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The Gorilla

Name: The Gorilla
Director: Allan Dwan
Released: 1939
Duration: 68 min

Representation Score

0.3/10

Minimal

1939

Director

Allan Dwan

Runtime

68 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Set in 1939, the film focuses on genre clichés like mystery and romantic rescue, reinforcing the era's social hierarchies. Narrative power is concentrated among Western male characters, relegating women and non-Western settings to secondary roles. The film upholds the status quo of the time, emphasizing traditional adventure-comedy themes.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Gorilla have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters, maintaining a strictly heterosexual and cisgender perspective.

How does The Gorilla portray gender?

Limited

Male characters dominate the narrative, while female characters are mostly passive and require rescue.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Gorilla?

Minimal

The South Seas backdrop serves as mere scenery, with Western characters holding the primary roles and non-white characters lacking ability to act.

How does The Gorilla represent religion and culture?

Minimal

The story emphasizes Western legal and detective frameworks, celebrating Western competence in exotic locales without authentic cultural exploration.

Does The Gorilla include disability representation?

Minimal

No characters with disabilities are shown, nor are there any narratives shaped by neurodivergence or physical impairment.

Present on Screen

The film offers a clear, cohesive example of the 1930s adventure-comedy genre.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks diverse and complex representation of women and non-Western cultures.
Female characters are often passive and in need of rescue.
Tropical settings are used without authentic cultural exploration or meaningful roles for non-white characters.

Official Synopsis

When an escaped circus gorilla appears to have gone on a murderous rampage, a threatened attorney calls on the detective trio of Garrity, Harrigan and Mullivan to act as bodyguards. In short order, we discover that there is more to the attorney than meets the eye, and the ape may be innocent after all. When a pretty young heiress faces peril, it's up to our heroic trio to save the day.

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