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This topic comprises 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Author
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Topic: Lucasfilm announces original, unaltered Star Wars trilogy on DVD
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Greg Anderson
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 766
From: Ogden Valley, Utah
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-13-2006 08:48 AM
If someone could come up with interesting, new movies which appealed to a wider base of fans (and people who have gradually lost interest in movies anyway)... or, in other words, if someone were truly as innovative today as Lucas was 30 years ago, then a lackluster DVD release of a 30-year-old movie would be a complete, non-issue.
Complain all you want about how Lucas is just trying to squeeze money out of his loyal fans but, really, the fact that we've spent four pages of forum space on this topic says a lot more about the rubbish so many other filmmakers have pushed on us in recent years. Nobody's being forced to buy this DVD release. I'll probably buy it, despite the fact that I already have the 2004 DVDs. So... why would I do something so stupid? Because I'm tired of loaning my 2004 DVDs to my nephew and I'd rather let him watch Star Wars than a long list of other, more recent "family" movies. The price isn't going to kill me and it's about time I started acting like a cool uncle.
Maybe if the Fox executives had expressed more respect for Lucas in 1977... Maybe if the production hadn't ruined Lucas' health... Maybe if the DGA had behaved more civilly towards him... Maybe if his wife hadn't left him as this "original trilogy" came to a close... Maybe if Star Wars had won Best Picture that year... then maybe Lucas wouldn't have spent the next 20 years (and more) dreaming up ways to keep "improving" it.
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Mike Schindler
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1039
From: Oak Park, IL, USA
Registered: Jun 2002
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posted 09-13-2006 08:58 AM
I believe the new BLADERUNNER set is supposed to have 4 versions of the movie on it. I don't see last week's release as being a problem since they told the public in advance that there would be a new one next year. If I liked that movie as much as some people, I would've totally bought the remastered version so I'd have something decent to watch until next year's set came out.
As for the STAR WARS issue, they have made it quite clear that they consider the theatrical versions to be supplemental features on these discs. They are being treated as a historical curiosity. No one complained about the shitty 4:3 transfer of the Love Conquers All version of BRAZIL that was contained in the Criterion set. What's the difference here? I say this all the time, but film is not an interactive medium. People should watch the version of a movie that the director wants them to. That's just being respectful. I'm not saying whether or not Greedo should shoot. The fact of the matter is he does. If you want to debate how stupid that is, that's perfectly fine. And if you truly don't like STAR WARS in special edition form, don't watch it. But I don't believe random people should be able to alter movies to fit their own personal tastes.
And on that note, if George Lucas really wanted to do us a favor, he'd release a restored version of the theatrical cut of JEDI, since Marquand was dead before any changes were made, and he'd let Kershner go in and recut EMPIRE without any restrictions. That's what I want to see from Lucasfilm. That, and all 13 episodes of DROIDS on Blu-ray.
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Frank Dubrois
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 896
From: Cleveland, OH
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 09-13-2006 02:31 PM
quote: Monte L Fullmer
..and you think that they should (or,hope to) return the narrative script spoken by Harrison Ford in this edition if they are going to release this version as an anniversary package?
With all the things you can do with DVD, including additional sountracks, why wouldnt they? Why not get rid of the Spanish, French and Chinese soundtracks?? Those countries have their own region DVD, we dont NEED them on a region 1 DVD. Give me both soundtracks (with and without the narrative, and a commentary), and I'd be very happy.
quote: Greg Anderson
Maybe if the Fox executives had expressed more respect for Lucas in 1977... Maybe if the production hadn't ruined Lucas' health... Maybe if the DGA had behaved more civilly towards him... Maybe if his wife hadn't left him as this "original trilogy" came to a close... Maybe if Star Wars had won Best Picture that year... then maybe Lucas wouldn't have spent the next 20 years (and more) dreaming up ways to keep "improving" it.
So this justifies this newest DVD release? WE the fans of this movie are supporting Lucas, not the studio, not his wife. If he screws the fans over, then he really will be S.O.L. because he wont have an income. The only reason Lucas was allowed to follow his dream was because of the fans. Crapping in the hand that feeds you doesnt right a wrong....
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Frank Dubrois
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 896
From: Cleveland, OH
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 09-14-2006 09:17 PM
quote: Mike Blakesley
there is an abundant supply of people who will buy whatever he puts out, crappy or not.
