King Kong (1933)

[Kristoffer4]

Hopefully if that is true, you will be able to watch it with or without via seamless branching. But I don't think it is in.

[Alonzo the Armless]

Inserting the spider footage is an awful idea. I find it very presumptuous for a modern director to make new footage he feels the original director should have kept in a final release. If Jackson feels KING KONG should have man-eating spiders, then he can have them in his remake. Why foist his viewpoint by altering a classic where the filmmakers decided it should be removed? For better or worse, that's how the original was made. If they want to speculate on how the footage looks, then keep it as a special feature only.

[oldsheperd]

Uhhhh, spiders creep me out!

[Kristoffer4]

Check this out. A new inside look at the new film and we get a peek at what the new remaster looks like! And it looks very good....from those short seconds.

[Stig Helmer]

Has anyone seen any reviews of King Kong? Isn't it supposed to be released next week?

[Gigi M.]

First review is up at Dvd Town:

Here:

[Lino]

And here's a visual comparison between the old R2 and the new 4 disc R2

[Matango]

The commentary is really disappointing. Harryhausen is ok, but Ken Ralston spends most of the time snickering at his own very banal comments. I don't think I've ever heard a commentator bring so little to a film.

[Stig Helmer]

The commentary is really disappointing. Harryhausen is ok, but Ken Ralston spends most of the time snickering at his own very banal comments. I don't think I've ever heard a commentator bring so little to a film.

That's a real shame. I was really looking forward to the commentary-track for this film. How is Ralstons comments banal?

[Matango]

He just goes on about how great the scenery looks, says things like "That's the kind of island you don't wanna be lost on!" (not a direct quote, but that kind of thing), and keeps Harryhausen busy asking questions like "How many stages did they use", instead of letting Harryhausen get into the zone by himself. It's like a guy off the street sitting in, offering no insight at all, just opinions, and asking simplistic questions. Just my opinion, though...others may see it differently...and I gave up after an hour, so it might get better.

[dx23]

best buy is apparently getting an exclusive version of the collection where all the films fit in a huge tin.

This one?

[Ashirg]

No, this one

[TechNoir]

The tins are the same. The Best Buy one has a wimpy cardboard box that the tin comes in. It also comes with 5 additional lobby cards.

[dx23]

[quote]The tins are the same. The Best Buy one has a wimpy cardboard box that the tin comes in. It also comes with 5 additional lobby cards.[/quote
From what i can tell, the Best Buy exclusive seems to be a mix of the regular Tin set with the King Kong Box set that includes the other 2 films.

[TechNoir]

Sorry, i thought that all the tins had all three films.

[porquenegar]

Cool. I wanted the stuff in the Tin but also wanted the 3 films and didn't want to double dip. I'll just buy the BB large tin.

Cool. I wanted the stuff in the Tin but also wanted the 3 films and didn't want to double dip. I'll just buy the BB large tin.

Well, the two other films aren't part of the BB tin. They are concealed behind the regular 2-disc tin in the outer box. I didn't want anyone to think that the BB exclusive set includes the 3 movies inside the tin. The set cost me $36 total.

[TechNoir]

All three titles are indeed in the BB set.

[Matt]

All three titles are indeed in the BB set.

I think porquenegar is saying that all three titles are included in the set, but are not all in the tin.

[exte]

Has anyone seen the RKO documentary? It's so exhausting; it took me two days to get through it. My God, I never thought I'd say it, but talk about too much info! At least that's how it should be, though. There are also some proclamations in here, like scene/beat specific scoring basically being invented for the first time here, etc. Anyone see this? Also, I'm surprised none of the other Hollywood heavyweights appeared in this, ie, Lucas, Spielberg, Cameron, etc... I recommend this highly despite the heavy two hours and forty minute running time...

[Matango]

Yep, great documentary. I watched it, the Merian C.Cooper documentary, and the movie all in one session

[tryavna]

There are also some proclamations in here, like scene/beat specific scoring basically being invented for the first time here, etc. Anyone see this?

Yeah, I noticed this, too. Obviously, they're glossing over silent film music a little too sweepingly. Haven't any of them ever listened to Metropolis?! Or Steiner's earlier Most Dangerous Game for that matter?! But I suppose that, if any single individual should be credited with "inventing" the language of motion picture scoring, Max Steiner is the obvious candidate. He brought so much together in 1932-33.

On a separate note, nobody has mentioned that for Kong Warners has returned to their older packaging style for the 2-disc special editions. I wonder if they'll keep it up? I hope so. They look quite nice in a row.

[porquenegar]

All three titles are indeed in the BB set.

I think porquenegar is saying that all three titles are included in the set, but are not all in the tin.

