SFA: Commentary - KING KONG (1933)

[Benjamin Haines]

King Kong (1933)

Audio Commentary by Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston with recorded excerpts from Merian C. Cooper and Fay Wray



Warner Bros. DVD - 2005
Warner Bros. DVD Box Set - 2005
Warner Bros. DVD - 2007
Warner Bros. BRD - 2010
Warner Bros. BRD - 2014
Warner Bros. BRD - 2017


This is similar to Koichi Kawakita and Shinji Higuchi’s commentary on The Mysterians. We’ve got two high-profile special effects directors, in this case Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston, sitting down to watch not a movie that either of them worked on but a film that inspired each of their passions for special effects in the first place. They spend much of the time marveling at the film and discussing how various effects shots were achieved. The difference is that there isn’t a host like Mr. Ishii here to encourage the men to keep talking. Thus, there are quite a few stretches where they just watch the film and don’t talk.

Many of those gaps in the conversation are filled with a total of 20 recorded audio excerpts from director/producer Merian C. Cooper (1893-1973), as well as two very brief excerpts from Fay Wray (1907-2004). No information is provided for where or when these audio excerpts were recorded. Several of Cooper’s clips sound like they were recorded at a live Q&A event in front of an audience. There actually is an unidentified female host who opens the commentary but it’s obvious that she wasn’t present when they recorded it, and her voice only pops up again later to introduce Cooper and Wray.

About 44 minutes in, when the islanders are tying Ann to the altar for sacrifice, there is a curious sound issue in which the blaring film score suddenly rises in volume and drowns out Harryhausen’s words for about ten seconds. Ironically this occurs while he’s talking about how composer Max Steiner worked with sound designer Murray Spivack to make sure the film’s music and sound effects were well-balanced.

Harryhausen and Ralston’s love for the movie is evident. Harryhausen even riffs on it at various points, facetiously imitating grunts or cries for Kong and the hapless people at dramatic moments. Coupled with archival recordings from Cooper and Wray, this commentary track makes for a very enjoyable way to revisit the original King Kong.

[Gwangi]

I always loved it when Ray was involved in a commentary (KK, MJY, 7th Voyage, etc). His foundation has available, commentaries for just about all of his movies he made, done just before Ray passed away. Perhaps if they ever re-issue his movies, they will reach out to the foundation and include these commentaries (I know that the foundation tried with all effort to include one of them in the 2017 Kino Lorber issue of "One Million Years B.C.").

That Merian C. Cooper interview is interesting. At first, I thought they were excerpts from the interview he did with Rudy Belmer (which is included in the "Chang" DVD), but as you indicated, we heard an audience in the background, while Belmer and Cooper's thing was one on one.