I write to voice my extreme disappointment at the failure to release the original 1982 theatrical version of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial on DVD in Australia.

Spielberg’s film has been a favorite since I saw it in my childhood, and my study of cinema at university has only increased my admiration for it. It is a much-loved film, but it is also an important film in terms of its place in Spielberg’s career and the American cinema as a whole. I am therefore very angry that Australians will be denied the opportunity to purchase the film locally in an untampered format.

When the 20th anniversary theatrical re-release was announced, I was concerned that E.T. might no longer be available in its original form. However, I was placated at the time by the widely reported comments of the film’s producer, Kathleen Kennedy, that the film would remain available in both formats. This seemed consistent with Spielberg’s previous commitment - never really fulfilled - that the original cut of Close Encounters of the Third Kind would also remain available.

This commitment was adhered to in the United States and, as best as I can ascertain, most overseas markets. However, the 1982 cut of the film has not been made available in this country. Given that Kennedy herself has acknowledged the importance of releasing the 1982 version, I do not believe it should be necessary to outline in detail the number of detrimental alterations that are included in the new version. I will simply note that many critics have expressed regret at the changes, and affirm my belief that no movie of this importance should be removed from circulation in its original form.

Despite this, the 2002 version - with its shonky CGI effects, jarring music cuts, censored dialogue and bowdlerised villains - is the only one available in Australian shops. What is maddening about this is that copies formatted for Region 4 exist: the British 3 disk release is dual-coded region 2 and 4. It is presumably this version that was announced for release through HMV stores, before being cancelled at the last minute for unspecified reasons. Exchange rates and postage, however, make the British version a very expensive option indeed.

Many consumers may also be able to purchase from other markets and play the disks on their modified players. I lack that opportunity: despite being a regular purchaser of DVDs, I have resisted the urge to modify my player. In short, I’ve played ball: local distributors benefit from consumers such as myself. Yet we are penalised for this decision through arbitrary, small minded distribution practices such as this.

As a final observation, I note that other studios have gone to some effort to retain the original cuts of their movies even where newer versions exist: Beauty and the Beast comes to mind as an example of the best practice in this regard. In that case, there wasn’t a need for consumers to fork out extra cash for an additional version, let alone import copies from overseas.