King Kong
The Complete 1933 Film Score by Max Streiner

I must confess that it's been many years since I've seen the original King Kong, but it's not difficult to recall its numerous iconic images. Despite effects that today seem primitive, the original 1933 feature still has a huge visceral impact and the savagery of Willis O'Brien's stop motion Kong is thrilling. Peter Jackson's remake may feature flawless effects and likely superior acting, but remaking an icon is a perilous business. If the visual effects of the original were revolutionary then, so too, was Max Steiner's score. While it wasn't the first proper motion picture score, it certainly defined the genre and confirmed the one that confirmed that setting music to pictures could heighten drama in a way that even the finest acting and most amazing images can't do. It also set the standard for employing the Wagnerian leitmotif approach to defining characters, places or actions with their own melody or melodic fragment.

The original tracks for King Kong are actually available on CD, but, unsurprisingly for a film made in 1933, the sound quality is disappointing and more of historical and archival interest. A 1970s recording made by Fred Steiner is now long out of print and the best way to appreciate Steiner's achievement is through this recording made by John Morgan and William Stromberg, as part of their very fruitful collaboration with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. The Main Title immediately sets the tone with Kong's simple, but enormously effective three note motif. This kind of heavy, striking scoring is what most associate with Kong and there are plentiful, enjoyably over the top sequences. Entrance of Kong and The Bronte are especially notable as Steiner ratchets up the drama with melodramatic brass and pounding percussion. To modern listeners The Bronte, in particular, sounds overwrought and almost silly - Steiner was a master of following the onscreen action very closely - but the drama and exhilaration is still potent.

For all the passages that are just seem overdone, there is a surprising amount of subtlety elsewhere. A Boat in the Fog uses quietly shimmering strings and mysterious woodwinds to perfectly evoke the scene, with such delicacy that it could work a contemporary film. There are also moments of surprising humour, in particular The Little Monkey Escapes, a scene cut from the final version of the film, but the delightful music thoughtfully included. As usual, Morgan and Stromberg have done a fine job of bring Steiner's score back to life and the Moscow Symphony Orchestra put in a fine, blustery performance. This is a score where a little roughness around the edges adds to the manic impact and anything too polished would surely be missing the point. As with the other Marco Polo film music recordings, Naxos have re-issued the album at budget price, but still with the original, full price quality notes. King Kong is arguably more important for its historical significance than its own merits, but that significance is huge and its merits are still considerable. At Naxos' budget price, a no brainer for any film music fan.