With the original classic KING KONG about to be remade *and* hit DVD, perhaps now’s the time to learn about its creator, one of Hollywood’s most legendary writer-director-producer combos. Mark Cotta Vaz’s LIVING DANGEROUSLY: THE ADVENTURES OF MERIAN C. COOPER, CREATOR OF KING KONG does just that.
Though best known for KONG, Cooper was also responsible for such enduring films as THE FOUR FEATHERS, THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, DR. CYCLOPS, THIS IS CINERAMA and some of John Wayne’s best. But he was not merely a showman; before his star burned bright in Hollywood, he was a flight squadron soldier and a prisoner of war to the Soviets. There is plenty detail about his war exploits, but this pales in comparison to the reason film buffs will want to read this: the sections on the films.
And let’s not mince words: KING KONG. I mean, KONG is on the cover of the damn thing and Peter Jackson writes the intro! In that aspect, LIVING DANGEROUSLY does not disappoint. It doesn’t merely tread the same waters we’re used to; the author offers up some choice lore, such as Cooper’s late-in-life idea for a KONG sequel that would have seen our favorite giant ape living on an asteroid in space! With all its footnotes, LIVING DANGEROUSLY may be a little scholarly compared to other Tinseltown bios out there (in particular, Russ Meyer’s), but for KONG fans and classic film buffs, it’s a safe bet.
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