King Kong (1976)

I first saw this movie when I was very young. I thought it was very good at the time, and I still think it is very good. Therefore it always puzzles me why so many people hate this movie and bash it in reviews so much. After some long, hard thinking, it finally dawned on me, the reason why so many people bash this movie is because fans of the first King Kong are intimidated by it. They're intimidated because they know this one is better than the original. Deep down they know that Kong '76 outshines the silly, childish Kong '33 in every way, and think they can minimize it by going to every site they can think of and bashing it.Some say that Kong was too humanlike in Kong '76...that in itself is a contradiction, especially coming from one of these self-proclaimed "Kong '33 purists". The original King Kong, though silly and infantile, was supposed to be about not just a giant ape, but an ape with human qualities and characteristics. Let's face it, claymation is cool in a silly, childish manner(Lipton commercials?), but it's impossible to ever be taken seriously. It's really hard to personify a big lump of clay with fur glued to it, so needless to say having Rick Baker, a REAL actor play Kong in '76 was a giant step in the right direction, despite these all these infantile "guy in a monkey suit" jokes posted by these kids on the internet.Another reason why people don't like this movie is because it didn't have all the dinosaur fight scenes like the original. What a silly, childish reason not to like a movie. Perhaps some older people who grew up watching Kong '33 and enjoyed it because of some boyish childhood fantasies they had about seeing dinosaurs fight each other feel that they were denied in some way. This movie was about Kong, and his interaction with human beings when taken from the wild and placed into a civilized environment. If you want to see dinosaurs, go watch Jurassic Park. King Kong is an adult movie.As for the other elements of the movie, Kong '76 picks up everywhere that Kong '33 falls short. To start, it has the very thing that Kong '33 is missing...emotion. Intense emotion. While Kong '33 was a childish movie about big dinosaurs fighting each other, Kong '76 is a tragedy about man's relationship with nature, and the perpetual rape of the environment. There are also many other subtle themes, such as the idea that society is an evil machine that destroys anything that it doesn't understand, and how greed destroys people and their relationships. I could almost go on all day about all the themes in Kong '76.The music is probably the highlight of the movie. John Barry of Bond fame delivers probably the second best score of his musical career(though personally I can't decide whether his score for On Her Majesty's Secret Service or A View to a Kill is his best :) ). Not only does the opening theme set a very dark, moody, suspenseful feel for the movie, but the score for the scenes between Kong and Dwan manage to convey happiness with a hint of sadness at the same time. Perfect for the movie.Possibly the best thing about the movie is its mood. The sets are very dark and atmospheric...the entire movie has a dark feel to it. The scenes on Skull Island are beautiful and breathtaking, and it really makes one wonder if a beautiful non-industrialized place like this may actually exist somewhere on earth...at least for a minute.Lastly...this movie has one more thing that the original was lacking...in a word, power. Kong's introduction in this movie. Power. Pure power. Kong's introduction in the original was rather silly, as you could instantly tell it was a big clay model and looked almost nothing like a real ape. This time around you seem Kong's face, with REAL facial expression, coming from a REAL actor. Pure genius.Would I say this movie is perfect, absolutely not. Some of the dialogue isn't great, and there's a few plot holes...for the life of me I can't understand why Dwan insists that she and Jack stop at a bar and do shots while their beloved primate friend is about to get shot to hell by flamethrowers and machine guns...other than that, the plot flows along pretty smoothly, with ample transition from the time that the Petrox ship first lands on Skull Island until when they bring Kong to New York.The acting is of course subjective, depending on what you consider acting. I believe the film's 3 main stars, Charles Grodin, Jeff Bridges, and Jessica Lange all gave sincere performances, to say the least. Many critics say Lange was a bit of a bimbo, but towards the end of the movie she starts to show more emotion and it is believable that she cares for Kong and almost pities him in a way. Charles Grodin, who usually plays the serious guy in the comical movie, actually pulled off a great(though a bit cheesy at times) performance in this one. He really does convince you that he is a greedy corporate industrialist, and almost has a Bond-villain-like quality about him. Jeff Bridges also comes across well as the scientist/environmental conservationist, though his character is heavily conflicted and throughout the movie the viewer is not quite clear where he stands on Kong's treatment.Most people don't have any idea how heavily edited this movie is. They removed an entire HOUR of footage from it. The actual running time of this version is around 2:15, whereas there is an extended version that ran on television many years ago with a total running time of about 3:17. If you're lucky enough, you might be able to find a bootleg copy of it circulating on the internet or at one of those science fiction conventions(there has been no official DVD release of the extended version). So of course, if you wish to truly see this movie at its finest, I strongly suggest you seek out the extended version, as it contains many pivotal scenes that are vital to the plot and seem to have been taken out for no good reason.That being said, this DVD release is thoroughly disappointing, as it does not contain any of the deleted scenes, thus it's not any different than the previous DVD release of Kong '76 that only came out a couple years ago. Sadly, this "release" is obviously just an attempt to cash in quick on the current Peter Jackson King Kong hype, as well as the simultaneous DVD releases of the other Kong movies(Kong '33, Son of Kong, King Kong vs. Godzilla, King Kong Escapes...).All in all, I think that this movie(as well as the sequel, King Kong Lives) is a vastly underrated masterpiece. Don't believe what your three friends tell you, see the movie for yourself and judge it. Keep in mind alot of people just bash this movie just because other people bash this movie, and essentially just take the bash that the last person wrote and re-word it(which is often the case when you see large groups of internet reviews together such as here on amazon.com). See this movie for yourself and give it a fair shake, you will find overall it is enjoyable.

