King Kong (Two-Disc Special Edition)

The still pictures of Fay Wray are from the special feature, "Camera's Roll on King Kong the Eighth Wonder of the World." Wray was indeed the beauty counter parting the beast. The pencil art work displayed in the special features segments is way cool also. The special features are vast and detailed, thus making this Blue-Ray Disc of 1933s "King Kong" a real gem to own. There's an interview with Fay Wray decades after "King Kong" was released and so much more. Interviews with modern day film technicians praised the technical team of King Kong and said many of their basic techniques are still used to this day. The details of the 18 inch model of King King and stop motion photography are explained perfectly. I merely touched the tip of ice burg about the special features on this Blue-Ray Disc. Simply stated, the special features alone make this version of "King Kong" worth having. "King Kong" was way ahead of it's time, and not just for the special effects. Early in this flick, Fay Wray struts her fabulous frame in a transparent top with no bra, a big no-no for main stream movies that was rigidly enforced by 1935, so 1933s "King Kong" is a true Pre-Code Hollywood film for ignoring the boundaries of sexuality and violence on the the movie screen upon its time. Screenplay writers James Creelman and Ruth Rose transformed Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper's story into a cinematic masterpiece that cemented the ground work for solid story telling and captivating special effects. Fay Wray as Ann Darrow wanted Cary Grant as her leading man and said Bruce Cabot wasn't her ideal choice, but regardless, this 1933 flick contains realistic romance and the idea that only love can kill the beast. Robert Armstrong portrays a successful, yet controversial film maker, Carl Denham who cast's Ann Darrow as the female love interest for his next motion picture. Denham, Darrow and his entire film crew sail the vast seas to Skull Island, an uncharted island where the mighty Kong dwells. Kong's soul is caressed with love be the mere sight of Darrow (Wray) and when she's taken away from mighty beast, Kong roams the streets of New York with vengeance and a quest for sheer serenity. While on Skull Island, Kong combats dinosaurs and other giant beasts from millions of years ago. Bravo to Willis O' Brien, the technician who inspires the likes of today's special effects gurus. This 2022 restoration is fantastic. The sound is crisp and works very well on today's sound systems and the picture quality is amazing. The Overture before the credits is more than four minutes long before the opening credits even begin. Simple use the fast skip button on your DVD player once, and the opening credits roll, press fast skip once more, and the movie begins in its entirety.

Great movie. Great cast. Great story!

