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From Amazon.co.uk
"Now you see it. You're amazed. You can't believe it. Your eyes open wider. It's horrible, but you can't look away. There's no chance for you. No escape. You're helpless, helpless. There's just one chance, if you can scream. Throw your arms across your eyes and scream, scream for your life!" And scream Fay Wray does most famously in this monster classic, one of the greatest adventure films of all time, which even in an era of computer-generated wizardry remains a marvel of stop-motion animation. Robert Armstrong stars as famed adventurer Carl Denham, who is leading a "crazy voyage" to a mysterious, uncharted island to photograph "something monstrous ... neither beast nor man". Also aboard is waif Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) and Bruce Cabot as big lug John Driscoll, the ship's first mate. King Kong's first half-hour is steady going, with engagingly corny dialogue ("Some big, hard-boiled egg gets a look at a pretty face and bang, he cracks up and goes sappy") and ominous portent that sets the stage for the horror to come. Once our heroes reach Skull Island, the movie comes to roaring, chest-thumping, T-rex-slamming, snake-throttling, pterodactyl-tearing, native-stomping life. King Kong was ranked by the American Film Institute as among the 50 best films of the century. Kong making his last stand atop the Empire State Building is one of the film's most indelible and iconic images. --Donald Liebenson, Amazon.com
On the DVD: Although a little light on extras, this is happily the Director's Cut, restoring scenes that were censored after the film's original 1933 run, including Kong peeling off Fay Wray's clothes like a banana, and our hirsute hero using unfortunate natives as dental floss. The ratio of 4:3 is correct for a film of this age; the picture and (mono) sound are perfectly acceptable without being revelatory. The 25-minute "making of" documentary from 1992 is a 60th anniversary tribute to the film, which details all of Kong's many ground-breaking contributions to cinema, from Willis O'Brien's use of stop-motion and rear projection effects to Max Steiner's music score. There are contributions from film historians, modern admirers of the film including composer Jerry Goldsmith--who admits that Steiner created a template that Hollywood composers are still following--and a few surviving participants such as sound effects man Murray Spivak. Apparently, director Merian C. Cooper's original idea was to capture live gorillas, transport them to the island of Komodo and film them fighting the giant lizards! Thanks to Willis O'Brien's pioneering effects work good sense prevailed and a cinema classic was born. --Mark Walker
Product Description
The classic monster movie following a magnificent beast who falls in love with a woman. Director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) and actress Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) arrive on the prehistoric Skull Island to shoot a film. While there, they encounter a giant ape known as King Kong, who is worshipped as a god by the local inhabitants.The mighty Kong shows his sensitive side by falling for Ann, and, after his transportation to New York, rampages across the city in search of his new love.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I've just read the previous reviewers comments that this film is outdated. That may be because its SEVENTY TWO YEARS OLD! This film would have been terrifying at the time, the stop action animation was state of the art and the audience would have bought it. The story is an absolute classic and still stands up today although film structures have changed and it may seem rushed. I would recommend anyone to see it before the Peter Jackson film just to get an idea of how some elements of films have changed but the important ones have stayed the same.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
As a budding movie historian and lover of all films, King Kong was unmissable. I collect all kinds of classic films but this is one that I think all movie fans should enjoy. The picture is in itself an historical landmark in the history of celluloid, featuring groundbreaking special effects, a star performance that would become a household name and one of the iconic images of American popular culture and the definitive 'damsel in distress'. This film gave a deafening roar that echoes today. But as a work of art, it is not to be missed. Being that we have all been reared in the post-Kong days of cinema, the idea of a giant ape stalking his prey is hardly shocking, we say 'oh that's just King Kong', but the first shot of the beast is still utterly gripping. Political correctness and liberalism tell us to look at Fay Wraye's performance as a symbol of the dark days when women were treated as dolls and weak creatures, but she portrays a classic role to perfection, and political incorrectness was never this good. Kong and his prehistoric pals are brought to life by stop-motion animation, some of the movements are rather jerky and the effects themselves are primitive by today's standards, but the effect that they generate has never been lost. Kong was in reality a metal skeleton with sponge-rubber muscles covered in rabbit fur, but 30s audiences and the 30s cast found it realistic, and that movement provides one with a feeling it would take more than a computer to beat this. The famous wall and door, behind which Kong resides was first used in Cecil B. De Mille's King of Kings, and was later used as a burning backdrop in the doomed city of Atlanta in Gone With The Wind.... Read more ›
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By SARGE
Format:DVD
Without a doubt the first, the greatest and the best action film of all time. Nothing keeps you on the edge of your seat as much as the scene of the brontosaurus in the swamp chasing the sailors into the jungle to only meet Kong who shakes them from the log bridge to their deaths.
Truly a masterpiece! I agree that today's special effects are without a doubt great but Kong tops them all. The techniques used were so visionary for the time.
