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Now then, the big release news today is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has finally officially announced two major catalog titles for 4K Ultra HD... That would be silly, of course, but Poltergeist is the kind of film where any possessory credit is dubious at best. It’s old-school Hollywood factory filmmaking, but in the best possible sense. Both Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg deserve fair credit, as does everyone else involved. There’s enough quality craftsmanship on display here that it overcomes any weaknesses in the story and the dialogue—the whole of Poltergeist is far greater than the sum of its parts. This conceit is the anchor that gives 'Poltergeist' it's true dramatic weight. Spielberg makes it essential that Diane and (in particular) Steve are ex-'70s liberals who have now been fully Reaganized, yet still have the heart of hippies (they are even seen rolling a joint late one night while the children fall asleep). On the surface, 'Poltergeist' is often dismissed as little more than an effects-filled story of one family's supernatural rescue mission of their little girl. But the real reason the film has resonated for twenty-five years is because it's really the journey of two modern suburbanites who must reclaim their belief in the spiritual, at least if they are to restore their metaphysically-fractured family. That it is the ultimate symbol of '80s consumerism -- the TV set -- that the ghosts use to first attract Carol Anne is certainly no coincidence. There are unquestionably many Spielbergian touches in Poltergeist; he did indeed co-write and produce it, after all. The suburban family milieu is pure Spielberg, as are the more melodramatic moments in the film. When Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams have their dramatic farewell before she plunges into the abyss, the camera cuts away to Beatrice Straight’s tearful reaction, and that’s one of Spielberg’s standard techniques to manipulate the audience by letting them know that it’s time to cry. Yet Hooper’s stamp is present on the final product as well, as there are numerous shots and bits of editing that didn’t quite fit into Spielberg’s house style at the time—for example, the repeated use of crash cut zooms onto faces, or the montage of Nelson screaming from different camera angles after the appearance of the ghost head. (Spielberg would go on to use similar setups two years later in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but he arguably learned the technique from Hooper and The Texas Chain S aw Massacre.) special effects often supporting the story and its characters rather than distracting from them. It's also inarguably due to the involvement of
from the camera negative, nonetheless impresses at every turn with excellent color reproduction, stability, strong fine detail, and a soft but Though there have been reams of discussion on who the real author of 'Poltergeist' is -- Spielberg or Hooper -- it's clear that thematically, this is Spielberg's show all the way. It displays in spades his penchant for generalized spirituality without overt religious allusion. Nowhere is this more clearly defined than in what may be the film's thematic centerpiece, when Straight explains to Diane and son Robbie Freeling (Oliver Robbins) the nature of "the other side." Rather than some sort of apocalyptic judgment day, Spielberg's afterlife comes off as a sort of heavenly paradise whose only requirement for entrance is that you die. There is no Christian fundamentalism or gooey new-agey gobbledygook at work in Spielberg's intentions -- just an all-encompassing, admirable wish-fulfillment fantasy in which a wondrous world of pure love awaits us on the other side. Also today, Stephen has taken a look at Anthony Mann’s The Naked Spur (1953) on Blu-ray from MGM via the Warner Archive Collection. living by insisting the film's core mythology is plausible. There's a reason everyone failed the late, great James Randi's Million DollarFor a synopsis and very enthusiastic appreciation of Poltergeist, please refer to former Blu-ray.com reviewer Ben Williams' coverage We’re taking it a little easy here at The Bits this week, especially in this stretch between the holidays, so that our whole team can relax, unwind, and focus on family and whatnot. But we do have a good post today with release news, a new disc review, and a bit of a look ahead at a few new 4K UHD catalog titles that we expect to arrive sometime in the new year. As always, let’s start with the review first... The reality is that the success of Poltergeist can’t be attributed to any one person. Film is a collaborative medium, and neither Spielberg or Hooper could have created it alone. It took a legion of talented artists including co-writers Michael Grais and Mark Victor; co-producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall; cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti; editor Michael Kahn; visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund (as well as his own legions of supporting crew); and myriad others. Jerry Goldsmith also contributed one of his finest scores (even though calling it “one of his finest” doesn’t really narrow things down very much, as that could be said of nearly half of the scores that he wrote). It took a village to make Poltergeist work, and Spielberg tends to get too much deference simply because his name is the most recognizable one in the credits. In other news, I’m not sure I’ve seen this. Definitely seen Poltergeist II as it gave my sister nightmares for weeks (tequila worm!) but I’m struggling to recall this one.
I wish it would include the deleted "I hate Pizza Hut" footage, so we didn't have to suffer the horrible jump cut anymore. I doubt that Pizza Hut would care anymore.Unfortunately, that’s it. For the 40th anniversary release of a film as significant as Poltergeist, it’s a shame that Warner Bros. hasn’t offered a single new extra. If anything deserves a comprehensive making-of documentary, it’s Poltergeist. On the other hand, this is an absolutely stellar 4K presentation that’s a significant upgrade over all previous versions. It’s near reference-quality, so that’s a 40th anniversary celebration of its own. Even if it didn’t include any extras whatsoever, this disc is still a must-own for fans of the film. It’s never looked this good. They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists Revealed Pt. 1 (1080i/60, 16 min) is the first part of a longer documentary dubbed "Science of the Spirits."
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