Posted by
michael
on from the money-money-money-money-money-money dept.
twigstamc420 writes "USA Today is reporting that Lucasfilm has announced the details of releasing the Star Wars episodes IV through VI on DVD as well as a bonus DVD with commentary."
635 comments
Comment removed
by
account_deleted
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· Score: 5, Informative
They're DVD-R sized, so make sure you're on a fast enough connection!
Re:Anyone have a .torrent?
by
Darth+Maul
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· Score: 2, Informative
These DVDs are *great*! The ones I got a while back are rips right from the LaserDisc. Pre-Special Edition, so everything is as it should be. There is even a DVD menu with limited special features and audio commentary.
At 4.5G per dvd, it's still worth it. Share it with all your friends! This is how the Star Wars trilogy should be preserved on DVD.
-- ---
witty signature
Re:Anyone have a .torrent?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Are these the (excellent) Dr. Gonzo versions, or this this is a different transfer? I'm hoping there'll be an even better rip once dual-layer burners become more mainstream.
Re:Anyone have a .torrent?
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WoodstockJeff
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· Score: 1
Having a fast connection is currently of no use. The current best rate I've seen for A New Hope is 5kB/s (currently less than 1kB/s), with an expected download time of 691 hours.
Just goes to show the weakness of BitTorrent - if a file isn't highly active, the "torrent" isn't even a trickle!
Re:Anyone have a .torrent?
by
Xenothaulus
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· Score: 1
ep4 - 639 hours
ep5 - 619 hours
ep6 - 761 hours
I could rip my VHS versions quicker than that:(
Come on/.ers! I know you're all SW geeks, let us see what the slashdot effect can do to torrent speeds.
Re:Anyone have a .torrent?
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dbooster
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· Score: 1
I'm connected to 35 people and still only getting a download speed of 11.3kbs?
I shouldn't complain. This is the fastest I've ever gotten from a torrent.
Re:Anyone have a .torrent?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Seriously, I would love to download these, but they're coming in at 0.5 k/s even though there's at least 30 people sharing them. Why is that? I get better speeds from the junk I get from Suprnova...
George needed the extra time to think of new and horrible ways to re-edit our childhood. Good thing too, I hadn't quite had all my dreams shattered yet.
Actually, I did the exact same thing when I saw someone's remark about "Alderaan shooting first". Dunno why, but since these comments are chock full of star wars puns I didn't expect to be amused, but hey, I guess the soda stains on my monitor don't lie:)
Don't worry. They *will* release DVDs of the originals, in a couple of years, as part of the Platinum Uber-Fan Comlpete Ripoff Collection. And, to watch a few dialogue changes and some crappier CGI, a million sucke^H^H^H fans will fork out $199.95 for the priviledge.
To further confuse matters, there was more than one theatrical release in 1977!
It was not expected to be a big hit, so the first round of prints were not of exceptional quality, and I think the soundtrack was even monophonic (just like the original release of Terminator I, for which the 5.1-ification came later.)
There are even a few changes between the original pan-and-scan laserdiscs and the first widescreen editions, and some minor color changes between the first widescreen and THX versions of Empire, IIRC. (I can consult my Star Wars videophile comrade if the details are needed.)
I would agree, though, that the THX non Special-Ed laserdisc releases are the best in terms of quality and faithfulness to the original theatrical releases.
As for WHY Lucas can't leave anything alone, I'd say he views his films more as a labor than an art. Like software, they are never done - there are always improvements that can be made, new technologies that can be employed, etc. This is all well and good, but it overlooks the value of the original work at its point in history.
But why no Special Ed for Howard the Duck? Or perhaps he is revising history such that his name is no longer associated with this turd...
I think you have that wrong. I believe you meant to say, "you'll copy what we release and like it."
If I could actually get the original movies on DVD, I would pay for them, honest injun. But I will not, shall not (would not, could not) pay to have my childhood memories revised. Fuck you lucas, fuck you with a donkey dong.
-- "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Re:Mr Lucas
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Does somebody know if diffs will be available in a patch-o-matic style, so that I can apply only those modifications which I like?
Honestly...
by
RealBeanDip
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· Score: 3, Insightful
Episode IV was incredible. I was blown away by it when it came out.
But by the time VI came out, it had a very Police Academy IV thing going on.
Let's hope Episode III is good..
--
You know you're a geek if you've ever replied to a tagline.
