King Kong Lives (1986)

Director:

John Guillermin

Writers:

Merian C. Cooper (character)
Steven Pressfield (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

19 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Legendary Kong is Back!

Plot:

Kong falls from the twin towers and he appears to be alive!

Plot Keywords:

Ape | King Kong | Artificial Heart | Blood Transfusion | Giant Ape

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Peter Elliott	...	King Kong (as Peter Elliot)
George Antoni	...	Lady Kong (as George Yiasomi)
Brian Kerwin	...	Hank Mitchell
Linda Hamilton	...	Amy Franklin
John Ashton	...	Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt
Peter Michael Goetz	...	Dr. Andrew Ingersoll
Frank Maraden	...	Dr. Benson Hughes
Alan Sader	...	Faculty Doctor #1
Lou Criscuolo	...	Faculty Doctor #2
Marc Clement	...	Crew Chief
Richard Rhodes	...	Reporter
Larry Souder	...	Reporter
Ted Prichard	...	Reporter
Jayne Gray	...	Reporter (as Jayne Linday-Gray)
Debbie McLeod	...	Reporter
Elizabeth Hayes	...	Reporter
Nat Christian	...	Surgeon #1 (as Natt Christian)
Mac Pirkle	...	Surgeon #2
Larry Sprinkle	...	Journalist
Rod Davis	...	T.V. Reporter
David de Vries	...	Technician #1 (as David DeVries)
Bonnie Johnson	...	Technician #2 (as Bonnie Cook)
J. Michael Hunter	...	Technician #3
Robin Cahall	...	Mazlansky
Don Law	...	Security Chief
Jack Maloney	...	Wrangler #1
Jimmie Ray Weeks	...	Major Peete
Jeff Benninghofen	...	Radioman #1
Jim Grimshaw	...	Sergeant
Bernard Addison	...	Captain #1
Michael McLendon	...	Captain #2
Jimmy Wiggins	...	Boyfriend
Mary Swafford	...	Girlfriend
Michael Forest	...	Vance
Leon Rippy	...	Hunter
Wallace Merck	...	Hunter
Dean Whitworth	...	Hunter
Herschel Sparber	...	Hunter (as Hershel Sparber)
Dandy Stevenson	...	Mom #1
Lydia Smith	...	Mom #2
Hope Nunnery	...	Lady in Phone Booth
Margaret Freeman	...	Native Woman
Winston Hemingway	...	Staff Sergeant
Tom Parkhill	...	Radioman
Jeffrey Buckner Ford	...	Guard Sergeant (as Buck Ford)
Derek Pearson	...	Youth
Gary Kaikaka	...	Boat Skipper
Duke Ernsberger	...	Cell Guard #1
Mike Starr	...	Cell Guard #2
Shannon Rowell	...	Female in Crowd
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Benjamin Kechley	...	Baby King Kong
Michael Bard Bayer	...	Surgeon (uncredited)
Jeff Bridges	...	Jack Prescott (archive footage) (uncredited)
Scott King	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Jessica Lange	...	Dwan (archive footage) (uncredited)
Eddy Schumacher	...	Jeep Soldier (uncredited)

Directed by
John Guillermin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Merian C. Cooper		character
Steven Pressfield		screenplay
Steven Pressfield		story
Ronald Shusett		screenplay
Ronald Shusett		story
Edgar Wallace		character

Produced by
Dino De Laurentiis	....	executive producer
Martha De Laurentiis	....	producer (as Martha Schumacher)
Ronald Shusett	....	executive producer
Lucio Trentini	....	line producer

