King Kong

Starring:Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Jessica Lange, John Randolph, Rene Auberjonois, Julius Harris, Jack O'Halloran, Dennis Fimple, Ed Lauter, Jorge Moreno, Mario Gallo, John Lone, Garry Walberg, John Agar, Keny Long, Sid Conrad, George Whiteman, Wayne Heffley, Corbin Bernsen, Joe Piscopo
Director: John Guillermin
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Customer Reviews:

MASTER OF THE IRON FIST !!.......2007-07-03

Kudo's to the Weinstein Company for releasing this Kung Fu classic on DVD.The audio and video restoration that went into this DVD release is absolutely incredible and Martial Arts fans won't be disappointed."King Boxer" is presented in it's Widescreen format and enhanced for 16x9 television's.The films colors are incredibly sharp and vibrant and the mono sound is clear and crisp.The video transfer of "King Boxer" is the absolute best version I have ever seen and fans of the Kung Fu genre will be amazed by the quality of this release.Sound options include original Mandarin and English dubbed version and choice of subtitles.The special features are an added bonus,specially the Trailer Gallery.This movie has it all,non-stop action,fierce fighting and plenty of blood.Watch the magnificent Lo Lieh as he masters the Iron Fist technique and exacts his revenge."King Boxer" is five star entertainment at it's very best!!

A classic finally gets its due.......2007-06-19

King Boxer (aka Five Fingers of Death) came out in 1973 and is a classic example of a Shaw Brothers kung fu film - a genre they helped pioneer and perfect with this movie being one of the finest efforts from this time period. It also has the distinction of being the first kung fu film to be released in the United States, just ahead of Bruce Lee's equally influential Enter the Dragon. In the 1980s, it inspired filmmaker John Carpenter to make Big Trouble in Little China and more recently was a huge influence on Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies.

The filmmakers maintain just the right level of pacing with very short lulls between action sequences. Let's face it - we're not watching King Boxer for its thoughtful characterization. That is not to say that this film is not well made or doesn't take itself seriously because it does, but it is hardly Shakespeare either. Director Cheng Chang Ho employs sudden zoom in and outs and even the occasional freeze frame during many of the film's dynamic fight scenes. This is a beautifully shot movie with expert use of the 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio with superb compositions of every frame. The use of shadows for dramatic effect in one scene, and a brief fight that takes place at sunset that looks like something right out of 1950s Technicolor era, is part of the reason why this film is so revered among kung fu film fans.

King Boxer features betrayal, torture, revenge and even some heroic style redemption thrown in for good measure - all heightened to melodramatic levels making for a very entertaining ride. Our hero has to deal with a devastating injury and his own self-doubts before he can face the bad guys and use the Iron Palm technique to save the day. You soon find yourself rooting for Chi-Hao to win the competition and the cute woman he loves as well. Even though our hero triumphs at the end, it is a terrible cost with friends, family and his mentor dead or horribly maimed all because of a petty rivalry between two martial arts schools.

There is an audio commentary by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and film critics Elvis Mitchell and David Chute. Love or hate Tarantino, the guy knows his film history, displaying an impressive encyclopedic knowledge of kung fu cinema. For example, he not only talks about how it was the first kung fu film released in America but then rattles off 5-6 other films that came after. This is a very entertaining, information-packed track by three guys who are fans of the film and display a genuine love for the genre. Highly recommended.

"Interview with Chang-Hwa Jeong." He talks about how he got involved with the film. Initially, he found the script to be "common" and studied Chinese history and literature in order to make improvements. He talks about some of the techniques he used to make the action sequences so exciting and visceral.

"Interview with action director Lau Kar Wing." Kar Wing was the kung fu director on the movie and speaks about how he approached the many fight scenes, including the challenge of matching the actor with their stunt double seamlessly.

"Interview with film critic/scholars David Chute and Andy Klein." Chute gives the film a historical context in terms of American cinema including its shocking level of violence at the time. They point out that the soundtrack was a pastiche of music ripped off of other film and that this would often hamper its distribution because of rights issues.

Also included are two trailers and alternate opening sequence that features very crude opening credits.

Finally, there is a "Stills Gallery" with poster and promotional photographs.

Average customer rating:

Higher Definition on Low Quality
The Bigger they are. . . . The harder they . . . well, you know!
Great Movie, Great HD, why so few extras?
A Whole Lotta Story...Well Done
Great Movie

King Kong (HD-DVD)
Starring: Adrien Brody , Kyle Chandler , Thomas Kretschmann , Naomi Watts , and Jack Black
Director: Peter Jackson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000ICM5VW
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Customer Reviews:

Higher Definition on Low Quality.......2007-06-01

The WETA folks must have took the year off when they were working on King Kong because this movie looks horrible in HD. The compositing errors and weak green screen work are only highlighted by the HD DVD's quality.

The Bigger they are. . . . The harder they . . . well, you know!.......2007-04-22

This movie is good.... The people on the island were more interesting than anything. King Kong did look cool and a little sense of sadness with his face expression and everything. I bought the HD DVD because they said this movie was amazing on it! Well, I must say that this HD DVD rocks! The clarity and clearness of the picture. Uhm, wow! The color of the pictures so alive! Uhm, wow! Even lol Jack Black look pretty good on HD. Uhm, another wow is the Actors. If you love the movie KING KONG, but the HD, you won't be disappointed. Can we be honest for a moment? I dont even care for the movie, but HD is AWESOME when it comes to the Big Black Kong of this movie! BUY IT! Atleast just for the HD! I give HIGH props for the picture of the Definition of this movie!

Great Movie, Great HD, why so few extras?.......2007-04-11

I repeat why is are there so few extras. Universal has provided HD-DVDs with all the extras, until now. A truely perfect HD-DVD would contain all the extars from the past releases.

A Whole Lotta Story...Well Done.......2007-04-09

This one's a big movie! Three hours and eight minutes of a very watchable version of King Kong.

Excellent HD DVD video and audio (Dolby Digital Plus 5.1) transfer. Features Universal's "U Control" interactive content picture in picture and art gallery.

A great cast does an axcellent job all around! Excellent action...many locales. Great special effects, although a couple of the scenes are too computery to captivate through subsequent viewings.

I highly recommend this film; however, this film does contain a few scenes that are unsuitable for impressionable young children.

Great Movie.......2007-03-23

Great Movie. The picture quality of this HD DVD is unbelievable. I show scenes from it any time a friend comes over

Average customer rating:

A timeless classic
King Kong
If you thought Jurassic Park was a cool movie, you should check this out
King Kong with the Lord Of The Rings treatment
King Kong

King Kong (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Adrien Brody , Kyle Chandler , Thomas Kretschmann , Naomi Watts , and Jack Black
Director: Peter Jackson
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JO20
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Amazon.com

Movies don't come any bigger than Peter Jackson's King Kong, a three-hour remake of the 1933 classic that marries breathtaking visual prowess with a surprising emotional depth. Expanding on the original story of the blonde beauty and the beast who falls for her, Jackson creates a movie spectacle that matches his Lord of the Rings films and even at times evokes their fantasy world while celebrating the glory of '30s Hollywood. Naomi Watts stars as Ann Darrow, a vaudeville actress down on her luck in Depression-era New York until manic filmmaker Carl Denham (a game but miscast Jack Black) entices her with a lead role. Dazzled by the genius of screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody), Ann boards the tramp steamer S.S. Venture, which she--and most of the wary crew--believes is headed for Singapore. Denham, however, is in search of the mythic Skull Island, hoping to capture its wonders on film and make a fortune. What he didn't count on were some scary natives who find that the comely Darrow looks like prime sacrifice material for a mysterious giant creature....

