Anyone recommend "The Most Dangerous Game" Criterion DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Dane Marvin]

Well, it's been almost 20 years since I last saw "King Kong", but I really do remember -- even at just the age of 4 -- seeing Kong batting at the planes as he clung to the side of a skyscraper. Needless to say, the upcoming DVD with the restoration and a ton of bonuses is going to be a hell of a lot of fun for me to watch.

I've been doing some reading and saw that "The Most Dangerous Game" was made basically during a lull in the production of "KK"... so it employs the same cast, crew and sets. I also see that Criterion has put this out as one of their lowest-priced releases.

Can anyone recommend this on the basis of the following:

--Entertainment Value
--Historical/Pop Cultural Value (mainly due to its having a lot in common with its legendary sister film)
--The audio commentary by Bruce Eder (which appears to be the only special feature)

Thanks!

 

[Paul_Scott]

haven't listened to the commentary , but i would highly recommend the film on the basis of entertainment value alone. it's a classic adventure film.
its also great to Robert Armstrong playing almost the antithesis of his Denham character in Kong.

i would suspect the only reason its not as highly regarded as some other films from the era today,, is that its been in the public domain for so long, that no big studio really has a vested interest in promoting it as one of their studios jewels.


good price on the Criterion as well, so yes i wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
especially if you are a fan of Kong

 

[Dane Marvin]

Well, I am a fan of the Kong legend. I can't really call myself a Kong fan, having not seen it in so long. And I don't dare spoil myself by watching an inferior print of the film on VHS (or cable) before the SE comes out.

Thanks for your input on "TMDG", Paul. I think will Netflix it and go from there. I didn't even realize that Joel McCrea was in it until just a moment ago. He put in an excellent performance in one of my all-time favorite films, "Sullivan's Travels". I'm definitely going to have to give it a look now!

P.S. - I wonder why McCrea didn't land even a small part in "King Kong"...

 

[george kaplan]

I haven't listened to the commentary, but I'd definitely recommend it both for entertainment, and historical aspects (as the first film telling (as far as I know), of what has become a well known story), a big game hunter turning to the prey of man, which has even been spoofed in a Gilligan's Island episode
.

For myself, I like it even more than King Kong, though that's clearly a minority opinion.

 

[Paul_Scott]

George, i was actually going to follow up and say i think it holds up much better than Kong in some respects.
its a more primal adventure story, and as such doesn't need effects work (which would now look quaint or dated to most people) to succeed.

it was a 'what the hell' blind buy for me a couple years back, having been curious about it for decades due to the connection with Kong and the presence of Wray.
i was surprised how engaging it was all on its own.

 

[JohnMor]

Dane I definitely think it's worth a look. It was a blind buy for me and I enjoyed it immensely.

 

[Justin_P]

I saw this movie several years ago in school and loved it. It's held up well enough that it managed to shut up a class of giggly 8th or 9th graders for an afternoon with no problems. It's perpetually on my "need to buy" list.

As George pointed out a few posts up, the story contained in the film is as important to pop culture as the story of the film's production, if not more. I see references to it constantly. The short story by Richard Connell is very good as well.

Besides, Fay Wray screaming her head off is always great entertainment!

Justin

 

[James Phillips]

Great film. Leslie Banks is excellent as Zaroff.

 

[Paul_Scott]

"first the kill...and then the woman."

 

[Jeff Swearingen]

Great film, but I can't remember being impressed with the Criterion DVD for the cost (a rare occasion!). It was a very early criterion release from what I gather and has no special features that you would expect from Criterion.

I just pulled the disc back out and noticed the commentary which I hadn't listened to. I'll be correcting that shortly!

 

[Michael Warner]

The Bruce Eder commentary is excellent and constantly highlights the very close relationship between this film and King Kong. It's such a short film that the commentary never slows down or get repetitive.

 

[Jim R Bee]

The movie itself is great entertainment overall.The Criterion release suffers from excessive DNR. I sold my copy a few years ago because of this. If the heavy noise reduction does not bother you, enjoy the Criterion DVD.