Original Music by
John Scott

Cinematography by
Alec Mills

Film Editing by
Malcolm Cooke

Production Design by
Peter Murton

Art Direction by
Fred Carter
Tony Reading
John Wood

Set Decoration by
Edward 'Tantar' LeViseur		(as Tantar LeViseur)
Hugh Scaife

Costume Design by
Clifford Capone

Makeup Department
Grazia De Rossi	....	hair stylist (as Grazia DeRossi)
Barbara Page	....	assistant hair stylist
Jeff Goodwin	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Robert Rothbard	....	unit manager
Lucio Trentini	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matt Earl Beesley	....	second assistant director
Brian W. Cook	....	first assistant director (as Brian Cook)
Bruce Moriarty	....	first assistant director: second unit
Bud Davis	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Marc Abraham	....	head painter
John Alvin	....	poster artist
Roger Bowles	....	senior draftsman
David Bubb	....	construction supervisor
Kenneth Clarke	....	head plasterer
Tom Cranham	....	storyboard artist
Keith Darwin	....	scenic
David Edwards	....	carpenter coordinator (as Dave Edwards)
Jeff Ginn	....	draftsman (as Jeffrey Ginn)
Andrew Holder	....	sculptor
Gordon Izod	....	head plasterer
Petko D. Kadiev	....	storyboard artist (as Petko Kadiev)
John D. Kretschmer	....	leadman (as John Kretschmer)
Todd B. Lawson	....	propmaker
Simon Murton	....	draftsman
John Paterson	....	construction coordinator
Ken Powell	....	head plasterer
Eric Regan	....	head painter
Rosalind Shingleton	....	draftsman (as Rosiland Shingleton)
Charles Torbett	....	property master
Peter Voysey	....	sculptor
Robert Beck	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Chris Crump	....	miniature tree production foreman (uncredited)
Brian Kontz	....	plaster foreman (uncredited)
Gregg Perez	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Ty Church	....	sound assistant
Colin Miller	....	sound editor
Ron Sistare	....	sound
David Stephenson	....	sound mixer
Mike Tucker	....	boom operator
Les Wiggins	....	sound editor
Samuel C. Crutcher	....	cosupervisingeditor/lead sound designe (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Robert Bass	....	special effects
Doug Beswick	....	special effects
Casey Cavanaugh	....	special effects
Frank Ceglia	....	special effects
Joe Digaetano	....	special effects
Dean Gates	....	special effects makeup
William D. Harrison	....	special effects (as Bill Harrison)
George R. Hill	....	special effects (as George Hill)
Patrick Johnson	....	crew leader: special effects miniatures
Steven Kirshoff	....	special effects (as Steve Kirschoff)
Steve Lombardi	....	special effects
Regina McLeod	....	puppeteer: second unit
Joseph P. Mercurio	....	special effects coordinator (as Joseph Mercurio)
Bernardo F. Munoz	....	crew leader: special effects miniatures (as Bernado Munoz)
Carlo Rambaldi	....	creatures constructor
Carlo Rambaldi	....	creatures creator
Gus Ramsden	....	crew leader: special effects miniatures
Larry Reid	....	special effects
Rod Schumacher	....	crew leader: special effects miniatures
David B. Sharp	....	crew leader: special effects miniatures (as David Sharp)
Scott Bruffey	....	miniature construction (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Barry Nolan	....	supervisor: special visual effects
Al Magliochetti	....	miniatures and oversized props (uncredited)

Stunts
Kenny Bates	....	stunts (as Ken Bates)
Monty Cox	....	stunts
Bud Davis	....	stunt coordinator
Bud Davis	....	stunts
Greg Gault	....	stunts
Joe Gilbride	....	stunts (as Jae Gilbride)
Randy Hall	....	stunts
Chuck Hart	....	stunts
Bruce Moriarty	....	stunts
Beth Nufer	....	stunts
Don Pulford	....	stunts
Dar Robinson	....	stunts
Dennis Scott	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Batt	....	dolly grip
Mike Brewster	....	camera operator (as Michael Brewster)
Robin Browne	....	director of photography: miniature unit
Nobby Clark	....	rigging coordinator (as Roy Clark)
Eamonn Dunne	....	rigging electrician
John Ferguson	....	gaffer: second unit
Richard Foreman Jr.	....	still photographer (as Richard Foreman)
Chip Hackler	....	camera apprentice: second unit
Faris Herbert Harton	....	clapper loader (as Herbert Harton)
Bobby Huber	....	rigging coordinator
W.C. 'Chunky' Huse	....	key grip (as Chunky Huse)
Alec King	....	gaffer
Alan Lasky	....	camera apprentice
Terry D. Long	....	electrician
Marco Mazzei	....	focus puller: second unit
Sergio Melaranci	....	camera operator: second unit
Jeff Moore	....	focus puller: second unit
David Pamplin	....	grip: second unit
Gene Poole	....	dolly grip: second unit
Stefan Stankowski	....	focus puller
Thomas Trovato	....	best boy (as Tom Trovato)
Franklin Williams Jr.	....	generator operator
Eric Bartsch	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Michelle Guillermin	....	casting associate
Donna Isaacson	....	casting
John S. Lyons	....	casting (as John Lyons)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dan Chichester	....	wardrobe supervisor
Alonzo Wilson	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Daniel Candib	....	second assistant editor
Jonathan Chibnall	....	apprentice editor
Myles Connell	....	apprentice editor (as Myles Connell)
Kerry Kohler	....	first assistant editor

