Subject: REVIEW: THE ABYSS: THE SPECIAL EDITION

From: [email-masked] (Anthony Horan)
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1993 13:56:56 GMT

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		       THE ABYSS: THE SPECIAL EDITION
		       A film review by Anthony Horan
			Copyright 1993 Anthony Horan

     The long-awaited release of the Special Edition laserdisc sets of
James Cameron's 1989 film THE ABYSS has finally happened, and for once
all the anticipation has been worth it.  This review attempts to cover
the different aspects of this landmark release in a half-critical,
half-informational light, and though some things here have been noted
by others on rec.video.releases, I'm putting my two cents' worth in
anyway :-)

OVERVIEW
~~~~~~~
     THE ABYSS: SPECIAL EDITION comprises an extended version of the
1989 film, containing, by the director's count, twenty-eight minutes of
new footage and three minutes of expanded credits.  The total running
time of the feature film is 171 minutes versus the original version's
140.  This release is available in either an original aspect ratio
"letterbox" version at 2.2:1 aspect ratio, or a "Director's Pan And
Scan" version presented full-frame.  The set also includes an extensive
supplement disc containing a new one hour documentary about the making
of the film, and an exhaustive CAV supplement containing a wealth of
information about the production.  The release is the first to be
mastered to the new THX LaserDisc standard.  Also included is a colour
tri-fold brochure containing full restoration notes and a short essay
by Cameron about the restoration and his views on the Widescreen Vs
Pan-and-scan debate.  The recommended retail price in the US is $99.95,
and as this reviewer lives in Australia, the set cost $190 in
Australian currency, or about US$140.  The version reviewed is the
Widescreen edition.

THE FILM
~~~~~~~
     I should point out first and foremost that I am an unashamed fan
of this film, not only for its incredible visuals but also for the two
amazing performances put in by Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth
Mastrantonio, and Cameron's naively romantic script.  So watching an
expanded "Special Edition" of the film I have grown to count as one of
my favorites was a strange experience.  The trouble with being so
familiar with the pace and structure of a film is that when scenes are
added, there's the possibility that they may jar with what is expected
and take the viewer out of the world of the film for an instant as they
notice, "hey, that's new" and often give a small restored scene more
attention than it should be given in the context of the film.

     The restored scenes are many and varied, the longest sequences
appearing at the film's climax, when the legendary wave sequence
finally makes its appearance.  But the scenes added earlier are of a
far more personal nature; the relationship between Bud and Lindsey is
far more clearly defined and coloured, as is that of the crew amongst
each other.  I could have done without the "camaraderie" shot of One
Night and the gang all singing along to Linda Ronstadt as they tow
their rig along the ocean floor, but hey, Jim's always had a redneck
streak appear somewhere in his movies.  Hell, the man was a trucker
once, after all :-)

     Technically the inserts vary.  Most of the cast returned for
additional ADR and the one notable exception, as throughout the whole
three discs, was Mastrantonio.  Her dialogue has been restored from
secondary audio sources, easily identifiable due to the mains hum and
hiss in the background.  Visually a few of the new scenes are
noticeable immediately due to the shift in colour balance and less
careful negative storage procedures, and there's an editing mark or two
visible in there.  Having said that, the new shots still look fine, and
the added footage for the Wave sequence and Bud's extra dialogue with
the NTIs looks sharp, crisp, and perfect.

     A curious thing is Cameron's assertion that in the release version
of the film, he ran the end credits in tiny text lightning-fast to save
time, and that he has now re-shot them with new info, bigger text and a
slower crawl.  Certainly, if you check the VHS release of the film,
there are those pesky fast credits.  But on the original LD of the
original cut of the film, the credits had been mysteriously
re-composited and slowed down, making them slow, big, and legible.
They ran for exactly 9.5 minutes.  The new credits run for slightly
less than that, and faster!  So why did Cameron have to re-score the end
credits using some of Robert Garrett's music, when a full 9.5 minute
Alan Silvestri end credit score was available?  Hmmm....

     All in all, and as Cameron himself says, this is in some ways a
very different film to the original release.  The mood of the film has
noticeably changed, and there's more *character* in the characters.
I'll reserve judgement until I've seen it a few more times, but I like
the way it's turned out.  A lot.

THE DOCUMENTARY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     Titled "Under Pressure: Making The Abyss" this one-hour
presentation, completed in 1993 by Ed Marsh, is entertaining,
informative, and thankfully almost hype-free.  It contains contemporary
interviews with the cast who retuned for new ADR (sorry, Mastrantonio
isn't interviewed) and old ones shot by Fox's promo crew back in 88/89
(strangely, not one word from Mary here either, unfortunately).
There's a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage, some humour, Gale Anne
Hurd and Jim Cameron in separate rooms, anecdotes, drama, and a truly
massive water-filled nuclear reactor.  If you like the film, you'll
find this fascinating.  As you also will if you don't.  However good
the documentary is, though, in matters of pure information it pales in
comparison to...