I have great hopes for episode III, they were a lot greater before one and two came out. I think IV was good because it had that indie charm that created a special FX rennisance. It's the same reason I liked the first Matrix so much more than the rest of them, it was truely innovative, the sequels tried too hard to intrigue with more of everything which looked cool but were just tiresome. The new star wars episodes are trying to change, to innovate, but they suck because they are tied down to earlier episodes.
-- -- Checking emails and kicking cheats `till the day I die.
Oh, Jar Jar, youssun only de comic extra. You wassun putten dere to makun de kiddies laughin'. But youssun pissen' off de big bad dark side, and now youssun hava take id like a... longun-eary pokey-eye ting.
-- If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
you _did_ see EP 1 an EP 2?.. and you're hoping for EP 3 to be good????????
(that's the problem, they don't have to be good for people to see them! so the adults will see it anyways and so he can add a lot of 'funny' stuff for the kids to lure them into buying franchise toys and whatever)
I wonder about the commentary track though.. "yeah we originally didn't want to make han solo look like a badass, but we couldn't afford the special fx to make greedo shoot first".
a lot of being a great artist is knowing _WHEN THE DAMN WORK IS FINISHED_, and not toy around with it later(of course, it's his work and if he wants to mutilate it then so be it but he shouldn't expect anyone to respect him for that..).
-- world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
But it's not "HIS" fucking work, it's a slap in the face to the original directors, ILM's brilliance, and the cast and crew every time he says "Well, you know that movie that made me a billionaire and bought me this nice ranch, and made me famous, well that movie sucked, so here's my retreaded version that ruins things you found enjoyable in the original"
He's pulling a fucking jedi mind trick on us - "We want to see the originals!" "Those aren't the movies you want to see."
Well, I for one am not going to tell him to move along - do however many mutilations you want George, but for the love of all that is holy, help future generations see the originals in a longer lasting format than VHS - let future F/X designers, cameramen, and actors see how much ground was broken by this film - you might be amazed at how much money you will make. It wouldn't hurt to sell both you know.
Best for everyone to wait. They'll have deleted scenes and actor overdubs and all sorts of goodies in the 6 box set. Harrison Ford as an old man in his 90's telling strange little stories about "back in my day we did it like this"...
By the time they're done with all six movies they'll have to remaster the first trilogy (IV - VI) and show it in theaters (again). Then when that's done they'll have to remaster the second trilogy (I - III) and show those in theaters again. But by that time the first trilogy will be so far out of date they'll decide to completely remake it.
You'll be waiting for that all-in-one box set for a long long time.
Yes, there were only three, now there are five, and shortly there will be six. He's not talking about the "original" six he's talking about ALL of the movies which will inevitably be released in one big box of six movies.
Maybe LucasArts will team up with Peter Jackson and release aforementioned version of the Star Wars Trilogy with the LOTR Trilogy Super-Mega-Hardcore Fan Edition with such amazing features as...
Over two hours of Orlando Bloom staring at the camera!
Commentary by everyone, however remotely involved. Even the Camera Operator #3 gets his 10 hours of drivel heard.
Concept art scrawled on toilet paper while in the jon.
The world's best Smeagol imitations.
Ridiculously overdone menu transitions!
...and much, much more!
-- n
Re:Box Set
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
And then the inevitable new releases...
Darth Vader vs Saruman, Boba Fett vs the NazGul & Gollum vs Jar Jar. They Stole it from us, Precious, the filthy thieves.
Missa tinks you have attitood problem
I was actually thinking about doing that as a weekend project since I've got the original LDs and a DVD burner. How good are the LD->DVD tranfers you have? Did you do it yourself?
The hardest part is getting those huge laser discs into your DVD player so you can rip them. Place them in a medium oven for an hour first, and they shrink right down to size, then get ripping with DVD Decryptor. No really, if it works for "shrinky dinks" it will work for this;->
-- All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Re:Box Set
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
'Shrinky Dinks'? Bloody hell, that *is* a blast from the past. You must be around my great age to remember those things.:)
There have been a few floating around the pirate scene for awhile now that were ripped from the original trilogy LD's.
As to how hard it would be to do yourself, IIRC the problem is that all laserdisc players use analog video outputs (AFAIK anyways). That means going from what was on the laserdisc, to analog, then back to digital on your PC. After that, you could probably perform some adjustments on the captured video (adjust sharpness, color, contrast, etc. to give it a better look if possible; obviously not so much that it distracts from the movie), then encode to MPEG-2 (TMPGEnc or CinemaCraft Encoder), encode the audio to AC3 (though, and I don't recall, but I coulda swore laserdiscs DID (optionally) store AC3 audio, so if there was a way to rip that directly without going digital -> analog -> digital, that'd be ideal), then author it to a DVD.
