Search - King Kong on DVD

Content Advisory: Mild Violence Movie Release: 1933 DVD Release: 01/01/2001 Format: DVD SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Studio: Universal Members Wishing: 5 Genres: Adventure, Creature Film See Also: King Kong, King Kong [Poster Offer] [2 Disc Collector's Edition], King Kong, King Kong

"How would you like to star opposite the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood?" Enticed by these words, brunette leading lady Fay Wray dyed her hair blonde and accepted the role of Ann Darrow in King Kong -- and stayed with the project even after learning that her "leading man" was a 50-foot ape. The film introduces us to flamboyant, foolhardy documentary filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), who sails off to parts unknown to film his latest epic with leading lady Darrow in tow. Disembarking at Skull Island, they stumble on a ceremony in which the native dancers circle around a terrified-looking young girl, chanting, "Kong! Kong!" The chief (Noble Johnson) and witch doctor (Steve Clemente) spot Denham and company and order them to leave. But upon seeing Ann, the chief offers to buy the "golden woman" to serve as the "bride of Kong." Denham refuses, and he and the others beat a hasty retreat to their ship. Late that night, a party of native warriors sneak on board the ship and kidnap Ann. They strap her to a huge sacrificial altar just outside the gate, then summon Kong, who winds up saving Ann instead of devouring her. Kong is eventually taken back to New York, where he breaks loose on the night of his Broadway premiere, thinking that his beloved Ann is being hurt by the reporters' flash bulbs. Now at large in New York, Kong searches high and low for Ann (in another long-censored scene, he plucks a woman from her high-rise apartment, then drops her to her death when he realizes she isn't the girl he's looking for). After proving his devotion by wrecking an elevated train, Kong winds up at the top of the Empire State Building, facing off against a fleet of World War I fighter planes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fay Wray - Ann Darrow
Robert Armstrong - Carl Denham
Bruce Cabot - Jack Driscoll
Frank Reicher - Capt. Englehorn
Sam Hardy - Charles Weston
Noble Johnson - Native Chief

Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack's 1933 King Kong made it out on DVD in England in 2001, courtesy of Universal (which distributes the movie in Europe), in a transfer that puts the prior multiple laserdisc editions to shame. The clarity and brightness are a serious improvement on even the theatrical presentations that this reviewer has seen, and will delight fans of the film. The movie is broken into some 12 chapters, which cover the plot very well. The disc opens automatically on a clever and entertaining menu that has the "play" option in the default position, and includes the 1993 60th anniversary documentary T'was Beauty Killed the Beast, dealing with the history, evolution, and background of the film in a very entertaining fashion, with assistance from historian Rudy Behlmer and actual crew and cast members from the film. Nothing will replace the original commentary track on the old Criterion laserdisc, but this is an adequate substitute, and even longtime fans will be astonished by the detail revealed in the film-to-video transfer at hand. The movie has been mastered full-frame (1.33:1) with the soundtrack levels set properly high, bringing out the full power and impact of Max Steiner's groundbreaking score. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide