KING KONG (1933) Blu-Ray Review

KING KONG is one of the greatest films ever made.

There is no denying that.

Remade twice (so far), neither of the reworkings with all of their updated special effects have matched the original. The iconic image of King Kong at the top of the Empire State Building with Fay Wray has never been topped.

I first saw the film over thirty years ago. It was in the days before DVD, VHS, or even cable TV.  During the summer the town showed movies on 16mm to kids in the basement of the library. KING KONG was one of those films.

While the film is full of memorable moments, from the finale, to Fay Wray chained while Kong first attacks, the sequence that always stayed with me was of Kong battling the pterodactyl on the side of the cliff.

From its original 35 mm release, to 16 mm, VHS, laserdisc, and finally DVD in the 2000's, KONG has seen every format imaginable. It now has been released in Blu-Ray.

This is another Warner book release, where the film is housed in a small hardback book (written by film historian Rudy Behlmer).  The book is the same size as a Blu-Ray case with a very interesting essay on the film.

The extras have been carried over from the previous special edition DVD release.

• A commentary track with Special Effects guru Ray Harryhausen, Ken Ralston along with director Merion C. Cooper and star Fay Wray

• A 7 part documentary on the making of the film, RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World (2:38:58) with fans and filmmakers interviewed.

• The TCM documentary I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (57:02)

• The Lost Spider Pit Sequence (5:58) - Peter Jackson and his team's attempt to recreate the legendary lost scene from the film. They do a darn good job as well, making it feel like an actual deleted scene.

• Creation Test Footage (4:57) with Commentary by Ray Harryhausen

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1:33).

A note on the Blu-ray Transfer. I have to admit that this is one of the grainiest Blu-ray transfers I have seen. The black and white picture is filled with grain. Some purists appreciate this, as this is the way the film is meant to be seen, with the grain giving a better representation of what it looked like in theatrical settings. There have been plenty of raves about this transfer from those who know more about the transfer process than I do.  The film is still perfectly watchable, even with the grain.