That'd get a nice watchable copy of the original trilogy-- as opposed to the crap coming out next month.
-- All I know about Bush is I had a good job when Clinton was president.
It's called a DVL-909. There are a few other combo player models, such as the DVL-700, and one or two Elite series models such as the DV-09, but the -909 is famous for being easily modded for selectable DVD region and disabling DVD Macrovision.
However, you will still need to use a digitizer card when ripping. Just plug in the S-video to your digitizer card, and the digital audio output into your sound card, and rip away.
Gotta disagree with you here. The making of and behind the scenes documentaries included with the extended edition DVDs were absolutely the best part of the release. I've actually watched the parts on the filming of Helm's Deep, and the creation/use of the Massive graphics engine more times than I've watched the movies.
-- "Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar
When Lucas dies. When he dies, only then will some accountant with his ears to the geek fandoms release the original series as they were originally broadcasted. But it ain't going to happen during Lucas's lifetime.
Lucas has lost whatever karma or mojo or whatever that let him envision the original magic that was Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. He just doesn't realize that he's lost that karma/mojo/whatever. He still thinks that what he's doing is utterly magical and it's the rest of the world that's wrong.
I won't buy this dvd boxset and I won't see the third movie when it comes out in the theatre. I probably won't even rent the dvd of the third movie when it is released to dvd. Lucas and his revisioning/clumsy attempts at marketing are completely lost upon me and folks like me.
No one is going to get any sense out of the Lucas camp until the old guy croaks.
Nah, my versions are all torrents. Though I have a friend who anually treats us to his LaserDisc magic machine, and we have an "original" Star Wars party...
I just can't wait until they come out with the box set with all six films and I can spend a day watching the entire Star Wars story.
It'll get better as it goes on no doubt, as episode one was so bad, yet the originals are oh so good.
More like it will get better and peak a little after the middle and then decline again.
If dead Darth is Hayden, why not use Ewan for Obi Wan? And maybe use a sock puppet for Yoda?
No, but there's good inteligence that clearly shows Alderaan had a stockpile of WMDs that it planned to give to the Rebel Alliance. The new DVD further points out that its government was an anti-democratic dictatorship by a royal family, and goes on to document its sentient-rights abuses which while largely decades in the past, still play a part in building a convincing case for a pre-emptive planetary destruction by the Emp - er - Coalition Forces.
You've been spitting that drink alot today haven't you?;-)
Re:Changes?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
ditto! HAHA
I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
by
Agent+Green
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· Score: 4, Insightful
I'm actually going to wait this one out. I can't recall how many times the trilogy was released on VHS...and am not going to get taken like a sucker on this like I was with Fellowship of the Ring.
Once the second release is out, then it'll be time to party. Probably when episode 3 is done and release and it's all in one pretty box.:)
-- // Agent Green (Ian / IU7 / KB1JQO) // IEEE 802.3: All 10base Are Belong To Us
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
by
blackpaw
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· Score: 2, Informative
So how were you sucked in by LOTR 1 ? Jackson was upfront from the start that there would be extended versions for all three movies after the cinematic dvs were released
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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Agent+Green
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· Score: 1
That's true...but my understanding was that the extended editions were going to come out after the entire trilogy was already released...not 6 months or so after the cinematic DVD release.
-- // Agent Green (Ian / IU7 / KB1JQO) // IEEE 802.3: All 10base Are Belong To Us
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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blackpaw
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· Score: 1
Sorry, your understanding was incorrect. We knew all along that extended dvds would come out a few months after the cinematic releases
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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The-Bus
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· Score: 4, Informative
and am not going to get taken like a sucker on this like I was with Fellowship of the Ring.
Purely your fault...
Peter Jackson announced the EE (extended edition) before the regular edition had been released.
The EE is an entirely different cut.
The extras are all different.
New Line offers at least $5 off if you send in the UPC from the first one, bringing the cost of the EEs down to about $20 when they come out.
And, on topic, I'll be getting the DVDs.
--
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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commodoresloat
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· Score: 1
I find your lack of faith disturbing.
Re: I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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Black+Parrot
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· Score: 1
> I'm actually going to wait this one out.
I'm going to wait for Ewok vs. Wookie, so I can buy the whole set at once.
-- Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
The extras are all different.
What's that, some sort of union thing, where you need a whole new set of extras to appear in the alternate versions? Those actors!