Exactly, and I think thats why he does what he does. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Star Wars fan, but I think THATS the reason I am so critical. I saw the original movie in 1977 (all 3 originals actually) and THAT is the Star Wars I love and remember. That goes true with most of the fans. George then goes and "fixes" those movies going overboard with CGI effects on everything he does (some scenes look good, I'll admit), but what pisses me off, is him basically telling us to forget the original version, that wasn't the correct version...here's my super fancy enhanced version...THIS is the movie you need to like now. A lot of fans disapprove of the new versions of the movies for many number of reasons. I don't like the changed dialogue, I dont like the fact that they changed Anakin in ROTJ. Did anyone think that the extra 10 seconds of the Hoth ice creature showing 1 arm was necessary? We didnt need a fancy new Death Star explosion either. A lot of the little things he felt he needed to add...he really didnt. Would Citizen Kane be any better in color? Would fans and film critics tolerate it? No. As far as George releasing the the originals on DVD....I don't see that as doing a favor for the fans. Look at the quality of the end product! We all know what his other companies can do to improve movies, and he lays out this crap for us to buy? Of course were gonna complain about it...regardless of what some people accuse "us fans of the original" of, we did NOT ask for a substandard transfer of one of the greatest movies of all time. It may not be Georges favorite version, but it IS the version that made him rich and started his empire. It allowed him to finish his trilogy, it allowed him to move onto other projects. It allowed him to be an egotistical ass. I dont care if he updates his movies, thats his business, but I dont want to be told THAT this is the version I should like...I'll like the version I want to like, and thats the orginal. If George released BOTH versions at the same time, which one do you think would sell better? George did a disservice to himself, to his movies, and most of all to the fans. Anyone who thinks I'm alone in thinking like this, just read the reviews of the DVD release. The fans arent happy about it.
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Charles Greenlee
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 801
From: Savannah, Ga, U.S.
Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 09-16-2006 01:32 AM
Back to the more technical side of things. A previous post referred to dubbing the laserdiscs to dvd, via the RCA ports. RCA ports are an analaog format, and some quality would be lost, though minimal on a high quality setup. Woulnd't it be more sound that they have a way of ripping the data off the discs in it's full digital format, and re-encode and burn it to the DVD? And someone mentioned Laserdisc possibly having a digital soundtrack. Yes and no. The sound is recorded on the disc as digital data, but only after being converted by a Analog-to-Digital conversion. Unfortunatly, this would still involve the sound being decoded back to analog during play, and possibly matrixed decoded to Dolby Pro-logic. If this was the case, you'd still get 4.0 surround, if the track was matrixed to pro-logic to begin with. When did pro-logic come out?
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 09-16-2006 10:30 AM
quote: Charles Greenlee
Unfortunatly, this would still involve the sound being decoded back to analog during play, and possibly matrixed decoded to Dolby Pro-logic. If this was the case, you'd still get 4.0 surround, if the track was matrixed to pro-logic to begin with. When did pro-logic come out?
Matrixed audio is not at all 4.0. Just like most modern DVD packaging will tell you, Dolby Surround is very much a 2.0 only type of thing. You have only 2 discrete channels of audio with different phasing tricks used to artificially simulate more channels of audio.
This is also why it isn't correct to refer to Dolby Digital EX as a 6.1 thing. Even Dolby's own advertising guidelines stipulate it must be called a 5.1 format.
Some DVDs have truly discrete Dolby Digital 4.0 audio tracks. Edward Scissorhands is one such disc. A number of 1980s movies on DVD, such as The Abyss and Big Trouble in Little China have 4.1 audio tracks with the mono surround channel being summed across both RS and LS channels. I even saw a DVD for the 80's film Working Girl that had a Dolby Digital 3.0 audio track.
The original versions of the Star Wars Trilogy should have Dolby Digital 4.1 audio tracks based on the original mixes used for their 70mm Format 42 prints. I find the 2.0 treatment unacceptable. The non-anamorphic laser disc transfer is also unacceptable, especially when the DVD format is nearly a decade old and we have two new HD-disc formats duking it out.
With all of those odd packagings of audio layouts on DVD, I would be very much against it if film studios suddenly started playing fast and loose with audio terminology and calling 2.0 channel Dolby Surround audio tracks 4.0. You would have no way to know which DVDs had real 4.0 audio on them versus others with fake 4.0 without buying/renting the disc.
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