Close Encounters of the Third Kind was one of those movies, along with the original Star Wars, that changed my life and made me want to get into the movie business.

So I was thrilled to see that the 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition would be released Nov. 13, containing multi-disc sets with three different versions.

The Ultimate Edition is being released on standard DVD and Blu-ray Disc by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. This represents the first-ever DVD release of the 1977 original theatrical edition, as well as the re-edited 1980 theatrical Special Edition.

I wondered why some scenes were cut from the original version when the Special Edition came out and why those scenes were not on the DVD release of the Special Edition a couple of years back. Now I know why. This new edition contains a definitive Director’s Cut that was released in 1998 as the Collector’s Edition.

Bonus material on the 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition includes never-before-seen interview with Director Steven Spielberg created specifically for this release, a retrospective documentary and more.

The Blu-ray version marks the first classic Spielberg film ever to be released on a pre-recorded high definition disc format. All three cinematic versions are contained on just one 50 GB Blu-ray Disc, with the bonus material included on a second disc. The interactivity of Blu-ray allows for identifying the differences between each version of the film.

The Ultimate Edition includes an all-new “Storyboard-to-Scene Comparisons” chart, the original 1977 “Watch the Skies” featurette and an original theatrical preview.

The film is an important contribution to American cinema and was nominated for eight Academy Awards. If your children have never seen this movie or it has been 30 years since you have, you really should check it out. It is magical all over again, and the only thing that really stands out are the antiquated haircuts. With so much bad news in the media, it is good to sit down in front of a movie with a hopeful message.

Richard Dreyfuss has the starring role of electrical lineman Roy Neary, as he sets out to investigate a mysterious power outage and experiences a life-changing “close encounter” with alien visitors. This film set the bar for Spielberg’s later alien epics, E.T. The Extraterrestrial and War of the Worlds.

Funny personal note for Savvy readers. The little boy in the movie, Cary Guffey, graduated college from Florida a few years back and I had the chance to meet him. So you could say I met Steven Spielberg second-hand!

Feature run times are approx. 135 minutes for the Original Version, 132 minutes for the Special Edition and 137 minutes for the Collector’s Edition. It is rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi action, mild language and thematic elements.

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On the Web:

http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/closeencountersofthethirdkind/index.html