There's no point in rehashing the entire plot, as every movie aficionado is more than familiar with the trajectory of King Kong; the challenge facing Jackson, his screenwriters, and the phenomenal visual-effects team was to breathe new life into an old, familiar story. To that degree, they achieve what could be best called a qualified success. Though they've assembled a crackerjack supporting cast, including Thomas Kretschmann as the Venture's hard-bitten captain and young Jamie Bell as a plucky crewman, the first third of the movie is rather labored, with too much minute detail given over to sumptuous re-creations of '30s New York and the unexciting initial leg of the Venture's sea voyage. However, once the film finds its way to Skull Island (which bears more than a passing resemblance to LOTR's Mordor), Kong turns into a dazzling movie triumph, by turns terrifying and awe-inspiring. The choreography and execution of the action set pieces--including one involving Kong and a trio of Tyrannosaurus Rexes, as well as another that could be charitably described as a bug-phobic's nightmare--is nothing short of landmark filmmaking, and a certain Mr. Spielberg should watch his back, as Kong trumps most anything that has come before it.

Despite the visual challenges of King Kong, the movie's most difficult hurdle is the budding romance between Ann and her simian soulmate. Happily, this is where Jackson unqualifiedly triumphs, as this unorthodox love story is tenderly and humorously drawn, by turns sympathetic and wondrous. Watts, whose accessibility balances out her almost otherworldly loveliness, works wonders with mere glances, and Andy Serkis, who digitally embodies Kong here much as he did Gollum in the LOTR films, breathes vibrant life into the giant star of the film without ever overplaying any emotions. The final, tragic act of the film, set mostly atop the Empire State Building, is where Kong earns its place in movie history as a work that celebrates both the technical and emotional heights that film can reach. --Mark Englehart

Description

Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) brings his sweeping cinematic vision to King Kong. Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody star in this spectacular film filled with heart-pounding action, terrifying creatures and groundbreaking special effects unlike anything you've seen before! Get ready for breathtaking action in this thrilling epic adventure about a legendary gorilla captured on a treacherous island and brought to civilization, where he faces the ultimate fight for survival. Experience the movie that critics are hailing as a "rousing, exciting cinematic adventure!" (Scott Mantz, Access Hollywood)

Customer Reviews:

A timeless classic.......2007-07-01

I grew up loving the early ape films King Kong (1933) and Mighty Joe Young (1949). King Kong is a classic retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story and the original was groundbreaking in its use of special effects. Remaking a classic will always attract harsh critics.

For me, a lover both of classic films and of modern science fiction, I place King Kong (2005) among the best films I have seen in years. In the cinema, this was a true spectacle to behold. The action and CGI special effects were astounding. Peter Jackson took a fairly sparse story and fleshed it out. I appreciated the longer back-story to the characters in New York prior to the sea voyage to Skull Island.

The exposure of themes relating to racism, animal and ecological abuse, and treatment of women was obvious, but not preachy. Despite this being an action film, these themes seemed to me as large as Kong was himself.

Jackson tweaked the storyline a bit and improved on the original. The introduction of the writer (Brody) as love interest instead of the ship captain made more sense and was simply a better story. With the original film, I was quite moved as a kid when Kong died. With this version, I was at least as moved or more as an adult. The relationship with Kong and Ann was portrayed better. I believed that they had made a bond with each other. The moment of Kong's demise is one of the most touching moments I have seen in a film in years.

Finally, James Newton Howard's soundtrack is quite moving, with beautiful, stirring melodies befitting this grand film. Worth listening to in its own right. I would have liked to watch the film with an isolated music score. Unfortunately, this was not included as an option on any edition so far.

Editions:
Two-Disc Special Edition (2006)
For the collector, this included the Production Diaries and several bonus features. A must-have if you love this film and want more background information.

3-Disc Deluxe Extended Edition (2006)
There is no overlap to what is on the 2-disc version, so this was a worthwhile second purchase for me. I enjoyed seeing the deleted scenes. The slightly longer (13 min.) version was intereresting to see. I especially wanted the audio commentary track. No regrets here for having bought both the 2-disc and 3-disc versions, because they each offered different material.

King Kong.......2007-06-12

King Kong Jack Black, Naomi Watts, Adrien Brady, Kyle Chandler
Peter Jackson
In the movie King Kong there is excitement, romance, it is daring, and very, very funny. It is about a women named Ann and she goes on an adventure with a director named Carl Denham which is played by Jack Black, an actor named Bruce Baxter and he is played by Kyle Chandler. There is also a writer named Jack who is played by Adrien Brady. Also, there is a huge crew that goes along with them. They are sailing to the lost and very dangerous island of Skull Island to film a movie. There they run into natives to Skull Island and the natives attack some of the crewmembers (the ones that got off of the boat). Thank goodness the rest of the crewmembers show up with their guns and scare the natives away. They then quickly run to the boat and start to sail away. Later on in the day when they are on the boat and they are almost out of site of that dreaded island the natives take Ann, she was in her room changing when she heard some weird noises coming from outside of her room. They swam back to the shore with her. The bizarre old lady that had like really possessed looking eyes chanted theses really weird words at Ann and the really eerie men in the tribe strung her up on this enormous pole and lowered her onto the other side of the colossal wall. The people began chanting these really weird words and a gigantic gorilla appeared. He ripped her down from the pole and took her away. The crewmembers came and crossed over the pole to save Ann.
I thought that this movie was really stupendous. The actors and actresses did an amazing job. In this film there are dinosaurs and you now what those dinosaurs looked real all right.
I would recommend this movie to anyone; even my 3-year-old cousin loves it. If you like movies that are romantic, exciting, daring and even funny then you will absolutely love this movie.

If you thought Jurassic Park was a cool movie, you should check this out.......2007-05-29

There are very few remakes that live up to the original's reputation and for many good reasons:

1. we already know, more or less, how the story goes.
2. the original is often an almost perfect film which explains why the movie is being remade: many fans could be suckered into seeing an inferior remake.

All great remakes not only must put a spin on the original story but they also must prove that a retelling of the story was necessary. Off the top of my head I can think of two films that meet this criteria: The Fly (1986) and The Thing (1982).

King Kong (2005) is also one of those rare remakes.

The most refreshing part of this movie is that there is an underlying and always present emotional dimension to this version which the 1933 version lacked. Unlike most movies today, the characters (especially Anne) are given plenty of time to develop so that we actually care about them when the action gets underway. The interpersonal relationships certainly have a greater depth than the original. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this movie is that there is an emotional relationship between Kong and Anne that, I'm thrilled to say, somehow works. I absolutely loved how they could share something as simple as sunset together and take just enough time to enjoy the wonder of it all.

The characters are more fluid, less one-dimensional, more nonchalant, and just plain better than the original's wooden actors ("say, I think I love you" as an example). When I say this, I include King Kong who is a surprisingly good actor (even if he is CGI). He's not portrayed as some misunderstood creature (like the horrible Godzilla remake) or a ruthless creature (King Kong 1933) but like we would expect: an animal. Nothing more, nothing less. At the end of the movie I discovered, to my utter astonishment, that I actually almost cried when the CGI creature was slipping off the Empire State Building. And I am a 23 year old, 230 pound, 6'3", adult male and I never cry at movies!

It's worth mentioning that this film contains some of the best CGI stuff to date and also, what have to be some of the most beautiful scenes in all cinematic history. I especially loved seeing New York City during the 1930s.

Technically the condensed 1933 version may be a "better" film but, of the two, I prefer this one. Go gorilla and get this king-sized monster movie.

