Loving the historic angle here, Jim. I was born in 1984 so recall the magic of VHS tapes around the 90s (give or take a few years). We had a local "video-man" who'd arrive every Wednesday in his little van and we could rent a movie for a week. Great times.
I also wasn't aware of those changes in 2002 - the pictures you've included tell a story themselves.
Thanks for reading my article! I'm really into film history, so if readers enjoy this one, I'd like to write more historically based articles in the future - we'll see. I've never heard of a "video man" who would drive a van renting videotapes - that sounds really interesting. But, I do miss all the small Mom and Pop video shops that popped up in the late 70s/early 80s when videocassettes were gaining in popularity. As I pointed out in my article, this was before national chains like Blockbuster or Hollywood Video drove the small local shops out of business. There was something more personable about going to one of these small stores. They might not have had every movie available on VHS, but they were usually run by people who loved movies and took special care into how they curated their stores. I think a comparison today would be the local used record stores every town now has that are always owned be die-hard vinyl/music enthusiasts, compared to buying new vinyl at Wal-Mart or Barnes and Noble. And yes, that 2002 version of "E.T." is really messed up and should be avoided.
I was 17 in 1982 and saw E.T. at a sneak preview several weeks before its wide release. I was blown away by it, but unable to effectively communicate to my friends at school just what it was I’d seen and why I was certain they’d love it. “See, there’s this little brownish alien guy with great big eyes and he’s lost here on earth and ends up living with this boy…”
They thought I was nuts…but once it came out, I was exonerated.
(This was the same year I’d heard a brand new song on the radio by a guy I’d never heard of before and when I used the phrase “hurts so good” in conversation I was quickly - albeit jokingly - branded as some kind of perv. Again, a short while later, I was exonerated.)
Thanks for reading! I think it would’ve been great to have seen “E.T.” at a sneak preview before you or anyone else knew anything about the movie. I’m sure it was a great experience.
Another well written and researched piece. Thank you. I do wish these filmmakers would stop messing with their previous work by updating the visual FX. We feel in love with certain movies for a reason and when they mess with them like Lucas did with Star Wars it makes me not want to see the newer versions. I would rather see the older, "cruder" versions, they are the ones that usually have heart. I hope all is well my friend. Take care.
Thank you for reading my article and for your kind words. I agree with you that filmmakers need to stop replacing their original effects with CGI/digital effects, which in my opinion, seldom look as good. Can you imagine Kubrick replacing all of the effects in my favorite film, “2001,” with digital ones? The movie would never be the same. Personally, I think the best visual effects, particularly in sci-fi movies, were the ones that used models like “2001” and “Blade Runner.”
Thanks for reading! Yes, I agree. I think it’s one of Williams’ many great scores. In fact, I was playing the soundtrack on repeat as I wrote (and revised) this article.
Thanks for reading! I think the problem is that the market is flooded with “E.T.” VHS videotapes, since most people have upgraded to at least dvd and/or blu-ray/4K.
A year or so ago, I had the pleasure of showing E.T. to s local tv news reporter, who had never seen the movie. It was the 20th anniversary edition. It had been so long ago since I had seen the movie, that I didn't realize that changes had been made. Thankfully, we watched something in the extras, I believe, that talked about the changes. Going back to the beginning of your story, I struggled for quite a while trying to decide on whether to buy a VHS recorder or a Beta one. At the time, a stereo VHS recorder cost $1,200 to buy at Applause Video, and I could get a Sony Beta HiFi recorder for $795. Also, I could get a better quality recording on beta tapes than on VHS tapes, so I went with the Beta HiFi. My first purchased movie? The Never Ending Story! I still have it, but sadly, no machine to play it on. I recently checked eBay for beta machines, and ones that weren't being sold just for parts, are selling for around $400! That is insane! Really enjoyed reading this piece of history!!! Thank you, Jim!
Thanks for reading! Betamax had much better picture and sound quality but VHS had longer running times on each tape, which meant that people could record more programs from their TVs on each tape. I think that’s the only reason why VHS won.
Loving the historic angle here, Jim. I was born in 1984 so recall the magic of VHS tapes around the 90s (give or take a few years). We had a local "video-man" who'd arrive every Wednesday in his little van and we could rent a movie for a week. Great times.