The Commentary Track is on the 2006 1-disc DVD issue of the original 1933 "King Kong". The commentary was recorded while Peter Jackson's 2005 remake was in production, and the remake is mentioned a couple of times. Commentators are Ken Ralston and Ray Harryhausen. Ralston was one of the founders of Industrial Light & Magic and has won 5 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects. Ray Harryhausen is the father of stop motion animation. He calls Willis O'Brien, the "Chief Technician" of "King Kong", the grandfather of stop motion. The two introduce themselves at the beginning of the commentary, with Harryhausen saying "We're both in love with the same picture, 'King Kong'!" Ray, born in 1920, saw "King Kong" in 1933 at the fabled Grauman's Chinese Theater. O'Brien (O.B. as he and Ken call him) was his mentor. There are also a few places in the commentary track with inserts from archival interviews with Merian C. Cooper, director and co-producer, and Fay Wray, who, of course, played Ann Darrow, the beauty to Kong's beast. At one point, Merian says that the last line in the film was one he'd had in mind for many years: "It was beauty killed the beast". And, in case you're wondering, he made up the "Old Arabian Proverb" at the beginning of the movie. Both Ken and Ray are very complimentary to Max Steiner's great score. Harry: "I can't stress [enough] how important music was to this film." Ken: "I remember hearing this, and it may be wrong, but technically, they had less ability to do a lot of levels of sound effects, and ... nuances like that. So for Steiner, he was adding a lot more musically to this. [Music] that took the place of what would now be the sound effects realm basically burying the music. This is like an opera piece, where you've got great music and visuals going through the whole piece." Harry: "And each character has their own leit motif ... It's just marvelous." I couldn't agree more. For example, it is a masterwork how Steiner's music builds the tension as the kidnapped Ann is kneeling in front of the giant gate, and then it opens and she is dragged through to the columns where she is tied. Then the music STOPS. The gong is struck. Then the music starts low, again, as you hear growling, then trees crashing, and then.... But it's not just the music. I love the expert scene composition. When Kong beats his way through the giant gates, you see him from below, the torches lighting him up with his eyes blazing, while silhouettes of terrified villagers run towards you on your level. Great stuff! Ken reminds us: "When this was released, this was their 'Jurassic Park'. When this came out, Kong blew everyone out of the theater, totally took them by surprise .... It raised the bar on visual effects." Merien adds: "Willis O'Brien was a technical genius. In this picture, we had to invent 11 new processes [for visual effects]. This was the first time that rear projection was really ever used. There had been 2 or 3 [prior] tries at it." Then there was Ruth Rose's dialogue. As Ray says, "You notice the dialogue is so tight. There's no superfluous inferences.... [The script] takes you by the hand from the depression era to the most outrageous fantasy." This brings up the TV versions of "King Kong". You must view the fully restored movie if all you've seen is the TV version. It wasn't just the censorship of scenes like Kong or the lagoon dinosaur chomping on the crew. They cut out huge swaths of the beginning of the movie, where the stage is set, where the characters are filled out, where the mystery starts to build, of, just what the heck is Carl Denham up to? I could go on and on about favorite comments in the commentary, but you get the idea. I loved this original "King Kong" before, but watching it through the eyes of Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston added to my enjoyment immensely. If you're interested, you can get many CD's of Max Steiner's film work. Probably his most famous soundtrack is for 1939 "Gone With the Wind". Here's the CD of the 1933 "King Kong" King Kong: The Complete 1933 Film Score I love Peter Jackson's "King Kong" - Jack Black and Naomi Watts took iconic characters and made them their own - but I will always have a place in my heart for the original "King Kong". Happy Reader

The movie itself is an unmitigated masterpiece: a spectacular story conceived by a man Kong-sized in spirit, one incredible real-life hero and adventurer Merian C. Cooper, with impeccable, flawlessly paced direction by Cooper and his also astounding associate Ernest Shoedsack, with a hand-in-glove masterful Max Steiner music score, a Gustave Dore-inspired jungle unlike any other jungle ever filmed, graced by a true Beauty in Fay Wray as Ann Darrow and a Beast that gives one of the Top 10 greatest screen performances ever - and does so despite being an 18" rabbit fur-covered, metal ball-and-socket puppet! The man behind the movement, though, was Willis O'Brien, an authentic American genius unfortunately not given enough opportunities to gift us with his wares. He is somewhat like Welles. Both artists reached the tops of their own Empire State Buildings under the auspices of RKO. Welles, of course with CITIZEN KANE and O'Bie with KING KONG: both films ironically two word titles, both are names preceded by adjectives, both with the hard 'K'. And both men, Welles and O'Brien, toppling from the heights due to the vagaries of popular taste and monied interests and personal demons. Anyway, speaking of monied interests, I was surprised to see the blatant, huckster's lie in the advert for the Blu-ray Book version of KONG. The list of Special Features says: THE LOST SPIDER PIT SEQUENCE IN ITS ENTIRETY. But this is an outright lie. What is on the disc is NOT the actual and seemingly truly lost spider pit sequence. What it really is is Peter Jackson's imaginative recreation of the actual and lost sequence. This recreation is a segment of the multi-part documentary "RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong." Yet in the pitch it is made to seem like a separate special feature and NOT merely a part of the long documentary already listed as being on disc two. I know many folks may be fooled by this false advertising, therefore this review. Despite the lie, white or otherwise, the movie is magnificent magic, all the way. The second disc extras are all to be found on the DVD release. The Making of documentary is wonderful, even with a bit too much of Peter Jackson's input. The other documentary is a rich and rewarding one on the incredible Merian C. Cooper who was the real-life model for Carl Denham, searcher for Skull Island and captor of Kong. Ten lives or more lived in one! I have the 2005 release in the tin box special edition. Not sure if it is available anymore, but it is a beauty. Anyway,I never tire of watching this Monster Masterpiece because it is so rich and dense in detail that something new may be found in it with each viewing. One example: I was always aware of the boat - The Venture - way in the background in the scene where Bruce Cabot and Fay Wray are escaping from Kong via a vine hanging down the face of Skull Mountain. But only recently did I also spot the actual giant wall just visible in the dense jungle foliage. It is a wonderful detail in a wonderfully detailed film. It gives one a visual sense of just how deep into the jungle Kong's mountain lair actually is - and how far Jack Driscoll has come to rescue Ann Darrow. KING KONG was a Thanksgiving TV tradition for many, many years here in the NY area. With those nostalgic memories in mind I will settle down into my armchair this Thursday and book passage on The Venture and get lost in the wilds of Skull Island yet again, looking to spot yet another jewel in that fearsome and fantastic jungle.