King Kong with the Lord Of The Rings treatment.......2007-05-15

This movie has eccellent scenes that were added to it that was left on the cutting room floor . There were more spooky scenes with dinosaurs not on the first Peter Jackson King Kong version . I would have been able to sit through four hours in a theater .

King Kong.......2007-05-15

Thank you for your prompt service. You made it very easy to order this product online. The movie was great. I enjoy doing business with Amazon and will continue to do so. Again, thank you for your service.

King Kong - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition)

Average customer rating:

A timeless classic
King Kong
If you thought Jurassic Park was a cool movie, you should check this out
King Kong with the Lord Of The Rings treatment
King Kong

King Kong - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition)
Starring: Peter Jackson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000H30B2C
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Amazon.com

The extended version of Peter Jackson's King Kong adds 13 minutes to the running time--fortunately those 13 minutes include two dynamic action scenes and no material has been added to the movie's belabored set-up, which tries to give depth to these quintessentially b-movie characters with a clumsy patchwork of melodrama and in-jokes. But once movie-maker Carl Denham (Jack Black, School of Rock) and his crew finally arrive at Skull Island, the movie kicks into gear with spectacular action, technical wizardry, and genuine feeling. Though Kong seems crafted to dazzle the eye on the giant screen, the overlong structure improves when you can take an intermission at will. At home, each scene can be approached on its own terms, be it the insanely choreographed battle between Kong and three T. Rexes or the subtle and multi-layered interplay between Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts, Mulholland Drive) and Kong (played, through motion-capture technology, by Andy Serkis, who previously played the similarly animated Gollum in Jackson's Lord of the Rings). The addition of a rampaging ceratops and an underwater race with what the movie's crew dubbed a "piranhadon" not only add more eye candy, but provide some valuable moments of character development. But in the end, that's frosting on the cake; when the movie's weaknesses and strengths are weighed, the emotional power of the fantastical relationship between a woman and a giant ape is a real cinematic achievement. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

A timeless classic.......2007-07-01

King Kong.......2007-06-12

If you thought Jurassic Park was a cool movie, you should check this out.......2007-05-29

King Kong with the Lord Of The Rings treatment.......2007-05-15

King Kong.......2007-05-15

Average customer rating:

Nice films, but just AWFUL DVDs!
There Really is a Mechi-Kong!
Awesome twin pack!
The Two Mightiest Monsters Of All Time!
Godzilla vs King Kong....

King Kong Vs Godzilla/King Kong Escapes
Starring: Ichirô Arishima , Yu Fujiki , Mie Hama , Akihiko Hirata , and Haruya Kato
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BISBDE
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Description

It's King Kong to the rescue when a giant robot threatens to destroy Tokyo in the gripping King Kong Escapes! The action begins when the conniving Dr. Who builds a robot Kong in order to retrieve a highly radioactive element for his mysterious benefactor, Madame X. When the robot proves less than reliable, the devious duo scheme to kidnap the real Kong from his remote island home of Mondo. But interfering with their plans are the heroic trio of U.S. Cmdr. Carl Nelson, Lt. Jiro Nomura, and Kong's current crush, Lt. Susan Miller. It's up to them to outwit the greedy ape-nappers in this sci-fi adventure that takes Kong to unprecedented heights of excitement.

The two mightiest monsters of all time battle in the thrilling adventure classic, King Kong vs. Godzilla. When an underhanded pharmaceutical company goes to a remote tropical island to steal King Kong for advertising purposes, they get more than they bargained for when the gigantic ape attacks an unsuspecting village and an enormous octopus. Meanwhile, far below the sea, a submarine crew unleashes reptilian terror when they melt a block of ice and release the ferocious Godzilla from his icy lair. When both destructive monsters descend on Tokyo, it's a fight that holds the future of mankind in the balance in this knock-out film that was the first theatrical release to bring its larger-than-life contenders to the big screen in glorious color.

Customer Reviews:

Nice films, but just AWFUL DVDs!.......2007-06-16

These discs are terrible, although the tranfers may not be that bad, threre are no extras at all. No feturetts, no deleted Scenes, no Original Japaneses versions, not even Theatrical trailers. Unlike Sony who provide some features for there Godzilla titles, or Warner Brothers for there King Kong titles. Universal usauly provides wonderful extras for there DVDs and HD-DVDs. This is wrong!

There Really is a Mechi-Kong!.......2007-03-21

When I was a kid and saw King Kong Escapes, I was mesmerized by the Mechi-Kong robot. What a great idea! He looks so cool! It had been so many years since I saw the film, I thought I had dreamt the movie. Imagine my suprise with this two-pack release! It is a pristine wide screen presentation. The film is as fun as I remembered it. Not to be taken too seriously, it is a rubber monster movie with cool ideas and plenty of monsters clashing, all within the trademark cheapo effects of the time. Utterly charming.
The Toho version of Kong (his rubber suit, that is) is truly awful, but this only adds to the fun of the film. As this is a Japanese movie overdubbed in English, we also have the voice talents of Paul Frees ("Winter Warlock" from the Rankin / Bass production of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer") providing the voice of the villian. What more could you ask for? How about the bonus of getting Godzilla vs. King Kong? You got it! What a bargain!

Awesome twin pack!.......2007-03-21

Truly a killer twin pack King Kong movies. Get it for the "King Kong vs Godzilla" alone, a very awesome movie that hardly gets air play and great for any movie monster collection...highly recommended!!

The Two Mightiest Monsters Of All Time!.......2007-03-16

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962)

PLOT: Mr. Tako, head of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, is frustrated with the television shows his company is sponsoring and wants something to boost his ratings. Tako is informed by a special type of berry that only grows on a small Pacific island called Faro Island. The natives there process the berries into a juice that they use as a medicine. They also use the juice as an offering to their giant god named "Kong". Tako sees potential in the berries and decides to set up an expedition to Faro Island. When Tako's men arrive at Faro Island, the natives there claim that "Kong" is real being. Meanwhile, an American submarine named Seahawk gets caught in an iceberg. Something goes wrong and the submarine blows up. An American helicopter hovering above watch as the iceberg breaks open and Godzilla crawls out. Godzilla heads toward a nearby army base. The base is no match for the mighty power of Godzilla. Back at Faro, a giant octopus attacks the village and the natives quickly throw spears at it. Unfortunately, the spears are no match for the giant creature. Suddenly, Kong shows up and beats up the giant octopus, sending it crawling back into the sea. Kong drinks some of the giant containers of berry juice and falls asleep. Tako's men then inform him of Kong. Tako makes plans to take Kong back to Tokyo, as a publicity stunt for Pacific Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Tako arrives on the ship transporting Kong, but unfortunately, the monster then wakes up and breaks free from the raft. Kong finally reaches Tokyo and meets up with Godzilla in a valley. This is a match between the mightiest monsters of all time. Who will win?

