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It's Official -- Star Wars on DVD
savagexp writes "There's yet to be an actual press release, but according to DVDFile.com, 20th Century Fox and LucasFilm have confirmed that The Original Trilogy will arrive on September 21st in a four-disc set. More info can be had here."
Bah! I knew it wouldn't happen, but I was still hoping against hope that he'd allow the original versions to be released, rather than the special editions. Ho hum. I'll probably still buy them anyway. At least I still have the real versions on VHS. Maybe I'll see if I can rip them myself...
"The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
Now to just wipe the memory of the two new films completely from memory...
[SIG] It's like putting a moose in the blender -- a recipe for disaster!
Lucas was going to wait longer, but realized if he did it would have to be released on HDDVD and he'd lose the opportunity to sell it to you twice.
Non gratis rodentus anus
From the article:
So what are the faithful to do if they don't want to watch the altered 1997 editions of the trilogy? Either give in, or don't buy. "We realize there's a lot of debate out there," says Ward. "But this is not a democracy. We love our fans, but this is about art and filmmaking. [George] has decided that the sole version he wants available is this one."
So you say it's not a democracy? That George "Artist" Lucas can do what he damn well pleases?
Perhaps Lucas has forgotten that he's in the marketplace -- where democracy indeed rules, and the cash register is the ballot box.
My vote will be for the version where Han shoots first. For me, it *is* about "art and filmmaking". Both of which were evident in the original, absent from the remake, and forgotten in the prequels.
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
Please bear with my rant..
When I read of the Star Wars DVD release I immediately thought of the speech Gordon Gekko give the board of Teldon Papers in the movie Wall Street (1987) Years after the DVD has become ubiquitous they decide to release the original 3 on that medium. It was only a few years ago that they released the VHS set to the consumers. Wow! Thanks, George! The story makes it sound like they're doing us a favour! Yeah right. The only favour is to their bank accounts. The tide of cash flowing in from the "Official VHS set" has slowed to a crawl. They want the consumers to re-purchase the same stuff on a new format. George didn't "[find] some time", the market studies indicated that this is the right time to release the DVDs.
Thanks but no thanks George. After the embarassment of Episodes I & II and your blatant milking of the franchise you've lost a big fan in me. I'd only buy the set if I could guarantee that my money buys the exact slice of pizza you choke on.
Trolling is a art,
http://www.starwars.com/episode-iv/news/2004/02/ne ws20040210.html
It's not the original Star Wars trilogy. It's the version that Lucas ham-handedly put together in 1997. It definitely won't be on my list of must-have DVDs, regardless of how much I would love to own the original trilogy on DVD.
Greedo did not shoot first.
-Todd
"The details of my life are quite inconsequential..."
these are not the dvds you are looking for...
tim
Someone needs to invent a new SF franchise.
--- Ban humanity.
I really would like to own all the star wars movies ever in one giant dvd box set of super awesome. I don't even like eps 1-3, but the geek in me must own them. However, there is one problem.
GREEDO SHOOTS FIRST!
FUCK THAT.
I know it's super nerdy to complain about it, but I'm not willing to pay for a copy of the movie if that's the way it's going to be. Solo is supposed to kill him in cold blood.
Lucas, if you want my cash you're going to have to release the real deal. Spielberg, you too. I didn't buy none of your walkie talkie E.T. shit. Good thing I still have the real deals on VHS. But still, DVD would be nice.
Man, I am such a freakin' fanboy sometimes.
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
Actually the secret is this: Lucas has "artistically" re-edited the scene yet again. Now Han and Greedo hug each other and Greedo keels over from a heart attack after being overcome with emotion that they're no longer enemies.....
Han shoots first dammit!
It probably has to do with the amount of money Lucas is spending on Episode III. He must have a significant burn rate. It also could be an attempt to generate interest after the abysmal response to Episode II.
In God we trust, all others require data.
Mostly added scenes and unnecessary special effects.
"Hey, we can do computer generated graphics... let's add some big creatures in the background"
There is one scene with a computer generated Jabba the Hutt that is just awful.
