King Kong Collection [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

I recently purchased this item, ----I am a life-long KONG fan, and this, ---by far my favourite-ever film,----is one movie I am extremely familiar with, having viewed it literally hundreds of times over the past 2 decades.

THIS PRINT is freshly-minted, richly-struck gold...by far the best I have ever witnessed, and this will be the version I will be sticking with 'til some super-hi-def version arrives: there is detail in this [the rippling water in KONG'S lair, lushly apparent jungle foilage,]that was until now invisible within the home entertainment market.

I resisted buying this, as I am UK resident, but fear not, the 2 KONG discs play fine in both my region 1 DVD players..had I known this, I would have purchased this 2 years previously: the 'SON of KONG' and 'MIGHTY JOE' seperate disks require multi-region facility, however.....but the clips of these sequels [of sorts] are represented on the KONG bonus-disk as being clear and bright......I am hoping to purchase a multi-region player before long, --definately---if it means I can aceess riches such as these...

BONUS FEATURES include: the PETER JACKSON 'spider-pit' sequence [vastly superior to 'youtube' viewings,] a splendid O'BRIEN test sequence from 'CREATION', which features evocative, fascinating animation of a TRICERATOPS mother and offspring, rare snatches of dialogue from MERIAN C. COOPER, FAY WRAY and commentary from RAY HARRYHAUSEN......and much, much, more. All housed in a natty, hinged tin box, with lavish early '33 lobby-card repros---I am absolutely delighted with this thoughtful, impressive package that has been lovingly put together by true enthusiasts who genuinely appreciate this evergreen, and tmeless, property.

These are the three films that sparked off the whole Kong industry:- King Kong, Son of Kong, and Mighty Joe Young, presented here in one of the finest box sets I have ever seen.

To begin with King Kong. You will see this film here as you have never seen it before.

The British video version, and, indeed the version that I have only ever seen in this country, runs for approximately 96 minutes, but this American dvd version runs for 104 minutes, and includes an overture that I didn't even know existed in films of this period. The remaining extra minutes consist of scenes of Kong stamping on people and biting off their heads that I can only assume were censored over here when the film was first released.

But not only do you get the original restored movie, you get it presented in a unique two-dvd embossed tin that includes ten glossy colour art cards, and a twenty-four page reproduction of the souvenir programme from the 1933 Premiere at Grauman's Chineses Theatre.

Son of Kong was of course not a patch on King Kong, and although I have only ever seen it once on TV, and that was many years ago, I will never forget the scene at the end of the movie where Kong is sinking, and drowning, in the ocean, whilst holding the heroine aloft to save her life.

Mighty Joe Young, the last in the trilogy, is a personal favourite of mine, and concerns a baby gorilla being adopted by a little girl, which grows up to be another Kong (the gorilla - not the girl). This one, however, has a happy ending, as Joe and the girl are returned to Africa to live happily ever after.

Son of Kong, and Mighty Joe Young are each in their own dvd case, and although the product details say that there are three dvds in this set, there are in fact four.

Any Kong fan has to have this set. To get so much for so little is truly remarkable (don't forget you will need a multi-region dvd player).

for me, "monster" films began with 1933's "king kong." a film of this stature and reputation needs no introduction and there isn't much that i can add to what has been written already.
"king kong" isn't strictly-speaking just a "monster" film, it has other facets like fantasy, romance and a touch of eroticism that are all blended into the mix. as a result, we have a masterpeice of a film that was ground-breaking in its day for its stop-motion filming techniques and for creating a motion picture icon in the form of king kong. robert armstrong gives the best performance as carl denham, the similarities between the character and that of merian c. cooper are obvious to see. fay wray and bruce cabot are also effective throughout.
watching this film, i seem to forget how the cast are quite easily upstaged by a character that was only an 18 inch model, that takes centre stage as soon as it makes its grand entrance. i think it is clear to see that the kong character isn't a heartless and cold-blooded killer but is in-depth and almost humane, especially during the climatic scene on top of the empire state building as kong struggles to adapt to his strange and sudden change to his environment.
a classic of a film that only improves with repeated viewing and the effects are just as fascinating to watch now as they must have been back in 1933.
"son of kong" has promise and should have been far better than it is. sadly, the whole thing was rushed into production to capitalize on the success of the original and it shows in the results. the plot is a weak one as there is too much footage taken up with robert armstrong as carl denham struggling to evade new york and the grand jury before the film reaches the main part of the story. the special effects are just as good however and there is much to enjoy but patience is needed in the meantime.
"mighty joe young" is quite good but the effects aren't so convincing this time around and the low budget clearly shows.
regarding the special features that go with this dvd set, the 7 part documentary is brilliant, with every possible angle of the film detailed. the test footage for the abandoned film "creation" offers a brief but interesting glimpse at a project that seems to have played a considerable part in shaping the "king kong" film in its early planning stages.
the first film is the main reason to buy this set without doubt but the other films shouldn't be easily dismissed as they both offer some entertainment value.