The Eighth Wonder of the World is coming up in high definition. On September 28, Warner Home Video will release the classic action/adventure movie
King Kong, in a Blu-ray DigiBook edition. The feature will include all the scenes cut from the re-releases, presenting the 1933 version in its entirety.
Special features include:
- Commentary by creature creator Ray Harryhausen and visual effects artist Ken Ralston, with archival sound bites from Merian C. Cooper and Fay Wray
- I'm Kong: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (2005 TCM documentary)
- The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World (7-part documentary)
- Trailers
The 32-page booklet, featuring photography and trivia, has been edited by film historian Rudy Behlmer.
"The success of great classic films such as
The Wizard of Oz,
Gone with the Wind,
North by Northwest, and most recently,
Doctor Zhivago, on the new state-of-the-art Blu-ray format, encouraged us not to wait and withhold this seminal film from the marketplace," said Jeff Baker, Warner Home Video's SVP and GM of theatrical catalog. "Consumer research and studio data indicate that Blu-ray households are openly receptive toward re-buying select films that rise to a level of being considered classic or legendary in nature. Clearly the original King Kong falls within that definition."
The upcoming release had been first revealed by film critic Leonard Maltin when introducing the restored film at the TCM Classic Film Festival in April (see blu-ray.com
April 29).