You will buy the DVD's
Let's not forget about who you're talking about. Remember when the first trilogy was released on VHS? And then the widescreen edition. And then the digitally remastered edition. I'm sure they'll just release this, wait a year or two and then release the "classic" edition for people clamoring for it and they'll make loads of money yet again.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts...for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang
It may not be too late to visit the Original Trilogy website and sign the petition to get the original un-updated version put on DVD. 50,000 have signed up already!
Well it may be too late, but the fans must be heard!
http://www.kubuntu.org/
This should answer all the questions below. Forget it. I want the original unaltered versions on DVD. Didn't anyone learn anything from New Coke?
Not to mention all the guns were replaced with flashlights...
....looks like I'm going to have to take a sick day on Wednesday the 22nd, boss.... *cough, cough*
Chris Knight is my hero.
Some superflous new scenes added, like computer generated spaceships flying around. More computer generated aliens in the background.
In the first film, they took some cutting-room floor footage of Han talking to Jabba as he's preparing to take off in the Millenium Falcon. (I thought I read somewhere that Marlon Brando was actually playing Jabba in that scene). Anyways, they put in a computer generated Jabba walking alongside Han, and it looks pretty cheesy to me.
I hate overused computer animation. I think it looks out of place and fake, and the world of Star Wars was much more believable made out of foam rubber costumes and cheesy props.
The big one that gets all the geeks riled up is they changed the Cantina scene, so that Jabba's bounty hunter shoots at Han, and he kills him in 'self defense'. In the original, Han just shoots him under the table and gets up and leaves.
It effectively changes Han's character from an outlaw who cares only about himself, to some sort of good guy who found himself in trouble.
I haven't seen the special edition versions of the other two movies.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
"There's yet to be a press release..."
So unofficially, it's official?
Chris
OK. I need your geek license. Hand it over now!
You should use AdiumX on your Mac.
The big one that gets all the geeks riled up is they changed the Cantina scene, so that Jabba's bounty hunter shoots at Han, and he kills him in 'self defense'. In the original, Han just shoots him under the table and gets up and leaves.
It effectively changes Han's character from an outlaw who cares only about himself, to some sort of good guy who found himself in trouble.
Add to that the fact that the added effects shot was so poorly done that I still cringe just thinking of it. Greedo is sitting two feet away from Han with his blaster aimed squarely at him, yet somehow misses by a mile?
The rest of the Special Editions are not too bad though.
I'll still be getting it on DVD - I have the original Original Trilogy on VHS, as well as the Special Editions of the Original Trilogy, so like a true fan-boy I'll fork out for the DVDs...
I don't get why people say that. In the dialogue, Greedo had just said the he was going to enjoy killing Solo in a moment, so Han shot first and killed Greedo in self-defense. It's not like Solo sneaked into the cantina, spied Greedo, and shot him in the back.
All employees must wash hands before seeking equitable relief.
Ehh wheres is the Torrrent??
> It's very similar to the strategy followed by LOTR.
Except for the inconvenient fact Peter Jackson told the truth up front about there being two releases.
If they ever release hyper-super-extended editions, then you can make that comparison. In any case, there might be legitimate reasons for another release of many movies, if HD-DVD becomes the norm.
Of course, if you think regular DVDs are already good enough, no one is forcing anyone ot upgrade.
Lord Pixel - The cat who walks through walls
A little bigger on the inside than out
Perhaps Lucas has forgotten that he's in the marketplace -- where democracy indeed rules
Yeah, right.
Listen, I know there are many people out there who think that the marketplace and democracy are the same thing. They're wrong, and so are you.
Democracy; various flavors, but the intention is that what the majority of people want, they get. This means that if the country votes for a government-controlled socialist utopia, it's democratic, and when another country invades and forces a market-based economy upon them, it's not (or vice versa).
Marketplace; people have money and goods. Money and goods are exchanged at the highest perceived benefit to both parties. Those with more money have more buying power. Those with goods/rights can do what they like with them. Those with no money or goods/rights have no power.
Do you understand? Two separate concepts. Until the people in such-and-such a country vote for a law that says George Lucas must release the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD, there's nothing "undemocratic" about his decision (in the sense that we are discussing here) like it or not. The democratic USA (*) (and most other countries) has passed laws which allow whoever holds the rights to do pretty much what the hell they like with the Star Wars movies.
