KING KONG -- the original

[George Bellefontaine]

Bought it when it was released a few days ago and watched it last night. It was an RKO Radio release , re-released on dvd by Warner. But what a shame. Nothing was done to improve the transfer. In fact it looked like it was from the same master they used for the VHS tape. There are many scratches, and even dust flickering in the gate in some scenes. And the sound was very poor. There was no time or effort put into this whatsoever. A crying shame. The second disc has some features but I haven't watched them as yet.

[saurabh]

Bought it when it was released a few days ago and watched it last night. It was an RKO Radio release , re-released on dvd by Warner. But what a shame. Nothing was done to improve the transfer. In fact it looked like it was from the same master they used for the VHS tape. There are many scratches, and even dust flickering in the gate in some scenes. And the sound was very poor. There was no time or effort put into this whatsoever. A crying shame. The second disc has some features but I haven't watched them as yet.

Thanks George, perhaps we shoudl wait for the DVD release of the new one.

[Azeke]

That is sad .

Peace and blessings,

Azeke

[David Meek]

I'm thinking there will be a package release at some point (I've nothing to base this on other than hope) containing a re-mastered original and the new Peter Jackson effort. Thanks for the warning big George - I was about to order this release of the original.

[Danbry39]

That's a crying shame, George. I still will probably at least rent it if it's available at Hollywood. Man, I love the original!!! Used to be a staple of my childhood. Considering when it was made, it was a phenominal accomplishment.

[Claude D D]

All in all still a excellent DVD. I got the tin edition. :T I have the colorized version on lazerdisc. I also picked up Mighty Joe Young (1949) a much nicer transfer, very good for the age and a entertaining flick.

[George Bellefontaine]

Keith, the dvd is still much better than the vhs tape, that's for sure. But I was looking for something spectacular like they (Warner) did for the B&W transfer of Citizen Kane.
Now after watching the second disc with a lot of making-of material, as well as a feature on Peter Jackson and his crew in their attempt to re-create the lost Spider scene, I am certainly glad I bought the package. Peter was a huge King Kong fan ( actually, he was an obsessed one) and even had one of the original models used for stop motion filming. Very interesting, indeed.