To state the obvious, it was ahead of its time and definitely an all time classic. No computer generation just artistry in the special effects.

This picture book blu-ray release of the movie that inspired scores of special effects technicians such as the late, great Ray Harryhausen among many others is a bit of a mixed bag. I also had the King Kong (Two-Disc Special Edition) with the tin case and after careful observation although the blu-ray still looks a little better than the dvd, it is difficult to justify if the "upgrade" is worth it. For me I am satisfied as although all the special features from the dvd are here with nothing new added the picture book is nice to look at and at least the picture and sound qualities are slightly better than that of the dvd albeit not very much so. Still Willis O'Brien did miracles here and the epic monster battle that inspired countless future Godzilla ones here of Kong v. T-Rex will always be a high point of the film. In many ways this is still among the best ever monster-run-amuck films ever made and the action moves along very quickly giving you little time to catch your breath once the film gets going after the introduction of Kong. Max Steiner's score is remarkable and that alone made it worth it to watch the film and it set the standard for all future film scores to come. Although this blu-ray release sports a better picture and sound quality than the dvd release and I'm happy with the upgrade I do appreciate that some will feel that it's not worth the upgrade as no new special features are included and unlike say The Maltese Falcon [Blu-ray ] or to a lesser extent Casablanca [Blu-ray ] where the difference between blu-ray and dvd is like night and day this blu-ray version of Kong is not going to make you feel compelled to upgrade from the dvd unless you like the picture book enough to want to get it. If you don't already have this it is a worthy addition to your video library but if you already got the special edition dvd you are not losing out too much if you decide not to upgrade.