I also wasn't aware of those changes in 2002 - the pictures you've included tell a story themselves.
Hi Lloyd,
Thanks for reading my article! I'm really into film history, so if readers enjoy this one, I'd like to write more historically based articles in the future - we'll see. I've never heard of a "video man" who would drive a van renting videotapes - that sounds really interesting. But, I do miss all the small Mom and Pop video shops that popped up in the late 70s/early 80s when videocassettes were gaining in popularity. As I pointed out in my article, this was before national chains like Blockbuster or Hollywood Video drove the small local shops out of business. There was something more personable about going to one of these small stores. They might not have had every movie available on VHS, but they were usually run by people who loved movies and took special care into how they curated their stores. I think a comparison today would be the local used record stores every town now has that are always owned be die-hard vinyl/music enthusiasts, compared to buying new vinyl at Wal-Mart or Barnes and Noble. And yes, that 2002 version of "E.T." is really messed up and should be avoided.
I was 17 in 1982 and saw E.T. at a sneak preview several weeks before its wide release. I was blown away by it, but unable to effectively communicate to my friends at school just what it was I’d seen and why I was certain they’d love it. “See, there’s this little brownish alien guy with great big eyes and he’s lost here on earth and ends up living with this boy…”
They thought I was nuts…but once it came out, I was exonerated.
(This was the same year I’d heard a brand new song on the radio by a guy I’d never heard of before and when I used the phrase “hurts so good” in conversation I was quickly - albeit jokingly - branded as some kind of perv. Again, a short while later, I was exonerated.)
Hi RJ,
Thanks for reading! I think it would’ve been great to have seen “E.T.” at a sneak preview before you or anyone else knew anything about the movie. I’m sure it was a great experience.
Another well written and researched piece. Thank you. I do wish these filmmakers would stop messing with their previous work by updating the visual FX. We feel in love with certain movies for a reason and when they mess with them like Lucas did with Star Wars it makes me not want to see the newer versions. I would rather see the older, "cruder" versions, they are the ones that usually have heart. I hope all is well my friend. Take care.
Hi Kelley,
Thank you for reading my article and for your kind words. I agree with you that filmmakers need to stop replacing their original effects with CGI/digital effects, which in my opinion, seldom look as good. Can you imagine Kubrick replacing all of the effects in my favorite film, “2001,” with digital ones? The movie would never be the same. Personally, I think the best visual effects, particularly in sci-fi movies, were the ones that used models like “2001” and “Blade Runner.”
The thrill of hearing John Williams's transportive score at full volume in a theater can't be beat.
Hi Drew,
Thanks for reading! Yes, I agree. I think it’s one of Williams’ many great scores. In fact, I was playing the soundtrack on repeat as I wrote (and revised) this article.
at full volume I hope!!
Well, since I live in an apartment I had to switch to headphones at night :)
I honestly thought an antique bets might fetch way more
Hi Henny,
Thanks for reading! I think the problem is that the market is flooded with “E.T.” VHS videotapes, since most people have upgraded to at least dvd and/or blu-ray/4K.
Just noticed autocorrect “fixed” beta 🤦🏻♂️
A year or so ago, I had the pleasure of showing E.T. to s local tv news reporter, who had never seen the movie. It was the 20th anniversary edition. It had been so long ago since I had seen the movie, that I didn't realize that changes had been made. Thankfully, we watched something in the extras, I believe, that talked about the changes. Going back to the beginning of your story, I struggled for quite a while trying to decide on whether to buy a VHS recorder or a Beta one. At the time, a stereo VHS recorder cost $1,200 to buy at Applause Video, and I could get a Sony Beta HiFi recorder for $795. Also, I could get a better quality recording on beta tapes than on VHS tapes, so I went with the Beta HiFi. My first purchased movie? The Never Ending Story! I still have it, but sadly, no machine to play it on. I recently checked eBay for beta machines, and ones that weren't being sold just for parts, are selling for around $400! That is insane! Really enjoyed reading this piece of history!!! Thank you, Jim!
Hi Chuck,
Thanks for reading! Betamax had much better picture and sound quality but VHS had longer running times on each tape, which meant that people could record more programs from their TVs on each tape. I think that’s the only reason why VHS won.