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Adding to your list...
5. DTS
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Yeah, the HTF used to rock.
Re: I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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gfxguy
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· Score: 1
It'll all be worth it if the extras include the Wookie Christmas special.
-- Stupid sexy Flanders.
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Either you didn't bother to read the stories about this posted just on/., nevermind everywhere else, or you're trolling.
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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mgblst
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· Score: 1
3. The extras are all different.
I am glad they replaced all the extras. One of those guys in the original was really annoying me...
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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bill_mcgonigle
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· Score: 1
1. Peter Jackson announced the EE (extended edition) before the regular edition had been released.
If I may play Devil's Advocate here:
How the heck is the average person walking into Sam's Club supposed to know there's an EE coming?
I knew it, I'm a geek. Same goes for you I suppose. My Mom had no idea and got it for me.
I was able to exchange it at Borders, but having to read Slashdot to make an informed buying decision isn't good enough. A sticker on the box "Buy now and save $5 on the EE in September" would have been enough, and cheap to do if they wanted people to have the informed choice.
Peter Jackson has exercised wonderful common sense with the DVD's overall, especially the initial menu!
-- My God, it's Full of Source! OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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womby
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· Score: 1
How the heck is the average person walking into Sam's Club supposed to know there's an EE coming?
By looking at the point of sale material that said, 2 disk standard edition available XX of XXX and 4 disk extended edition available XX of XXX
-- ****
lying is wrong even for sleeping dogs
Re:I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
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bill_mcgonigle
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· Score: 1
Where did you see this?
It wasn't at the warehouse clubs or on the product packaging.
-- My God, it's Full of Source! OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Non special edition dvd's
by
Stinkythe1
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· Score: 2, Interesting
I tried to get a friend of mine to transfer his VHS version of the Star Wars trilogy over to DVD. Too bad you have to bootleg it in order to get the unadultered version of it.
Re:Non special edition dvd's
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djward
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· Score: 4, Informative
Find a used laserdisc player. You can find the orig. trilogy, remastered THX but pre-extra shite, for pretty cheap now on LD. Damn good quality (almost DVD quality), surround sound, etc. I've been enjoying them for years. I suppose you could borrow a LD player and hook it up to computer and burn over to DVD if you were inclined.
I love the laserdiscs though. Big, beautiful cover art. The Empire Strikes Back LD cover is a thing of beauty.
Re:Non special edition dvd's
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
these exist on DVD already - there is a making of special feature transfered from the LD set as well. someone even went to the extent of moking up covers to match the Ep1 cover art
unfortunately, I can't tell you where to get them, but they were pretty common about 9 months ago.
Re:Non special edition dvd's
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prockcore
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· Score: 1
Damn good quality (almost DVD quality)
Actually, laser disc quality is *better* than DVD quality. There's no compression on a laser disc.
Re:Non special edition dvd's
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Yep, I own this 6 disc LD set. Gotta flip a movie 3 times just to watch it all the way through but its still going to be the best way to watch the original Trilogy for a long, long time...unless someone has the time and energy to hack apart the Lucas released DVD's and intersplice the scenes that are changed from another source, like the LD set.
Re:Non special edition dvd's
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Does anyone have pics of the cover art of ESB on the LD?
Re:Non special edition dvd's
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jdowland
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· Score: 1
Compression doesn't necessarily mean a drop in quality. There's lossy and non-lossy compression.
Re:Non special edition dvd's
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ShavenYak
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· Score: 1
There's not a lossless video compression standard that works on DVD, though.
--
Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
Re:Non special edition dvd's
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djward
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· Score: 1
It helps greatly to have a both-sides-play laserdisc player. Many movies you don't have to flip at all (if CLV encoded and 2 hours). You may be able to find such a player relatively cheap, used or surplus (check university surplus auctions).
Re:Non special edition dvd's
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djward
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· Score: 1
The covers on the other 2 movies are similarly kickass, but I like this one best.
Re:Non special edition dvd's
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jayteedee
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· Score: 1
Be careful if you buy the LD. There are different versions out there and some don't have THX or the remastered quality. I posted this under another thread already but here it is again:
I have the Laserdiscs for ANH and ESB. The LD's were pretty good for the day, but they have a lot of the old movie artifacts which I find slightly annoying to watch. You see some film scratches and you see the "double dots" which appear in the upper right corner, which for you young-uns was used to switch from one film reel to the next during presentations in a theater. The new versions of the VHS competed with the LD quality just because of the clean-up work they did. Don't get me wrong, LD can compete and exceed the DVD quality, but more often than not, the original film (used many times) or the transfer process makes the difference in the final LD quality (or DVD for that matter). It seems to be only in the last 8 years that the majority of film production has concentrated on making a good transfer to VHS, DVD, or LD. Before that, you got what you got unless you paid through some orifice for the "Criterion Collection" (or some other "richly titled" equivalent).