COMMENTS: This film marked the first time that two famous monsters from separate film franchises were teamed up since Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943). This film acted as both a sequel to Son Of Kong (1933) as well as Godzilla Raids Again (1955). The film marked the first time either monster was seen in color and also the first time Kong was created using suitmation rather than a stop-motion model. For Godzilla, King Of The Monsters (1954), Toho Studios had originally planned on making Godzilla as a stop-motion model, but the process proved to be too extensive for the tight budget. For that film, and every other one to follow, it became traditional to create Toho's monsters through suitmation. The film was directed by Ishiro Hondo, who directed most of the classic Godzilla films. He purposely made the film campy and comical in order to entertain (and not frighten) children. The film itself is not exactly an Oscar-worthy film, but it featured two very popular monsters in a death match and several people went to see it. In Japan, it became the highest grossing Godzilla film to date. Many King Kong fans hate the comical appearance of Kong in the film. For the American film poster, they used a cropped photo of Kong from the original film rather than the way he looked in this film. Kong was made to look comical so the audiences would root for him over Godzilla. Many fans have noticed that King Kong is much larger in this film than he was in the original King Kong film. The film states that the reason for this was because the narcotic berries that Kong ate also contained growth hormones, which would explain him growing to the equal enormous size of Godzilla. At one point during the fight sequence, Kong shoves a tree down Godzilla's throat. This was a tribute to the original King Kong film, in which Kong shoved a tree down a Tyrannosaurus Rex's throat. Several rumours exist between the Japanese and American versions of the film. It is claimed that the film is called King Kong vs. Godzilla in the U.S. and Godzilla vs. King Kong in Japan. This is untrue; the film has the same title in both countries. Also, it is also claimed that Kong won the fight in the American version and that Godzilla won the fight in the Japanese version. This is also untrue; King Kong won in both films. Some fans also argue that King Kong swims away at the end because he is frightened of Godzilla, who didn't resurface from the ocean because he lives underwater anyay. Just the same, Toho Studios announced that King Kong was always meant to be the victor. At the time, King Kong was more popular in Japan, even though Godzilla was a Japanese creation. The film sparked sequels from the point of view of both monsters. Godzilla made his return in Mothra vs. Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla vs. The Thing) (1964); King Kong made his return in King Kong Escapes (1967). This DVD presents the film in the original widescreen theatrical ratio. There are no special features.

KING KONG ESCAPES (1967)

PLOT: The film begins with a UN submarine searching for oil. The ship is under the command of Commander Carl Nelson (Rhodes Reason). Susan Watson (Linda Miller) finds Nelson in his quarters with Lt. Hiro Nomura (Akira Takarada). The two are studying photographs of gorillas and they inform her of the legend of King Kong, who supposedly inhabits the nearby Mondo Island. Meanwhile at the North Pole, strange things are going on at a secret base. The base is run by the evil genius Dr. Who (Eisei Amamoto). Dr. Who is being employed by the mysterious Madame X (Mia Hama). Madame X has hired Dr. Who to dig up a mineral called Element X, which makes uranium look like gravel. In order to do the job, Dr. Who and his men have built a giant robot version of King Kong, called Mechani-Kong, to dig up the Element X. Unfortunately, the radiation from the deposit short out the robot's circuits. Mechani-Kong must be redesigned so that this doesn't happen again. Back in the sub, an underwater rockslide damages the rudder. The sub docks at Mondo Island for repairs. Nelson takes the opportunity to explore the island with Nomura and Susan. A native on the island tells them to leave, for they are trespassing on the territory of King Kong. Nelson and Nomura go after the native to ask him more questions, leaving Susan behind at their hovercraft. Suddenly, a large dinosaur called Gorosaurus comes out of the jungle. Susan screams in terror and the mighty King Kong comes to her rescue. Kong fights with the Gorosaurus and eventually kills it by breaking its jaw. Nelson and the others make it back to the submarine. Kong, who has has become smitten with Susan, follows. A large sea serpant attacks the sub, but Kong quicky attacks and kills it. Later on, the three UN explorers hold a press conference to discuss the events involving King Kong. Madame X attends the conference disguised as a reporter. She then sends her information back to Dr. Who, who decides to capture the real King Kong for digging up Element X. Is Dr. Who brilliant enough to capture the mighty King Kong?

COMMENTS: This film was produced by both Toho Studios and Rankin/Bass Productions. Rankin & Bass were famous at the time for producing Christmas TV specials such as Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), Frosty The Snowman (1969), and Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (1970). The film acted as a sequel to King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) while at the same time being a spin-off of the Rankin/Bass animated series The King Kong Show. Ishiro Honda once again returned as director. The character of Mechani-Kong was first used in the animated King Kong show. It later served as the inspiration for Mecha-Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Mecha-Godzilla (1974). The Gorosaurus dinosaur also returned in other Toho Godzilla films, including Destroy All Monsters (1969). The scene in where Kong kills the Gorosaurus by breaking its jaw is actually a tribute to the original King Kong (1933), in which Kong kills a Tyrannosaurus Rex the same way. The fight scene between Kong and the sea serpent is also a tribute to a similar scene in the original King Kong. There is also much confusion about the character of Dr. Who, who bears the same name as a TV series and titular character on British television. Despite the fact that both characters have the same name, they are not related. This film isn't exactly the best King Kong film, but it is entertaining for children and it serves as a nice follow-up to King Kong vs. Godzilla. Plus, Mechani-Kong is a really cool character. This DVD presents the film in the original widescreen theatrical ratio. There are no special features.

Godzilla vs King Kong...........2007-03-13

What else would you expect, it the movie we all grew up with. How can you not love it plus you get the equally campy and horribly good King Kong Escape! Love good bad movies, especially with giant monsters wreaking havoc!

Average customer rating:

Different WWII film that speaks to the war today
Purple Heart
"WE WILL BLACKEN YOUR SKIES AND BURN YOUR CITIES TO THE GROUND AND WIPE YOUR DIRTY LITTLE EMPIRE OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH"
A must see
"We'll come by day and we'll come by night. Thousands of us.

Purple Heart
Starring: Dana Andrews , Richard Conte , Farley Granger , Kevin O'Shea (III) , and Don 'Red' Barry
Director: Lewis Milestone
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B000MGBLJ6
Release Date: 2007-04-24

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One of Hollywood's most striking films of World War II has very little war in it, yet it whips up a fearsome power. A U.S. bomber that took part in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo crash-lands in Japanese-occupied China afterward. Captured, the officers and crew are hauled before a Japanese court and tried for war crimes. The trial is illegal and stacked against the Americans from the outset. But that doesn't stop it from developing into a fierce duel of nerves and icy politesse, especially between the U.S. commander (Dana Andrews) and the Japanese general (Richard Loo), who is the chief architect of the strategy to break the Americans and learn how the raid was carried out.

The story for The Purple Heart was written by none other than 20th Century-Fox studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck, resurrecting one of his pseudonyms--Melville Crossman--from the days when he used to crank out gangster pictures and Rin Tin Tin movies for Warner Bros. Did it have any corollary in fact? Home front audiences in 1944 were ready to believe the worst, and what The Purple Heart asked them to believe was both terrible and inspiring. The film was directed, pungently, by Lewis Milestone, a two-time Oscar winner and Hollywood's most honored chronicler of the horrors of war (e.g., All Quiet on the Western Front); cinematographer Arthur Miller, Fox's master of black and white, worked wonders with the claustrophobic interiors. The solid cast also includes Richard Conte, Sam Levene, and Farley Granger. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

World War II American fighter pilots are shot down over China and tortured. Dana Andrews, Richard Conte and Farley Granger struggle against tyranny.

Customer Reviews:

Different WWII film that speaks to the war today.......2007-06-27

In my quest to see all of the great old films of WWII made in the 1940's, I bought this one and I'm glad I did!
It's very different from the "typical" battle-action films; this one is set mainly in Japan where American Army Air Corps pilots are put on trial for "war crimes."
In the course of their imprisonment, they are tortured to confess to crimes they didn't commit.
They have no real lawyers.
The Geneva Convention is never mentioned.
They go bravely and proudly to their deaths by execution.
All of it highlights not only the humane treatment we give enemy combatants now at Guantanamo Bay but also the fanatical aim of world domination of today's Islamofacist enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan is exactly like that of the Shinto/Bushido Japanese that we vanquished in WWII.
This movie is really a must see that acurately portrays the enemy in wartime as truly evil with none of the moral equivalence that we get from Hollywood and the Media these days.

