Saturday, 7 February 2009
King Kong (Modern Library Classics)
King Kong (Modern Library Classics)
Introduction by Greg Bear
Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz
The giant prehistoric gorilla King Kong is one of the most recognized images in our culture. So great is the mighty Kong’s hold on the popular imagination that his story–a gripping yarn of man versus nature, coupled with a fantastical update of the Beauty and the Beast legend–has been thrice made into a motion picture (most recently in 2005) and referenced endlessly in every medium, from books to prime-time sitcoms.
Beneath King Kong’s cultural significance, however, is a tense and surprisingly tender story. One cannot help but be frightened by Kong’s uncontrollable fury, be saddened over the giant’s capture, mistreatment, and exploitation by venal showmen, or sympathize with the beast’s ill-fated affection for the down-on-her-luck starlet Ann Darrow.
This Modern Library edition of a true colossus among adventure stories is reprinted from the original 1932 novelization of the movie script, and includes a Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz, the preeminent biographer of Merian C. Cooper, producer of the original 1933 classic film.
Customer Review: The Original King Kong A Real Page Turner!
I just finished reading the original "King Kong" novelization by Delos Lovelace, and I have to say it was very entertaining. Very similar to the 1933 film, the book takes the reader to Skull Island in the Southwest Pacific along with Carl Denham, Ann Darrow, and Jack Driscoll. Although Denham is looking to make a movie using Darrow as his starlet, they get more than they bargained for when they encounter Kong and the prehistoric inhabitants of the Skull Island jungle. Although some of the language in the book may seem somewhat dated, I thought the book was more entertaining than most of the books I've read recently. A real page turner as the phrase was originally intended. Probably influenced by Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World," "King Kong" is a story that will hold your interest all the way through. I give it 5 stars. And now to see the 2005 remake...
Customer Review: Pulp Style fun
This couldn't have been one of the best works ever pulled from a screenplay, however it's still a fun read. The pages keep turning because you want to know, 'What happens next?' Written in a pulpish style which means long on action and short on characterization, this astonishingly fast read kept me on the edge of my seat, even though I knew how it all ended. Reading about the missing spider footage leads me to agree that the scene stopped the film dead in its tracks and wasn't needed. It was a wise choice to delete it from the final version. If you like novelizations of movies, this book should be great fun for you.
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