We don? normally recommend Region One DVD releases here on Scifind because we appreciate that some readers may not have easy access to (or the software to play) imported DVDs. But sometimes it? really very necessary to warn you away from a Region Two release and suggest that, at all costs, you lay your hands on an R1 release of a certain title. So it is that we have the Region 1 DVD release of KING KONG, neatly (and predictably) timed to coincide with the wave of Kongmania just around the corner with the release of Peter Jackson? three-hour (groan!) remake. How can I put this? Don? ?under any circumstances ?waste your time and money on the pitiful Region 2 KING KONG boxset. Just don?. I?l be angry if you do. Do, however, move Heaven and Earth to secure yourself the frankly spectacular four disc US release ?you can pick it up online for under ?0 and it? really not that much hassle importing overseas disks and you?l thank me for it in the long run.
The R2 release is rubbish. You get a decent transfer of the classic 1933 monster movie, the same lightweight thirty-minute documentary which appeared on the earlier UK release of the movie, an appalling colourised version of the film (KING KONG colourised!!! What the??) and, to add insult to considerable injury, a couple of cheesey Japanese rip-off movies. As I said, rubbish. Our American cousins are blessed with a spine-tingling selection of goodies. You can pick up KING KONG on a simple two-disc set, a lavish boxset with freebies such as original posters, brochures and film cells or a more manageable four-disc box. It? this latter release I? adviseTo, make that order you to add to your collection. This is how you present a classic, landmark piece of cinema to a generation which wants to know all there is about the making of a movie and then a bit more. A ridiculously-clean transfer of the film is accompanied on disc one by two commentaries; the film, at one hundred minutes, is short enough (and important enough) to make listening to the commentaries a pleasure rather than a chore. But it? disc two where you will find your breath being regularly taken. Alongside a documentary feature on producer Meridian C Cooper there? an embarrassingly-detailed 8-part ?aking of?feature which, viewed in its entirety, runs to about three hours. It? an awesome, extraordinary piece of work and there are literally no stones left unturned. The film? origins are explored, pre-production is examined in fabulous detail, there are looks at the actual filming, wonderful pieces on the ground-breaking visual effects, sound design and music, the legacy of the film and, most astonishing of all, a reconstruction by Peter Jackson of the legendary and long-lost Spider Pit sequence. An extraordinary piece of work and I can? imagine any DVD release coming close to this is terms of thoroughness for years to come. Also included are the fast-buck sequel SON OF KONG and the enjoyable MIGHTY JOE YOUNG. A genuinely fantastic boxset and you really can? afford to be without it. Wonderful.]]>
