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Originally Posted by Alex Stroup
I believe Jackson had arranged for Fay Wray to provide the final line but she died last year before doing so. I know I read that, but I don't know whether it was true.
I won't call you a stick in the mud, but the original never did a lot for me so despite it's many flaws I prefer this version over the original where I cared neither about Darrow nor Kong. Here, I at least cared about Darrow.
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Listen, I loved Fay Wray in the original, though she had little to do but scream. But for Jackson to consider giving her the final line, now, that smacks to me of cheap sentimentality. Clearly, his film was intended on many levels to be a tribute to Cooper and Schoedsack and O'Brien (and no doubt everyone involved with the original). I don't have a problem with that, but I do have a problem with a film that belabors every single scene with no respct for what some judicious editing could accomplish. Much could be said of Peter Jackson with this film as was said with Erich von Stroheim with regard to his 1924 film Greed. Von Stroheim had to shoot every single page of the book, every single scene, every single awful nasty disgusting moment. Which is why he had 16 hours of film after the first cut. Where Jackson could have done with 3 minutes of a bronto chase, he had 20, etc. It was both exhausting and boring.
Unlike you, Alex, I felt nothing for Ann Darrow or Kong in the new version. Kong was rendered with the highest state of the art, and that was done magnificently. It's clear that is where all the money went. But is was rendered without a soul, to my eyes and heart. Little 1930's Kong made of foam rubber and rabbit fur showed more personality and heart to me. But, this is me.
And here I am, like Jackson, belabouring every point!
Donna