And while I'm here, I'll point out that liberty is also different to capitalism *and* democracy, regardless of bluster to the contrary.
(*) You can argue the toss about the effectiveness of US democracy, but that's another topic altogether.
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I could do without Luke screaming as he's falling from the platform in "Empire", though. It's completely pointless and out of character. Except for the two Han scenes in the original, that's the third most irksome thing about Lucas' "adjustments".
Ita erat quando hic adveni.
I will buy them when Lucas has finished all three trilogies, and all nine movies are bundled together in the Ultimate Death Star Box, including both the classic and the extended editions, at least three special feature DVDs, and with and without Jar Jar replaced by a pink furry rabbit.
Find the article on USAToday HERE.
1. 5 minutes of yet unseen footage of Princess Lea in chains and bikini
2. 15 minutes of extended (grusome) Ewok death scenes during the final battle.
3. 10 minute conversation of luke and Darth reminicing and coming to terms over their 'broken family' .
4. cut scene of Luke working on the farm....tilling perhaps...or milking the cows. - you know, to add context
5. an indepth and real explanation of the implications of the kiss between luke and his sister....ewwww.
6.ummmmm, more cut scenes of lea belly dancing in the casino ship.
that would add atleast another 40min easy! :).
There are 3 versions of the film on the disc. Firstly, the original theatrical edition that means that if you want to watch what was first released at the cinema/on VHS, you can. Secondly, a 'work in progress' edition that was shown at the NY film festival - lots of non-coloured images/coffee stains etc. Thirdly, the Special Edition which includes "Human Again" which was a song added for the stage show and added in later (which as an add-on is quite entertaining and works with the rest of the film).
I imagine these versions were done by setting the film to just use different chapters, so parts could be added at different points.
Why can't Lucas do that? Give us the improved sounds and visual effects of the Sp. Editions, but give people a choice of Original or Pointlessly Remixed versions of the film.
PS If you've never seen the Platinum Edition of B&TB, do so. It's a great example of how to make a great DVD set.
Plus, in the starport Jabba's moving around, and has all these expressions, just like a lame-ass cartoon. It contrasts terribly with the stationary, smug, heartless Jabba we know and love from his palace and on his yacht in the Sarlacc Pit scene.
In the first film, they took some cutting-room floor footage of Han talking to Jabba as he's preparing to take off in the Millenium Falcon.
Want to hate that scene even more?
Notice the part where Han circles Jabba while proposing a deal. Originally, that was fine since Jabba was a fat guy who looked like the rancor handler. But now that they were pasting a big slug with a long tail over the guy, Han couldn't really walk around hom anymore. Unadjusted, Han would be walking right through the animation.
Their solution? Make it look like Han is stepping on Jabba's tail by cutting him from the background and moving him up a bit then down a bit as he circles Jabba. They even make Jabba comically cringe when Han "steps" on his tail. This looks about as real as when a kid bounces a doll along the ground to make it "walk".
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The trilogy, featuring the classic franchise films "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi," will be released on three DVD discs, with a fourth disc likely to hold a newly made documentary about the "Star Wars" franchise and never-before-seen footage, among several other bonus materials, said Jim Ward, Lucasfilm's VP of marketing and distribution and the DVD trilogy's executive producer.
Oh please let the bonus materials be a digitally restored copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special!
Imagine the marketing possibilities! You could promote the touching "Life Day" celebration! Multicultural wookie Goodness!
If you haven't seen it, go here. You really need to.
Have a Very Wookie Christmas! I know if I get this I will!
Dragging people kicking and screaming into reality since 1996.
Nitpicky, I know, but it was one of my favorite lines in Empire. Right after Luke jumps/falls off the platform, Vader turns around and as he passes one of the Empire's goons, he snaps "Prepare my ship.". I always liked that line because he sounds so angry when he says it. And in the Special Editions, they changed the line. I don't know why, but they did. Pisses me off every time I see it. I don't care nearly as much about the other scenes, but I always liked that line.
