Dec 23 2008
Recommendation: RKO Production 101
When one purchases the two-disc set of Merian C. Cooper’s King Kong (1933), the second disc contains an exhaustive and informative documentary that has a running time in excess of two and a half hours. RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World walks the viewer through the origins of the film, through the production process, special effects, casting, and impact of the classic tale on the film industry.
The documentary explores the original treatment for a proposed film titled Creation (which resembles The Lost World (1925)) and how it ended up as the story of a giant gorilla that gets captured by film makers and goes on a rampage through New York City.
After the details of pre-production are covered, the documentary takes a dive into the world of pioneering special effects, in particular, stop-motion animation, model-making, and optical printing. The viewer is shown, in the greatest of detail, how the process is executed by film maker Peter Jackson (King Kong, 2005; Bad Taste, 1987) and a team of talented special effects artists (like Rick Baker) and technicians.
Perhaps the most interesting segment of the documentary is the discussion, investigation, and re-creation of the lost “spider pit” sequence (where survivors of the Kong’s assault at the top of a ravine fall victim to giant spiders, crabs, and lizards). Jackson and his crew use the original script and production stills to re-create the animation models, sets, and filming angles.
This documentary is extremely long, but is definitely worth a viewing by anyone who has affection for the original King Kong. It will satisfy many curiosities and give insight to one of the most influential monster films made during the early age of cinema.
