King Kong (1933) - 11.22.05

oh i can't wait!

Yeah, I've seen the box. It's beautiful packaging. That bad boy will be mine, I assure you.

Will I be the first to complain about how they're putting three versions out on the market? Now I'm torn between the Collector's Set and the Kong/Son of Kong & Mighty Joe Young edition. At least, I can finally get rid of my 12 year VHS colorized copy. I no longer have to turn the color down on my TV.

Ray Harryhausen doing commentary alone is enough for me to put this sucker on my list.
I will probably opt for the collectors because of the original program and postcare poster reproductions,and pick up "Son of Kong" and "Joe Young "later.

"This film has been rated horrific."

Excellent stuff, if a bit tech-y and over my head in many places, over onThe Digital Bits.

Turns out Peter Jackson did a hell of a lot more for this release than just pop in as a fawning talking head. Goddamn.

No word on the long-ago hinted theatrical rerelease of the cleaned up '33 Kong, so maybe that plan's been scrapped. Which would really suck.

I love that Jackson is calling his documentary RKO Production 601: he gets extra points for that.
I don't have to explain the joke in that, do I?

No but you want to.

Can't wait to get this.....what's the poster you get with the mail away thing? Is it just the one that the artwork uses or is it another one?

I have the tin case edition in one hand, and Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young in the other. The tin case, by the way, is absolutely beautiful. Sending off for the 27" x 40" poster immediately (free w/ $3.25 for shipping).

Jeebus the 5 o'clock whistle is going to take for-damn-ever. A night of KONG. Can hardly believe it.

Just had a friend of mine pick this up from Best Buy for me. It's gonna be a helluva fun movie night tonight. I also can't wait to get that poster...

Unless I can persuade my mom to get this for and early X-mas present, I'm gonna have to wait for next week (payday) to get this. Le sigh.

What the Christ?! None of the stores I went to had this in. Not that they hadn't ordered it. That it hadn't ARRIVED. Best Buy only had the box set, Target only had the regular 2-disc and Wal-Mart had none (of course).

Is this widespread or did I just get screwed?

Still waiting to get this one for a review.

Looking forward to it so much.

I'll bite... what is it?

Maybe try a Borders? I hit the huge B & N right by the office on first try, and they only had 2 copies of the individually packaged King Kong, no tin and not even one box set.

So I humped the 4 blocks to Borders, and they had 4-5 copies of every edition WB put out, and even 2 or 3 each of the other two Cooper monkey movies' separate editions. I wasn't even going to get those right away, probably after the holidays. But, hell. Great ape marathon it is.

I swear to God, it's been 4 o'clock here for going on 3 hours now.

My guess:

Florida sucks.

"Poster offer good in USA only"

Ummmm, i'm sorry, I don't..uhhh.....WHAT?!

Makes me wanna get a U.S. based chewer to receive it and send it my way for a reward...

Bar none, best DVD release so far this year.

Seconded, Nordling.

Movie's never looked better, Harryhausen commentary's an awesome touch, and the documentary's great by itself, but Jesus holy fuck, did PJ and WETA ever go above and beyond the call of duty for their part.

There's no way in hell that man's not doing the big ape justice.

Sorry, but I've never see the '33 Kong. I grew up on the '76 Kong. It's not perfect, but that's probably how it'll always be.

Maybe you should buy the DVD and take a look?

Buy? No. Rent? That's definitely a good idea. I've probably been putting this off way too long.

I 100% agree. The documentary is fucking amazing. Anybody who thinks that Jackson just did this as cheap publicity for his remake is crazy.
I am still not sure that the Jackson film will equal the original, but it is not going to be a fiasco like the 76 version.
I also enjoyed the "I am Kong " documentary. Anybody else think that Marion Cooper's life would make a hell of a movie?
And the "Secret of the Lost SPider pit" sequence was worth the price alone.
Kudos to Jackson for making it clear he never intended to insert this into the film itself.Believe me, there are film makers out their and fanboys who would have not hesistation about doing that.
BTW anybody else note the difference between the New Jackson and Harry Knowles on the DVD" If PJ really is such a close friend of Harry he should pull him aside and tell him "Lose some weight. If I can do it, you can".
And I have even more respect for the SFX guys back in 1933 after seeing how much work they put into "kong". Reading about it is one thing, actually seeing it demonstrated is another thing entirely.
Great DVD. Warner's has done itself proud again.

The credibility of anybody who has not seen the original Kong when it comes to opinions about Sci fi and Fantasy movies is about zero. It's like discoursing on English Drama and then admitting you have never read any Shakespeare.
Sure way to a zero credibility rating.
Please see the original "Kong" at once.

I had never seen this film and just watched it for the first time last night. I truly enjoyed it once they got to Skull Island and KONG was unleashed. The stop motion animation was amazing and I look forward to checking out the supplemental disc once it arrives in the mail from Netflix.

dudalb,

I've got to congratulate you. After 15 months and 75+ reviews for this site, no one's ever caught on that I have no credibility in the Sci-Fi / Fantasy genres. When I was applying for the job, Nick asked me straight out: "Have you ever seen the '33 Kong?" When I told him no, he said thanks but no thanks, but I had some dirt on him that forced him to take me on, and that's why I'm still here to this day. I didn't want to have to air this tawdry little secret but you've forced my hand.