At last, the first--and best--of the classic B/W monster movies has been transferred to DVD. But not just transferred. Warner's restoration is excellent, and with this new print we learn a number of interesting things: - Kong now has a friend named Biggs. - When the airplanes confront Kong at the top of the Empire State Building, Kong shoots first. - Jar-Jar has been added to Skull Island. - The hunters' rifles have been replaced by walkie-talkies. - A scene has been added that shows them bringing Kong into New York. When asked for ID, Carl Denham says, "You don't need to see his identification. This isn't the gorilla you're looking for." - The last line has been changed from "Beauty killed the beast" to "Kong was your father!" Okay, okay, I'm kidding. Fortunately, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg had nothing to do with this release. The present restoration really is excellent, though, for a 70+ year-old film. They found this print in England, where, despite their own censorship board that required a "certificate of approval" to be placed at the start of every movie, they still didn't feel it necessary to cut out scenes that American censors snipped when the film was rereleased in 1938. (There was no Hollywood censorship board when the film originally came out in 1933.) The scenes cut were Kong peeling Fay Wray like a banana and sniffing her naughty bits, Kong stomping on natives, Kong biting natives' heads off, and Kong tossing a woman who was not Fay out her New York apartment window to her death. All were deemed too violent, or, in the case of peeling Ms. Wray's clothes, they felt there was too much monkey business going on. But all the scenes are back in this new print (actually they had been restored years ago, but they're in better condition here than ever before). There's also commentary by special effects whiz Ray Harryhausen (I didn't know he was still alive, to tell you the truth) and Ken Ralston, with additional comments here and there from producer Merion C. Cooper and, of course, Kong's squeeze, Fay Wray. I would have liked more commentary from Wray and Cooper and less from Harryhausen and Ralston, especially since Ralston contributes nada that's worthwhile and I understand Wray has done more extensive commentaries for a laserdisc version that could have been used here. Disc two is mainly two documentary features, a look at the rough and tumble life of producer Merian C. Cooper and a lengthy look at the making of Kong. The story of Cooper is probably the most eye-opening item on this DVD. There was so much about the man I didn't know, and I have to confess I had no idea he did so much, both on and off the screen. He's really one of the great Americans, yet you rarely hear his name mentioned today for anything other than King Kong. Funny how one thing can eclipse everything else you do. Cooper was such a war hero that he was actually allowed on the battleship Missouri for the signing of the treaty ending WWII hostilities. And in WWI, he was shot down, captured by enemies, and nearly died--twice! Cooper obviously modeled swashbuckler character Carl Denham on himself (even physically), just as love interest Jack Driscoll was modeled after the film's other producer, Ernest B. Schoedsack. The second documentary is largely the work of Peter Jackson, who is currently finishing up his remake of King Kong. Jackson truly is the Kong fanatic. He is not only remaking the film, he also reconstructed and reshot the famed "Lost Spider Pit Sequence" for this original film. Using two still photos, numerous production sketches and a shot-by-shot script, Jackson and pals reenacted the scene on a small soundstage and then, using authentic 1930s technology, stop-motioned in the spiders and other creatures. They then degraded the film with computers to match the quality of the 1933 print and spliced it in. (After the premiere Cooper cut the spider scene out, feeling it slowed the picture and was too shocking in its own right.) Jackson's work is shown in a roughly ten-minute excerpt on disc two. (The actual movie on disc one is spider-free.) While I appreciate the effort and the attention to detail, I'm somehow underwhelmed, though it's hard to say exactly why. Despite all the frenetic action, Jackson doesn't direct with the rawness of the original--the spider scene was supposed to be the most horrifying moment in the film, yet the scenes where Kong munches on the natives pack more punch. Also, the stop-motion animation of the sailors on the rock looks more like Ray Harryhausen than Willis O'Brien. (I was slightly underwhelmed even when I first stumbled on this extra and played it without knowing it was a recreation--at first I thought they'd *really* found the spider pit sequence!) Although Jackson dominates the second documentary, there are also sections on Max Steiner, who wrote the very effective score (its influence on William's Star Wars music is obvious), Murray Spivack, who recorded the impressive sound effects (Spivack himself voiced Kong's soft "grunts") and others who contributed to the film. I wish they would have revealed how much the film actually cost and talked more about how the history of RKO and how the studio had everything riding on this picture. Instead we get, in my opinion, a little too much screen time with today's Kongophiles talking about how this movie profoundly changed their lives. (They get a little over the top after a while. One also wants to buy Peter Jackson a comb, or maybe just take him to a barber.) There's also a second, separate track of the Jackson spider footage--redundant since it's also on an isolated track inside the second documentary. Finally there's the original test footage for Creation, with commentary from Harryhausen again. Creation is the project O'Brien was working on before Kong. Cooper and Executive producer David O. Selznick liked Obie's work but were not impressed with the story behind Creation, so they scuttled the project, and O'Brien was brought in to do Kong instead. As for the movie itself...well, I'm not bothering with a review, because anyone who's reading this has already surely seen Kong a million times over the years. But one has to ask, why all the interest in a creaky, 72-year-old film? How is Kong relevant today, as anything more than ancient cinema history? In some ways the film is a product of its time, with stilted dialogue, hokey setups, and some horrible stereotypes, against both Africans (or "natives" as they would say in the film) and women, who do little here except faint. But in other ways the picture was light-years ahead of its time. The thorough and seamless use of every special technique then possible (many of them invented for the film itself), the wall-to-wall music filled with leitmotifs for every character and exotic locale, the chases, the narrow escapes, the aerial battles at the end, the clean, three-act screenplay, the strong sense of atmosphere, the quick pacing, the superb production design, the advanced sound effects, the mythological or fairy-tale elements, the whole awesome spectacle of it all--does this remind you of some other ground-breaking film you probably grew up with? One that takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far far away? Many of the techniques that have made Lucas and Spielberg incredibly rich were pioneered with Kong, and conceptually, if not necessarily in scene-for-scene execution, King Kong is as "modern" as any film today. Amazingly so. Just has Kong came in two heights--about 15 feet on Skull Island and 25+ feet in New York City, King Kong the DVD is available in two sizes. The standard release is the double-DVD set in the usual cardboard packaging. The "Collector's Edition" contains the same two discs in said packaging, plus miniature reproductions of Kong movie posters (plus an offer to get a free full-sized one suitable for framing), and a reproduction of the original Grauman's Chinese Theater premiere booklet (interestingly, the booklet talks about the spider pit sequence that would subsequently be cut), all inside a larger, metal hinged case. This larger case may not fit on all DVD shelves--but that's only appropriate for such a big movie about such a big ape, isn't it?