Purple Heart.......2007-06-08

Fantastic movie, have enjoyed it for many years on my copy on a VCR tape that I made off of TV, and now I have a great DVD version of it. The best part of the movie is that it is in the Full Screen format and not as how most come. I wish that your organization could get more movies in the Full Screen format, and not as most company's use the Wide Screen or that stupid letter boxed. Keep up the good work!!

"WE WILL BLACKEN YOUR SKIES AND BURN YOUR CITIES TO THE GROUND AND WIPE YOUR DIRTY LITTLE EMPIRE OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH".......2007-04-04

This is an inspiring movie to ALL Americans at this stage of the war vs Japan...in reality, three [3] of the captured USAAF crew were beheaded, others tortured unmercifuly...3 survived at war's end...with the release of, "The Purple Heart" at Christmas time [1944] well after the Gen Doolittle raid in April 1942, it hit home and in our hearts to the heroics of our courageous United States Army Air Force and Naval Forces in harm's way...this movie depicts Japan for all of her quick grabs in the Pacific War; yet, Japan was wide open and vunerable to air attack...it helped lift our morale to perservere, sacrifice and no more surrenders, ultimately paving the way for Japan's unconditional surrender forevermore in Aug/1945...it was NOT a propaganda movie; conversely, a cornerstone film for total victory over Japan who was our most formidable and cunning enemy we ever faced on the sea and on the land...Dana Andrews stirring lecture to that Japanese judge rang true as the "USAAF will blackened your skies, day and nite we'll come to burn your cities to the ground and wipe your dirty little Empire off the face of the earth"...that was a TRUISM and justly so...sadly, today's liberal Americans can't relate or comprehend to just what a UNITED effort it took to bring the Japanese Militarists to extinction in Aug/1945...the Japanese got what they readily deserved with A-Bomb interest...this movie was a harbinger of what was to come to the home-islands of Japan...WW2 was a great American lesson to America's enemies...I loved this wartime 1944 film about wartime April/1942....SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF

A must see.......2007-02-21

This is one of the all-time classic propaganda pieces of the war. Here we have the "typical" American unit made up of boys from Texas, Brooklyn, and Iowa, led by a steely officer (Dana Andrews)in a tribute to democracy. For my money, however, the scenery-chewing performance of Richard Loo as the Tojo-look-alike Japanese officer (complete with an appliance in his mouth to make his teeth look bigger...just like all of the print propaganda characatures of Japanese soldiers) steals the show. Loo's line "How many people will the white man sacrifice?" has become a cult classic with my colleagues and I and will likely remain so for some years. You've truly got to see this to believe it.

"We'll come by day and we'll come by night. Thousands of us........2005-09-20

One of the greatest WWII movies ever made.We need this on DVD. The best part is when Dana Andrews tells the court "We'll come by day and we'll come by night. Thousands of us and we won't stop coming till we wipe that dirty little empire off the face of the earth." What could be more inspiring. Please put this out on DVD as a collectors edition.

Average customer rating:

King Kong (1933)
way better then the other 2 !
way better then the other 2
IT WAS BEAUTY THAT KILLED THE BEAST...
The only one to see

King Kong (1933) (Single-Disc Edition)
Starring: Robert Armstrong , Roscoe Ates , Reginald Barlow , Lynton Brent , and Bruce Cabot
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000EHQTZO
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Amazon.com

"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 20th century. Kong making his last stand atop the Empire State Building is one of the movies' most indelible and iconic images. --Donald Liebenson

DVD features
Not surprisingly, the eighth wonder of the world's DVD treatment is nothing short of spectacular. The newly restored, digitally mastered print of the 1933 version of King Kong is sharp, well balanced, and given that this film is seventy years old, has very few scratches or blemishes. The restoration is nothing short of amazing. What may frustrate some is the audio. Though crystal clear, it is still in 2.0 Mono. The soundtrack on Kong is such an integral part of the film you really wished they could have pulled it out to at least 2.0 Surround; but this is a minor criticism. The bulk of the commentary track is by visual effects veterans Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston joyfully discussing the special effects of the film and discussing why King Kong is such a favorite and important film to the community of visual effects artists. Spliced between their commentaries are colorful and humorous anecdotes from director from Merian C. Cooper and Fay Wray. The two documentaries on disc two run over three and half hours long. I Am Kong! The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper is an engaging documentary on the renegade, Hemingway-like director. It is fascinating to learn that Cooper was every bit the adventurer that the fictional director Carl Denham in King Kong was in the film. RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World is a two and a half hour documentary broken into 7 parts: "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." Also included is complete footage of the legendary "The Lost Spider Pit Sequence." Presenting the segments are various film historians and filmmakers including Rudy Behlmer, Cooper biographer Mark Cotta Vaz, the Chiodo Brothers (of Team America: World Police special effects fame), and directors John Landis and Peter Jackson. Here you will learn everything you would ever want to know about the making and importance of King Kong, including that the producer/director team of Cooper and Schoedsack played the pilots who shoot Kong off the Empire State Building. The highly anticipated, long-awaited release of King Kong will meet most viewers' expectations, and exceed everyone's else. --Rob Bracco

Description

Seeking a backer for his movie, Merian C. Cooper approached a top Hollywood mogul. "You know what a 50-foot gorilla would see in a five-foot girl?" the mogul asked. "His breakfast!" The studio chief wasn't buying but the public was. King Kong saved RKO from bankruptcy and became an all-time classic, ranking 43rd on the American Film Institute's list of Top-100 American Movies. King Kong teems with memorable moments: a moviemaking expedition on a fantastic isle filled with dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures; the giant simian's lovestruck obsession with the film shoot's blonde starlet (scream queen Fay Wray); Kong's capture; his Manhattan rampage; and the fateful finale atop the Empire State Building, where Kong cradles his palm-sized beloved and swats at machine-gunning airplanes. "It was beauty killed the beast." But in these and other great scenes, Kong lives forever.

Customer Reviews:

King Kong (1933).......2007-01-04

I now have all three versions of this story. I prefer the 1933 original
version. The last release was OK, but I felt overwelmed by the CGI stuff.
The 1976 version just did not produce. The original, projected the terror
and the love intrest of Kong.

Michael

way better then the other 2 !.......2006-11-29

cool specail effects i seen this movie alot of times cant stop watching it 1933 kong was a toy moved with frams cool movie but 1976 kong was a guy in a gorilla costume now how cheesy is that and 2005 kong was computer animated but still bad 1933 king kong is super cool

way better then the other 2.......2006-11-29

cool specail effects just leave king kong be you cant make it better 1933 was a toy used frams to move it 1976 was a guy in a gorilla costume now how cheesy is that and 2005 was computer animated but still bad 1933 king kong is cool dont say its bad

IT WAS BEAUTY THAT KILLED THE BEAST..........2006-05-29

As a young child in the nineteen fifties, I used to watch this film whenever it appeared on TV on "Million Dollar Movie". I loved it then. I love it now. Time has not diminished the capacity of this film to mesmerize and hold the viewer in its thrall.

The story line is basic. Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), a filmmaker and entrepreneur, leads an expedition to Skull Island where he discovers its deep, dark secret. It is a land where time has stood still, and prehistoric monsters still hold sway over the island and its inhabitants. There, the natives pay homage to the one whom they revere as "Kong", and who is, indeed, king of the island.

