The second feature, this one running just under an hour, is I'm King Kong! The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper. This is obviously more focused on Cooper's life and career, far more so than Kong. There's nothing wrong with this, and it presents the man in a fascinating light that makes it worth watching. There's also a trailer gallery of Cooper's other films.
The final feature is a five minute clip of Creation, Willis O'Brien's project before starting on Kong. It's obviously a test reel, the non-optional Harryhausen commentary providing background information as it plays. It's still an exciting few minutes of film, even in this unfinished form.
Is there anything missing? A little actually. Kong was originally supposed to fall from the Empire State Building from an overhead viewpoint, and the footage exists. It was cut when completed because it was too easy to see Kong transparently (a special effects flaw due to multiple elements), and this is not included. There's also nothing on the restoration that has taken years to finish, and this might have made the print seem a little more acceptable if an explanation was given. (*****)
King Kong is available in two different editions. The stand alone 2-disc set is fine, but for the true fan, they'll need the gift set. Inside, there are six small poster reproductions (twelve if bought at Best Buy), an offer for a full size poster, and a reprint of the film's original program. All of that is dwarfed by the spectacular embossed metal tin it comes in, detailed front and back. The only complaint is that it's too big, and the actual case the DVDs come in moves around.
Article comments
1 - Steve
Interesting article, having seen the three versions of "King Kong", I still prefer the 1933 original.