All right, I'm
REALLY peeved. I just wanted to throw that out there, so it's in the
back of your minds as you read this. I'll get back to it in a
minute.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
has long been one of my favorite films. I clearly remember seeing it
in the theater as a kid, back in 1977, and really getting the chills
from it. The film is haunting, eerie, and filled with startling
imagery (well, at least startling for 1977). Close
Encounters works in the same way that a good episode of
The X-Files does... even in
the end, there are more questions than answers. Both take full
advantage of something Hitchcock knew well - the unknown is always
more scary than anything you actually see onscreen. The film clearly
ranks as one of Spielberg's best works, coming from a time in his
career where the art of directing was more important to him than the
business of producing. I can easily say that Close
Encounters and Star Wars,
which was released that same year, were the movies most responsible
for introducing me to the wonder of the film experience.
Unfortunately, for years, it's been difficult to revisit that first
experience of Close Encounters.
In 1980, Spielberg, who had always considered the original
theatrical version of the film incomplete, went back and added newly
shot footage to enhance the film. Most of the new sequences were
quite good, including one in which UN investigators discover a
missing ship in the middle of the desert. But the only way Spielberg
could justify the cost of filming these new scenes to the studio,
was to shoot a new ending sequence as well (yes, there was a time
when Spielberg didn't exert tremendous influence over the studios).
This new ending, in which we see Roy Nearly inside the mothership,
is absolutely awful. It completely ruins the mystery and impact of
the film, and (for me at least) makes it virtually unwatchable. And
naturally, this 'special edition' has been the only version of the
film available on home video for some time. Finding the original
version on VHS or laserdisc is difficult, and it is rarely seen on
cable or network TV.
But now (finally!) there is a version of Close
Encounters of the Third Kind worth owning. It took him
nearly twenty years, but Spielberg finally got around to finishing
this movie as he originally conceived it. Columbia/TriStar Home
Video has just released a new VHS Collector's
Edition of Close Encounters,
that really delivers. Remastered in THX, and available in both pan &
scan and 2.35:1 letterboxed widescreen, the Collector's
Edition boasts a brand new director's cut of the film,
which is absolutely outstanding. The new cut restores: the Air Force
press conference sequence, a long sequence where Roy tears up plants
and chicken wire from his (and his neighbor's) yard to build his
living-room Devil's Tower sculpture, a brief scene where Roy climbs
back into his house via the kitchen window after nearly getting run
over by the family car, and best of all, the film's original ending!
This is Close Encounters
better than you've ever seen it. The new release even includes a 20
minute documentary, featuring new interviews with the cast and crew,
including director Spielberg (done on location while shooting
Saving Private Ryan). The
documentary also contains unused footage from the mothership
sequence, showing scenes or concepts that were filmed but didn't
work (Roy floating into the ship in zero-gravity, streams of 'cube'
ships, and more). Bottom line: the new Collector's
Edition of Close Encounters
is an absolute treat!
So why am I so upset? Because Steven Spielberg has apparently
decided that, until there are more than a million DVD players in the
market, he doesn't want any more of his films (or anything with the
Amblin name attached to it) released to DVD. And although
Columbia/TriStar owns the rights to the film (and therefore,
technically makes the final decision), the studio has decided to
defer to Spielberg's position. As you all know, this is why
Men In Black was pulled just
before the discs were scheduled to hit store shelves. For
Close Encounters, it means
that a classic masterpiece, which has finally been given the
treatment it deserves, will not appear on DVD anytime soon. I've
recently discussed this issue with some friends, as well as many
readers of the Bits, and
discovered that they are more than a little upset about this. And
personally, I'll be honest
it really chaps my @#*!
Now I know that many of you who read The
Digital Bits work in the industry, including folks at
Columbia/TriStar and Amblin Entertainment. So these next comments
are directed at you:
As badly as I want to purchase the Close
Encounters Collector's Edition, I WILL NOT DO SO UNTIL IT
IS RELEASED ON DVD! Furthermore, I will encourage everyone I know to
do the same. If DVD players are to find their way into millions of
consumer's homes, the studios MUST make popular titles available to
the format! This is the format's biggest stumbling block (far more
of a problem than Divx).
Look, I have every respect for Steven Spielberg. No one is asking
for every one of his films to be released to DVD tomorrow, but why
not start with one or two good ones now?
This cautious 'wait and see' attitude towards DVD is starting to
become absurd. It was one thing when no one knew if the format had a
chance. But a half a million players have sold to dealers in a
little over a year, in the U.S. alone! That should tell you
something! Dealers wouldn't be buying these things if they weren't
selling! How about the number of people who are purchasing computers
with DVD-Roms? There's not a whole lot of DVD-Rom software out there
yet, so I'm guessing they're buying an awful lot of movies to spin
in those drives. And keep in mind that Region 1 includes Canada as
well. Based on the tremendous number of readers I hear from in
Canada, I'd be willing to bet that DVD player sales there are every
bit as strong as U.S. sales. Want more evidence? What about the fact
that several of the studios who are supporting DVD enthusiastically
can't manufacture enough copies of some titles to meet demand?! The
fact is this: DVD is here to stay, holdout studios and Divx be
damned.
I receive hundreds of e-mails a month, from DVD and home video
consumers who are tired of being held at the mercy of corporate
Hollywood. It seems to me, that the home video industry is woefully
out of touch with consumers. It's the only business I know of where
customers actually have to beg companies for the chance to purchase
the product they want! And despite their efforts to make their
feelings known, these customers seem to be largely ignored, and in
some cases, even regarded with contempt.
I encourage everyone who feels strongly about this problem, to
contact the studios and politely but firmly make your feelings
known. All the contact information you need to do so, can be found
in the Surf
the Links section of The Digital
Bits. And in the case of Close
Encounters, direct your comments to:
Benjamin Feingold
President, Columbia/TriStar Home Video
10202 West Washington Blvd., SPP 8006
Culver City, CA 90232
RE: DVD
(310) 244-4100
Steven Spielberg
Amblin Entertainment / Dreamworks SKG
100 Universal City Plaza, Bungelow 477
Universal City, CA 91608-1085
RE: DVD
818-777-4600
It's time to make the studio's take notice, and make them more
responsive to their customers. As always, I welcome your comments.
Bill
Hunt, Editor
The Digital Bits |