I think the best approach would be to rent the new DVD's when they come out and use the existing tools (DVD Shrink, Ifoedit, VOBedit and VideoReDo) to take the movies and simply remove the offending junk and burn to a new set of DVD blanks. Simple and effective, but you'll end up with better quality in the end. VideoReDo does a real good job with cutting the video and sound rather seamlessly if you run a few trials 1st since the actual "cut" location floats a little, but with trial and error you can get it basically perfectly.
I was once going to transfer all my LD's to DVD, but once DVD Shrink came out I found it far-far-far-far easier to rent the DVD (libraries, WalMart, etc) and copy to disk in less than 30 minutes than to do all the record, crop, compress, tweak, compress again (10-20 hours total although a lot of that is computer time). I did do this route for transfering my old 8mm videotapes to digital and that QUICKLY cured me from attempting the LD to digital route. But if you've got the time.....
-- Religion and science are both 90% crap..but that doesn't negate the other 10%.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
halowolf
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· Score: 2, Insightful
For some reason this part of the article disturbed me:
Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
This is amazing news...
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 3, Funny
It was even more amazing when I heard it last year around this time.
Re:This is amazing news...
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Thanks for telling me. I'll make a note in my diary.
Re:This is amazing news...
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
...And even more amazing than the time Michael Jackson came over to my house to use the bathroom!
Re:clarification
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
they're the digitally raped editions
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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mlk
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· Score: 1
Before/after shots for us who have not got the VHS editions?
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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TheGatekeeper
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· Score: 5, Insightful
Lucas's revisionist history really does bother me as a geek. While I agree some of the added scenes do add to the movies, some of them are simply unacceptable. Greedo shooting first for example.
If they were offering the original movies on DVD, I'd jump at it. I don't know how I feel about this revisionist version, but it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.
--
'The staff in the hand of a wizard may be more than a prop for age,' -Hamá, the doorward
The controversy. The versions of Lucas' beloved films that are on these new DVDs are not the original theatrical releases but the special editions that played in theaters in 1997. Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
(Bold emphasis mine) Now, you mind answering my question, since the article didn't? Or do you have other posts to troll?
Re:Well? WELL?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 1, Funny
Nope. You'll be happy to know that in THIS version, both Greedo and Han only have walkie talkies...
Re:Well? WELL?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Greedo shoots first by 2 frames. Maybe not the answer you'd prefer, but it's the truth as far as the September 21st 2004 DVD release goes.
Ooh, the bold emphasis game! That's fun. Now my turn!
The controversy. The versions of Lucas' beloved films that are on these new DVDs are not the original theatrical releases but the special editions that played in theaters in 1997. Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
So did you see the special edition in 1997? And do you remember who shoots first? There's your answer.
Since no-one else has given you a straight answer, they now both shoot at the same time, but Greedo's shot misses.
Seriously - to the frame.
It blatently looks like George wanted to appease the fans who didn't like Greedo shooting first, but at the same time felt it necessary to have him shooting.
So its still stupid, but looks nowhere near as dumb as it did in '97; Greedo is at least aiming vaguely in the right direction this time.
The controversy. The versions of Lucas' beloved films that are on these new DVDs are not the original theatrical releases but the special editions that played in theaters in 1997. Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
Now, you mind answering my question, since the article didn't? Or do you have other posts to troll?
See the bit where it says that they are "the special editions that played in theaters in 1997?"
Remember Greedo shooting first in the special editions that played in theaters in 1997?
Me too.
All snarkiness aside, I simply can't imagine Lucas ever admitting to making a mistake. So the only way you'll ever see Han shoot first is if you get a hold of the Laserdisk version. sorry.
Somewhere in the Pacific Rim I believe, or sometimes at local trendoid gatherings. Even though they rarely call themselves geeks the last sushi-side conversation I overheard involved heated debate over an unpopular anime, wiring possibilities for a sound system and whether or not Spiderman could kick Supermans ass. If that isn't geek, I don't know what is...;-)
dude, I know that replying to sigs is passe but I couldn't resist; First you say that you don't repond to ac's (non members?) but you hate member only websites. Which is it then dude?
briefly on topic - it is perfectly possible that gl has listened to fans, in the same way that it is perfectly possible that Bill Gates has open sourced windys.
