OT Major movie news:King Kong

[Nelson]

I wanted to post this for everyone who's a fan of the original 1933 verison of "King Kong", as I present some major news regarding the big ape.

"Originally posted by USA TODAY"

ORIGINAL "KING KONG" MAKES GRAND ENTRANCE ON DVD...
The big ape is coming to dvd just weeks before he appears on the big screen.Warner Home Video will release the original 1933 King Kong on DVD Nov.22, right before director Peter Jackson's remake opens theatrically on Dec.14.

The original Kong, never before available on DVD, will be issued in both a two-disc special edition($26.99) and a two-disc collector's editon($39.98)packaged in a collectible tin and including a 20 page re-production of the original souvenir program and postcard re-productions of the original one-sheets.

Jackson is helping Warner prepare a "new' documentary, RKO Production 601:The Making Of Kong, The Eighth Wonder Of The World, to be included on the dvd.One part of the documentary focuses on the mysterious "Spider Pit" seqeunce that was deleted from the film before it's theatrical premiere in New York and Los Angeles."For years, there has always been speculation, does this footage exist, so what we have a piece that actually explains what it was and we do a re-creation of it", says Warner's George Feltenstein.

The original King Kong is my "FAVORITE" movie of all time and I can't wait to get this special collectors edition set on Nov.22.

[Bugsmer]

Excellent. Unlike the many different VHS versions, this one will be mostly uncut and will retain many of the cuts made to it after the commencement of the Production Code. Thank goodness for existing Nitrate film prints!

[Nelson]

One part of the documentary focuses on the mysterious "Spider Pit" seqeunce that was deleted from the film before it's theatrical premiere in New York and Los Angeles."For years, there has always been speculation, does this footage exist, so what we have a piece that actually explains what it was and we do a re-creation of it", says Warner's George Feltenstein.


Well, for those who don't know about about the infamous missing "spider pit" sequence, that in late 1932, when the producers would hold private screenings for test audiences, that the original scene is when Kong is shaking the sailors of the gigantic log, the sailors landed in a giant spider web.Now what caused this sequence to get on the chopping floor, was that Kong's victims were eaten alive by the giant spiders.This scence "terrified" the daylights out of the moviegoers and it forced the filmakers to quickly edit the scene for the Febuary release.Supposedly, legend has it, that this was the scariest scene in the entire movie and it was never seen in general release back in 1933.Nowadays, when a certain scene gets cut from a movie, it usually winds up as an extra when it comes out on dvd, but in the case of the "spider pit" scene, it more than likely doesn't survive which is a shame.

[corey3rd]

they're putting out a boxset that will contain the 2-DVD King Kong, Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young. But the boxset won't have the extra stuff thrown into the limited edition tin - darn that Warners.

And you may point out that you can buy the limited edition tin and the two other Big Ape movies as solo DVDs, but the 2 solo DVDs will cost you as much as the boxset.