Mighty Joe Young in Kong - 8th Wonder of the World Forum

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Mighty Joe Young

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TServo4		#41	[-]
Sep 30 08 7:44 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Wich2 wrote: I knew which "die/dye" you meant, Bob! Hadn't read Ray's explanation, but knew of the two-tone effects gotten with Tinting & Toning (right, Jack T.?) The effect neither tint nor tone, but a special process that Technicolor's laboratories had been experimenting with for some years prior to MIGHTY JOE YOUNG's release. In fact, one of the films they did some tests with was (I think) CHANG, and that's what had led Coop and Schoedsack to use the process for the first big-city release prints. In the final reel, as printed by Technicolor in a dye-transfer format, shadows, midtones and highlights were printed in distinct color combinations (dark red, orange and yellow). But also colored was the end sequence in Robert Armstrong's office, which was sepia-toned except for the home movies, which were matted and printed on their own matrix in black and white. Apparently, RKO was none too thrilled with the effects (or the cost entailed) and opted for the general release run to be done on normal pre-tinted red stock. So, in fact, there are two variants on what was seen in 1949. Re-issue prints, by the way, did not have the tinting. J. Theakston Capitol Theatre, Rome, NY
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Wich2		#42	[-]
Sep 30 08 9:32 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Cool info, Jack - about what DOES sound like a kinda clunky technique at that late date, as opposed to just shooting something in very stylised fashion, on color stock! Best, -Craig W.
TServo4		#43	[-]
Sep 30 08 9:36 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I think the idea was that it was for productions that had already wrapped production in black and white, but wanted to give the film some extra punch. The color tinted sequence at the end of PORTRAIT OF JENNIE was done by Technicolor, but not in the tri-tone fashion. But yes, it's a pretty odd (and for the most part, useless) technology, which is probably why they didn't go any further with it. J. Theakston Capitol Theatre, Rome, NY
SAM33		#44	[-]
Apr 4 10 8:48 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'm rather surprised there's not a topic dedicated to this film that doesn't have pages of discussion. Half of this one is about the remake. I first saw this as a kid on TV, when I was around 8, after SON OF KONG but before KING KONG. I've always loved it. Just watched it last night, and at this moment at least, I think this might be the absolute pinnacle of the "stop motion special effects" film. Of course I love KONG, and (nearly) all the rest of Ray Harryhausen's films, but here you have a movie where so much comes together: It has TONS of animation sequences. And so many are ambitious, using the classic O'Brien set-ups, with every trick they could then think of. Glass paintings, miniature rear projection, etc. Really nice atmospheric paintings by Fitch Fulton. The pacing is good, it never lags for me. It has great, emotive Harryhausen animation, technically superior to most of what's in Kong. You have decent acting, old school to be sure, but it's fun to see Armstrong playing Carl Denham after he changed his name, grew a mustache, and became a nightclub promoter (and that's sort of how I've always thought of it). Moore, Johnson and the rest are all fine by me for the parts they play. I like the music, sentimental plot, and audacious art direction of the Golden Safari. The whole Beautiful Dreamer thing I always find moving. The film survives in great shape, it's modern enough that the film stock was good, and it's a real pleasure to watch. All in all, every time I see it I'm just totally sucked in, and rather than feeling over-familiar, it seems almost as fresh as the first time I saw it all those years ago, SAM33
Kingkongkessler		#45	[-]
Apr 4 10 11:47 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'll have to disagree with you Sam33, Kong's animation is way better than MJY's in MHO. While I love the film, it pales to King Kong in every way, Story, Animation, Music, Effects, and just overall Coolness with that said though, it's my second favorite stop-motion movie of all time, and easily in my top 50 movies of All-Time Kess
SAM33		#46	[-]
Apr 4 10 12:03 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Well of course this is at least somewhat subjective, but for smoothness, character, and even the construction and articulation of the puppets, I think the actual animation is superior on MJY all the way. Harryhausen is the classic example of the student surpassing the master. His animation rapidly improved past the work O'Brien and Peterson did. He's unique in all of stop-motion for his signature moves and overall technical excellence, as well (as I was once told by no-less than Jim Danforth himself) his relative speed. What I really love about MJY is it has much of the KONG atmosphere (although here I would easily give KONG the upper hand) with really great, consistent technique and improved execution. Yes, music and perhaps "overall coolness" are better in KONG. And in the end, upon screening KONG again, my opinion might just change! SAM33
skull island escapee		#47	[-]
Apr 4 10 1:32 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I personally think the animation is smoother and the model apes are more expressive in 'MIGHTY JOE YOUNG'. Remarkable that the JOE models were significantly smaller than the KONG ones: they must have been more awkward to animate, and indeed a couple of RKO animators walked off the job in frustration after wrestling with the JOE models for a couple of weeks. Some fantastic set-pieces in Mighty JOE, for me this is the most elaborate stop-mo/live action movie ever attempted, [Harryhausen's later solo works, though technically brilliant, introduced cost-cutting if ingeniuous composites] . However, in terms of sheer drama, spectacle and rampant surrealism, the '33 KONG is my favourite stop-motion/live action movie, and indeed favourite MOVIE of all time, hands down. Mighty Joe entertains on another level, it's highly accomplished, but has very different ingredients [however similar-seeming] to the '33 film. 'the horror..............THE HORROR!' Cartoon-strip blog here [updated regularly]: http://zoomertoonsrabsmith.blogspot.com/
Kingkongkessler		#48	[-]
Apr 4 10 3:20 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Smaller puppets are much easier to animate, and I'll take Obies animation over Harryhausens any day of the week, his Kong and Dinosaur animation has never been surpassed in my opinion Kess
ryanbrennan		#49	[-]
Apr 4 10 9:35 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I posted this in the thread about Buzz Gibson and his contributions to Kong: Gibson was brought onto MIGHTY JOE YOUNG but apparently had trouble manipulatiing the models. As related in Ray Harryhausen - Master of the Majicks, the models were two inches smaller than those used on Kong and that gave him and his brother Carl difficulty. They worked on the safari camp sequence for six weeks before their footage was deemed unusable. I think the smoothest stop motion of this sort that I've seen was Jim Danforth's in WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH. His Pegasus in CLASH OF THE TITANS is mighty smooth, too. Smoothness has nothing to do with how dynamic the animation might be, though.