Denham, together with his beautiful, budding starlet, Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), as well as with the crew of the ship that brought him to Skull Island, investigates the strange ritual being performed on the island by its native population. Before she knows it, Ann finds herself captured by the natives. She is to become the bride of the mysterious "Kong".

When Ann discovers who the mysterious "Kong" is, she starts screaming and doesn't stop. The ship's first mate, Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot), who happens to be in love with Ann, manages to rescue her from the clutches of "Kong". Notwithstanding the fact that "Kong" has taken a shine to her, Ann is relieved to have been rescued by the man whom she loves.

Denham then arranges to capture the creature, whom he calls "King Kong" and takes him back to New York with them on the ship that brought them to Skull Island. There, King Kong makes his debut, one that movie lovers will long remember.

The special effects of this film were superlative for its time and still pass muster today. The relationship between the beauty and the beast still makes the viewer sit up and take notice. This is an attention grabbing film that is as exciting today, as when it was first released over seventy years ago. It is a truly timeless, cinema classic. Bravo!

The only one to see.......2006-04-27

While the 2005 version is a techno dream, this is the only version really worth watching or having. Never equaled.

Average customer rating:

2nd Generation Kong, 2nd Rate
A King-sized Disaster and time doesn't improve it.
A Travesty
The most exciting original motion picture event of all time.
A Classic We Will Always Remember

King Kong
Starring: Jeff Bridges , Charles Grodin , Jessica Lange , John Randolph , and Rene Auberjonois
Director: John Guillermin
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B000B8I9YK
Release Date: 2005-11-22

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Before John Hughes claimed the mantle of Hollywood's antichrist, that title was firmly held by producer Dino De Laurentiis, whose middle name may have been "hubris." He vowed that this remake of the 1933 horror classic would be a bigger hit than Jaws and that his Kong would be more sympathetic than the shark. But for all the money he spent on trying to make this monkey look real, the biggest special effect was making Jeff Bridges look like a monkey--and nearly destroying Jessica Lange's acting career before it started. The film was noteworthy mostly for how cheesy the ape looks, though this was one of the first films to be shot at the then-new World Trade Center. Even Charles Grodin, as the villainous promoter, can't get laughs in this idiotic film. --Marshall Fine

Product Description

The Big Apple is again besieged by the monstrous King Kong. Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange star in this ambitious remake of the 1933 original, which adds a great deal of camp and good fun to the story, Again, the gargantuan ape battles attacking aircraft high above the streets of New York, this time plunging from the top of the World Trade Center to his death amidst thousands of horrified onlookers. King Kong won an Oscar for special effects, and the horror and the thrills are brought anew to another generation in this classy production.

Customer Reviews:

2nd Generation Kong, 2nd Rate .......2007-05-02

In this day and age, people may not relate to black and white movies. With that said many people will most likely look past the original 1933 Kong or wonder about the interest people have in it. People need to understand that at the time this was a groundbreaking movie that set standards for visual and sound effects for years to come. Take the time to watch it and see what was put into it. It is a true classic.

Of course this review is for the 2nd generation Kong released in 1976. At the time this was also quite a movie. It was pre-Star Wars so there was much hoopla about this. Now you can't compare with the original because of a number of differences. Even though they maintain the basic storyline, the characters and plot have been "updated". So to view this as it's own movie - it's OK. It is certainly worth having in your collection as the line of Kong movies. In retospect you can see the flaws in this one as easy as people would look at the 1933 version, however, the acting and story in the 1933 is a bit stronger. Sure this version has it's moments, but it is a bit campy. That's OK. You need to take it for what it is. I think the most notable change is the battles Kong had in the original are non-existant in this version. We want to see Kong fight dinosaurs!! OK, he fights a python. That's pretty easy for Kong and that's it! He is a bit TOO amorous to Jessica (Dwan - really? OK, creative license) Lange. It's a bit over the top. In 1933 he expressed himself much better. This version is OK. It's modified and worth seeing at least once and if you like these movies it can be enjoyed more than once.

No review would be complete without the 3rd generation. Peter Jackson's Kong goes back to the original storyline, the original time (set in 1933ish) and pays a extremely good tribute while updating and beefing up Kong. Kong has never been more real (and not just with the amazing FX) and you just wish they would add an alternate ending where he lives. There is now no other reason to re-make Kong. Jackson had said that he wanted to update Kong because people might not relate to the original and he did not want people to forget what that one was all about. With this version he accomplished his goal and I think Cooper would be proud. Peter Jackson knows and loves Kong and it shows. This one is about perfect.

If you want to see Kong, see the original then see Peter Jackson's.

If you want to see and different and still somewhat entertaining version of Kong then this 1976 verison is for you.

A King-sized Disaster and time doesn't improve it........2007-04-19

I have great affection for this film as I recall it being filmed at the World Trade Center and my dad took me to see this in a very crowded theater which always makes a film more enjoyable, but even then I knew this film was poorly done, but just kinda mindless fun. Kong is a man in a suit like Godzilla was and it is just as obvious and just as funny. This, of course, affects how you view all other shots of Kong, like that silly fight with the totally unbelievable snake that makes Anaconda's snakes look like masterpieces in comparison. The acting lacks any real direction or believability. I couldn't tell back then if Jessica Lange was just a lousy actress playing a ditzy blonde or whether, since it was her first movie, she was really good talented actress playing a dumb blonde. Either way, the role is terribly written and down right annoying most of the time.

Now to address the revisionists out there who claim that anyone not seeing it their way isn't in possession of the facts. Gosh, do you ever wonder where people who get all over others about getting the facts wrong then get their facts? A reviewer on here made some fair agruments about the commercial success of this version of Kong, but sadly, also lost much credibility with his totally off "corrections" of the facts. For the record, I have found that the IMDb website on films to be very informative and accurate with it's info on films. Amazon has a link to them at every movie review and they are worth a visit.

Dino de Laurentis said/promised that his Kong would "blow Jaws out of the water," pun was intended, and although Kong's numbers are respectable they don't touch Jaws's figures and sadly those who defend Kong as doing better or at least as well as Jaws get all the numbers jumbled. Here are the facts according to IMDb: 1975's "Jaws" cost a mere 12 million to make and in it's summer opening weekend grossed about $7 million. It went on to gross over $240 million that year in the US alone and eventually earned well over $400 million worldwide. That number is not a drop in the bucket.

1976's "King Kong" cost TWICE as much to make at $24 million, opened to Christmas weekend audience, and earned almost identical numbers to "Jaws". It ended up grossing a little over $52 million in the US and eventually earned a very respectable $80 million worldwide. However, these number don't even approach the "Jaws" box-office figures in any remote way other than opening weekend in which Kong had the advantage of an extended holiday weekend, was more PG friendly than Jaws, but still grossed the same $7 million as Jaws did in a traditional summer weekend and it was not a PG friendly film as it had that rating, but labled "Too intense for younger audiences." Anyhow, let's not forget that Kong also had a king-sized budget that was DOUBLE what Jaws cost to produced and these films were within a year or so of each other so inflationary arguments here don't hold much water.

That doesn't mean Kong was a commerical flop by any means as many who hated the film incorrectly claim, but its success doesn't give it "classic" status either. Sure, a return of $80 million on a $24 million dollar investment is excellent by any measurement, but exaggerated claims that it was on the same level as "Jaws", now considered a very influential classic, simply lacks any credibility. Yes, Kong was successful, but it was no "Jaws" by any stretch of the imagination then or now. That is revisionist thinking at best and totally ignorant at worst. Sadly, others are labled as "stupid" for not recognizing the so-called enormous impact of 1976's "King Kong." Are they referring to the sound of Kong's feet when he walks when mentioning "enormous impact"?