If you are a true film collector, you must have this dvd.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Steve H
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
At last a superb classic film has been given the Hi-Def treatment it deserves. This blu-ray of the original Great Ape movie delivers terrific picture quality alongside much improved sound plus 5 hours of incredibly worthwhile extras. This all comes in a book format package which includes some history, stills and poster repros. etc. If you already own the Warner U.S. DVD then this blu-ray's content is identical and you should carefully consider if the upgrade is essential - for me it certainly is even though the quality of the DVD version is very good. I waited until this blu-ray (which is region free. so plays on all machines) hit a low-ish price on Amazon Marketplace and then snapped it up. The Warner versions of King Kong are far superior to the U.K. releases (so far) and it's shameful that (again, so far) there is no hint of an English blu-ray release. I should mention that among the extras is a Peter Jackson re-creation of the lost 'Spider Pit' sequence, created using the animation techniques used in the original. If you are a Kongophile then don't hesitate, add to basket, there ain't gonna be a better version of this movie for a long, long time.
P.S. The other King is that lad from Memphis of course.
P.S. The other King is that lad from Memphis of course.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
KING KONG is one of those rare films that just gets better and better with age. We watch it now as a 1930's fable that's transcended its own time, attaining mythical status. The undiminished, primordial energy it generates derives from all aspects of production; from Willis O'Brien's masterly stop-motion effects and Murray Spivack's innovative early sound mix, to Max Steiner's brilliantly evocative music score.
The performances too are in perfect sync with the larger than life premise of this adventure/fairy tale classic. Fay Wray's iconic portrayal of the beauty who kills the beast set the standard for every damsel in distress that followed. Most amazing of all is Kong himself, who projects such a distinctive personality, we dismiss the fact that he's just a visual effect. Who can forget those blinking eyes of his at the hotel window when he recognizes Fay Wray?
But even beyond all the indelible imagery, the film also boasts a deceptively simple story which has a subtext based on the real life exploits shared by co-directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack in making expeditionary films. This essential, autobiographical approach is what drives the first third of KONG, and serves as build-up to the wild fantasy that takes over. The film is as much a personal work as is anything by Charlie Chaplin or Erich von Stroheim. Consider: The "Old Arabian Proverb" following the opening credits was written by Cooper, the intrepid filmmaker Carl Denham, played with 30's style, two fisted gusto by Robert Armstrong, was fashioned after Cooper, and the pilots machine-gunning Kong in the famous finale are actually Cooper and Schoedsack.... Read more ›
The performances too are in perfect sync with the larger than life premise of this adventure/fairy tale classic. Fay Wray's iconic portrayal of the beauty who kills the beast set the standard for every damsel in distress that followed. Most amazing of all is Kong himself, who projects such a distinctive personality, we dismiss the fact that he's just a visual effect. Who can forget those blinking eyes of his at the hotel window when he recognizes Fay Wray?
But even beyond all the indelible imagery, the film also boasts a deceptively simple story which has a subtext based on the real life exploits shared by co-directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack in making expeditionary films. This essential, autobiographical approach is what drives the first third of KONG, and serves as build-up to the wild fantasy that takes over. The film is as much a personal work as is anything by Charlie Chaplin or Erich von Stroheim. Consider: The "Old Arabian Proverb" following the opening credits was written by Cooper, the intrepid filmmaker Carl Denham, played with 30's style, two fisted gusto by Robert Armstrong, was fashioned after Cooper, and the pilots machine-gunning Kong in the famous finale are actually Cooper and Schoedsack.... Read more ›
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
great film
great movie well wort the money .well wort looking at.it is much better then the new king kong movie the end
Published 3 months ago by mark pepper
5.0 out of 5 stars
KING KONG
I bought this film for a friend of mine and do not know if he has watched it yet, am sure he will be happy.
I was pleased with the delivery as always.
I was pleased with the delivery as always.
Published 5 months ago by mr jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
pleasure
the quality and decency in which this company dealt with me is exceptional and good
the company is well worth dealing with
the company is well worth dealing with
Published 16 months ago by Mr. Royston A. Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic, superbly presented
Most people browsing this review will have seen the film on TV more than once. I've loved it since I was a child, and I'm working on the basis that you like the film enough to be... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Phil W
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic King Kong finally on bluray
I can't add much to that what's already known: King Kong is still one of the best adventure/fantasy/monster movies in the history of filmmaking. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2011 by Marc Van Kerschaver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Region 2 release needed!
Region 2 has yet to get a release of the 1933 King Kong with any extras. The Region 1 has several special features.
Published on 19 Feb 2011 by S. Carey
5.0 out of 5 stars
King Kong, 1933, 1993 Golden Classics release - The King of monster...
This is the original, and by far the best, version of the tale of King Kong. Released in 1933 it is a both a stunning technical achievement and a thrilling film. Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2010 by Victor
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic monster movie
A film director takes his team to an island where the monster/god Kong lives. His actress is given to Kong as a sacrifice by the local tribe. Read more
Published on 19 July 2010 by Mme Sandrine Cansell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still the King
King Kong is an object lesson in lean, mean storytelling, with nary an ounce of fat in its 100 minutes (104 in the restored Region 1 DVD that includes Max Steiner's oft-dropped... Read more
Published on 15 April 2010 by Trevor Willsmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
all time great ape.
Just to let you know about the extras on this 2 disc region 1 edition.Disc one has a commentary by Ray Harryhausen(with interview excerpts of producer Merion C. Read more
Published on 29 Sep 2009 by ciaran moore
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