Due on Blu: Lawrence of Arabia, Jaws, ET

Three of Hollywood’s historic titans will be released on Blu-ray before year’s end.

Steven Spielberg’s signature hits, Jaws and ET, are due in August and October respectively, and although a NZ date hasn’t been confirmed yet, Sony Pictures has just announced Lawrence of Arabia will be released on November 13 in the US to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

The director’s cut of the 1962 Oscar-winner will be part of a three-disc box set that includes a DVD of Maurice Jarre’s score.

According to the press release, the original camera negative was scanned at 8K and the film went through a painstaking process of repairing problems inherent to the 50-year-old film elements.

Using the latest digital imaging technology, the colour grading and re-mastering was completed in 4K at Colorworks, Sony Pictures Entertainments’ digital intermediate facility.

“We wanted to return this film to as pristine a condition as possible to honour its anniversary release,” Grover Crisp, the executive vice president of Asset Management, Film Restoration and Digital Mastering for SPE, said.

“The original negative was seriously damaged in a number of ways, some problems dating from the original release and some accumulated over the years.

“But, until now, we did not have the tools available to address these issues. We think fans of the film will be as amazed as we are at the detail and resolution in the imagery captured by cinematographer Freddie Young to complement David Lean’s immaculate direction.”

Due on October 31, in time for its 30th anniversary, is the ET The Extra-Terrestrial Anniversary Edition Blu-ray.

It will include a digitally-remastered picture and 7.1 surround, an exclusive interview with Spielberg and “The ET Journals”, which boasts an hour of unseen footage from the set of the film.

The Blu-ray of the digitally-remastered Jaws is scheduled for August 31.

Extras will include: “The Shark is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of Jaws,” with new footage and interviews with Spielberg, and stars Richard Dreyfuss and the late Roy Scheider; the movie-length “Making of Jaws“;  and “Jaws: The Restoration”.