StudioCanal has announced a new release for the 1976 movie King Kong starring Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges taken from a new 4K remaster.
Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin), an employee of a large American oil company, has been charged with a mission to find new oil wells. With a chartered boat, he sets off on a journey to an uninhabited island in the South Pacific. On board is also a stowaway: the palaeontologist Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges) has smuggled himself onto the ship, as he hopes to examine a rare species of monkey on this island. On the way, after a violent storm, the expedition also takes on board the shipwrecked Dawn (Jessica Lange), who is floating in a lifeboat at sea. When the ship anchors off the island, however, it turns out not to be as uninhabited as everyone once thought. The natives of the island perform a strange ritual to worship a larger-than-life ape named “Kong”. As soon as they catch sight of the blonde Dawn, they decide they have found their perfect offering.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Extended TV broadcast cut (unrestored)
- Audio commentary with film historian Ray Morton
- Audio commentary with actor and makeup artist Rick Baker
- Interview with Barry Nolan
- Interview with Bill Kronick
- Interview with Scott Thaler and Jeffrey Chernov
- Interview with David McGiffert and Brian E. Frankish
- Interview with Jack O’Halloran
- Interview with Steve Varner
- Deleted Scenes
- Original Trailer
STUDIOCANAL will re-release the film across 4K UHD, Blu-ray as well as a 4K UHD Steelbook from November 23.
ABOUT THE RESTORATION –
This 2022 restoration is presented by STUDIOCANAL and Paramount Pictures. The 35mm original negative was scanned in 4K and colour graded by Paramount. The restoration and mastering were then carried out at L’Immagine Ritrovata, under the supervision of STUDIOCANAL.
The purpose of this restoration was to give a new lease of life to the film for audiences to enjoy on the big screen, and eventually on the smaller screen. A 4K DCP was created, as well as a UHD HDR Dolby Vision master, to enhance the sharpness and brightness in cinemas which is not usually possible with a standard HD master. In addition, there is a new, improved and cleaned-up 5.1 audio.
