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Close Encounters - edit? (Released)

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Just curious- has anyone edited together the original '77 version of CEOT3K? Apparently there was only one laserdisk release, and even that had like three cuts.

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Yup, I've done it, from the Criterion 1990 laserdisc.

From their insert: "This laserdisc presents the original edition ... with one shot from the Special Edition that was included at Mr. Spielberg's request (side 1, chapter 8, frames 33962-34118)."

Spielberg also requested that three trims be made, but Criterion kindly includes those excised snippets at the end of each appropriate side, so it was no problem to re-edit. The only bugaboo was a side change which drops a moment of audio, but I cadged that from a Special Edition disc.

The results are decent, considering my lack of primo hardware and (also lack of) digital clean-up skills.

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Anyone got the supplementals on disc? dying to see those galleries......


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Originally posted by: Bahax
Yup, I've done it, from the Criterion 1990 laserdisc.


Really? Woohoo! Can I get it anywhere?
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I have a fan edited "extreme" cut with all the footage strung together... I would really love to see the 1977 cut as I hate the mothership interior sequence... blegh. I have tried to edit it out, but it's a mess with the music ques and footage..


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I think it was mentioned in another thread not too long ago that the 1977 version aired in HD. Perhaps ask Dark Jedi if he might be doing one of his HD2DVD conversions (if he recorded the film that is)?

To contact me outside the forum, for trades and such my email address is my OT.com username @gmail.com

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I have finished the HD2DVD conversion today,and I dont think it is the "original" cut,I think it is the Collectors Edition,it has a runtime of 137mins.
DJ
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Originally posted by: heinzjuergen
Originally posted by: Bahax
Yup, I've done it, from the Criterion 1990 laserdisc.


Really? Woohoo! Can I get it anywhere?


I just watched it again, and it looks like shite. It was one of my first laser transfers, before I knew how to fix dot-crawl and do inverse telecine and other stuff.
Damn! Not something I would post anywhere. I did a nice job of stitching it all together, too!
I need a drink.

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Originally posted by: Bahax
Originally posted by: heinzjuergen
Originally posted by: Bahax
Yup, I've done it, from the Criterion 1990 laserdisc.


Really? Woohoo! Can I get it anywhere?


I just watched it again, and it looks like shite. It was one of my first laser transfers, before I knew how to fix dot-crawl and do inverse telecine and other stuff.
Damn! Not something I would post anywhere. I did a nice job of stitching it all together, too!
I need a drink.


Do you have any interest in re-transferring it from LD and stitching it together again, then posting it? If not, your current version can't be that bad, can it? There wouldn't have been any quality lose since the time you edited it back together, at the time you did it you must have found it acceptable enough. I think a few of us would still be pretty interested in this either way.

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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I would love to see/get hold of a decent 1977 original cut. I have all the footage on my version but it's strung together as one long film. It begins with the great FBI confiscation /Plane lacombe/Luaghlin limo start. That is great but the desert/plane beginning also comes in and it's as if the two have never met, when they just have at the airport! there are a few discrepancies, but not many in the version I have. I would love to see it edited properly!


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Ok, I'll put it up in a day or so when other stuff is finished.

As far as the quality, it's the old syndrome of learning to see something, then not being able to un-see it. There is a fine mesh of dot-crawl over the whole thing, most noticeable of course when you watch on your computer monitor.

Not to mention the fact (which I shall now mention) that it remains at 29.97fps instead of being ivtc'ed to 23.98fps, so you have interlace artifacts on a progressive monitor, and it was a larger file than necessary which had to be compressed into the same DVD space. (That being said, BitVice did a bang-up job of compressing it.)

Using your regular old TV is best for this one!

It's 4.29 GBs, I'll let you know when I post it to demonoid.
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Great!

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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I forgot to mention, it's NTSC.

I'll post it tonight or tomorrow.
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Ok, it's up on demonoid as "Bahax's C*E*3*K".
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Originally posted by: Bahax
Ok, it's up on demonoid as "Bahax's C*E*3*K".


Great! Though I can't see it yet, hope it'll show up later.

As there is no other source for the 77 cut I don't care if it's NTSC, VHS or 8mm

Edit: There it is T * H * A * N * K * S !
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I'm downloading this now. will seed when finished.


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This makes me itchy to do the transfer again properly.
It just isn't in the cards right now ...
Ok, I'll stop grumbling ...
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Originally posted by: Bahax
This makes me itchy to do the transfer again properly.
It just isn't in the cards right now ...


oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh... go on, put it on the cards.... it'd be an amazing treat for all us CE3K fans. And it would be the only 1977 cut in existence!


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heh heh. Well, maybe I'll check my hand again ...
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I recorded a version of of TCM years ago, it has a guy at the start of the film stating that/ "this is for the first time shown the original version restored of the 1977 classic, Close Encounters"

Now is this the original "original" or the criterion originalwith the small special edition scene and with special edition effects? Is there anyone that can tell me how I can tell the difference?

Thanks

Remember, Highlander, you’ve both still got your full measure of life. Use it well, and your future will be glorious.

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It looks like the theatrical, not the special edition effects.

Remember, Highlander, you’ve both still got your full measure of life. Use it well, and your future will be glorious.

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Hey CE3K is a pretty important film... if the Criterion disc is the only way to reconstruct the original theatrical version, perhaps you can talk to the X0 folks who are doing Star Wars.

I doubt they want to add anything else to their plate, but perhaps they'd be willing to use their uber laser disc player to output some raw video you can work with to re-edit and clean up.

That X0 machine REALLY makes a huge difference in the quality of video it pumps out. Probably eliminate the dot crawl altogether.