Criterion had no problem releasing Pulp Fiction without a commentary. I think the Schindler's List deal fell through due to studio licensing agreements more than anything else. Universal wound up releasing the movie in their own fancy LD box set instead.

Man, you'd think not recording audio commentaries was worthy of a Nuremberg tribunal or something...

It is like how, when Unbreakable and Signs were released on DVD, certain denizens of this board were crying about how we were getting "screwed out of a commentary again" by Mr. Shyamalan.

Gotta love our collective sense of entitlement.

I thought this thread was going to be about "The Terminal" - Spielberg's new film where he takes an Iranian immigrant's tragic story and turns it into a farcical romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

You can bet that if the guy was a Jew he would show the material a lot more respect, but since he's a Muslim - let's make fun of him! Foreign people funny!

If I were facing an alien from the unknown I wouldn't want to have a walkie talkie in my hand. I'd have the biggest gun I could carry to protect myself if the thing started charging me or other people. Of course ET had really big eyes, so I guess I could throw the walkie talkie at him and hope to take an eye out.

Was there any particular reason you just decided to move your argument against "The Terminal" over from the movie forum? Way to stay on topic...really. And if you want to start attacking every movie that makes fun of foreign people you better start a whole new thread cause that's a pretty long list.

OK, this whole thread has been shanghaied (sp?)! I am pretty sure he did say that! The problem is I don't have the specifics as to exactly where and when. It was in an interview back when Saving Private Ryan was miraculously released on DVD shortly after the VHS release.

Sniff. Sniff. It smells in here.

You won't even answer my question in The Terminal thread, but you come over here to steer the whole thing off topic for what reason exactly?

The topic is whether or not Spielberg is a hypocrite. I think providing other examples of his being a hypocrite backs up the original poster's query.

So how is that off topic?

And what was your question in the other thread?

If you would've read something other than the title of the thread you'd see the original question was whether or not he was a hypocrite in regards to DVD commentaries. Then it turned into open season on Spielberg bashing.

My question wasn't in the other thread. My question was asking you why you felt the need to bash Spielberg for making The Terminal in two different forums.

First of all, JBurns24, it's not all about you.

I was replying to a post by Pants, just above mine (I guess you need to read something other than the title of the thread, too).

And I'm not bashing Spielberg - I'm pointing out that his hypocrisy is not limited to audio commentaries. I mention "The Terminal" because it is relevant to this discussion. I mentioned it in another thread because that other thread was specifically a thread about "The Terminal."

Or do you think that discussions of "The Terminal" don't belong in threads about "The Terminal"?

I apologize for not seeing that.

Pants' question in the other forum was asking you:

Which still applies here since him being vocal about what he doesn't like other directors doing and doing the same things himself would be hypocritical.

I never said anything like that. I was just pointing out the fact that this same discussion is going on in two different forums

I see the O.P. point. Basically, Spielberg is saying (at least) one commentary was great for him as an audience but not something that he wants to do for his audience.

Which is fine. As others have stated, some directors would rather have the work speak for itself - David Lynch comes to mind as being strongly in that camp. Others might really not want to talk about their work for other reasons.

Some commentaries are worth the time and there can be a big difference between scene specific commentary on a DVD and anecdotes on a special feature. Commentaris can also be plain awful. Bottom line, if you got one from Spielberg you still might not be happy.

Also, consider that Lean's commentary was also interactive. I'm sure that Spielberg didn't just sit there like a puppy dog.

If you would've read something other than the title of the thread you'd see the original question was whether or not he was a hypocrite in regards to DVD commentaries. Then it turned into open season on Spielberg bashing.

In regard to the original question, no he is not a hypocrite. No matter how you may feel about commentaries, how many of us would like to sit with the director of a film and hear their thoughts pertaining to it? Maybe his choice of words wasn't the best, but his sentiment I completely agree with.

*Note-I didn't read any of the posts in this thread other than the original and the one that I quoted so I may be way off base.