The Special Edition ain't all that special...

Posted by Brett (Maverick) Lambert from firewall-002.stfx.com on January 19, 2000 at 07:12:00:

In Reply to: A Spielberg-related question. posted by ROB T. on January 18, 2000 at 21:41:57:

: This isn't about Indy but one of Spielberg's other films. Tonight I saw "Close Encounters" at the Englewood. I hadn't seen it since 1977 and the only thing I remembered about it was that at twelve years old I was disappointed that it wasn't like "Star Wars."
: I liked it a lot better at age 35. Anyway, when I was leaving the theatre I overheard a man say that the special edition was better. I remember that a special edition came out a few years later that changed the ending of the film and I'd like to know what changes were made.
: In this one the aliens return a bunch of people they had taken over the years. Then some aliens come out and exchange greetings with the Earthlings. Then a group of men and women in red jumpsuits goes aboard the spaceship to leave with the aliens. Richard Dreyfuss' character is one of them and the ship leaves with these volunteers.
: Melinda Dillon's son is returned to her.

: Anybody out there want to tell me how the special edition ends. I gotta know.

The Special Edition features Richard Dreyfuss going into the mothership and we see what is inside, and we see... pretty much nothing. It was nothing special. There were some cool added stuff of the government agents finding a sunk ship in the desert and a few other additions. Some good scenes ended up being cut back also (such as a press conference meeting, and the scene where Richard Dreyfuss acts crazy and digs up his front yard full of wires, bushes, etc. in order to make the model of the mountain). Spielberg got some criticism for this in 1980. I recommend you rent "Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Collector's Edition" where it combines the best of both versions in my opinion (restores previously cut scenes, retains the cool additions, and cuts away the needless "inside the mothership" scene)

And also ROB T., to put an Indy-angle on it. Didn't you think that Francois Truffaut (the French scientist, Lacombe who needed the translator) was sort of like a benevolent Belloq. To me, he kind of resembles Paul Freeman, only he is a true Frenchman (Freeman was British). Also, would you agree with the anology that I read in a Spielberg book saying the ending of Raiders was sort of like an inverse ending to Close Encounters?

Follow Ups:

Yes I did notice... ROB T. 22:00:25 1/19/2000 (1)
- Re: Yes I did notice... Brett (Maverick) Lambert 07:00:10 1/20/2000 (0)

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: : This isn't about Indy but one of Spielberg's other films. Tonight I saw "Close Encounters" at the Englewood. I hadn't seen it since 1977 and the only thing I remembered about it was that at twelve years old I was disappointed that it wasn't like "Star Wars." 
: : I liked it a lot better at age 35. Anyway, when I was leaving the theatre I overheard a man say that the special edition was better. I remember that a special edition came out a few years later that changed the ending of the film and I'd like to know what changes were made.
: : In this one the aliens return a bunch of people they had taken over the years. Then some aliens come out and exchange greetings with the Earthlings. Then a group of men and women in red jumpsuits goes aboard the spaceship to leave with the aliens. Richard Dreyfuss' character is one of them and the ship leaves with these volunteers.
: : Melinda Dillon's son is returned to her.

: : Anybody out there want to tell me how the special edition ends. I gotta know.

: The Special Edition features Richard Dreyfuss going into the mothership and we see what is inside, and we see... pretty much nothing.  It was nothing special.  There were some cool added stuff of the government agents finding a sunk ship in the desert and a few other additions.  Some good scenes ended up being cut back also (such as a press conference meeting, and the scene where Richard Dreyfuss acts crazy and digs up his front yard full of wires, bushes, etc. in order to make the model of the mountain).  Spielberg got some criticism for this in 1980.  I recommend you rent "Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Collector's Edition" where it combines the best of both versions in my opinion (restores previously cut scenes, retains the cool additions, and cuts away the needless "inside the mothership" scene)

: And also ROB T., to put an Indy-angle on it.  Didn't you think that Francois Truffaut (the French scientist, Lacombe who needed the translator) was sort of like a benevolent Belloq.  To me, he kind of resembles Paul Freeman, only he is a true Frenchman (Freeman was British).  Also, would you agree with the anology that I read in a Spielberg book saying the ending of Raiders was sort of like an inverse ending to Close Encounters?

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