Cameron

Didn't hear it anywhere. I said i wouldn't be suprised.


Again i state, that i gave no such information in a definitive manner. I only offered an opinion. I hope no one took my post as inside info, as this simply was only an observation of merchandising that I had seen in the past.

Giles

the only denoted as being a Bluray exclusive is this:

(extracted from High Def Digest review)

Finally, a last bonus that isn't even listed on the packaging is a subtitle track version of "A View from Above." Replicating the printed version of the technical timeline outlined above, activate this feature and, depending on which version of the film you're watching, color-coded notations will appear that describe the various changes made to that particular cut. Again, very cool and another nice addition to an already well-stocked disc.

doesn't sound like there's a trivia track

jmj713

Can't wait to see the three versions back to back to back

Julie Walker

I just placed an order with deepdiscount for their 20% off sale. I can not wait to see the 1977 original version again! This dvd set is a dream come true,since I absolutely hate the other two cuts of the film!

The director is not always right in my opnion!

Giles

you alreadly probably know that it's was Columbia's request to see the inside of the mothership which Spielberg obliged with, but he was never enamored to include it as such.

Julie Walker

Giles I know that,but I hated all the other changes Spielberg made to the film.

Removing the town evacuation sequence with Carl Weathers cameo.
Removing 'we're ahead of them on the highway' dialogue from old man on the road
Removing power plant sequence near begining
Removing 'that's not right' pillow sequence dialogue
Removing various other things big and small in SE(with some slight bits restored in final cut).
Addition of 'breakdown sequence' has me cringing,along with various other Neary dysfunction additions and deletions.

The list is huge for me,and this is just a small breakdown of some of the major things that annoyed me in the two other cuts of the film.

I think the film was perfect enough as it was in it's 1977 form. And the two other cuts ruin the film in various ways to myself. Mainly since I didn't like any of the changes made too them.

Giles

I agree that was a great line that shouldn't have been deleted.

PatrickMcCart

Having seen all three cuts, the recuts "ruining" the film is pure hyperbole (except for the unnecessary "in the mothership" scene). Like the Star Wars trilogy, there's many changes, but nothing that really harms the movie much.

If you want some recuts that actually ruin a movie, check out the "studio cut" of Brazil.

I do think Spielberg's best cut is the director's cut, save for that one shot of the mothership shadow (which breaks continuity). The director is never wrong, they're just not synchronous with fan's preferences all the time.

wahlers

Is the shot of the UFO scanning the McDonalds sign after the first mountain flyby still in the Special Edition version?

Julie Walker

An artist is always their own worst critic

obscurelabel

This few seconds is why I haven't watched any version of the film since being aghast at the special edition in 1980. Even if the mothership is around at that point, it gives much too much away, by letting you see the scale of one of the ships. They should still be more mysterious at that point. The original is the one that I saw 17 times in 1977 and the one that I'm glad I will be able to see again now.

bboisvert

Oddly enough, when Criterion asked to release the 1977 version on laserdisc way back when, Spielberg said OK with one caveat: That they include that mothership shadow sequence.

For some reason, of all changes he could have made to 1977, that's the one he felt strongly about.


With the exception of the "that's not right" pillow sequence, I personally feel the director's cut is perfect. He trimmed all the 1977 stuff that I thought needed trimming and he retained all of the 1980 stuff that I thought was cool. I'm 99% happy with it, and that's more than I can say about most other movies in the world.

The fact that this version includes all 3 is just icing on the cake. Film editing is one of my interests... to have two of the best films ever -- Close Encounters (3 versions) and Blade Runner (5 versions) -- come out at the same time is just really unbelievable. I feel like a spoiled kid right now.

cardaway

What "Shadow" scene? When does it occur during the movie? Why do people feel it hurts the movie?

Obviously it's been too long since I've watched my 2 disc version.

smurr05

Agreed! I will not go HD either until just one format is available. I feel this would be just as bad as having VHS & Betamax years ago. Ridiculous IMO!

DVDA

Oh come on, directors make mistakes all the time. Whether it's something that hurts the film, or only pisses fans off (which I understand is often the fault of the fans, not the director), making a film is a million judgement calls, and anyone who's listened to at least one commentary track has heard directors second-guess themselves. Why do you think there are sometimes multiple cuts of a film? It's not always the studio's fault.

Obviously you're treading a mine field when releasing a new cut of a film that disrupts the flow millions of fans have become accustomed to, and I recognize that a director has the right to go against the fans' preconceived notions about what they think the story should be. However, saying "the director is never wrong" takes this way too far. Whether it's adding material the director always wanted to include but that genuinely slows down the film, or removing material (or making changes) that detract from the story being told, a director can very well be wrong. Usually though, they're just wrong to start with and they finally get to correct their mistakes (yes, and studio compromises), but a director who 20 years on thinks very differently about the work, and filmmaking in general, just might screw up a perfectly good film.

I don't want a 1977 film as the 30-years-older director would have made it today. Correct mistakes and compromises you never intended to make in the first place, but if you want to re-make the film in 2007, re-make the damn film! Then you can send 2007 actors in with REAL walkie-talkies instead of bastardizing your original work.

Giles

the shadow shot is after Roy's first encounter at the train stop, he's rushing off to see it again and an overhead shot of the truck and a house as a shadow of the UFO passes over them (yes, sorry that's a run-on sentence). It's an allusion to a similiar shot in Jaws when the shark's entire body can be seen under the boat (overhead shot)

JayDerek

weird. I never thought of this as the mothership shadow...i always thought it was one of the 'lesser' UFO's.

cardaway

Same here. I also am still not understanding how this addition hurts the film.

Anybody seen any reviews or sites that list the confirmed specs? I really want to know at least the full specs before I decide to jump on board the upgrade mothership. The addition of the other two cuts it not enough to get me to upgrade since it's my understanding that the deleted scenes on the 2 disc set are the parts cut from that version of the movie.

PatrickMcCart

Well, the fact that directors like Spielberg can go back and put out their preferred edit is payback for all the films that were butchered by studios. Besides, all the cuts are available. Even the Star Wars trilogy can be seen in original or altered form. I don't see why the first theatrical release has to be the final word on any film.

Giles

yes, it's one of the scout UFO's not the mothership. I don't know if the poster is part of the standard disc release but on the back of it, it denotes what was included/excluded for each release - and this 'shadow' shot was made for the special edition and then for some reason was added to the theatrical cut Criterion released on laserdisc - go figure, it's a fun shot, but it doesn't look like it's on the theatrical cut here on this box set (unless I'm wrong)

DVDA

It doesn't, but it certainly leaves an imprint on fans, thereby making any alterations difficult to swallow for many. I just take issue with the assertion that "the director is never wrong". I applaud any director who gets to take his movie back, esp. cases like Superman II, but I don't hold directors up as infallible.

Giles

for the record, this version of the theatrical cut does not contain the 'shadow' shot that was included in the Criterion laserdisc 'theatrical' version.

wahlers

I think my question got swallowed admidst "The Shadow", so I'll ask again.

Is the McDonalds sign scene still intact in the 1980 version?

wago70

All these years I thought it was the Mothership shadow. It's huge!

hasslein

Yes, the McDonalds sign is in the Special edition only.

They left the deleted scenes off of the standard edition. Is there is a bonus disc with the deleted scenes?