Published at: April 25, 2000, 12:54 p.m. CST by staff
El Cosmico here...
Well, it's a happy day, Mr. Spielberg has at last decided to begin releasing more his excellent library of films to DVD, beginning this summer with a true must-have, JAWS.
This is truly outstanding. According to Variety, Universal Home Video will release a "special 25th anniversary collector's edition of the 1975 monster hit" on July 11th. This with extra scenes, outtakes, an interactive trivia game, "a new digital widescreen view", and YES YES YES, a choice of Dolby Digital or DTS (DTS ROCKS!) surround sound.
I'm breathing a sigh of relief about this. A DVD world without properly done Spielberg DVDs is like...well, there's no need to make a comparison, I think it's obvious that we need this stuff on DVD. Also expected to be released are E.T., Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Schindler's List. Unfortunately, there is no progress today on the Paramount Home Video side of things, which controls the Indiana Jones flicks.
Variety also reports that Universal Home Video is going to release a new double-cassete VHS version of Jaws, and that the extra material on the DVD will be taken in large part from the previously released collector's edition laserdisc. It also seems that we can expect other titles from Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, including Back To The Future, An American Tale, The Land Before Time, and Casper (no need to hurry on that one).
Anyway, thanks Steve! This is going to make a lot of people happy.