IMDb's "alternate versions" section is your friend: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi.
Yeah, but we'll complain about it in top Comic Book Guy form!
Worst. Special Editions. Ever.
I only bought four copies.
Feh.
Education is the silver bullet.
a) Cut back and forth between the actors
b) Pan back and forth
c) Use a crop to show both actors on screen.
Now, the first two suck. They are just not the same as the original version, and sometimes clumsily done. I can name many movies with obvious Pan & Scan artifacts (e.g. Ghostbusters media coverage montage scene, Austin Powers Vegas scene and so on). Pretty annoying.
On the other hand, using a matte allows the director to use footage from the top and bottom of the screen to flesh out the bars that would normally be in a 4:3 presentation of a 2.35:1 movie. Often this causes feck-ups, especially boom mike goofs. The IMDB goofs pages has many entries that only apply to certain aspect ratio versions.
Back to the point. Cinema is all about the big screen. That's where directors want their movies watched. Maybe because of the artistic merit, maybe for the per-person revenue. Whatever. The point is that the original theatrical version is the one to watch.
Not all movies are WS, some directors didn't take to it. Kubrik for example didn't use it, except maybe for "eyes wide shut" (never seen it, too much BS hype). Jeez, most of his films only had monoural sound.
By the way, in case anyone is wondering, I checked the press release. The SW DVDs in this thread will aparently be released in separate anamorphic WS (yippie) and 4:3 (if that takes your fancy).
I'll be going for the WS ones. I don't buy a painting to cut pieces out to fit an old frame I happen to have lying around. The same with film.
FireFly is the answer. You have a kick-ass writer/director who is more than willing and able and actors who have already put in some amazing acting. You have a plotline that grabs you by the gut and pulls you along for a ride.
I warn everyone who has not seen Firefly yet -- if you get the DVDs and start watching them, you will go one half of the best ride of your life. It will be like getting on the world's greatest rollercoaster (with 10 loops!), making through the first 3 loops and having the rollercoaster stop in the middle of the ride. You will love what you get and be disgusted that there is not more.
Still, if people continue to buy the DVDs and word of mouth continues to spread, there is still the movie in the works and hope for SciFi or someone else to pick it up. Fox should be smart enough to put it into production again as long as they are getting paid.
Its more effective than harsh language
(I thought I read somewhere that Marlon Brando was actually playing Jabba in that scene
Common misconception. Marlon Brando was actually Jabba in Return of the Jedi. A lot of people think it's a big puppet, but it's just Brando naked.
I won't buy the DVDs, because I personally think Star Wars sucks now. Partly because of the Special Edition, and partly just because now that I'm older I realize that they just weren't good movies to begin with. When I was a kid, I didn't know anything about acting or cinematography or anything, and I liked them. The only thing those movies had going for them was the nostalgia from childhood, and George ruined that.
If George had fixed minor flaws in the movie, that doesn't ruin the effect. But all this CG stuff looks so out of place in these old 70s/80s films. It definitely changes the feel of the movie.
The sad thing is that everyone will go out there and buy the DVDs, even though it seems like everyone hates the Special Edition. Bitching about how they suck is obviously not a clear message to Lucas. The only way to get the message through to them is to not buy the movies.
". . .the original version technically don't exist."
You can't blame him. I mean how many times have you clicked on "Save" in the File Menu instead of "Save As"?
I didn't actually compare the movies at all. You are welcome to choose your poison. This isn't about the content - it's about the business model.
/that/ star wars. We are talking about the one that came out in the 90's. You can't buy the '77 one anymore even if you wanted to. So I guess the star wars that defined the genre is dead. Now all we can see is the one that fell victim to the cliches of the genre it helped spawn.
Peter Jackson and New Line, regardless of the movie's content, are treating those who choose to purchase the films with respect. George Lucas is not.
Since you brought up the content and the genre defining aspects of films, I have to make a side comment:
Star Wars may have come out in 1977, but we aren't talking about
As someone hinted at elsewhere in the posts, Lucas may be pulling an intentional version of the "New Coke" fiasco. According to Wikipedia:
The public were unhappy with the new taste, and even more unhappy that they were no longer able to obtain the original product, and so the company had to backtrack and return to the older formula. However, when they went back to the original formula - now renamed Classic Coke/Coca Cola Classic - demand for the classic taste grew to a greater extent than before New Coke...