Enormous impact? Really? Is this film on anyone's 10 best? Even 20 best? 50? You have to be over 12 to answer this. Has this film been credited in any way with influencing the film industry? In other words, did this film inspire new creative ways to film a story? Has it had lasting impact on the film industry and/or society? Is this film best known for its exceptional acting, brilliant direction, clever plot development, or it's so-called "special effects"? Yes, it won the Oscar for Best Special Effects that year, but does anyone recall the scene where Kong falls off the tower, the big important climax of the film, and how with the camera angle looking up after his dive off the tower we seeing nothing and then half way through the fall he suddenly appears in the frame. IMDb also notes numerous other significant bloopers within KK.

Hey, I like this film a bit as it's harmless fun as it is one of those it's so bad it's sort of good, but no amount of time will make it a classic. That's silly wishful thinking.

A Travesty.......2007-04-06

King Kong is one of my very favorite movies, and I wish I could give this film 0 stars for making a travesty of a classic. They update the story but only succeed in making the plot flimsy to the point of being ridicoulous. There is no depth to the characters, least of all Kong, whom Willis O'Brien endowed with traces of his own personality in the 1933 film. In the 2005 remake, Kong behaves like a real gorilla.

In this version, Kong spends the entire time making eyes at Jessica Lange - and his eyes are really creepy, like those of a Disney cartoon character. Because there is no depth to Kong's character, you don't really sympathize with him when he dies, except in the broad sense that he is the victim of capitalism, etc. However, you don't respond to Kong as a character. Whereas in Peter Jackson's film Kong is so much more than a special effect- he is truly REAL - in this version, Kong truly is nothing more than a special effect.

The special effects are impressive enough, but were even more so in the 1933 version (and of course the 2005 remake), where they used an Ann Darrow puppet to show her interaction with Kong. Here, Jessica Lange spends all her time in the mechanical hand and we hardly ever see her in the context of Kong's whole body. Kong is a guy in an ape suit for most of the movie - his arms are too short and he walks too upright . Thus, in the one area where the 1976 film could have trumped the 1933 film, it fails to do so and the effects are actually not as good as in the original.

Also, the Skull Island sets are really stagy - with none of the depth supplied by the matte paintings in the original. On Skull Island, there is no prehistoric life as in the original, only a giant snake. I guess Kong's fight with the snake is supposed to substitute for the T-Rex battle, a major tour de force in the original. I don't think so - it is like a caricature of the original sequence, horribly done.

The death of Kong was unduly violent with way too much blood for my taste. It was truly disturbing. Of course, the substitution of the World Trade Center for the Empire State Building is not nearly as effective.

Jessica Lange's performance is truly awful. She keeps rambling on to the ape, calling him a chauvinist pig (!) and asking for his horoscope sign. Of course, the fault lies in the script, which asks the actors to deliver several bad lines, so bad you will find yourself laughing. Bridges and Grodin's characters are severly underdeveloped.

I can't go into all the flaws of this remake. Suffice it to say this version of King Kong only heightens my appreciation for Peter Jackson's remake, because this film shows how bad a remake can be. I avoided seeing this for a long time, and now I wish I hadn't. I can't understand how this is regarded as a classic, by Pauline Kael of all people. It's so bad that it just makes me want to see the 2005 version again, in order to rid myself of the memory of this awful remake. Avoid at all costs, you will regret it.

The most exciting original motion picture event of all time........2007-03-22

PLOT: A mysterious young man (Jeff Bridges) stows away aboard an oil exploration ship called the Petrox Explorer as it prepares to set sail from Surabaya, Indonesia, on a classified journey to a top-secret destination. The ship later runs into a terrible storm. The radio operator receives a mayday call, but is unable to determine its origin. The next day, Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin), the Petrox Oil Company executive in charge of the expedition, meets with the crew. He shows eveyone a photograph taken in 1941 of a fog bank in the Indian Ocean. He next shows them all a picture of the same fog bank, except the new picture was taken in 1976. Since the fog bank is in the same place 35 years later, he believes that there is an uncharted island there which contains a large oil supply. Suddenly, the stowaway slips into the meeting and introduces himself as Jack Prescott, a primate paleontologist from Princeton University. He theorizes that the fog is not caused by petroleum vapors, but rather by massive amounts of animal respiration. He thinks that there may be some sort of giant anthropoid living on the island. Convinced that Jack is actually a spy for a rival oil company, Fred has him locked up. Later, a raft is spotted in the ocean; inside is an unconscious, beautiful woman (Jessica Lange). Once she is revived, she introduces herself as Dwan. She is an aspiring actress who was on a yacht headed for Hong Kong, but it was detroyed in the storm. The crew promise to get her to Hong Kong as soon as their voyage is over. Eventually, the Petrox Explorer finds the island inside the fog bank. Fred finds out that Jack really is a professor after all, and makes him the expedition's photographer. On the island, they discover a massive wooden wall that looks as "old as the pyramids of Egypt." Jack notices repair work on the wall and decides that there must still be people on the island. After hearing the sound of some drums, the group find some natives are having some sort of ritual. Many of the men are dancing around and yelling, "Kong! Kong!" The natives are also adorning a young girl with flowers and jewelry. Next to her is the chief, who is dressed as a gorilla. Jack proclaims that the girl is a bride, but the chief in the gorilla costume is the groom's stand-in; the real groom is on the other side of the wall. The native chief spots the group, so they decide to show themselves. Jack understands enough to know that the natives are angered by their visit. Suddenly the chief gets a look at Dwan, whom he thinks is a much better choice for Kong's bride than their own native bride. He offers the group six native girls in exchange for Dwan, but they refuse. The natives try to take Dwan by force, but the men shoot their rifles into the air and the natives scatter in fear. Later that night on the Petrox Explorer, Jack and Dwan begin to express their feelings for one another. Jack leaves to get some supplies for a night trip to the island, so he can take some pictures. Suddenly, Dwan is kidnapped by a group of natives that canoed to the Explorer. Jack later finds a native bracelet on the deck and realizes that Dwan was kidnapped. Back on the island, the natives open up the gate at the wall and leave Dwan on the other side. They blow into some large horns to summon the mighty Kong. Kong finally emerges from out of the jungle and reveals himself to be a giant gorilla. He grabs ahold of Dwan and proceeds back into the jungle. The oil expedition then get to the wall and take control of it from the natives. Fred falls into what he thinks is a hole, but Jack identifies it as a large footprint. Does Dwan have any chance of survival?

