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King Kong (1933)


Ollie

King Kong (1933) Max Steiner  

24 members have voted

  1. 1. Rate this:

    • 5 Stars
      10
    • 4.5 Stars
      1
    • 4 Stars
      4
    • 3.5 Stars
      4
    • 3 Stars
      1
    • 2.5 Stars
      0
    • 2 Stars
      0
    • 1.5 Stars
      0
    • 1 Stars
      0
    • 0 Stars
      2
    • Not familiar with this score.
      2


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King_kongMarco_Polo8223763.jpg

Yes you knew it was coming...... :P

5 stars as far as I'm concerned. Yes there is a bit of micky mousing but this score is a non stop thrill ride as far as I'm concerned. A menacing theme for Kong that is woven throughout the score, great action music for Skull Island and every once and awhile the music slows down to give one a chance to catch his or her breath.

Some consider this the granddaddy of all action scores. I wouldn't disagree with that statement.

As far as recordings go, the Marco Polo - Naxos Stromberg / Morgan version is the way to go for the complete score.

Very little survives of the original recordings (about 25 minutes) and they were presented on an album from Rhino that also features a condensed audio version of the film. Basically sound clips taken from the film and edited down to about 40 minutes.

There's also a recording from the 70's by Fred Steiner that features about 48 minutes of score.

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I gave all three King Kongs a 4. I don't think this is a 5 star score. I do think its iconic, and has a place historically but I do think this one is not worthy of the 5(of all the early scores I reserve 5 for something like Bride of Frankenstein).

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I give it a 3. For it's time, it's definitely a 5 star score, but I feel the score itself is pretty uninspired, and if something like it came out now, it would be shunned, discounting any praise it would get for resembling '30's scores.

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If Kong is un-inspiring then I wish more modern scores would sound un-inspired.

5, easily.

Waiting for the KK vs Gojira poll...

Yes..... :P

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It's a good score, and I appreciate it's importance to the history of film music, but on its own, I've always found it overrated. I'm not the biggest Steiner fan, and while he has done some great stuff and Kong doesn't suffer from his famous over-use of commonly known themes, I still think it's only average and doesn't hold a candle to e.g. the Korngold scores that would appear only a few years later. 3.5 factoring in some of its historic importance.

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This score is more than iconic, it's the first time the orchestra was used as a character. Long before we see the mighty Kong emerge from the forest the orchestra rumbles tell us that his mighty footsteps are getting closer. An amazing score, an important score, and a highly enjoyable score. How many other films from around this time have almost 70 minutes of music score? Bride of Frankenstein perhaps, and Chaplin's beautiful City Lights, but Kong remains one of the first, if not THE first, truly great and indespensible film scores. Five stars!

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  • 9 years later...

Is anyone here very familiar with the score?

I've read in a book that Darth Vader's theme resembles a theme from this score for the chief of natives or something?

 

"Bereits 1980 gestaltete er nach diesem Modell das „Darth Vader-Thema“ für The Empire Strikes Back von George Lucas. Musikalische Vorbilder hierzu lassen sich wiederum in Max Steiners Score zu King Kong finden, wo das Motiv in nahezu identischer Form auftaucht und dort dem Häuptling der Eingeborenen zugeordnet wird."

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23 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

Is anyone here very familiar with the score?

I've read in a book that Darth Vader's theme resembles a theme from this score for the chief of natives or something?

 

"Bereits 1980 gestaltete er nach diesem Modell das „Darth Vader-Thema“ für The Empire Strikes Back von George Lucas. Musikalische Vorbilder hierzu lassen sich wiederum in Max Steiners Score zu King Kong finden, wo das Motiv in nahezu identischer Form auftaucht und dort dem Häuptling der Eingeborenen zugeordnet wird."

 

Meeting With the Black Men (punia! casco!) has an ostinato from 2:44 and a shape at 2:58, but those are a giant stretch and the only thing I could come up with to shoehorn into this. "nahezu identischer Form" my ass.

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I prefer Mighty Joe Young. Much more likable humans in that one.

39 minutes ago, Horner's Dynamic Range said:

"Iconic" is reserved for stuff everyone knows like Jaws and Psycho. No one knows the King Kong score. John Barry's is way better.

Yes, that's why Silvestri quoted that score for Ready Player One. Because everyone remembers the music to 70's Kong. 

 

Get the flarp outta here.

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Sorry, can't hear you over the sound of Tintin knocking my socks off. I'm annoyed none of you told me to listen to this one every time I've whined "Williams ain't no fun no more after Lost World!". 

 

Anyway, King Kong Lives is the most fun Kong listening for me. Everything a mighty ape score needs, in one splendid little 47-minute package.

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