King Kong ending explained

What happens

Kong carries Ann up the Empire State Building, where aeroplanes shoot him down. He gently sets her down before he falls to the street. It reveals the creature as tender, and the real threat as the showman who brought him here.

The last line

"It was Beauty killed the Beast."

What it says

The ending turns the showman's triumph into an accusation. Denham's neat line lets the crowd and himself off the hook. The film asks you to notice who put Kong on that building, and who paid for the spectacle.