THE SUPPLEMENT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     A 23-minute CAV side packed to the rafters with everything you
could possibly want to know about the film and its production.  There's
a complete early script treatment, the complete final shooting script,
the full storyboard collection, detailed info on the creation of the
individual effects including copious stills and raw video footage,
costume design info and stills, casting, Cameron's actual epic memo to
SFX houses saying what he wants and how he wants it, and more.
Sequences such as the pseudopod scene are explained from conception to
execution; there are loads more archival photos of the cast, posters,
the old LD sleeve (!), crew t-shirts, promotional stuff, restoration
info; there are three trailers including Ed Marsh's terrific theatrical
trailer which was never seen outside the US.

     This, simply, is unbelievable--there's enough here to fill a
large glossy colour book, and it's only after viewing this supplement
that you'll really realise how much of a bargain the set is.  I have
spent a good hour reading over it thoroughly and still haven't seen
a quarter of it in detail.  Unprecedented access to materials has
helped of course, and the closet in these terms seen before this would
be Terry Gilliam's "Fisher King" supplement--in terms of co-operation,
not content.  This supplement out-contents them all.  Period.

DISC TECHNICAL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     The only word that can be used is PHENOMENAL.  For starters, I
don't know which Japanese plant Fox got these discs manufactured at,
but these three platters are the cleanest, most dropout-free discs I
have ever seen.  Then there's the mastering.  A D1/D2 digital video
transfer, the image has been immeasurably aided by the THX program,
which as it turns out is essentially a reference test signal inserted
in the vertical blanking interval at the telecine stage and referenced
during all stages of mastering, the image quality surpasses just about
any other disc I've seen.  I compared this with the original Fox LD of
the film, and the difference is astounding.  The original, which I'd
always considered to look fairly good, is in comparison with the new
disc grainy, contrasty and lacks definition.  I recorded a section of
the new disc onto VHS tape and played it back whole a/B comparing with
the old disc.  Guess which looked better?  Yep, the *tape*!  This new
transfer from interpositives struck from the origianl negatives,
conveys more detail, colour, and outright resolution than the
original.  The transfer was, according to the packaging, supervised by
Cameron, and the restoration, unlike the "Aliens" Special Edition, was
completed not on videotape but on film.

     The wide-screen edition is letterboxed at 2.2:1, which is probably
as close as we're ever going to get to the original theatrical 2.35:1
aspect ratio (I finally had the theater aspect confirmed by a friend
who's actually projected the thing!).  The original version of the film
on LD was presented at 1.85:1, and A/B comparison reveals some extra
image, usually, strangely enough, at the bottom of the frame, and some
side information missing.

     Cameron's philosophy on Super 35mm -> anamorphic presentation is
(and this is even noted in his notes to the SFX crew before production
began, as seen on the supplement side) "You get *more* on the
pan-and-scan version than you did in the cinema".  Look Jim, if that's
so desirable, why not just present the thing in Academy ratio to begin
with?  The wide-screen edition contains the film as seen in the cinema,
and if you're used to letterboxing already you won't have it any other
way.  Cameron's worries about the resolution of NTSC video have been
offset by the wonders the THX mastering process has done for the
image.

     Sound is superb, mastered with dynamic range to spare--and it's
used--with the exception of the final credit music, which has
obviously suffered master tape damage, as dropouts of the analogue
variety that don't appear on the original film's soundtrack are
present.

     And the THX chord is there at the start of the disc, sounding
amazing but regrettably shortened for video, missing out on the
surround channel effects that accompany the "Audience Is Listening"
text in the cinema.

     Side changes are well-placed at the end of key sections of the
story, and notably the film has been spread over four sides despite the
fact that it would have fit on three.  The last side is CAV, and it
includes the wave sequence.

     The discs are well-packaged in plastic-lined paper sleeves sitting
in a perfectly-sized box that doesn't allow the disks to move around
when closed.

SUMMARY
~~~~~~
     A bargain, if you love the film.  Still worthwhile if you have an
interest in the technology of film-making and/or presentation.  Fox
have outdone themselves here, and presented a worthy opening salvo for
the THX disc program to boot.  Lets hope this technology filters down
from collector's sets to standard LD releases--as in time it no doubt
will.

     But what could simply have been a very good LD edition of the film
turns out to be beyond anyone's wildest dreams--the correct aspect
ratio, the startling image and sound quality, and the comprehensive
supplement make this set not only a benchmark for future reference and
a stunning showpiece for your home theater, but also the entire "Abyss"
story and the film itself, all wrapped up in a neat box.
Congratulations, James Cameron, Van Ling and crew, and Fox.  You've come
up with a masterpiece.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Anthony Horan, Melbourne Australia  -  [email-masked]