The adventurer

From the 86th floor observatory of the Empire State Building, an old, ill man confined to a wheelchair recalls the episodes of an exceptional life. His name evokes movie legend and thrilling adventure, primarily due to a giant gorilla in love with a blond starlet, climbing the skyscraper and firing imaginations, resulting in the inspiration of film makers around the world. This chronicle is set against the backdrop of two world wars and the Great Depression, wherein Merian Cooper pursued his childhood dreams with great courage and a thirst for adventure. “The Adventurer” opens with Cooper’s childhood, the day his parents bring him to the famous Wright brothers’ first flight: sheer amazement for the kid who begins an obsession with flying. Years later, Merian travels the world, penniless, chasing his dreams, in search of his identity. Subsequently becoming a journalist, Cooper tries to fulfill his desire of writing and exploring the human personality and its dark side before becoming a pilot during World War I and witnessing death and feats of courage first hand over foggy European skies. That same fog – a major component of his famous future film - causes his plane to crash and leads to his capture in enemy territory. His inhumane treatment as a POW at the hands of the Cossacks and subsequent escape will have a profound affect on his career. Returning to New York even more determined, Merian forms a partnership with his long time friend Ernest B. Shoedsack and Marguerite Harrison, who invest in their first documentary entitled “GRASS”. The film’s success leads to a trip to Thailand where they direct "Chang", a mostly fictional story about jungle life that becomes a popular and critical success. The disappointment with the final edit of the movie and the studio’s control over the film subsequently caused Merian to temporarily abandon cinema and become one of the founders of Pan American Airways. However, the tragic death of his partner at Pan Am and a strange nightmare about a giant gorilla rampaging in New York, convince him to start writing one of the most famous movies of all the time.