One may question giving this film 5 stars. But, I have my reasons. Discounting Foreign efforts, & "Kong-A-Likes" this is the 1st American attempt at remaking King Kong. If you're looking for a " Creature Feature" stick whit other Kong like movies. It goes without saying that this movie would not exist without the original " King Kong." Unlike the original (Which, had people hauled away in ambulances due to cardiac arrest, passing out from fear etc...) this film takes a different approach with Kong. This film deviates from being a creature feature by making man the true monster. Redeeming factors to this film. excellent acting by Jeff Bridges & Jessica Lang. Great musical score & filming. We get to see our Anti-Hero " Kong" on the Twin Towers, a sad but important part of American history. While the per-code original " King Kong" would have been rated R, this "King Kong" remake can be viewed by the whole family. I have heard worse language & more sexual inuendo in " South Park" & other so called adult animation. Diehard fans of the original " King Kong" (Which I am one.) may scoff at me giving this remake 5 stars. But this is not an attempt at duplicating the original, it is its own film. And a very good one for many reasons. If you are a lover of all things " Kong" this is a must have for your collection! While the original " King Kong" was cutting edge for its time & had people losing control of their bodily functions, passing out, being hauled from the theater in ambulances, considering this film was made in 1976, it is just as cutting edge as the original. But if your expecting a film filled with a plethora of creatures this is not that kind of film. there are plenty of those available but few with the cerebral take on Kong as this film.

Very fun to see extra footage they do include fade in and fade out for commercials almost wish commercials were included because they would be so dated 😆. The making of is included and very in depth and interesting a must if your a fan

While different from the original film, it's still a fun experience.

Good old memories. It was awesome to have seen this movie when it came out in theaters. I still regard this one as the bench mark. Awesome cast. Glad to have in my collection.

Perfecta para coleccionistas, tomar en cuenta que el audio es en inglés sin subtítulos al español

Finalmente in Italia il bluray del remake capolavoro di un capolavoro classico regalatoci da Dino de Laurentis e John Guillermin dagli anni del cinema de L’Inferno di Cristallo, sempre diretto da Guillermin e Lo Squalo. Il mio primo film su Kong, visto parzialmente su Italia 1 nel 2003 o 2004, e fu passione a prima vista. Ottimo restauro audio e video più una versione televisiva di cui avevo già sentito parlare (non doppiata, nemmeno le parti “cinematografiche” e solo sottotitolata) di 45 minuti in più, inferiore alla versione cinematografica per montaggio in alcune parti abbastanza grossolano. Avvertenza: la visione della versione estesa può essere noiosa e irritante per le interruzioni della pubblicità di quando venne tramsessa e ancora presenti, nonchè il resoconto di ciò che abbiamo visto dall’inizio al punto in cui la trasmissione si era fermata dividento così il film in due parti (all’epoca) per poi ripartire con la storia. Mi aspettavo un montaggio un pò più ripulito per l’home video, ma comunque. Cast fantastico con una bellissima e azzeccata Jessica Lange, e effetti speciali eccezionali per l’epoca, Kong robot di Carlo Rambaldi e il serpente non funzionarono come sperato, ma anche lo squalo meccanico di Spielberg non superò le aspettattive, era tecnologia nuova e cose del genere capitavano e tutto sommato il risultato di tutto è venuto molto bene. 10/10

Back In 1976 producer Dino De Laurentiis remake of The 1933 original King Kong was one of The most anticipated movies awaiting release by The movie going public. Laurentiis Team and writers had updated The story for a Then more modern audience. Gone was The original character big game Hunter and movie producer Carl Denham from The original movie keeping in with The current Trend at The Time The producers Had our intrepid explores in search of oil. Thus The explorers stumbling onto an island encountering natives protecting something on The other side of The island were still intact from The original. Although still relatively new at The Time The lead in The movie was given To Jeff Bridges as a free lance photographer assigned To The oil company. An important role in a movie like This The female lead went To The Then unknown Jessica Lange. The Anne Darrow character from The original was gone and Lange's character simply went under The name Dwan. some nice Hats off To The original movie were added The famous bronte log sequence with Kong shaking sailors of a Giant tree log and The Great Ape's battle with a Giant snake was olso added. The whole movie particularly The search and island scenes were beautifully filmed and a beautiful music score was added by The Great John Barry. Jessica Lange was no Fay Wray Though was simply stunning in whole of The scenes she was featured in. Kong 76 was released To mixed reviews from The critics at The Time. Though it's fair To say over The years it as now Gained The reputation of a Cult movie classic The Peter Jackson overblown CGI remake was still Decades away. This Blu ray release is probarbly The best version going at The moment Even Kong's second's Act if you like when The ape is brought back To New York were all filmed as night Time scenes These now show up Quite well on The HD Transfer Extras include a vintage making of The movie The original film Trailer and a commentary on The movie by Director John Guillermin make This release an essential purchase for any movie collection Five stars.

33年版でもなく、ましてや2005年版でもない、この1976年版の「キンコン」をこよなく愛する者です。ビデオも通常のDVDも海外版を含めて所有しており、映画館は勿論、テレビ放送も含めて何度となく繰り返し観ています。ブルーレイレコーダーを購入したのを機に、すぐに注文して観ました。映像の鮮明さに期待したのですが、同じ会社から出ている普通のDVDと比較した結果、多少は綺麗かなと言う程度。但し、字幕表示に関しては顕著です。ビデオ→DVDになった時の映像の格段の向上は残念ながらありません。メイキング、未公開映像、予告編は前と全く同じ。ブルーレイ化を機に、色々あるであろう秘蔵映像を入れて欲しかったのですが、評価の低い映画なので会社としても、そこに力を入れる事は今後もないのでしょう・・・。