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Topic: Star Wars Original Trilogy on dvd???

Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 02-12-2004 12:29 PM

quote:
Are you thinking of From Star Wars To Jedi: The Making Of A Saga, originally shown on PBS in 1983 and subsequently released on video?

That very well could be the one I am thinking about. Did C3P0 and R2D2 host that one.

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 02-12-2004 12:38 PM

For Episode 1, a certain theater here quietly ditched their usual MovieTunes for non-sync between shows and played the Meco Star Wars Theme! The long version! How cool is that? [Cool]

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Michael Coate
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1904
From: Los Angeles, California
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 02-12-2004 12:45 PM

quote:
That very well could be the one I am thinking about. Did C3P0 and R2D2 host that one.

No, they hosted The Making Of Star Wars. Mark Hamill narrated From Star Wars To Jedi.

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Hillary Charles
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 748
From: York, PA, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 02-12-2004 03:00 PM

Hello Michael!

You know your STAR WARS well. We were making comment on that deleted scene on the rebel base, watching the special yesterday. Since I've seen the REAL version several times, and the SE only once, that scene stuck out as still somewhat unfamiliar.

I did have the 45 of the Meco Star Wars theme, in addition to the piano sheet music (which seemed to lose something without the synthesizers). It's good to know that it's still available (I guess).

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Tao Yue
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 209
From: Princeton, NJ
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 02-12-2004 07:46 PM

Ron Lacheur wrote this (and many other people found it a strange thing for someone at Lucasfilm to say):

quote:
I don't know why he's saying the original versions " technically don't exist ". They do exist, I have the THX 1995 restoration boxset in my video cabinet.

The original versions do not exist in original negative form, because the original negatives were taken apart and respliced into the special edition.

The fact that lots of people have laserdiscs and whatnot means nothing. You can't strike new prints, you can't even make a new video transfer for DVD or digital projection, unless you've got the original version on film.

I see two possibilities from the statement that the original versions don't exist.

He's playing around with words. George Lucas expressly desires that the original cut not be put on DVD, maybe fans will stop asking for it once they're told it doesn't exist.
He's telling the truth. During the 1997 making of the special edition, employees of Lucasfilm and Fox were instructed to throw out as many original elements as they could find.

These have different implications for the DVD:

If it's the first, then the problem is legal, not technical. You won't ever see the original version on DVD (legitimately) during the lifetime of George Lucas, and perhaps not even after that if it's written into his will.
If it's the second, then in addition to the problems with George Lucas and his will, you'll also have to mount a major restoration effort a la Harris/Katz to piece together good transfer elements for DVD from whatever's left. Yes, complete prints do exist, some in private hands -- but release prints are suboptimal for telecine transfer. The laserdisc transfer could even be reused, but that would not use the full resolution of DVD.

This is just speculation; the second possibility is extremely unlikely. For one, it'd be hard to cover up something like that, surely the story would've leaked out.

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Ron Lacheur
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 650
From: British Columbia, Canada
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 02-13-2004 12:48 PM

Well if that's the case, that the original negatives were altered, I guess all of the SW purists are S.O.L.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 02-13-2004 02:43 PM

Many elements are generated in the process of making thousands of release prints. There are usually multiple duplicate negatives (at multiple labs), multiple sound negatives, some master positives, and likely B&W separation positives. Unless these were worn out, or deliberately discarded, there may be an uncut/unchanged set somewhere. And as some have noted, some collectors somehow have prints from the first release.

Note that these elements might have been discarded if the no one was willing to pay the cost of storing them.

Yet, it is true that whoever owns the rights to the picture has the right to change it, and prohibit use of "unauthorized" versions.

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 02-13-2004 03:21 PM

Even the great German composer, Ludwig Van Beethoven made changes to his work after it was presented to the public. As some of you might know, he wrote only one opera and it was known as "LEONORA" when it was premiered at the Theatre ander Wien in Vienna on November 20th 1805. Unlike the first "STAR WARS" film, the opera was not very well received at it premiere and Beethoven made revisions and once again offered it to the public as "FIDELIO" nine years later in 1814. It was a success this time but the composer was still not satisfied with the work. After making slight revisions here and there and writing a total of four overtures for the work, he was still not satisfied with his only operatic masterpiece when he died in 1827. Today, both versions are available on recordings but "LEONORA" is hard to find.

