA she is the BEAUTY Kong would be attracted to. She is the rare JEWEL, as he has never set eyes on such a BEAUTIFUL creature nor one so unique in his remote corner of the world: with her light skin and blonde hair. She is the new, the object of desire that he can’t keep his primitive hands off of. In other words, on Skull Island she is a CELEBRITY and since she plays an actress in the original 1933 version, so is the JEWEL of the production. She CHARMS THE APE.
But before we go further it would be useful to identify Kong himself and what his sign he is. Certainly as an ape he has no scripted dialogue. So we can only determine his character him from his actions. As an abstracted version of the Beauty and the Beast story or later Phantom of the Opera, in KING KONG we find the similar characteristic of OBSESSION and DESIRE. In other words, he is a SCORPIO who becomes OBSESSED with a VIRGIN GODESS. This is a film paradigm that happens over and over again. It’s done correctly in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (2004 ) with SCORPIO/ Gerald Butler and VIRGO/ Emmy Rossum, its almost right in the BEAUTY AND THE BEAST TV series with LIBRA/VIRGO/ CUSP/Linda Hamilton as the BEAUTY/VIRGIN and MARS co-ruled ARIES/Ron Perelman stepping in for SCORPIO.
But we find this paradigm in other films that have borrowed from it. In GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1998) the BEAUTY/VIRGIN was played by LIBRA/VIRGO CUSP/Gwyneth Paltrow and the BEAST by SCORPIO/Ethan Hawke. He being the beast, because of his low social standing. In FIFTY SHADES OF GREY fellow FIXED FEMININE sign TAURUS/Jamie Dornan fills in for SCORPIO and LIBRA/Dakota Johnsonis the BEAUTY/VIRGIN. Dornan is the beast because of his INTENSE sexual proclivities. In the classic SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957) SCORPIO/Burt Lancaster is the beast who’s obsessed with his naive sister VIRGO/Susan Harrison as he plays a wickedly powerful newspaper man. And she being the CUSP of LEO gives her attention getting aspects very close to LIBRA. She is the center of attention.
This archetype had been well established for hundreds of years before Hollywood, and the story literally thousands. The last line in the original 1933 version of KING KONG even makes a nod to it. The man who played Denham who captures Kong talks to a policemen after Kong has been killed. Police Lieutenant : Well, Denham, the airplanes got him. Carl Denham : Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty that killed the beast.
The first thing that is obvious when looking at this story and this version is that all there of the writers are on the CUSP. And as we will see, CUSP,stories are about transitions and journeys that cross boundaries. (Check out my CUSPS post). Secondly, it is the LIBRA, VIRGO and SCORPIO influence that becomes immediately evident as the screen writers were VIRGO/LIBRA CUSP/Ashmore Creelman, and CAPRICORN/AQUARIUS CUSP/Ashmore Creelman, from an idea by SCORPIO/LIBRA CUSP/Merian Caldwell Cooper who was also the producer and director. He was born on (October 24th), hence right on the CUSP of LIBRA in SCORPIO and born on a 6 (VENUS). So we see the astrological representation of POSSESSION and DESIRE (SCORPIO) and the FREEDOM and BEAUTY (LIBRA) of the VIRGIN GODDESS of SACRIFICE.
And so we have SCORPIO/Kong becoming obsessed with the BEAUTIFUL VIRGIN that is to be SACRIFICED (VIRGO), but as the story progresses in remakes, she is the BEAUTY that calms the beast and indeed fights for his freedom and so she brings with her the SOCIAL JUSTICE aspects of LIBRA and the BALANCING that LIBRA seeks to attain.
Fay Wray who first played Ann Darrow in 1933 wasn’t a LIBRAN she was a VIRGO. I don’t know her RISING sign, but she was also born on the 15th ( 6) and 6 is RULED BY VENUS… so the VENUS/VIRGO connection starts here. Also the character Jack Driscol was played by ARIES/TAURUS CUSP/Bruce Cabot, and that also plays out.
In the 2005 version, we again find LIBRA in Anne Darrow in Naomi Watts. VIRGO/Jack Black plays Carl Dehham and again an ARIES/Adrien Brody as Jack Driscol. Then we find almost the identical cast placement in an animated version called THE MIGHTY KONG (1998) only the VIRGO and ARIES parts are switched, but we still find LIBRAN/Jodi Benson as Ann Darrow and ARIES/TAURUS CUSP/Dudley Moore as Carl Denham and VIRGO/Randy Hamilton as Jack Driscol.
In an animated TV series in 1966 also called KING KONG, we have different names but still have the young woman played by LIBRA/Susan Conway. In KING KONG LIVES we find LIBRA/VIRGO CUSP/Linda Hamilton giving Kong a heart so he can love. In KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017), LIBRA/Brie Larson, assumes the role of Darrow. In QUEEN KONG (1976) the story switches genders and a female Kong falls in love with a character called Ray Fay, played by LIBRA/Robin Askwith. Also the principal female lead is played by LIBRA/Rula Lenska who is just off the CUSP of VIRGO.
And finally in KONG: THE ANIMATED SERIES the principal female who relates to Kong is played by LIBRA/VIRGO CUSP/Saffron Henderson. The rest of the cast is also VIRGO and LIBRA…VIRGO/ Kirby Morrow, LIBRA/David Kaye VIRGO/Scott McNeil.
The one exception to this rule is KING KONG (1976), but here we still find a LIBRAN vibration as Jessica Lange is TAURUS which is also ruled by VENUS BEAUTY and she is on the dead on the CUSP of LIBRAS most alike sign ARIES. It equals VENUS TOUCHES A MASCULINE LEADER SIGN, as it is in LIBRA. Also in this version all the names are changed and as I bring out in my book, when this happens it changes the character and the astrology. But still it’s pretty close.
This archetype of the JEWEL, the woman that is so beautiful that she can’t be ignored, can be like all things, good or bad. Celebrity can cause problems like it does here. People and apes may try to capture a shooting star, but by doing so may bring about their own downfall.
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