The item I am reviewing is the 2005 2-Disc Collector's Edition release for King Kong (1933). Of course, the film is a classic, one of the greatest films ever made. As for this set, the same could possibly be said. At first glace, we observe a large, tin case that houses the DVD. Already we can tell there has been a lot of time and energy put into this set. The front, which is the classic poster for the film, is beautifully recreated on this tin case. Inside, we find a plethora of goodies. First is the DVD itself. This is identicle to the 2-Disc Special Edition-it is housed in a cardboard casing that contains both discs 1 and 2 as well as information as to what is on them. So what's on them? Other than the movie, disc 1 has a commentary by Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston, as well as archival comments by Merian C. Cooper and Fay Wray. There is also a trailer gallery of films by Merian C. Cooper. Disc two features two documentaries: the hour-long "I'm King Kong! The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper", which details the life of the film's director, and the 2-and-a-half-hour-long "RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong," a 7-part documentary that extensively details the film. The doc features interviews with Rick Baker, Ben Burtt and Peter Jackson, who remade "Kong" in 2005. This also features Jackson's recreation of the long lost "Spider Pit" sequence, which can be viewed separately. Last but not least is original creation footage which is narrated by the recently deceased visual effects veteran Ray Harryhausen. If the DVD's bonuses were on the light side, then the physical extras are bound to excite. First, we are treated with a reproduction of the original lobby brochure for Kong's premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 1933. This is definitely the best extra and is a fantastic bonus. Next are a collection of small posters of the film from around the world. The final extra is a mail-in offer for the full-sized original poster, which expired in 2006. These bonuses make the set worth it for those who already own the 2-Disc special edition. The 2-Disc Collector's Edition of King Kong (1933) is one of the best DVD sets ever made. You can tell Warner Bros. put a lot of effort in it, something that can not be said for the studio's recent (past 2007) "special editions." Other than the DVDs, which are great, there is a reproduction of the 1933 premiere lobby booklet and a collection of mini-posters, all housed in a beautiful tin case. If you already own the 2-disc set of King Kong, then pick this set up; it's worth the upgrade. If you don't own King Kong at all, then I'm afraid I can't breathe the same air as you (unless you are planning to buy then, then that's OK.) This is a set that deserves to be in every DVD library; it's definitely the best release this movie has seen yet.

Capolavoro del grande cinema americano degli anni 30, Kong ha il merito di aver raggiunto, all'epoca, incredibili vette negli effetti speciali (oggi, ovviamente datati). L'edizione qui editata (a parer mio una delle più complete in circolazione) propone un BD che contiene il film in alta definizione in B/N (restaurato davvero magnificamente), e a colori (seppur questa versione presenta dei cromatismi un po' sballati), e un DVD pieno zeppo di speciali, tra cui una recente intervista all'attrice Fay Wray e alcuni interessantissimi film d'epoca quali "Il mondo perduto". Ottimo il servizio di Amazon, con il pacco arrivato nei tempi prestabiliti e in perfette condizioni.