Sounds like something an evil marketer might want to try... Who knows, maybe we'll see Classic Star Wars in 2006, when all of the marketing from the newer Star Wars' is finished and Lucas is scrounging around for something to sell before making Episode 7. G'ah.
Face it; at the end of RoTJ, NOBODY IN THE GALAXY was supposed to know what was going on.
The Second Death Star had been destroyed. Whee. The Imperial Fleet was defeated. Whee.
The Rebels were victorious. Oh joy.
We forget two very important things:
#1 - People fear change almost as much as they hate oppression (look at Iraq / Islam in general; a bunch of seventh-century savages they remain, even while claiming to overthrow governments in the name of their "freedom").
#2 - The Rebels were a minority in the galaxy, whose population mostly just wanted to be left alone.
It's been explored in the novels and elsewhere; during the time of the Empire, there were a few planets in rebellion, but mostly it was just business as usual. Unless you got the attention of the Imperial government, you did business the same way you'd done it under the Republic.
If you joined the Imperial Forces, chances are you did it because of a slick recruiting plan and promises of good wages / adventure -- hey, Luke was about to join up before Obi-Wan came along, wasn't he? For that matter, the officers of the Imperial Navy might have feared Vader, but the grunts were happy enough as they were, obviously.
Therefore, having a LOCALIZED celebration on Endor made sense. There were a bunch of Rebels present, because they'd won the battle, and there were a bunch of Ewoks around because they were indigenous.
Showing celebrations elsewhere? Yeesh, people. THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO CELEBRATIONS ELSEWHERE.
You think the entire galaxy would have just cheered and shouted and gone "Whee, the Emperor's gone! Yay!"???
Fuck that. They'd have been hand-wringing, worried about who was restoring/keeping order with the StormTroopers now out of a job. Planetary governors would alternately have been quelling civil distress and working on plans either to take over territory or work their way into positions of power in the new government. Smugglers wouldn't have given a flying fuck, except that the unrest made it easier for them to slip stuff into ports undetected.
That's the reality. On Endor, and maybe a few other Rebel bases, there might have been a party. Mon Calamari perhaps, given what the Emperor did to them.
Coruscant? The seat of the Emperor's power? FUCK NO. Coruscant wouldn't have been cheering. The other planets shown? Likewise.
"Yub Yub" and the original party scene make sense. The Special Edition bullshit is just that, BULLSHIT, and completely ignores the realities of the universe Lucas constructed in the first place.
Not to mention all the guns were replaced with flashlights...
And Leia's suddenly wearing an iPod.
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
the added scenes also messed up the flow of the movie, because certain scenes were edited so things happen on specific musical cues, but with new footage added, the synchronization is all off. It's not just the visuals that were messed with.
Er. Pardon my fanboyism.. but during starwars:a new hope, jabba wasnt NEARLY as big of a gangster he was in the later movies.. he was still getting his whole big shebang together. He was still mobile.. eventually, hes too chubb to even move. Plus, he wasnt on such bad terms with Han at the time.
I also agree that this scene just didnt work.
(all of this negated by starwars ep1)
no
Lets not forget about the changes to the end of Jedi. Personally, I liked the original tribal song, not the latin symphony that apparently replaced it.
All, in all the new scenes were a waste of time. Its sad that Lucas is such an arrogant that he refuses to put the originals out on DVD. I was actually hoping he'd do something similar that my T2 DVD does, watch the original, or watch the expanded version...
Oh well, I'm on the fence on whether I'll get these or not. I'm actually pretty sick of the whole Star Wars brand at this point which is sad, cause I was one of the die-hards originally. (guess I wasn't die-hard enough)
-- A computer without COBOL and Fortran is like a piece of chocolate cake without ketchup and mustard
It is precisely because those lines are well done, funny, clever, or have bravado that they were edited. Lucas seems to think that good dialogue is bad, because it distracts you from all the fancy effects.