Letterbox Releases Recapture Two of Jon Voight’s Best Roles

Two of Jon Voight’s memorable screen performances in two of the ‘70s most powerful films are now available in letterboxed laser editions.

The 1972 “Deliverance,” which had been available in a claustrophobic non-letterboxed laser edition, looks altogether different in Warner’s newest full-screen release. Director John Boorman’s intense interpretation of the James Dickey novel, which the writer adapted for the screen, retains the original composition integral to the director’s vision.

The contrast becomes particularly acute in the film’s two most powerful scenes. The “dueling banjos” between Ronny Cox and a young, seemingly retarded mountain boy, enriched by an excellent digital sound transfer, jumps off the small screen much as it did on the big screen when the film was first released. Similarly, the harrowing “piggy” rape scene, filmed in tight wide-screen close-ups, is just as powerful as the director intended.

The film marked Ned Beatty’s screen debut and co-starred Burt Reynolds in one of his strongest performances. It was nominated for best picture and best director Oscars.

“Coming Home,” the compelling 1978 look at the impact of the Vietnam War on those at home, co-starring Voight and Jane Fonda and featuring Bruce Dern, is also more understandable in this letterboxed release. Director Hal Ashby’s vision, torn apart in pan-and-scan releases, retains its power here, particularly in the memorable love scene between Voight and Fonda, both of whom received Oscars. The screenplay (by Waldo Salt and Robert C. Jones from a story by Nancy Dowd) also received an Academy Award.

Lower on the list of memorable films, but now given a proper letterbox transfer by MCA, is “Jaws 2,” the 1978 Jeannot Szwarc-directed sequel to the original ’75 Steven Spielberg classic. Back to signal the arrival of terror is John Williams’ familiar music thrown in every time a fin is sighted. Roy Scheider returns to send the great white once again back to the lower depths.

* “Deliverance” (1972) (Warner Bros.): one disc CLV (extended play); letterboxed; 26 chapter stops; original theatrical trailer; 109 minutes; $35. * “Coming Home” (1978) (MGM/UA): two discs; Sides 1 and 2 CLV; Side 3 CAV (standard play); 128 minutes; letterboxed; stereo; digital video transfer; original theatrical trailer; $40. * “Jaws 2” (1978) (MCA Universal): one disc CLV; 116 minutes; digital sound; letterboxed; $35.

New Movies Just Out: “Prelude to a Kiss” (FoxVideo, $40), “Class Act” (Warner, $30) and “Leather Jackets” (Epic, $35).

Coming Soon: A widescreen Pioneer edition of “Rambling Rose,” starring Laura Dern, is due Feb. 11, at $75, including a commentary track by director Martha Coolidge; Touchstone’s “3 Ninjas” will be released Feb. 10 at $40; Image’s “The Detective,” starring Frank Sinatra, comes out late February at $50; Disney’s “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid” (Disney, $40) is due in early March, along with “Sneakers” (March 3, $40); a widescreen Criterion edition of Robert Altman’s “The Player,” priced at $100, is due in April, featuring an Altman audio track and some deleted scenes.

Older Titles Just Released: “The Right Stuff” (Warner, 1983, $40), director Phil Kaufman’s take on Tom Wolfe’s look at the United States’ initial astronaut program; “The Clark Gable Collection” (MGM/UA, $100), including “Red Dust,” “Mogambo,” “Honky Tonk” and “Boom Town.”