I purchased this just recently and on the day it came, I watched it at night and I was totally surprised! It was like watching a brand new version. Honestly, the digital sound and the pristine quality of the video made me feel like I was among the actors and filmcrew. And when the hero, King Kong appears, it is mind-blowing. I believe more scenes were added. I never ever remember so much more action, and it is un-edited and we get to see king kong battling so many dinosaurs. It is such a fun watching him and the most stunningly beautiful actress, Fay Wry. She has an innocent beauty which I LOVE. With all respect to all the others, I will always place her as my number one actress to play Ann, the bride of Kong. Only one thing I will say. As I, and millions of others feel, I am an animal lover so cannot watch beyond the point when our hero and heroine make it to the top of the Empire States Building. For me, I want to live in my own fantasy ending that King Kong found a safe refuge where he lived happily ever after with Ann and he let her wander freely, a bit like the Hunchback of Notre Damn, keeping Desdemona in the safety of the church. Simply beautiful and classic movie which I highly recommend to all loyal fans of King Kong.

Ce film de 1933, remasterisé mais (dieu merci) non colorisé, se regarde avec grand plaisir en famille. L'image est excellente, le son aussi a été retravaillé, mais cela reste, évidemment, une BO mono avec les limitations techniques de l'époque. Les effets spéciaux sont spectaculaires, ce n'est pas étonnant qu'ils fassent référence. Bref, un must dans toute cinémathèque un peu sérieuse, à mon humble avis. PS. J'ai regardé la VO, je ne peux donc rien dire sur le doublage qui suscite pas mal de critiques dans les commentaires.

B&W Still a great movie with a great story and special effects that still impress. The story, music, action are al blended so well it really keeps you watching like an old time movie

Está claro que el que esté leyendo esta reseña va buscando si merece la pena este blu-ray o se queda con ediciones anteriores o en otros formatos de esta película, así que voy a intentar no dejar nada en el tintero y dar la mayor información posible. Lo primero y dado que a veces se confunden ediciones decir que estoy reseñando el blu-ray siguiente ; Estudio : Warner Bros. Entertainment France Referencia : ASIN : B07895V7YQ Y por lo tanto no otras ediciones en blu-ray del clásico de 1933 que también han salido, siendo por tanto esta una edición que se ve sin problema en la región B ya que es francesa. Lo primero decir que toma como base tanto la película como los extras del celebérrimo DVD en dos discos que salió en el 2005 en la región 1 y que hizo disfrutar tanto a los aficionados que pudimos comprarlo. Esta edición , la norteamericana en DVD traía subtítulos en Español, en la película y no en los extras (Mas tarde en américa latina salió una edición en DVD que subtitulaba todo y doblaba al español latino la película). Pues bien este Blu-ray tiene audio y subtitulos en Español latinoamericano en la película y y subtitulos en español en todos los extras, ya de entrada por tanto es bienvenida la edición. De dos discos de aquella edición en DVD pasamos a uno solo en blu-ray que trae todos los contenidos, de aquellos dos discos. Calidad de imagen : A años luz de los DVD's de la editora Manga que se publicaron en España hacia 2006, que tenían calidad inferior al de la región 1 USA, y ciertamente mayor definición en la película y en todos los contenidos que el DVD de 2005. El sonido el original de la época, que era Mono que para el standard del momento en que se hizo era de una gran calidad. No olvidemos que aparte de la película en si, que son unos 100 minutos, este blu-ray trae mas de 3 horas de extras muy trabajados y de extraordinaria calidad que no dejan practicamente nada sin explicar o documentar sobre la película. En mi caso decir que la compra de esta película merece la pena, es un clásico y un film que lo tiene todo, buena producción y dirección (Cooper & Schoedsack), sonido (Murray Spivack), actores (Fay Wray , Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, et...), una historia sólida de Ruth Rose sobre todo (cosa muy típica del cine de entonces y que se va perdiendo) y unos efectos especiales del genial Willis O'brien y una banda sonora de Max Steiner que la hacen inmortal. En su momento, en España tuvimos que comprar aquella mítica edición en DVD importada de America, esta vez podemos comprar esta edición en Blu-ray europea, mas barata y con mas resolución y calidad. Siendo como soy un gran admirador de esta película no puedo por menor que recomendarla, pero...atención al número de referencia que hay varias y cualquiera puede confundirse.