Customer Reviews

The King Kong Collection (King Kong / Son of Kong / Mighty Joe Young)

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If you grew up with New York City's WOR on your cable box, you have fine memories about their Thanksgiving Day marathon of King Kong, Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young. It's was Big Apes that kept us on the sofa along with too much turkey. I so missed not being able to share that experience with my own family. But now I can thanks to this wonderful DVD set - that comes out just before Thanksgiving.

I had a chance to see King Kong on the big screen a few times and it's still an amazing film. I don't care what they can do with CGI, Kong still comes alive on the screen.

If only Universal would put out King Kong Vs. Godzilla, the experience would be complete.

now for the big specs that you are wondering about on this set:

The King Kong: Two-Disc Special Edition (SRP $26.99) will include the 104-minute restored and remastered B&W film on video in its original full frame, with Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio and English, French and Spanish subtitles. Extras will include audio commentary (by Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston, with Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack, Ruth Rose, Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong), the 2005 I'm Kong: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper documentary, a gallery of trailers for other films by director Merian C. Cooper, the new RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World documentary by Peter Jackson (featuring the following featurettes: The Origins of King Kong, Willis O'Brien and Creation, Cameras Roll on Kong, The Eighth Wonder, A Milestone in Visual Effects, Passion, Sound and Fury, The Mystery of the Lost Spider Pit Sequence and King Kong's Legacy) and Creation test footage (with commentary by Ray Harryhausen).


The Son of Kong will include the 70-minute restored B&W film on video in the original full frame, with Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio and English, French and Spanish subtitles. Extras will include the theatrical trailer.

Mighty Joe Young will include the 94-minute restored B&W film on video in its original full frame, with Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio and English, French and Spanish subtitles. Extras will include audio commentary (by Ray Harryhausen, Ken Ralston and Terry Moore), 2 new featurettes (Ray Harryhausen and The Chioda Brothers and Ray Harryhausen and Mighty Joe Young) and the film's theatrical trailer.

Did anyone else around here enjoy King Kong vs. Godzilla Thanksgiving on WOR? Can I have a witness?

This set's a great buy with the original 1933 "King Kong" being the stand-out. Kong looks and sounds great especially for a film of that vintage whose original negative has been long lost. There's detail and clarity to the images that I've never seen before--check out the introduction to the island natives and the kong skulls carved into the decor.

The extras on the DVD are numerous and mind blowing! My favorite extra is a lost sequence recreated in black and white by director Peter Jackson. It's a fantastic treat that makes the DVD worth owning just for this.

"King Kong" stands as one of the greatest adventure films in history.

The sequel "Son of Kong" is not comparable to the original, but it's short and zippy and little Kong is adorable and beautifully animated. The DVD image and sound is even better than that of "King Kong". A trailer is the only extra.

"Might Joe Young" is a favorite from my childhood. It's got some truly ingenious sequences especially the amazing orphanage finale. The DVD image is the best of the set--pristine and gorgeous. The disc has a trailer, a good featurette and a fine commentary by Ray Harryhausen as well.

In 1970 and 1971 I was in the US Army stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. The Army had a string of theaters in the CZ which showed both current films and a selection of older films, all of them in 35mm and most of them subtitled in Spanish. This was where I first saw THE SEA HAWK, TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE and many other four star classics in 35mm. I went to see the unrestored King Kong print they played one week and I was shocked and amazed by the HUGE subtitles centered in the middle of the picture! A half year or so later and they had King Kong again, this time it was the version with the newly - discovered censored scenes restored...and no subtitles. The quality was stunning and I clearly recall that the aluring Miss Wray was very plainly not wearing a bra under her costume. I am very pleased that Warner Bros Video is releasing this triple feature on DVD - I feel they do the best all around job with film-to-DVD transfers.

I just finished watching KING KONG, SON OF KONG and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG w/ my 9yo son. While KING KONG is my personal favorite of this collection, my son and I loved watching SON and JOE together. This set is perfect for anyone who enjoys stop-motion and lots of monsters! Everyone knows that KING KONG is one of the greatest movies of all time. The tale of a titanic 30' tall gorilla that is no match for modern man's greed and commercialism is a true masterpiece. Faye Wray (The Most Dangerous Game, Doctor X, The Vampire Bat) is beautiful and vulnerable as Ann Darrow. Robert Armstrong (Son Of Kong, Mighty Joe Young, The Most Dangerous Game) plays the bombastic Dehnam w/ pompous glee. Kong's battles w/ various dinosaurs (as well as his son's fights w/ more big lizards in the sequel) are popcorn-munching classics! SON OF KONG has Dehnam returning to the island where it all began. He meets up w/ Kong's offspring and gets a shot at redemption for the shameful treatment of Kong senior. MIGHTY JOE YOUNG is a sentimental story similar to Kong in it's portrayal of the "beast" as a sympathetic character taken from it's home, only to be thrown into an alien world of exploitation and death. This triple feature is a must for any / all horror / monster maniacs! Highest recommendation...

Ray Harryhausen never forgot the first time he saw the original "King Kong." "I haven't been the same since," the special effects wizard of "Jason and the Argonauts" and "Mysterious Island" says. "That shows how a film can change a whole life sometimes." Harryhausen figures he's watched the 1933 classic something like 175 times -- "You see something different in it every time you run it." For his 176th screening, DVD viewers are invited to listen in.

