Close Encounters of the Third Kind
‘30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition’ Debuts on DVD & Blu-ray Disc(TM)
November 15th marked the 30th anniversary of the original theatrical release of Steven Spielberg’s landmark sci-fi masterpiece Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In recognition of the anniversary, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition, a special edition multi-disc box set available on standard DVD and, for the first time ever, in high-definition on Blu-ray Disc(TM). In stores now, this release marks the first time all three versions of the film will be available for home viewing.
The Original Theatrical version of Close Encounters of the Third Kind premiered November 15, 1977 at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City.
Starring Richard Dreyfuss as an electrical lineman who experiences a life-changing “close encounter” while investigating a mysterious power-outage, the film soon became a box office hit around the world, but the Original Theatrical version was never available on the home
entertainment market.
Spielberg released a re-edited Special Edition theatrically and on VHS in 1980 wherein the director deleted several smaller scenes and added other sequences, including scenes of Dreyfuss inside the alien mother ship at the end of the film. In 1998, the Collector’s Edition was released on home video with a limited theatrical run and serves as Spielberg’s definitive director’s cut. In this version, he made a number of subtle changes to the film and, most notably, restored the original ending as seen in 1977.
More information on Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition
Both the Blu-ray Disc(TM) and the DVD are packed with bonus features, including an exclusive interview with Spielberg created specifically for this release, and a Retrospective Documentary. Available only with the high-definition Blu-ray Disc(TM) release are additional bonus features including all-new “Storyboard-to-Scene Comparisons,” the original 1977 “Watch The Skies” featurette and an original theatrical preview. Also unique to the Blu-ray High-Def(TM) release is a technology know as “seamless branching,” whereby all three versions of the film are included on one 50GB Blu-ray Disc(TM), but footage used in all three films can included on the disc only once. Clips are “branched” together in real time as viewers select which version — Original Theatrical, Special Edition or Collector’s Edition/Definitive Director’s Cut — they wish to view.
The Blu-ray Disc(TM) release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition marks the first classic Spielberg film ever to be released on a pre-recorded high definition disc format. Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition is available on Blu-ray High-Def(TM) for $49.95 or DVD for $39.95.
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