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Rick McCallum Answers "Why No Star Wars DVD?"
Anonymous Coward writes "Producer Rick McCallum answers the question, "So many fans want Episode I and then the Classic Trilogy on DVD. It doesn't make sense to us that you aren't going to release at least Episode I. What's going on?" at the official Star Wars site. " The answer is fairly predictable-Lucas hopes to do "something special" and doesn't have the time right now. I like the use of the word "exploit" in the answer - kinda what the VHS - DVD switch feels like.
This is the exact same thing, almost word for word, that the Lucasfilm folks have been saying for months, including the last time this story popped up on Slashdot. Nothing has changed. Are our memories so short that we need these constant "reminders"?
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
Don't you people know what patients are? Why back in my day we didn't have these DVDs and VCRs, if you wanted to watch a movie again you waited for it to be re-released in the theatres... I'm telling you ever since these "talkies" came out the cinema has been going downhill anyway....
DrLunch.com The site that tells you what's for lunch!
Well, Lucas is still hard at work writing Episode II: Jar Jar's revenge. When asked by a reporter, Lucas explained his approach to the movie.
"I've been working on making sure that there will be a lot of hype around the movie," said Lucas, "I'm expecting to do a lot with Mace Windu this time. He's a badass Mofo. Also, Sideous' new apprentice will be 10 times as cool as Darth Maul, not to mention Boba Fett and the entire army of Darth Maul clones!" Lucas smiled a bit and then continued, "That hype will get them into the theater, of course, but I'll be sure to piss them off when they realize that half of the movie is just more of Jar Jar Binks acting like an idiot! I can't wait to see the faces on all those people who payed for a ticket to see some action, and instead got Jar Jar!"
When asked about the Original Trilogy on DVD, George Lucas explained his actions to hold back. "Well, we're still waiting for the generation PI players to come out so we can implement some radical changes to the series. First and foremost, I plan on releasing the super-special edition of the first trilogy. This way I can add Jar Jar to those movies as well. Then I can implement my DIVX enhanced type PI features in those DVDs as well, and force people to shell out five bucks per viewing to eliminate Jar Jar entirely from those movies. This is where I wanted to go originally back in 1977, but the technology didn't allow me to do such a thing. Now, thanks to the technology that the generation PI DVD players will provide, I can suck even more money out of these geeks!"
(Due to recent instances of 1337 hax0rz doing evil things with DVD encryption, the status on the release of the PI generation of DVD players is currently in the air. Until then, Lucas will release at least three more different "versions" of the original trilogy and TPM on VHS, which he expects you all to buy.
"You ever have that feeling where you're not sure if you're dreaming or awake?"
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
"Why no Star Wars DVD?"
I think it would be a truly wonderful thing if the answer to that question was: "Because the DVD consortium is unfairly restricting the use of that format". But, unfortunately, that's not what they said. A lot of the posters here feel it's a trick for money, and that could well be the truth. However, Maybe our small case can be heard. It's probably unlikely, or even impossible, for Lucas to go against the will of the MPAA, but it would be nice for a public figure in the movie industry to let people know what they think. I would love to be able to buy a DVD with a clear conscience. Hey, I can dream, can't I?
-Denor
Personally I think that everyones making far too much noise about this.
The excuse is that George Lucas wants to spend time on it himself. Any really greedy corporation would just churn out a generic DVD with virtually no features, and then release a "Special Edition" at twice the price after a year, then release a special Boxed set with "Special George Lucas Edition" extra features after Episode 3.
It is conceivable that George Lucas genuinly doesn't want to release a half baked product.
Finally, please remember that as he is the creator of Star Wars, he deserves the right to release it as and when he wants. Even if you disagree with it. No-one is forcing you to buy the video.
I can't imagine anyone feeling exploited by DVDs. Here's why:
* Nobody's forcing you to buy them. I don't know of many movies these days being released on DVD only. They're all DVD and VHS. (Excluding a few old ones like Cannibal Women and the Avocado Jungle of Death, which you would be hard pressed to find at all, if not for DVD.) VHS will be around for a long time, and if it's all you want, stick with it.
* The image and sound difference is amazing. Watch the same movie in VHS and then DVD. You'll be shocked at what came out of your TV.
* DVDs have lots of cool things you don't find on VHS tapes, and they're still pretty cheap. (I've been buying them for ~$20, and I haven't been scouting for deals.)
As it is, if I'm being exploited, EXPLOIT ME MORE!!!
Does this sound familiar to anyone (*cough* Slash source *cough*). Maybe Lucas should open source the work on the Star Wars DVD's.
Skippy
"False modesty is the refuge of the incompetent." - The Stainless Steel Rat
We all want to see Star Wars on DVD, and of course we all want it to be a good transfer, but I don't buy George Lucas explanation. He isn't a Zen master who must wave his hands over the equipment to give a good transfer. If they can make truely excellent DVD transfers of other movies they can do the same thing with Star Wars.