Transportation Department
Ron Bledsoe	....	transportation
Edwin Bowden Jr.	....	production driver
Pat Hill	....	picture vehicle coordinator
A. Welch Lambeth	....	transportation captain (as Welch Lambeth)
Les Pendleton	....	military vehicles coordinator
Lee Siler	....	transportation coordinator (as William Siler)
Johnny West	....	military vehicle specialist

Other crew
Cindy J. Gray	....	assistant accountant (as Cindy Gray)
Jim Grimshaw	....	military advisor
Allan Hamilton	....	assistant accountant
Jordan Hawley	....	assistant to producer
Raymond Hunt	....	consultant: cardiac surgery (as Dr. Raymond Hunt)
Joe Lombardi	....	consultant: weapons effects
Lyn Lucibello	....	auditor
Luis Reyes	....	unit publicist
Rena Sternfeld-Allon	....	script supervisor (as Rina Sternfeld)
Noel Tomlinson	....	key production assistant
John Wildermuth	....	production assistant
Alexander Johnston	....	location manager: Wilmington, NC (uncredited)

Production Companies

• De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

Distributors

• De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Concorde Film (1987) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures Corporation (Canada) (198?) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1987) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Arcade Movie Company (1999) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Esselte CIC Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Lorimar Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1993) (Finland) (TV)
• Mundial Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Nea Kinisi Video (1987) (Greece) (VHS)
• Nordic Film Group (1989) (Finland) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (1998) (Finland) (VHS)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Trinity Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Vestron Video (1989) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Video Film Express (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Fincannon & Associates  additional casting
• Intrada  score album released by (Special Collection) (limited edition)
• MCA Records  music soundtrack available on
• Silva Screen Records  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (original rating) (1989) | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:6 | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Portugal:M/12 | UK:12 (re-rating) (2012)

Filming Locations:

Fall Creek Falls State Park - 2009 Village Camp Road, Pikeville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

Trivia:

Peter Michael Goetz's cheque for post release royalties came to 3 cents. He has it stapled to the film poster in his house, having never cashed it.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning, we hear Kong's heart beating. We don't hear his heart beating at any other point in the movie, even during the quiet scenes.

Quotes:

Lt. Col. R.T. Nevitt:They're gonna need a doctor when they get a whiff of this gas.

Movie Connections:

Edited from King Kong (1976)

Imagine if it was made today...

Well, the only thing good in this movie is the split-second flash you get of Linda Hamilton's rack. I don't know who the hell the rest of these people were. There was some blond dufus named "Hank". And a lot of really bad special FX. All in all, it's an awful movie.

But just imagine if it had been made today, it'd have super-slick CGI effects for the monkeys and a sound track by Elton John singing about "shining stars" and hairy monkey suits. Joel Schumacher would direct of course. The female lead would be played by Denise Richards except she wouldn't show her boobs. There'd be long shots of Hank's naked ass several times throughout the movie. Wouldn't it be great?

Er, maybe I'll just watch to 80's version again.