By Thomas K. Arnold Fri Aug 5, 4:49 AM
ET
Director Peter Jackson, at work on his own remake of "King Kong," is
helping produce bonus materials for the DVD debut of the 1933
original.
Jackson is working on a new documentary, "RKO Production 601: The
Making of Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World," a two-hour, seven-part
feature included in the two-disc "King Kong" set, which Warner Home Video
will release on Nov. 22.
"Fans of this film are going to go crazy; we've got everything but the
kitchen sink on here," said George Feltenstein, the studio's senior vp of
classic catalog.
One part of the documentary focuses on the mysterious "spider pit"
sequence deleted from the film before its theatrical premiere in New York
and Los Angeles.
"For years, there has always been speculation, does this footage exist,
so we have a piece that actually explains what it was and we do a
recreation of it," Feltenstein said. "For fans of the film, that's a big,
important thing."
In true Warner fashion, "King Kong" -- which has never before been
available on DVD -- will arrive in stores in two configurations: a
two-disc special edition and a two-disc collector's edition packaged in a
collectable tin and including a 20-page reproduction of the original
souvenir program, postcard reproductions of the original one sheets, and a
mail-in offer for a reproduction of a vintage 27-by-41-inch movie
poster.
"The real one is worth about $25,000," Feltenstein said. "These are all
reproductions, but they're still nice to have."
Warner also will release a four-disc collector's set featuring the
two-disc "King Kong" special edition along with "The Son of Kong" and
"Mighty Joe Young."
Feltenstein said the DVD of "King Kong" was two years in the making and
the fact that the DVD is arriving right before Jackson's remake opens in
theaters on Dec. 14 via Universal Pictures is "actually a
coincidence."
In addition to the seven-part documentary, the "King Kong" DVD set
includes such extras as a documentary on "Kong" director (and creator)
Merian C. Cooper, a trailer gallery of Cooper's other films, and a
commentary from stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, actress Terry Moore
("Mighty Joe Young") and special effects master Ken Ralston ("Star
Wars").
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
