Jaws - Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[ahollis]

Ain't It Cool News has a interview with Spielberg and he says that JAWS is being worked on for Blu-ray release.


http://www.aintitcool.com/node/49897


Spielberg also gives his thoughts on digital tinkering such as removing of wires (he is against) and even suggests that the 1982 version of ET is the best one.


An interesting short interview.

 

[Worth]

Good to hear. I wonder if he can talk Lucas into re-instating the original shot of the jeep driving over the cliff and the cobra reflection in Raiders.

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by Worth I think they are on different paths of thought on the this.

 

[Jeff Robertson]

While I very much appreciate Mr. Spielberg's position on no digital tinkering, I have no problem with wires being removed or correcting mistakes that do not alter the tone of the film. Blade Runner is a good example. Some of the changes made to Star Wars and Return of The Jedi are examples and tinkering gone too far.


I'm confused on E.T. being mentioned, though. Was it not Spielberg's decision to remove the guns? Isn't it a little hypocritical? Yes, I know the 1982 version was made available too, but the fact that his film comes in an altered form seems to go against what he is now saying.

 

[Jeff Robertson]

While I very much appreciate Mr. Spielberg's position on no digital tinkering, I have no problem with wires being removed or correcting mistakes that do not alter the tone of the film. Blade Runner is a good example. Some of the changes made to Star Wars and Return of The Jedi are examples and tinkering gone too far.


I'm confused on E.T. being mentioned, though. Was it not Spielberg's decision to remove the guns? Isn't it a little hypocritical? Yes, I know the 1982 version was made available too, but the fact that his film comes in an altered form seems to go against what he is now saying.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Originally Posted by Jeff Robertson /forum/thread/311944/jaws-blu-ray#post_3818246

 

[Bob Cashill]

"Was it not Spielberg's decision to remove the guns? Isn't it a little hypocritical?" That was a political choice, not an aesthetic one.

 

[Jeff Robertson]

It still fits the description of tinkering if you ask me but I understand his motivation in this case.

Originally Posted by Bob Cashill

"Was it not Spielberg's decision to remove the guns? Isn't it a little hypocritical?" That was a political choice, not an aesthetic one.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Perhaps, over time, he just changed his mind on such matters.







Crawdaddy

 

[Zack Gibbs]

Even when the E.T. changes were made he still stepped in for the DVD release and insisted that all releases of the film include the original, unaltered version. He may have made a 'special edition' so that the film's re-release would have a little more draw, but he's never been the revisionist that Lucas has.

 

[Bob Cashill]

"If 1941 comes on Blu-ray..." Not "if," Steven, "when." With the theatrical and extended versions. Pearl Harbor 70th anniversary perhaps? Well, maybe not...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Bob Cashill /forum/thread/311944/jaws-blu-ray#post_3818287

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

Originally Posted by Worth is shown at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

 

[cafink]

I am positively elated to hear such a prominent director speaking out so strongly against digital tinkering, even of the kind sometimes considered innocuous, like wire removal. I have no problem with a "special edition" being released, but I always want the original alongside it. It sounds like that's not something I have to worry about with Speilberg films, and I'm very pleased to hear it.

 

I hope when E.T. is released that they reinstate the missing groan from the little alien during a crucial moment in the film. It was missing on the dvd (on both versions.) Steven Spielberg is such an inspiration to me on so many levels.

 

[Bob_S.]

Can't wait! I really hope the doc. "The Shark Is Still Working" is included.

 

[Kevin EK]

I'm sure any Blu-ray of Jaws will include the full 2-hour documentary from the laserdisc and the 30th Anniversary DVD.


I remember Spielberg saying he switched the guns to walkie talkies in 2002 because they disturbed him in a personal way. But he did insist that the DVD set include both the revised version and the original one he made - and I remember him holding up the release to make sure that the more available 2-disc set had both versions and not just the more expensive 3-disc set.


I'm not sure what other extras they can come up with for Jaws at this point, unless they want to have somebody in the cast do a commentary. That documentary (and actually the one that aired on E! a few years ago) was pretty thorough. There's a little more deleted footage, but I don't think it's anything anyone really wants to see (the full original version of the guy carrying Michael around as the masthead of the shark), and I doubt Spielberg would want that kind of thing on a disc. But I just can't think of anyone else for them to interview. Maybe they could include an audio book version of Carl Gottlieb's "The Jaws Log"...

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Great interview, great link, and great to hear Mr. Spielberg talking about the importance of keeping things as they were. I'd love it if this could extend beyond the picture side of things and also include the original audio tracks as well. (I have no problem with his decision to tweak E.T. since the original version was provided alongside it. And the Close Encounters Blu-ray is the perfect example for how to handle a film that's appeared in different versions throughout the years.)


Short story about "The Shark" - not specifically the one in the movie, but worth sharing anyway, I think. Many years ago, I did a summer film school course at New York Film Academy's Los Angeles program - the advantage to that program was that you actually got to shoot 16mm shorts on the Universal backlot. For one week's worth of assignments, we were brought to the area known as "Jaws lake" (to anyone that's done the studio tour at Universal, that's the area where the shark comes up out of the water and "attacks" the trolley, which I have to say was freaking awesome as a little kid to experience - they also shot some exteriors for Murder She Wrote in that same location of the lot). Well, in the middle of the week we were there, the shark broke down. First, it just didn't come out of the water, so tram after tram would go by, you'd hear the tour guides building it up and the sound effects, and then... nothing. Finally, they thought the fixed it, and then... the shark came out of the water ass, I mean, tail first! The first time it happened, none of us could stop laughing - but after a couple hours of this where each tour tram after being set up to see something scary was faced with Jaws' ass instead, we were all losing it. The people running the tour finally conceded that the thing wasn't working and just abandoned that section of the tour ride altogether, but I will never forget that image as long as I live.

 

[Kevin EK]

Gives new meaning to "The Shark is not working!"

 

[TravisR]

I am positively elated to hear such a prominent director speaking out so strongly against digital tinkering, even of the kind sometimes considered innocuous, like wire removal.

On the 30th anniversary DVD, wasn't a wire digitally removed from the buoy when Chrissy gets attacked at the beginning of Jaws?