MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA

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On DVD: Original 'Kong' was King in 2005

"The Incredibles," "Lost" and "Titanic" also ruled the digital domain as DVDs marked their eighth anniversary.

Randy Salas, Star Tribune
December 30, 2005

Eight years into the format, it's hard to believe that there was still a classic landmark film yet to come out on DVD. But 2005 saw the spectacular debut of the original 1933 version of "King Kong," an essential release that was easily the best DVD of the year.

Of course, with Hollywood running out of A-list movies to release for the first time on DVD, more reissues came out than ever. So they get their own category in my look back at the top titles of 2005, along with classic films, new films and TV shows.

Classic films
1. "King Kong" -- a monster two-disc set with Peter Jackson's reconstruction of a famous lost scene.
2. "Unseen Cinema" -- a stunning seven-disc set of avant-garde films from 1894 to 1941.
3. "Val Lewton Collection" -- a five-disc set with "Cat People" and nine other chillers by the horror master.
4. "Controversial Classics Collection" -- Andy Griffith's mesmerizing "A Face in the Crowd," Spencer Tracy's suspenseful "Bad Day at Black Rock" and five other talkers.
5. "The High and the Mighty" -- John Wayne's air-disaster classic for the first time in any home-video format.
Also notable: "The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection,"Major Dundee,"Errol Flynn Signature Collection,"Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection,"Bambi."