King Kong on Kauai

King Kong old and new: Kauai vs. New Zealand

All this hubbub about Peter Jackson's new $200 million remake of "King Kong" (shot in New Zealand) is making my memory drift to simpler times, like when Dino De Laurentiis produced his own "King Kong" remake starring Jessica Lange back in the 70s for just $25 million.

OK, so that was a big chunk of change 30 years ago, but I needed a lead-in to talk about how De Laurentiis's 1976 film was shot on Kauai. Sure it was a critical and commercial flop, but what pretty beaches and jungles, huh? In fact, it was nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar and a Production Design BAFTA--thanks, I'm sure, to all the magnificent natural foliage the DP and art department had to work with. Check out some of that foliage at the Kauai Film Commission site--go now.

>> Honopu Valley [County of Kauai]
>> Kauai Goes Hollywood [Aloha-Hawaii.com]
>> Monkey Shines: King Kong (1976) [Cool Cinema Trash]

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