That being said, I will do my best to try to track down a copy of said Kong at my earliest opportunity. Because I just can't go on living this lie anymore. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Can I sell tickets to this knockabout?

My copy of Kong should be arriving from Amazon in a few days. I'm very excited to see it, considering I've never seen it either.

I think the attitude towards those of us who haven't seen it from those who have, is a little overblown considering there are so many of us out there. Once you've impressed upon me just how valuable of a filmgoing experience it is, just pipe down and let me watch it.

I think it's more your reviews that deny you any credibility...

Is that what was clogging up your clipboard, Chuck?

http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86930

What the hell kind of a response was that?

Only that if Charlie doesn't like my reviews, that's his deal. Getting into a war of words with him isn't going to change his mind. I tried that with dudalb and Brigden throws his fuckin' two cents in. I go 'round and 'round with him and somebody else is gonna let me have it just for the hell of it. You take on this gig, you've got to realize people are going to come at you sometimes. Far as I can tell, I've never had a single correspondence with Charlie and all of a sudden my reviews have no credibility? This is a Kong thread and it turns into my reviews suck? Fine, whatever. I suck, Brigden sucks. Big fucking whoop. Next...

The One True Kong

So in preparation for the release of Peter Jackson's remake, I rewatched the original tonight, even though I could probably play it in my head verbatim, as it's one of my all-time favorite films. Something occured to me this time around that I hadn't entertained before.

It's more or less dogma at this point that you're supposed to feel sympathy for Kong when he's shot down by the planes at the end. But after watching the documentary material, hearing all about Cooper and Schoedsack, and trying to view the film in the context of its time, the thought occured that maybe that wasn't what the two men originally intended, and that that may have come as a surprise to them.

Given the attitudes of Carl Denham throughout the picture, and given that he himself was a thinly-veiled representation of Merian Cooper himself, one wonder if he didn't simply see that ending as just desserts for a beast gone wild. What noticeably sells the sympathy for Kong angle is not the screenplay or the performances, but two distinct elements: Willis O'Brien's depiction of Kong's death in his stop-motion effects, and Max Steiner's score. O'Brien clearly shows Kong suffering and in pain, which is a definitive way to garner the sympathies of the audience. And Max Steiner's music is quite clearly depicting a tragic event. Fay Wray, on the other hand, under the direction of Schoedsack, is still obviously terrified of Kong, and is showing no remorse when he falls to his death.

If it really is the case that O'Brien and Steiner were subtly working at cross purposes to Cooper and Schoedsack, it would seem that the former have been upheld by history.

Thoughts, anyone?

It's a very good point indeed, but I wonder whether the finished film would feature the score as is if Cooper and Shoedsack didn't want it that way. Perhaps the intention was to leave a mixed message - there is no logical reason that the humans that were terrified of and mauled by Kong would show much sympathy, but that doesn't mean the audience can't. Could be the directors wanted the audience to feel ambivalent, mixing relief and sympathy. See James Whale's Frankenstein pictures (and Gods and Monsters) for more of the same. Whale never mocked the Monster or told us what to think of him - we see him kill people, including a little girl, but it is still sad when he dies because he was merely a simpleton, out of place and time, relying on his instincts. Much like Kong.

King Kong Dies? Oh man (sniff), I'll be in my room crying with Hippo.

I just got my copy of the Collecotr's Edition in the mail. Can't wait to watch it later. But the movie poster offer asks for a proof of purchase, and as far as I can tell, there are no proof of purchase tabs. Then again, I'm being flak today. Anyone out there know where it is? Also, can I use my amazon.com shipping slip as a receipt? Thanks.

I hate agreeing with dudalb.

Let us know your thought after seeing Kong, Dave. I was pretty shocked that you hadn't seen it. I must now read all of former reviews in light of this disturbing knowledge.

At least you have a pristine DVD copy to start with.

Hey guys, at least he's seen King Kong Lives-
http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=dvd&id=915

I especially like the bit in the beginning of the review where he implies that the original Kong only works if your a kid who doesn't know any better.

The 70's remake... they focus more on Kong after he falls off the Tower, right?

No, the original-
"I seriously doubt if any of you out there who are fans of the '33 version only recently discovered it; but rather it was something that you saw as a kid and have remained faithful to to this day. I can't really imagine shooting your wad to a grainy black and white pre-Harryhausen ape-meets-girl flick if you're just seeing it for the first time in your 20s or 30s."

I was moving on to a completely different topic.

After all my groundbreaking research?
How dare you!

Yes, I know.

I was just curious if the film doesn't immediately end after Kong falls in the 70's film like it does in the 1933 version?

Oh yeah, I forgot all about that horrible review.

I seem to have some fuzzy recollection of a Jeff bridges/Jessica Lange epilogue, but I could be wrong.
My memory fades after Kong steps on Charles Grodin, the highlight of the movie.

Something to do with a heartbeat... like it the U.S. Godzilla movie.

Just making sure, as I'm doing a little bit of writing.