That's right. The set is a open-faced box with the three individual movies. The movie at the top of the box is the King Kong Tin which conceals the other movies. I assumed that all three movies would be in the tin but it is not the case.

The documentaries on the Kong disc are great. The chapter on recreated the Spider Pit sequence filled me with fanboy joy. It was great to see footage of the meeting where Peter Jackson surprised his special effects team with news that they would be tackling this project. You could just see the joy on their faces.

[Gigi M.]

That's right. The set is a open-faced box with the three individual movies. The movie at the top of the box is the King Kong Tin which conceals the other movies. I assumed that all three movies would be in the tin but it is not the case.

The documentaries on the Kong disc are great. The chapter on recreated the Spider Pit sequence filled me with fanboy joy. It was great to see footage of the meeting where Peter Jackson surprised his special effects team with news that they would be tackling this project. You could just see the joy on their faces.

porquenegar I just bought the set over at bestbuy.com. I know the tin can is bigger (I bought it, but then wanted the other movies) than regular dvds cases. How do the other two disc fit in the case? Are they loose or like a regular box set?

Thanks

[HerrSchreck]

There are also some proclamations in here, like scene/beat specific scoring basically being invented for the first time here, etc. Anyone see this?

Yeah, I noticed this, too. Obviously, they're glossing over silent film music a little too sweepingly. Haven't any of them ever listened to Metropolis?! Or Steiner's earlier Most Dangerous Game for that matter?! But I suppose that, if any single individual should be credited with "inventing" the language of motion picture scoring, Max Steiner is the obvious candidate. He brought so much together in 1932-33.

Hupperz in general-- he "Mickey Mouse'd" certain movements in NIBELUNGEN prior to METROPOLIS.

What amazed me also was-- not taking anything away from the stop-motion contributions of Willis O'Brien-- the assigning credit to O'B for STOP MOTION IN SUM. Not once was the name Ladislaw Starewicz mentioned. This guy goes back into the teens with stop motion, and was a truly international personality.

He just goes on about how great the scenery looks, says things like "That's the kind of island you don't wanna be lost on!" (not a direct quote, but that kind of thing), and keeps Harryhausen busy asking questions like "How many stages did they use", instead of letting Harryhausen get into the zone by himself. It's like a guy off the street sitting in, offering no insight at all, just opinions, and asking simplistic questions. Just my opinion, though...others may see it differently...and I gave up after an hour, so it might get better.

I hate to be a downer but I'd vote this a strong runner for worst commentary of the year-- the one for KONG that is. Long, protracted silences, followed by "I love that shot," or, "this is a really beautiful shot", to telling Harryhausen about how around halloween, the fucking SIMPSONS (where Harryhausen comment's he'd never seen an episode beyond 1 or 2) usually do horror-film parodies... and how one year they did one for KONG called KING HOMER, and how "you could really tell how the guys who made it really appreciated the movie." Followed by another long silence. Then Ralston will goof-talk to a guy on screen, or go "owwww" or "that had to hurt" if someone get's stepped on. Then wait for a line and say "I'd always remember that line." Then one of the guys will ask a question, raising it for the viewer as well of course, then not know the answer, saying "I'm going to have to check that one out"... It's the most annoying, no-preparation commentary there is. Comments don't have to be prewritten, but if you have no direct connection to the production like Ralston does, do a little homework so your "expert commentary" billing!

Then the FAY WRAY commentary boils down to approx 10 seconds comprising two statements. The first is a sentence where she says, about the cast & crew, how "we all stay in touch to this day,", and her closing statement, saying how (I think) "it's become a very important film which lives on to this day."

Not that I don't welcome these comments, but as the only "featured" member of the commentary aside from the vintage Cooper snippets (which are great) who was actually involved in the film, I was really looking forward to her comments, and was let down. This was a real letdown.

[tryavna]

I agree with HerrSchrek. I'm not sure I'd go with worst commentary ever, but it's awful close. And Ralston almost single-handedly ruins Mighty Joe Young, too -- all those coos and "ahhs," etc. Fortunately, both Harryhausen and Terry Moore are in the room and have a lot to say, so they manage to shut Ralston up. Warner really needed a more experienced critic or filmmaker to pair up with Ray. Someone who knows how to ask pointed but unobtrusive questions. IMO, the man who serves as the best model for this type of Q&A commentary is Norman Hill, whose commentaries with Werner Herzog and Monte Hellman are outstanding.

I'm also puzzled by the near-total lack of Fay Wray's presence. What happened to all those video interviews with her that TCM still shows? Why aren't they included, like the interviews with Robert Wise et al are included on Citizen Kane? These are odd mistakes on Warners' part.