Close Encounters... Which Version?

Having owned the disc for quite a while, I actually sat down and watched the Blu-ray of Spielberg's Close Encounters last weekend. The disc contains all three versions of the film via seamless branching, and I thought it an excellent opportunity to to definitively make a decision on which version I prefer by viewing all of them in close proximity.

Surprisingly, I clicked with the 1980 Special Edition the most - and actually loved the tacked on Neary enters the Mothership sequence, which I know many feel is totally extraneous and unnecessary.

I would be most interested to learn your opinions.

 

I like the theatrical version fine.

 

The ABC TV version, which I wish would be properly released... (In a nutshell, it includes all the scenes from both the theatrical and SE cuts. Which makes it better that the Director's Cut, which drops the mothership interior)

 

That's really interesting, I had no idea there was a cumulative version - I'd love to see that.

 

I have that 2007 release with all three versions, and was under the impression that the Special Edition, with the mothership interior was the ABC version, which I had on VHS for many years and got rid of when I got the DVD set.

This is not the case?

 

No, some scenes were cut from Theatrical version for the SE, and new scenes added, including the mothership interior.

For the DC, most of the scenes cut from the SE were put back in, but the mothership interior was taken out.

The ABC version is the only one that has *all* the scenes from both versions, (unfortunately panned and scanned). Some of them are really minor, though, or just extensions to scenes.


What's really needed is for the mothership interior to be put back into the DC, and that'd be fine!

 

I'll take director's cut.

The interior of the mothership always struck me as not very impressive. I think it's best left to the imagination.

I'm also not sure if I like the implication that Roy is transformed into an alien. It brings the Pinocchio reference full circle I suppose, but , I prefer the ending to have some mystery to it. I also think these scenes hurt the pacing a bit.

Off topic a hair, but one thing I love about Close Encounters is That Roy is pretty much allowed to leave his family and hook up with a another woman and then leave the planet with no resolution for his family. I can't help but think that modern Spielberg would have had his wife and kids realize Roy was right, and have some sappy moments at the end with them. (See War of The Worlds, where Cruise's son survived for no reason other than a picture perfect happy ending.)

 

Generally, I'll go with the Directors Cut, it works best. There are a couple of tiny things in the other two versions that I wish they'd retained: the pillow from the theatrical cut, and the extended applause to Lacombe's lecture, which draws more attention to the UFO-nauts watching in the audience. Glad to lose the Mothership interior though.

 

^Spielberg pretty much says that in the making of documentary on the DVD I have.

I prefeer the Director's Cut. Lots of great added scenes and no stupid inside the mothership scene.

That being said, great movie

 

I need to at least netflix that new release sometime, I would love to see that documentary.

 

Is there a version that isn't excruciatingly boring?

 

There is a faster paced version which is more fun and has greater general appeal called E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

 

Wow, I'd never really thought about it like that, but I guess you could pick up on that implication. Was anything ever stated "officially"?

 

Sort of:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05NkwEX6uZM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUzQcmNM7gc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I7Mm6T4fJE&

 

I don't know which version is which but I would:

Keep the scene that's sometimes cut where he is throwing dirt into the house.

Ditch the interior of the ship.

 

(this post was last seen aboard Flight 19)

 

Theatrical.

 

Hey, a zombie thread. Well, why not. The director's cut is my favorite version. It has all the interesting stuff that Spielberg was able to shoot for the Special Edition, without the crap that he added, too.

 

Director's cut

 

I thought that Cruise's son survived because the narrator of the novel found his wife wife, whom he had thought dead, alive in London in the very last line of the novel.