It was also the first theatrical feature film to be released in the DVD format.
But even without those improvements,Twisterhas endured almost three decades, still frequently airing on cable TV.
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Helen Hunt and Jan de Bont filming ‘Twister.'.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why do you thinkTwisterholds up as well as it does?
HELEN HUNT:I mean, at the end of the day, it’s Jan de Bont.
You know what I mean?
Bill Paxton, Jan de Bont, and Helen Hunt filming ‘Twister.'.Warner Bros.
There’s all sorts of wonderful elements, but he chose them all.
He chose really good theater actors classically trained actors with a sense of humor not lightweights.
Everybody was these good, solid actors.
Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in ‘Twister.'.Warner Bros/Everett Collection
I think that helped.
And then he was a brilliant DP.
It hasn’t aged at all because nature doesn’t age.
Bill Paxton and Jan de Bont filming ‘Twister.'.Warner Bros.
And the way they’re dressed is the same way they dress now.
Everything felt like it could have happened now.
So, to me, it felt still very contemporary.
Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in ‘Twister.'.Everett Collection
The lack of artificiality makes it timeless.
Jan, were there things you wanted to change as you worked on the film beyond color and sound?
I don’t like when directors make the “director’s cut.”
This is the director’s cut.
I spent a long time on it; why would I suddenly give up on that now?
There’s nothing to edit because the movie is already so intense.
Watching it back all these years later, were there scenes that stood out to you?
DE BONT:Well, the cow scene, of course.
That one line cracks up everyone.
It doesn’t matter what country you’re in; they all laugh, they all smile.
Every time someone mentions the movie, they bring that up.
It has very intensive scenes and very lighter scenes.
Intensive drama and happiness.
It’s an incredible reward for a filmmaker that they pick something that is not a giant effect scene.
I mean, it is an effect, but it doesn’t look like an effect.
It’s a flying cow, for God’s sake.
So it is natural.
It’s not a fake cow; it doesn’t have five legs.
There’s no guns in the movie.
Helen, what was the key to your chemistry with Bill Paxton?
HUNT:I think just by who we are, we had chemistry.
Not because we were similar but because we were different.
Jami Gertz doesn’t get all the glory like Bill and I did.
She had to ask all the expositional questions.
Maybe more than people realize.
What memories do you have filming with the rest of this ensemble?
Initially, when we started filming it, one actor spoke, and then another spoke.
And I said, “No, no, no, this cannot happen.
You guys were having fun.
You’re having fun, and you want a beer.
So, really behave like that and interrupt each other.
Break up and step on somebody’s line.
That’s what happens in real life, too.”
That came together because they had all been together for so long and in really difficult terrain.
They all became dependent on each other and the crew as well.
There was an incredible trust developed between them.
you’re free to see that in that scene.
Nobody was, “Oh, you stepped on my line, how dare you?”
It didn’t happen at all.
When you’re acting on a movie likeTwister,you have lots of time in your trailer.
And I wasn’t in there with just anybody.
It was just a big group of actor’s actor kind of actors.
There’s incredible CGI, but there were also a lot of practical effects.
What was it like filming in all those elements of wind and rain and hail?
So, for me, it was just like “Run anyway” because I had no other choice.
But it was a very physical movie.
DE BONT:It is pretty hard, I have to say because actors like to act.
That’s their profession.
That doesn’t work.
You never see every scene when there’s special effects, physical media effects.
They don’t react to, “And now fall down…” It doesn’t work.
This was all real.
Instead, they just pummeled the s— out of us, and it looks amazing.
A lot of what we reacted to was really happening.
And while it made it messier, it made it easier to act.
And now there’sthis newTwistersthat may introduce your movie to a whole new generation.
DE BONT:That would be great.
That’s all I can say.
And I hope they look at it… And I’ll bet you they will play it many times, too, not just one.
They will play it over.
HUNT:It’s fun [to seeTwisterhaving a moment].
Some people will say, “Did you know at the time…?”
And the answer is almost always “No.”
You don’t know that a movie’s going to be a success.
So, the fact that it holds up is amazing.
But I don’t know that it’s come further than what Jan did with this movie.
Twisteris now available on 4K Ultra HD Disc and digitally.
