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Poltergeist SE (1 Viewer)

Charles_Y

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Mar 25, 2003
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252
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Charles W. Yearsley Jr.
I could swear that when I saw this in the theater when it came out that there was a sequence where gnats began to propagate from nowhere in the kitchen/house. It gets to driving them nuts so much that the parents decide to get out of the house and then go next door to see if their neighbors are experiencing it.

The so called cut is no edit in my book. Clearly something was hacked out of the film there. My memory is very clear here. When it first came out on video and I saw this happen I was royally pissed. In the interim NO ONE seems to mention what I saw and remembered. I just don't believe I'm imagining it.

Anyone else out there remember that sequence?
 

WillG

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Never heard of that anywhere. Could you just be remembering when they are at the neighbor's door and they were being bitten up by mosquitos?
 

Carter of Mars

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Jul 31, 2006
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245
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John Carter
The "cut" has always been there since June 4, 1982 when the film opened. It's never been any different.

As for cutting out of a scene in the middle of dialogue, it is a legitimate artistic choice. How about in Superman-the Movie, in the scene where Lex Luthor explains kryptonite? Similar kind of cut.
 

MarkBurton

Second Unit
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Mar 7, 1999
Messages
278
I'm not disagreeing with you, Carter. I certain acknowledge and support the decision of directors to cut their movies any way they wish. I just didn't know for sure that the 'jump cut' existed in the original theatrical version.

 

captainjoe

Stunt Coordinator
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Nov 1, 2006
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168
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Sam
Like another person said, I heard that the cut was there to get rid of Craig T. Nelson saying he ..."Hates F**king Pizza Hut." I can't remember where I read it though. Possibly IMDB.
 

Mike_Richardson

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 11, 2002
Messages
639
Jeez can we move along from the mysterious "cut"?

It's been in the movie since the first time I saw it and it's hardly detracted from my enjoyment of the film -- or most people's.

No offense but to make this large a deal out of it at this point is something only a few people are hung up on.
 

MarkBurton

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 7, 1999
Messages
278
Wow. I didn't realize that my asking about the 'jump-cut' was a sore subject. I was only wondering if this is the way that the director(s) intended the film to be. Since this forum is all about preserving films in the way that their director's intended them to be seen, I felt that this was worth mentioning.

I'm glad that it hasn't detracted from your enjoyment of the film, Mike. I happen to find it jarring and the cut takes me out of the movie for a moment. Kinda like when Pee-Wee is chaining up his bike and you can see the chain coming up through the bottom of the bike box. (See Pan-n-Scan version of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure).

Again, maybe Tobe/Steven released the movie this way. If so, then great. If not, wouldn't the release of this special edition be a great time to fix it?


However, Carter of Mars has stated above that the 'jump-cut' existed when the movie came out on June 4, 1982, so it's a moot point anyway.
 

Zod2080

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Nov 18, 2006
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Jay
I am very much looking forward to this 25thA release. Poltergeist is my favorite film of all time, and I have been waiting for this now for AGES. The original transfer wasn't awful, not by a long shot, but it was plagued by dirt, edge enhancement and color inconsistency's.

For instance: Many scenes on the original DVD are dominated by an incorrectly used blue filter on scenes that feature strobing. I own various copies of Poltergeist on VHS and recordings I have made digitally over the years from TV broadcasts, and all feature the original white strobing.

An example: In the scene where Carol Anne awakens in the night and goes over to the TV (just before the hand comes out of the set) the room is bathed in an excessive blue light, where as originally it was a very white light.

If anybody here owns the MGM double feature that has Poltergeist II on it, that is a great comparison, because while they stripped the film of a 5.1 audio remix and any decent extras, one thing they did get right was to use an exceptional new picture transfer. Look at the scene in Poltergeist where you get a closeup of Carol Anne's face when she is staring at the TV. On the Poltergeist disc, everything is bathed in blue light, and the shot is very grainy. Look at the same shot in a flashback scene during Poltergeist II and you can see her flesh tones are now correct along with the corrected white strobing restored.

Poltergeist ("2000" WB DVD)

Poltergeist II ("2003" Double Feature MGM DVD)

I EXPECT for the new Poltergeist transfer to be the same, and look just as great as its sequel (shouldn't that be the other way around?), which I am also very much a fan of (although I do acknowledge the fact that it's vastly inferior to the original). Notice how I said sequel, and not "sequels"?... I refuse to even regard Poltergeist III as being related to the original, quite simply because it's absolutely AWFUL, and hasn't EVER deserved any right to stand alongside either of the first two films.

With any luck, the 25thA release of Poltergeist will get a brand new 5.1 audio remix too, the original 5.1 track was ok, but nothing special. Fingers crossed!...
 

Todd Stout

Screenwriter
Joined
Jul 13, 1999
Messages
1,044
Haven't the scenes in Poltergest where the TV illuminates Carol Anne always been that blue? I saw Poltergeist many times on cable back in the '80s and I seem to remember those shots being very blue. Of course I could just be remembering things incorrectly since I haven't seen the movie in years.
 

JeremySt

Screenwriter
Joined
Aug 19, 2001
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Jeremy
Poltergeist will be airing on voom's Monster HD this saturday. Presumably using the HD transfer we'll see on the 25th aniv. DVD. Part II and III are also showing.
 

captainjoe

Stunt Coordinator
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Nov 1, 2006
Messages
168
Real Name
Sam
I remember watching old tapes of this and the colours look more like the sequel's colours. Way too blue on the 2000 DVD. I remember someone on IMDB or something mentioning this as well.
 

Qui-Gon John

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Oct 2, 2000
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John Co
When does this DVD come out?

I just checked Amazon and don't see it coming up when I search for Poltergeist.
 

Colton

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jan 12, 2004
Messages
795
I don't mean to resurrect the "cut", but I thought it worked ... his wife is rambling on and on and he's just kinda "oh. okay. yeah." and just wants to resolve the issue and put it to rest. He (and the audience) doesn't need to hear the whole story (we get it - the chairs moved by themselves) and he is probably just alittle tired (and nervous) about hearing about it, so jump to the next scene already ... it reminds me of how most husbands kinda just phase-out when their wives are rambling away. Sorry, I thought it worked.
 

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