King Kong [DVD]

Product Information

RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World is a seven-part chronicle that documents every aspect of the film’s creation, from its origins as a story by Cooper (who produced and directed with Ernest B. A canny revision of the original Kong’s story, Young brings back Denham as an even more showy showman, Max O’Hara, who travels to Africa to bring back lions and other exotic fauna for a safari-themed LA nightclub.

Dwan is abducted and offered as a sacrifice to the savage beast, before the crew rescue her and capture Kong to take him to New York. Entertainment Magpie Limited t/a Music Magpie is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN 775278. She reveals that Schoedsack, also an avid aviator, was virtually blind due to a flight mishap, and points out stuntmen who suffered injuries of their own during some of the film’s more intense moments. There's great stuff on the miniatures - the sets, the Venture, the jungle, the wall etc - and we even get to see a day in the life of a miniature, from conceptualisation, through maquette and full model stages to final approval from Jackson. Though they've assembled a crackerjack supporting cast, including Thomas Kretschmann as the Venture's hard-bitten captain and young Jamie Bell as a plucky crewman, the first third of the movie is rather laboured, with too much minute detail given over to sumptuous re-creations of '30s New York and the unexciting initial leg of the Venture's sea voyage.Not in terms of technical quality (I doubt any task would daunt him following that particular trilogy), but because someone still hasn't bought a pair of editing scissors. Happily, this is where Jackson unqualifiedly triumphs, as this unorthodox love story is tenderly and humourously drawn, by turns sympathetic and wondrous. Denham uses this obsession to help capture Kong and transport him back to New York, where he hopes he can make a fortune from exhibiting the creature. What he finds are another beauty and her beast: Jill Young (Terry Moore) and Joe, the towering gorilla she has raised since both were very small. The final, tragic act of the film, set mostly atop the Empire State Building, is where Kong earns its place in movie history as a work that celebrates both the technical and emotional heights that film can reach.

If you thought that Disk 1 was going to contain just the movie, which clocks in at 3 hours and 8 minutes, you'd be sorely mistaken - we have 2 extras!Sixteen years after the sequel’s release, a more honorable “son of Kong” hit theaters in the person of “Mr. When three drunks abuse Joe in his cage, the ape goes on a rampage, leading to one of the most dynamic stop-motion sequences in film history, and ultimately to a climax that would be unswallowably melodramatic were it not for the conviction and skill with which it is put together.

The gunfire from the Tommy-guns sputters from all around, weighty impacts as Kong and the many other beasts clash thud from the sub and Kong's mighty roar swirls around the room with ear-popping savagery. Warner’s transfer is just as good as those of the Kong films (as on the previous laserdisc, a red tint has been added to the climax, with no loss of image clarity), and this disc is heavier on the supplements than Son.The outcome is him delivering one of his best performances and clearly shows his potential when given a chance. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Editor's Note: This was originally published for FANGORIA on November 18, 2005 by Don Kaye and Michael Gingold, and we're proud to share it as part of The Gingold Files .