Description: Richard Connell's sinister tale of hunter and hunted comes darkly to life in this first and most definitive screen version, lensed by the directorial team behind King Kong. Leslie Banks (The Man Who Knew Too Much,Henry V) stars as Count Zaroff, a demented sportsman who hunts human prey--the most dangerous game--on the grounds of his murky island estate. Shipwrecked there, famous big-game hunter Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea, Foreign Correspondent), and damsel-in-distress Eve Trowbridge (Fay Wray, King Kong, The Wedding March) must survive until sunrise in Zaroff's winner-take-all contest, or become trophies on his parlor-room wall. Action-packed and nightmarish in tone and style, The Most Dangerous Game chills by placing innocents squarely in its sights.
Amazon.com: The Most Dangerous Game is a classic, one of the first talkies to get pictures moving after five very static years following the birth of sound. The plot finds resourceful hero Joel McCrea and heroine Fay Wray being hunted on the island of the insane Zaroff (Leslie Banks). One of the grandfathers of the summer blockbuster, the film's setup has been reworked many times since, notably in John Woo's Hard Target (1993). By modern standards it's technically primitive, though still gripping stuff, complete with the jungle set built as a test run for King Kong (1933) and graced by Max Steiner's prototype of all Hollywood action scores. --Gary S. Dalkin
l love Fay wray I can't get enough of Fay Wray.I loved her voice in the movie.The set was the same as King Kong.It is a wonderful period movie classic
Only one rule to this game Don't get killed!!!! That's the only thing that matters in this frantic game of cat and mouse. For a big game hunter, this sport is nowhere near as fun when you're the prey. Armed with just a knife, Robert must thrive on his wits and instinct alone as he becomes the animal. He is reduced to nothing but entertainment by another expert hunter. He sets traps and diversions as he desperately fights for survival in this fast-paced tale.
I vaguely remember reading this short story back in college. In the movie they throw in the beautiful Fay Wray for some eye candy. Directed by Earnest Schoedsack, who also did King Kong. I'll take this old classic over almost any new Hollywood blockbuster.
1932 Black & white 63 minutes Excellent quality transfer For special features, checkout out the Criterion edition.
Classic I got this to show my class after reading the story. It was fun because the students could find superficial similarities and differences, as well as thematic similarities and differences. I'll definitely use it in the future.
landmark thriller classic Filmed concurrently with "King Kong", THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (based on the award-winning short story by Richard Connell) was not the same huge box office smash when it originally opened, but the intervening years have been very kind to this outstanding thriller.
After surviving a deadly boat explosion, world-famous hunter and author Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea) swims ashore to a mysterious island, where the lone occupant is Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks), an eccentric man who has taken the concept of the hunter--and the hunted--to deadly new heights. In exchange for giving him the keys of a speedboat, Zaroff challenges Bob to last one night alone in the jungle. Accompanying Bob will be a fellow shipwreck survivor, Eve Trowbridge (Fay Wray). The winner gets to keep Eve...the loser will become part of Zaroff's trophy room...
THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932) is a chilling, finely-paced thriller, full of delicious macabre humour and rich performances, not the least of which Leslie Banks, who turns the role of Zaroff into one of the most haunting, nightmarish villains ever captured on film. Fay Wray is lovely, playing yet another damsel in distress. MOST DANGEROUS GAME was filmed at night-time on the "King Kong" sets, and it must have been very confusing at times for Ms Wray, trying to keep track of which movie she was in, or what character she was supposed to be playing! Needless to say, MOST DANGEROUS GAME is the perfect double feature for "King Kong". Robert Armstrong, another member of the "Kong" cast, also appears here, playing Wray's brother.
Alpha's DVD is one of the best I've seen from this budget company! The print is very sharp and stable, with only minor instances of damage. The soundtrack is clean and easily heard; Max Steiner's eerie score comes through with great clarity.
Old-fashioned Fun and Excitement "There were four of us. The other two have disappeared." -- Fay Wray
This exciting early sound adventure has begun to receive the attention it deserves over the past couple of years. Filmed on the same sets designed for "King Kong" with that film shooting during the day and "The Most Dangerous Game" shooting after sundown it is a very handsome adventure tale with loads of entertainment value for classic film fans.
Richard Connell's stories were adapted for Cooper and Schoedsack by James Ashmore Creelman. Max Steiner's fine score and the rich photography of Henry Gerrard captured perfectly this very fun and exciting tale which provided a young David O. Selznick with a hit. Joel McCrea and lovely Fay Wray were perfectly cast and easy for movie fans to root for as they play an insane man's dangerous game where the stakes are life and death.
Bob (Joel McCrea) is a famous hunter whose books about the subject and his many adventures have not gone unnoticed by Zaroff. Bored with hunting animals he has taken Bob's philosophy about the sport too far in his quest for the kill. Just how far, Bob will come to understand when by chance the yacht he is aboard is misdirected by Zaroff (Leslie Banks) to his moody castle situated on a mysterious island.
The only survivor when the yacht goes down, he at first is grateful to be there, especially after meeting the lovely Eve (Fay Wray). She and Martin (Robert Armstrong) have been stuck there for some time at the castle. She begins to warn Bob about Zaroff, however, and when they take a candlelight search for the suddenly missing Martin, they discover just how insane Zaroff has become.
What follows is an exciting hunt highlighted by great photography and atmosphere. From arrows to rifles to dogs, Zaroff uses every tool at his disposal to hunt Bob and Eve as they attempt to stay one step ahead of the deadly hunter and win the "game." Zaroff appears to have won just one minute under the wire but Bob has a few tricks of his own. And when getting off the island by boat means having pretty Fay Wray by your side, the incentive is high.
This is old-fashioned fun and excitement. The Alpha print of this film is quite excellent, and miles above most of the public domain ones which have been floating around for years. Unless you are just a collector of everything Criterion or have money to burn, I highly recommend this version for good print quality at a huge savings. A fun little gem.
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