On November 22, the original 1933 RKO classic King Kong will debut in a Two-Disc Special Edition and a Two-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD. Newly restored from rare nitrate film elements and digitally mastered in glorious black and white, King Kong features extensive bonus content, including a seven-part documentary with Oscar®-winning director Peter Jackson (King Kong (2005)); commentary by Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston with Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack, Ruth Rose, Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong; and a feature length documentary on creator Merian C. Cooper, directed by renowned filmmaker Kevin Brownlow. The Collector’s Edition DVD will be released in a collectible keepsake tin with a 20-page reproduction of the original souvenir program, King Kong original one-sheet reproduction postcards and a mail-in offer for a reproduction of a vintage theatrical poster.
The King Kong Two-Disc Special Edition DVD will be available for $26.99 SRP and the Collector’s Edition will sell for $39.98 SRP.
The King Kong Collection, featuring two more new-to-DVD titles — The Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young — plus the King Kong Two-Disc Special Edition DVD — will also be available for $39.92 SRP. RKO collaboration from “Kong” directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, The Last Days of Pompeii, will be released simultaneously. These three additional titles will each be sold individually for $19.97 SRP.
King Kong is a milestone of movie-making that has endured for more than seventy years. Named as one of the 100 Best Films of All Time by Time Magazine, King Kong premiered in 1933. The film was an instant success, breaking box-office records to become one of the decade’s top moneymakers. The film’s state-of-the-art visual effects, entertaining story and touching conclusion captivated audiences and started a worldwide love affair with the giant ape.
A film ahead of its time, King Kong defied the technological limitations of the ’30s. Special effects pioneer Willis O’Brien’s revolutionary stop-motion animation continues to impress even in today’s era of computer-generated wizardry. Directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, with a score by Max Steiner, King Kong stars Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot and Fay Wray.
