Back in 1976 there was a remake of King Kong simply called King Kong. The movie introduced a new generation to the giant ape, but led to the unfortunate sequel King Kong Lives.
The late Mentor Huebner was the illustrator on the film and also worked as a production illustrator who did storyboards, production art and creative concepts for films like Blade Runner (1982) The Thing (1982) and Dune (1984).
Check out the pictures after the jump and click on the images to enlarge. All comments are from his website written by his widow.
"A very long time ago, Dino de Laurentiis contracted Mentor to design KING KONG. The film came out in 1976. Work on the film began much earlier. Probably Mentor started working on it in 1975. I don't remember.
"The general public is frequently led to believe that the Technician who builds the mechanical entity is the designer. Though often very talented in his field, the Technician is not the original Designer. It's rare to have the Conceptual Design done by the same artist as the one who does the mechanical structure.
"This was true for FORBIDDEN PLANET and the GREAT RACE, and every other Film Entity designed by Mentor.
"The building of Kong, as with every other one of Mentor's designs, exactly followed Mentor's view. That is why Mentor was contracted. To Design. Every complicated tricky happening came out of Mentor's Conceptual Designs. How Mentor's Conceptual Designs were handled is much the same as is true of how the Conceptual Designs for a Sky Scrapper are handled. One thing is certain, it is not usual for the Architect to also function as the carpenter. And visa versa.
"It was necessary for Mentor to create drawings that could offer the full impact of Kong's size. [He] did super sized [concepts]. However, it is impossible to achieve that same effect with the small screen of the computer's Monitor. The drawing of Kong lying on the ground is six feet long. Of course here ... it isn't. These drawings are old and worn but fun to see. I am sure you will enjoy them. "
See more of Mentor Huebner portfolio at http://www.mentorhuebnerart.com
Wikipedia Synopsis:
King Kong is a 1976 American monster thriller film produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. It is a remake of the 1933 classic film of the same name, about a giant ape that is captured and imported to New York City for exhibition. It stars Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, and Jessica Lange in her first film role.
The remake's screenplay was written by Lorenzo Semple Jr., based on the 1933 screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose, from the original idea by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace.
What do you think of the illustrations?
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The late Mentor Huebner was the illustrator on the film and also worked as a production illustrator who did storyboards, production art and creative concepts for films like Blade Runner (1982) The Thing (1982) and Dune (1984).
Check out the pictures after the jump and click on the images to enlarge. All comments are from his website written by his widow.
"A very long time ago, Dino de Laurentiis contracted Mentor to design KING KONG. The film came out in 1976. Work on the film began much earlier. Probably Mentor started working on it in 1975. I don't remember.
"The general public is frequently led to believe that the Technician who builds the mechanical entity is the designer. Though often very talented in his field, the Technician is not the original Designer. It's rare to have the Conceptual Design done by the same artist as the one who does the mechanical structure.
"This was true for FORBIDDEN PLANET and the GREAT RACE, and every other Film Entity designed by Mentor.
"The building of Kong, as with every other one of Mentor's designs, exactly followed Mentor's view. That is why Mentor was contracted. To Design. Every complicated tricky happening came out of Mentor's Conceptual Designs. How Mentor's Conceptual Designs were handled is much the same as is true of how the Conceptual Designs for a Sky Scrapper are handled. One thing is certain, it is not usual for the Architect to also function as the carpenter. And visa versa.
"It was necessary for Mentor to create drawings that could offer the full impact of Kong's size. [He] did super sized [concepts]. However, it is impossible to achieve that same effect with the small screen of the computer's Monitor. The drawing of Kong lying on the ground is six feet long. Of course here ... it isn't. These drawings are old and worn but fun to see. I am sure you will enjoy them. "
See more of Mentor Huebner portfolio at http://www.mentorhuebnerart.com
Wikipedia Synopsis:
King Kong is a 1976 American monster thriller film produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. It is a remake of the 1933 classic film of the same name, about a giant ape that is captured and imported to New York City for exhibition. It stars Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, and Jessica Lange in her first film role.
The remake's screenplay was written by Lorenzo Semple Jr., based on the 1933 screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose, from the original idea by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace.
What do you think of the illustrations?
DVD is the best behind-the-scenes DVD I've ever seen and it only cost me five dollars. 
