King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson (Paperback)

by Ray Morton (Author) "I saw my first King Kong movie when I was about eight years old..." (more)
Key Phrases: miniature footage, miniature projection, holdout matte, New York, Empire State Building, Big Hand (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Script magazine columnist Morton, who views King Kong as "an enduring cultural icon," was captivated at age eight by the giant gorilla, and his "Kong-mania went into overdrive" with the 1976 Dino De Laurentiis version. In an effort to survey all feature films in which Kong appears, Morton interviewed surviving cast and crew members, visited archives and trekked to film locations, documenting everything from ape suits, budget woes and optical effects to "Kongs That Never Were." The lengthy opening chapter recaps the making of the 1933 film in exhaustive detail, illustrated with dramatic conceptual art and test shots; an equal amount of space is given to the 1976 remake. Shorter chapters review "The Son of Kong," "King Kong vs. Godzilla," "King Kong Escapes" and "King Kong Lives." Peter Jackson's forthcoming version gets only 14 pages, but fans dazzled by this book's 100 color and b&w illustrations (storyboards, stills, production art, collectibles) and comprehensive coverage of past Kongs won't complain. (Dec.)
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Product Description
He is one of the most amazing, popular, and iconic characters in the history of motion pictures. His 1933 debut was a legendary piece of pure cinema - simultaneously a terrifying monster movie, epic fairy tale, tragic love story, and deeply resonant cultural myth. His name is King Kong. Ray Morton's King Kong - The History of a Movie Icon is the first book to chronicle the making of all seven feature films in which the character of Kong has appeared, including the hotly anticipated Peter Jackson version. It is generously illustrated with photographs, production art, and promotional materials from the author's extensive private collection. Morton has interviewed the surviving members of each major film. A colorful overview of the tremendous amount of collectible Kong merchandise is also on view for all the fans of Kongdom to devour.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557836698
• ISBN-13: 978-1557836694
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #675,049 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE MOST VIVID ACCOUNT OF KONG'S CREATION, December 5, 2005

By	Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

With any big budget, highly promoted film such as King Kong, there is going to be a flood of merchandising. Already, weeks before the film's release we saw all sorts of toys, video games and more. And of course there are always a lot of books. King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson is simply the best book ever written on the history of this cinematic giant. Author Ray Morton covers the entire history of King Kong, from the 1933 classic to the 2005 remake by Peter Jackson and everything in between in meticulously researched detail. And yes, Japanese film fans, that includes the 1960's King Kong Vs. Godzilla as well as King Kong Escapes.

Morton begins the book by providing brief biographies on Producer/Directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Shoedsack, and sop-motion effects guru Willis O' Brien. Cooper was a true to life Indiana Jones who sought adventure around the world. A pilot, Cooper flew dozens of successful missions during WWI he was shot down and badly burned and captured by the Germans. After the war Cooper could volunteer with several other American pilots to assist Poland in their fight for freedom against the Bolsheviks, again flying numerous successful strafing missions as a squadron leader before again getting shot down and captured and sent to a prison work farm in Moscow. Cooper would later escape along with two Polish prisoners and would earn Poland's medal of bravery, their highest honor. Returning to the states and becoming a filmmaker, Cooper traveled to exotic locales around the world to shoot silent docu-dramas, all the while building ideas for Kong.

While Cooper originally planned the use of trick photography using real gorillas for Kong, O'Brien eventually was able to convince him that his stop-animation process would be the best route. Included in the book are some very rare concept paintings that O'Brien did to sell his ideas to Cooper. A name lost to time is Cooper's assistant Marcel Delgado. It was Delgado who actually built the two 18" armature Kong models. Author Morton then provides a month by month detailing of the shooting schedule. He also shares all of the state of the art techniques used for the various special effects in the movie, providing a back story to each one including the log scene, Kongs battle with the T-Rex, Kong's battle with the Pteradon, and his rampage through the native village. Also covered is the infamous, and excised pit sequence there the sailors who fell from the log are devoured by giant spiders and lizards.

Putting Kong into perspective, most "A" films of the day had a budget of $200,000. Kong's was over twice that at $500,000. A huge gamble for any studio and more so for RKO who would have gone out of business had the film flopped at the box office. As it was, the film opened to rave reviews and made over two million dollars in its initial release...a monumental figure for 1933. Samples of reviews of the period are included and the success of the film led to a very quickly produced and underrated sequel, "Son of Kong" which never has received the notoriety it deserves.

Morton goes onto cover the two Japanese produced films and while the sections are not nearly as long, they are still well-researched. A detailed synopsis of each film and full credits are provided. Morton then tackles the lackluster 1976 remake and the ill-advised 1986 sequel, "Kong Lives" before ending the book with a brief look at the Peter Jackson remake, soon to hit theaters.

For any fan of King Kong the book is a must have. Filled with dozens of color and black & white photographs from all the films, production drawings, story boards, even pictures of Kong collectibles from various eras, this book is a grand look at one of the movie's greatest characters.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The complete KONG!, December 2, 2005

By	John Cox (Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews

There are a lot of books about King Kong out there at the moment, but what made me choose Mr. Morton's book is the large section he devotes to the 1976 King Kong produced by Dino De Laurentiis. This was the pre-Star Wars movie sensation of my childhood and I loved reading the behind the scenes story of its making, as well as getting another peek at some Kong '76 merchandise (hey, I had those cups!). The author also appears to share my opinion that this film gets an unfair bad rap. Nice to see him set the record straight re reviews and box office.

Above Kong '76, it just great to have a book devoted to ALL the King Kong films. Sure, we all love the original film and Mr. Morton does a spectacular job covering it, but I equally enjoyed reading about Son of Kong, King Kong vs. Godzilla, King Kong Lives, etc. And a full chapter devoted Kong collectibles and the Kong movies that were never made...you gotta love that.

If you're a Kong lover, or just want one good Kong movie book on your shelf, Ray Morton's KING KONG, THE HISTORY OF A MOVIE ICON is the book to get.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only buy one "Kong" book this year..., February 25, 2006

By	Michael S. Conaway (Union, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Just as everybody's said, it's simply excellent. While the superb "Spawn of Skull Island" provides more detail on the making of the original, this book is the only one out there that covers all of the Kong films, including sequels and spinoffs. A large and fascinating chapter is devoted to the undervalued "Son of Kong", and another to "vs. Godzilla" and "Escapes". There's a making-of book out there on the 1976 "Kong", but it was written by the unit publicist and as such, while an interesting document and a unique perspective on the whole behind-the-scenes process, is much less technical and more a series of anecdotes. This book's chapter on that film goes into detail on the costumes, masks, and effects techniques used, and the following chapter is the only place you'll find anything at all on "King Kong Lives". Chapters on video releases and merchandising are also welcome.