Customer Reviews

King Kong: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first eleven sequences on this CD represent a condensed version of the entire film, complete with dialogue, sound effects and of course Max Steiner's classic music score. The real heart of this CD, however, begins at sequence #12 (Main Title) and ends with #20 (The Aeroplane/Finale) This part is pure isolated score and is wonderful to hear without all of the sound effects. Originally, some of the score had survived from the Max Steiner archives (Boat in the Fog, The Forgotten Island I, The Aeroplane/Finale) However, the best part of score (the music scored for the jungle sequences with the Stegosaur and Brontosaurus) has somehow miraculously surfaced and everything has been skillfully blended into one terrific 24 minute suite. The packaging is also top notch with great liner notes, art and photos. A must have for film buffs and fans of Max Steiner's music.

Good audio presentation of the great classic movie. The CD producers have succeeded in presenting KING KONG as an "old radio show" by condensing the dialog,music and sound effects to 50 min. The sound is surprisingly good. The dialog, sound effects and score are remarkably clear. But this does not surpass actully viewing the movie which is readily available to home video.The real highlight of this album is the 25 min suite of original soundtrack music recordings of Max Stiener's landmark score. Unfortunatly only portions of the original "unmixed" recordings survived the years, but what is available is presented here in very good achival sound. Another big highlight of this package is the lavish 40 page booklet.

I liked the way Rhino included movie dialogue (very similar to what they did with "Casablanca"), but it hardly conveys the entire "Kong" story. Some of the best music is for scenes where Kong fights monsters, scenes without dialogue (unless you count grunting and screaming, which may pass for dialogue these days, but doesn't help us here). For the most complete collection of "Kong" music, get the Marco Polo release from 1997. The new Rhino CD is an excellent starter, though, with extra kudos for the text booklet inside the case.

This is one of the greatest scores of them all. The music goes right along with the film in each and every way. I got this CD for a Christmas present, and when I opened it up... "WOW, theres a whole book inside here" I thought to myself. There are pictures in here that are very, very rare. This music will send chills down your spine as you listen. Max Steiner did a wonderful job! If you have never seen this movie... BUY IT NOW!

Fans of the Eighth Wonder of the World or movie music in general will love this lovingly-crafted soundtrack reissue. The interior booklet is wonderful, and the addition of an audio story summary (dialogue and all) makes repeated listenings a pleasure (who can get enough of Carl Denham?).

- JOHN MICHLIG, author of IT CAME FROM BOB'S BASEMENT

The Max Steiner original score and performance are film history classics, of course, but this is a strange CD package, all in all.

The first two-thirds of it consists of selected segments straight out of the original KING KONG movie soundtrack. You get the music AND the dialogue and sound effects, as if you had recorded it yourself from your VHS copy of the film. Often there are sections of just dialogue with NO music playing in the background at all!

The last third of the CD is what I expected from a movie soundtrack CD. They finally give you JUST the music that was played in the background of the film. The music by itself has a very acceptable audio quality, given the age of the source material--the dawn of the sound age of movies!

It probably would have played better to have the music only sections out first. Then play the music/dialogue stuff after the music only section ran out. I don't know why they did it this way. Maybe they could only get so much of the music only, so they decided to use the music/dialogue as reasonable filler?

The CD packaging is very beautiful, but not very practical. It is a cardboard CD cover instead of the usual jewel case with booklet. The cardboard sleeve is so tight around the CD that it is VERY HARD to slide the CD out without getting your fingerprints all over the CD. The beefy booklet included is very nice and informative, but it is glued to the cardboard CD cover, and is susceptible to tearing away at the staples due to the weight of the beefy booklet. The work done on the booklet is in-depth and aesthetically pleasing, but not very functional for repeated useage.

I like it, but I can't recommend it entirely. Get it if you already know the situation and are still interested.

I accidentally came across Max Steiner's original soundtrack for King Kong while searching for the James Newton Howard release to Peter Jackson's film. I say accidentally because I been an avid collector and listener of movie soundtracks/scores for years, however inexplicably this one flew under my radar. Quite simply, this score is a 5-star classic and should be in anyone's collection; end of musical review.

However while searching, Amazon offered their usual "twofer" deal and I was a little confused about which recording to purchase, the Rhino or the Marco Polo version. Although earlier reviews touched on the issue, I thought I would concentrate upon that point. Since I could get both recordings for under $20, a little more than the price of one new CD down at the Borders, I went for the "twofer" and have been happy with the decision (no I don't work for Amazon, although would gladly accept any royalties sent my way!).

Each recording brings something different to the table. The first two-thirds of the Rhino version contains movie dialogue with some musical excerpts in the background, while the remaining third contains the 24-minute King Kong Music Suite, all from the original movie (73-minutes total). The CD comes in a cardboard package with a wonderful 36-page booklet containing a wealth of information about the movie and its music. It's not in a jewel box, so you have to be a little careful, but it is a very nice presentation, more of a little book rather than a CD. Yes, the CD may be a tad difficult to remove from the case, however I think quite a few of us will simply remove it once, rip it to the computer then download to the iPod. The Marco Polo version comes in a standard jewel case, this time with, you guessed it, a marvelous 38-page booklet describing the movie and its music. The Polo version is a 72-minute, 1996 recording of the original score, no dialogue.

Where the versions differ most is the sound; the Rhino version apparently originates from the source material, so although remarkably crisp and clean, it sounds like it was recorded in 1933. The updated Polo version could have been used in the current movie. So which version is better? Neither really, it depends upon the experience for which you are looking. I enjoy listening to the Rhino version on a rainy day when my attention span is not up to watching the King Kong DVD. Simply close your eyes, listen to the dialogue, and the movie plays in your imagination. On the other hand, the updated Polo version sonically illustrates what a masterpiece Steiner's score really is. The choice is yours!