On the DVD debut of "King Kong," Harryhausen and younger colleague Ken Ralston ("The Polar Express") spin a relaxed and often delightful commentary. At times they're experts dissecting the groundbreaking effects work; then they just seem like youngsters awed by the giant ape's sound and fury. The restored "King Kong" contains the 4 1/2 minutes that were censored as too risque or violent -- scenes such as the one in which Kong tears away some of Faye Wray's clothes. Or his size-98 foot doing the monster mash on an islander.

The main nitrate print used for the restoration and transfer came from Britain, where "Kong" apparently roamed unmolested. The black-and-white images look sensational coming from a film that's almost 75 years old. The mono sound delivers the roars, screams and pounding drums without age-related distortion. The "Kong" DVD, with its generous suite of bonus features, completes a circle of sorts -- Criterion's laserdisc of 1985 was one of the first videos to include commentary and onscreen extras.

The highlight, aside from the still potent 1933 film, is a chronicle of Peter Jackson's reconstruction of legendary lost "spider pit" sequence -- the missing link in the "Kong" tale. Unlike other fans, he was in the position to resurrect it -- which the director did as a side project, "purely for fun," as he started production on the new "Kong." The set's docu "RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World," is well worth the time investment.

First of all I must say that this is the ultimate trifecta of action films...King Kong, Son of Kong, and Mighty Joe Young all in one set. Forget any "new" misguided remakes. It doesn't get any better than this. The downside was that I drove all over town (Portland, OR. metro area) trying to find a copy of the Kong set on the day of release, and no one had it....some store clerks never knew there was a King Kong film from the 1930's! I strolled into Suncoast Video, and saw some on the shelves, but they were all on reserve. The clerk there was nice enough to ring up Sam Goody in that same mall and they had just one copy. And yes people, I know I could've ordered it off Amazon but I just didn't want to wait any longer! : ) For those members of the attention deficit set running out to get a copy of "Stealth"...which of course you can get anywhere...forget that purchase, and pick up this set for some real action.

Finally available in a beautiful restored and remastered transfer from the best available elements, KING KONG, the single most requested title for DVD, is part of three title THE KING KONG COLLECTION). Besides the two-disc King Kong, there's Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young.

Kong co-writer/producer/director Merian C. Cooper's real life was a blue print for fictional big ape filmmaker Carl Denham. One of the features on the superb two-disc King Kong is a new TCM documentary on the legendary Kong creator Cooper. Adventurer, war hero, explorer, pilot, filmmaker and cinema-innovator, the daring and honorable Cooper survived multiple wartime plane crashes, was declared dead on two occasions and even pulled off a daring escape after being held prisoner for ten months in a Russian POW camp.

The other great extra is a new, extraordinary seven-part, two hour and 40 minute documentary on the making of Kong.

However you look at it, King Kong must be included among the most influential of American films.

This beautifully executed original tale is a monster movie, a fantasy, an adventure, a love story, a tragedy and an unparalleled thriller. Loaded with striking imagery, the innovative 1933 effects still have power to suspend disbelief. The film, packed with meaning, is religious, mythological, Jungian and insanely Freudian.

The restored print has the look of a fine Doré engraving. King Kong is a must have and perfect appetizer for Peter Jackson's overwrought, but stunning remake.

It's amazing how well this film has held up for over 70 years. The special effects although not as flashy as todays were very good. Just the right mix of horror and humor. Film makers today should watch and learn. Same kudos for Mr. Joseph Young.

For 73 years he has captured our imagination with remakes & followup films, but aside from Peter Jackson's remake, his greatest film has has been his first. RKO Radio Pictures' 1933 masterpiece that has ranks #43 on AFI's list of 100 greatest films. It's one of the greatest films of all time, but it's for sure the 2nd greatest fantasy film of all time after Peter Jackson's Kong. It's now available with two thrilling king sized adventures, the quick sequel "Son of Kong" and the followup big ape film, "Mighty Joe Young" experience these legendary roaring fantasies that have changed movies forever. A must have for a movie buff and Kong fan, buy it before you see Peter Jackson's very anticipated remake Starring Fay Ray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot and starring Kong Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World. "oh no it's wasn't the airplanes, it was beauty killed the beast"

comments from Roger Ebert:
"The visual techniques are explained by film historian Ron Haver, whose commentary track on the 1985 Criterion laser disc was one of the first ever recorded. He is amusing in describing how some live-action scenes were miniaturized to make the Kong model look larger; searching for the right screen to project them on, the filmmakers hit on a screen made of condoms, to the consternation of a nearby druggist who could not understand their orders for a gross at a time. Haver also observes how Kong's fur seems to crawl during several scenes; the model was covered with rabbit fur, and the fingers of the stop-action animators disturbed it between every stop-action shot. The effect, explained by the filmmakers as "muscles rippling," is oddly effective. (When a DVD of "King Kong" is finally issued, Turner Pictures would be wise to recycle the Haver commentary.)"
...but they didn't. I'm keeping my Laser Disc.