COMMENTS: This big-budget remake of the classic King Kong (1933) was produced by Italian film mogul Dino De Laurentiis. De Laurentiis decided to remake the classic film after seeing a Kong poster in his daughter's room. After De Laurentiis picked John Guillermin to direct the film, he decided to make the film with Paramount Pictures. Paramount obtained the rights for the remake from RKO Pictures, even though it was no longer a film studio. Universal Pictures starting an on-going war with De Laurentiis, claiming that they too had the right to remake the film. Ultimately, Paramount won the legal battle. The filmmakers hired special make-up effects master Rick Baker to create King Kong after being impressed with some ape-like creatues he created for Schlock (1973) and The Thing with Two Heads (1972). Baker immediately said that he didn't want to use make-up appliances because they had been done to death in the Planet of the Apes films (1968-1973). Baker decided to create Kong through the use of a realistic gorilla costume which featured mechanisms in the mask to give the face proper expressiveness. The filmmakers also wanted to build a full-scale Kong mannequin as well as full-scale robotic hands. Robotics specialist Carlo Rambaldi was brought in to do this job. Besides being able to make the mechanisms for Baker's Kong mask, Rambaldi claimed that he would be able to create a full-scale Kong robot that would be able to do most of the acting for the film. Rick Baker's role in the creation of Kong was suddenly downroled. The robot, however, was not finished when shooting began, so the filmmakers decided to film Baker's Kong suit until the robot was complete. Baker originally wanted to make a quadroped gorilla suit, but the filmmakers wanted Kong to be more of a bipedal ape-man. These decisions, along with their favoritism of Ramboldi, caused Baker to quit the production. De Laurentiis later convinced Baker to come back to the production. Baker ultimately played Kong himself. After several months of filming, the full-scale robot was finally completed, but by then most of the movie was finished. They would only need the robot for the presentation scene. During filming, the Kong robot would work for a little bit and then something on it would break. The robot was used for 4 nights of filming, and every time something inside of it would break and then it wouldn't work. The robot turned out to be a huge waste of money and it worked no better than the full-scale mannequin which the filmmakers had originally intended to build. It ultimately was used for only six brief shots during the presentation scene, as well as publicity shots. During its quick glimpses in the film, it is painfully obvious that it is a robot and not the Baker Kong suit. The only other item that was used for making Kong was a full-scale styrofoam duplicate of the Kong robot. This was used in the final scene to show Kong's dead body after he fell from the sky. Quite a few changes were made from the original film: all of the character names were changed, the expedition going to Kong's island was an oil crew instead of a film crew, Kong doesn't fight any dinosaurs, and Kong is killed on the Twin Towers instead of the Empire State Building. Ultimately, the film received some mixed reviews from critics and fans alike, but it was very successful at the box office. De Laurentiis and Guillermin paired up again for a sequel, King Kong Lives, in 1986. The film was a financial flop and considered by fans to be "the worst King Kong movie of all time." Today, most people don't even know it exists. Rick Baker went on to be arguably the most in-demand special make-up effects man in the film industry. He won the first Oscar for special make-up effects for An American Werewolf in London (1981). He made several other ape and ape-like costumes for films like Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey (1988), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and Planet Of The Apes (2001). Carlo Ramboldi went on to do other robotic effects for films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978), Alien (1979), and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). This DVD presents the film in its original widescreen theatrical ratio. The only special feature is the theatrical trailer.

A Classic We Will Always Remember.......2007-03-13

1976 King Kong is a classic. King Kong looks very real especialy the eyes. The new King Kong was ok yes we have come along way since 1976 or even 1930 but I have to tell ya out of all the kong movies I have to say the 1976 movie is the best & always will be. Jessica Lange was young she did ok not her best, & she even said that in her Bio. First acting job did you read the movie, introducing Jessica Lange give the girl a break she was hired for how she looked plain & simple. I love this King Kong when he falls & lands in the streets of New York & you hear his heart beat it just breaks your heart because they took him away from his home & shot him & he dies how very sad. To me the new Kong looks to fake the 1976 Kong looks real good story line alot of good actors from the 70's & kong he just touch your heart & yet you don't want to make him mad.

Average customer rating:

Mighty Joe Young
Not anything to go ape over.
EXCELLENT REMAKE BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL
LifeTimer... does what it says
A Mighty Remake

Mighty Joe Young
Starring: Bill Paxton , Charlize Theron , Rade Serbedzija , Regina King , and Peter Firth
Director: Ron Underwood
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Mighty Joe Young
King Kong
King Kong Lives
George of the Jungle
Disney's Flubber

ASIN: 6305320950
Release Date: 1999-03-23

Amazon.com

Charlize Theron is the latest stunning blonde to be hanging around some big ape in a Hollywood movie, this one a remake of the 1949 semi-classic with echoes of the superior King Kong. Theron plays the daugher of an American researcher killed by poachers in Africa. The baby gorilla left in her care grows up to become a hugely tall and broad specimen named Joe, living in the mountains as a mostly unseen legend among people who live there. Along comes an eco-minded emissary (Bill Paxton) from a California sanctuary, who talks the jungle girl into providing safe haven for Joe at the L.A. facility. The transition is not without discomfort, but everything is aggravated via a conspiracy of poachers to get Joe into their own greedy hands. Director Ron Underwood (City Slickers) uses a combination of special-effects techniques to give Joe life and personality, and he succeeds quite effectively. The requisite giant-ape-goes-amok scenes are all in place--a couple of them pretty intense--as is a conclusion that finds the simian hero performing a stunning feat of escalation. Underwood attempts to give a little modern spin to some classic Hollywood conventions regarding wild hearts lost in civilization, and the results are pretty agreeable family fare. --Tom Keogh

Description

In the classic tradition of heroic Disney adventures comes the extraordinary MIGHTY JOE YOUNG -- a thrilling story full of excitement, friendship, courage, and heart. The legendary Joe, a playful, smart fifteen-foot-tall gorilla, and his lifelong best friend Jill Young (Charlize Theron) have grown up together in the remote mountains of Central Africa. When Joe's peaceful existence is shattered by poachers, Jill and zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) rescue their innocent friend and move him to the safety of an animal conservancy in California. But Joe's safety is short-lived. No longer a myth, his notoriety makes him a target for an enemy from his past -- a ruthless hunter who will do anything to capture the Mighty Joe. From the moment you meet him to his incredible display of courage, Mighty Joe Young will fill your eyes with wonder and your heart with magic.

Customer Reviews:

Mighty Joe Young.......2007-05-09

this is an absolute good movie, some thrills and chills but nothing beats the heartwarming connection between the girl and the gorilla.

Not anything to go ape over........2007-05-07

Believe it or not the only reason I bought Mighty Joe Young
was to see a cameo scene with Ray Harryhaussen in it and Terry
Moore, who played husband and wife. Who are they? Well Miss Moore
was the original lead in the 1949 Mighty Joe Young B&W version and
Ray Harryhaussen was the assistant to Willis O'Brien in the special
effects department....and went on to do his own astounding FX in 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Earth vs The Flying Saucers and many many more.
Now as far as the new version of MJY...it seemed to stick to the
original quite well...even to the scene where Joe saves the child.
Definitely Disneyfied, but nothing surprising as far as plot. I admit
the special effects did impress me, especially when was in the
streets confronting humanity. This would probably be a great addition
for youngsters who believe in a bond between humans and monkeys.

EXCELLENT REMAKE BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL.......2007-03-25

I am a huge Harryhausen fan and an old monster movie lover! So it is hard for me to say that they did a great job on this remake! The effects are incredible and Charlize Theron in perfectly cast(and she's HOT!) The DVD transfer is very good and there are some interesting extras. One of the best remakes ever!

LifeTimer... does what it says.......2007-01-09

Great program, just wish that when you create a new one, that it would start off blank, to make it easier to enter the date.... But all in all,it does do what it says, and I really have no need for many timers.

A Mighty Remake.......2006-12-09

While the old classic is just that, a classic, this remake is far superior in every way. Theron is both stunning and a talented Oscar winner for "Monster." Bill Paxton is believable as always and so is the cast of familar faces. This is fun for the whole family with only some mild profanity and violence (I wouldn't let my youngest child see the needlessly graphic "electrocution" scene of the villian in the end). The special effects are the kind that will hold up over time and make this worth watching over and over again. My family loves this film; it has excellent repeat value.

King Kong (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

A timeless classic
King Kong
If you thought Jurassic Park was a cool movie, you should check this out
King Kong with the Lord Of The Rings treatment
King Kong

King Kong (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Starring: Adrien Brody , Kyle Chandler , Thomas Kretschmann , Naomi Watts , and Jack Black
Director: Peter Jackson
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Jungle Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video