horrorfilmx		#50	[-]
Apr 4 10 11:26 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Kingkongkessler wrote: Smaller puppets are much easier to animate, and I'll take Obies animation over Harryhausens any day of the week, his Kong and Dinosaur animation has never been surpassed in my opinion Well, they are and they aren't. There are advantages to both. And you can certainly prefer O'Bie's animation if you like, just as a friend of mine insists (in all seriousness) that The Giant Claw is the greatest movie ever made, but considering that the animation in Mighty Joe Young is clearly better in every possible respect I'm curious how you'd rationalize your position.
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horrorfilmx		#51	[-]
Apr 4 10 11:30 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	ryanbrennan wrote: I think the smoothest stop motion of this sort that I've seen was Jim Danforth's in WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH. His Pegasus in CLASH OF THE TITANS is mighty smooth, too. Smoothness has nothing to do with how dynamic the animation might be, though. Danforth's animation in WDRTE Is fabulous (and I'm sure you know he animated much of the Pegasus footage in Clash) but I think the smoothest animation I've seen is Harryhausen's work in Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Some of it barely looks like animation at all. And the birth of the homunculus is magnificent, both in fluidity and character. Too bad the rest of the movie doesn't live up to the stop-motion.
Kingkongkessler		#52	[-]
Apr 5 10 7:59 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	horrorfilmx wrote: Kingkongkessler wrote: Smaller puppets are much easier to animate, and I'll take Obies animation over Harryhausens any day of the week, his Kong and Dinosaur animation has never been surpassed in my opinion Well, they are and they aren't. There are advantages to both. And you can certainly prefer O'Bie's animation if you like, just as a friend of mine insists (in all seriousness) that The Giant Claw is the greatest movie ever made, but considering that the animation in Mighty Joe Young is clearly better in every possible respect I'm curious how you'd rationalize your position. wow, it's a fact then since you said it! I'm just going by experience, I find smaller puppets much easier to animate than big ones, but obviously I'm wrong because you said so. Clearly better LOL, like I said, I'll take Obies animation any day over Harryhausen's Kess
SAM33		#53	[-]
Apr 5 10 8:39 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	"I think the smoothest stop motion of this sort that I've seen was Jim Danforth's in WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH. His Pegasus in CLASH OF THE TITANS is mighty smooth, too. Smoothness has nothing to do with how dynamic the animation might be, though." Agree on all points. And I find the work in MJY both smooth and dynamically staged. To me MJY is a much superior film on most other levels than either DINOSAURS (which I do enjoy) or CLASH (which I don't). SAM33
horrorfilmx		#54	[-]
Apr 5 10 9:51 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Kingkongkessler wrote: wow, it's a fact then since you said it! I'm just going by experience, I find smaller puppets much easier to animate than big ones, but obviously I'm wrong because you said so. Clearly better LOL, like I said, I'll take Obies animation any day over Harryhausen's Apology accepted.
bobzilla		#55	[-]
Apr 5 10 2:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	To me, Harryhausen's smoothest were the rhedosaurs and Gwangi. Joe is up there, too. I think the first shot of the rhedosaurus in the blizzard is extremely smooth. Add gwangi in the cathedral was quite good. He was also able to show mechanical movements (Talos) and slow, drunken movements (Joe). I haven't seen WDRTE in a long time. I need to revisit that.
ryanbrennan		#56	[-]
Apr 5 10 7:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	To me MJY is a much superior film on most other levels than either DINOSAURS (which I do enjoy) or CLASH (which I don't). Absolutely.
Zombie Dad		#57	[-]
Apr 19 10 11:05 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	ZD Zombie Dad's Online Art Store www.zazzle.com/zombiedad
skull island escapee		#58	[-]
May 6 10 2:26 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	keep 'em coming ZEEDEE....we all appreciate your evocative efforts. 'the horror..............THE HORROR!' Cartoon-strip blog here [updated regularly]: http://zoomertoonsrabsmith.blogspot.com/
Rakshasa		#59	[-]
May 6 10 9:01 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Love it, ZD! Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
Zombie Dad		#60	[-]
May 6 10 10:11 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thank you both!! ZD Zombie Dad's Online Art Store www.zazzle.com/zombiedad
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