Sorry for getting carried away with music history again but I just wanted to make a point about how an artist can get carried away with his work and George Lucas is turning out to be another Beethoven with his constant tinkering with the original trilogy. I do agree with the majority of the arguments that both the original and the revised version should be offered to fans of the films. Even his good friend, Steven Spielberg included the original with the revised version when he finally released "ET" on DVD.

If Lucas does not release the three original films with the revised versions, he would be making a tremendous mistake but I personally do not care because I have the original films on a THX Special Edition laserdisc box set and my copy has been kept in a like new condition.

-Claude

[ 02-13-2004, 04:52 PM: Message edited by: Claude S. Ayakawa ]

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Michael Coate
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1904
From: Los Angeles, California
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 02-13-2004 04:50 PM

Claude wrote:

quote:
If Lucas does not release the three original films with the revised versions, he would be making a tremendous mistake

What do you mean by "tremendous mistake"? Artistic? Legal? Financial?

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 02-13-2004 05:16 PM

Mike,

The mistake he will be making is not listening to many of his fans who prefer to have the original along with the revised versions of Episode #5, #5, and #6 STAR WARS" films. Lucas at one time had a great admiration from his fans like Peter Jackson with his "LORD OF THE RINGS" trilogy. Before Jackson came along, Lucas was the king of the hill and he considered himself a god. I doubt very much if Lucas would have changed his mind and released the original trilogy before the completion of episode #3 if it was not for Jackson and the success of TLOTR films.. George Lucas now realize his relation with his fans is not what it was especially with Episode #1 & #2 not living up to expectations and felt he had to do something to regain the support of his once loyal fans. I think his willingness to release the original trilogy in September is a great way to promote the release of Episode #3 next year but pissing off many his fans is not going to help him . Based on what I had just written, the answer to your question is FINANCIAL.

-Claude

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Michael Coate
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1904
From: Los Angeles, California
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 02-13-2004 05:47 PM

quote:
Before Jackson came along, Lucas was the king of the hill and he considered himself a god.

I really doubt Lucas ever considered himself a god. Don't you think it has been the legion of fans who have considered him a god?

quote:
Based on what I had just written, the answer to your question is FINANCIAL.

Doubtful. I'm sure the trilogy DVD set will be among the top-selling DVD releases of all-time, despite the many fan claims of "No Original Version, No Sale."

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 02-13-2004 06:25 PM

when it comes to the original Star Wars, that being the one without the Episode 4 A New Hope added to it, there isn't one available on any video form as far as I know.

In my opinion Lucas can do whatever he wants to the film. They are his to do with as he pleases.

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Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 02-13-2004 06:47 PM

Remember in this DVD video age what the companies have done before. When they release a big release like the "Star Wars Trilogy". They sell record numbers of the disc. And a few years or so later they release a even better SPECIAL EDITION of the title. Fox, Warner, Disney and the rest have all done it in the past. Just get ready to buy another set of discs, again.

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Hillary Charles
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 748
From: York, PA, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 02-13-2004 09:11 PM

Yes, George Lucas can do anything he wants to his movies, but as the kids on South Park said, that just because they can, doesn't mean they should.

The problem is that "Star Wars" became much more than a movie. It is a cultural touchstone of it's era. It was a phenomenon. Despite Mr. Lucas' dissatisfaction with the special effects, they were groundbreaking, and the entire movie was full of the kind of adventure and fun that had been missing from the cinema for years.

I don't care if the movie is updated with the next generation of holographic special effects whenever they are developed. BUT, the movie that sparked the excitement in 1977 was the move that was actually released in 1977. Film scholars and sociologists who may someday want to examine the film that started it all just won't have that chance.

Let's redo all the effects sequences from "Jason and the Argonauts" with CGI and then use it as an example of Ray Harryhausen's genius.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 02-14-2004 12:13 AM

I agree with what you are saying. WHat I am saying is that he can do what ever he wants to those films because they are his and he has the right to do it. I am not saying that it is the right thing to do. Especially if it is true about the original negatives being destroyed. You can repaint a picture and make it more colorful but you don't throw the original away.

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