Personally I'm fairly sure and won't be giving the git any more money (gl or bg!)
-- A crash reduces Your expensive computer to a simple stone.
Bonus DVD Commentary :)
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
From what I hear, the commentary on the "Bonus DVD" in question consists entirely of fan commentary on all episodes of the Star Wars franchise in DVD audio format.
It is said that the US is considering classification of this DVD as a weapon, putting it into the same class as strong crypto used to be. This is based on preliminary results obtained after playing the entire disc non-stop to George Lucas...it took only 30 minutes for him to start begging to be encased in Carbonite.
Everybody knows that the versions coming out on DVD are the originals.
Big Lucas takes care of us.
Re:1984
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Double plus good. Triple plus good that they upped the chocolate rations!
Comment removed
by
account_deleted
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· Score: 2, Informative
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
afidel
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· Score: 4, Insightful
Blah, when will Lucas get it, we want the origional damn films as shown in theaters, not his revisionist history with all the damn modern FX. Jeezus if South Park is making fun of you you know you are doing something wrong.
-- There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Now that does not make sense?
by
TheShadowHawk
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Hang on? the younger Anakin in spirit form?
But he didn't die until the end of Ep VI. I figured your "jedi" spirit took the form of your body at the time of death?
Sheesh.. not unlike lucas to create some friggin' plot holes!:P
-- Friends don't let Friends use Internet Explorer.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 5, Interesting
the theory is that when a jedi dies he comes back in his purest form..so yoda and obi wan come back as they were when they died, but anakin returns as he was before he went to the dark side
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
Dachannien
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· Score: 3, Funny
but anakin returns as he was before he went to the dark side
You know, repentence is good enough for Jesus, so it oughta be good enough for George Lucas.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
smclean
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· Score: 1
Haha! I was about to make the exact same comment, that Anakin should be at his best form after Luke 'saved' him, but your version is way better.
If not having committed evil acts is the definition of goodness, then they should all be babies.
--
"'Yrch!' said Legolas, falling into his own tongue."
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
cvas
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· Score: 1
[Spoilers ahead...if you've just come out from under your rock]
I had read that they are saying Anakin "dies" in Ep. III during the battle with Obi and that Vader is just a zombie. So the ghost Anakin shows up as how he was when he died.
I saw this explanation on the same site that I first saw the new RotJ footage (they had a quicktime of the new Anakin appearing next to Obi and Yoda). Normally I'd say this is crap...but this is the man that made Greedo shoot first.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
jargonCCNA
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· Score: 2, Informative
Not necessarily his purest form.. but the spirit shows the Jedi as they died as a Jedi.. Ben said it himself, Darth Vader killed Anakin Skywalker. When he became Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker died, but his spirit didn't get released.. but when it did, that's why he's seen as Hayden Christensen.
All I ask Lucas at this point (because there's a lot of stuff that he really can't atone for) is that we see Anakin with that hair sometime during Revenge of the Sith. He might be making weird plot holes, but let's at least see a vague effort at continuity here.
-- Matthew G P Coe
http://mgpcoe.blogspot.com/
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
So I click the link, assuming it's some sort of live action Goatse thing but no luck. At least it crashed my firefox.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Ben said it himself, Darth Vader killed Anakin Skywalker.
But you've forgetten: Ben was wrong, and Luke was right. Anakin was not wholly gone. Why else does Darth Vader toss the Emperor down the convenient garbage disposal?
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Plus, Ben also said that everything the Jedi cling to is seen from a "certain point of view".
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
DarkEdgeX
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· Score: 2, Interesting
What kills me about this seemingly innocent change (the ghost of Anakin being changed to Hayden Christensen from Sebastian Shaw) is that there'll probably be no explanation as to how Luke knows that the Hayden Anakin is the same guy he de-masked on the Death Star.
For me, I'm going to be imagining Luke saying "who the hell is that guy?" as the Hayden Anakin ghost appears.
-- All I know about Bush is I had a good job when Clinton was president.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
I *really* wish you hadn't brought-up that point; given that Lucas swapped one ghostly Anakin for another, what makes you think he won't do exactly the same to the unmasking scene? Gah! This could be pretty awful.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
DarkEdgeX
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· Score: 1
Hopefully it'd be too hard to composite Hayden into the scene, so that wouldn't be an issue.
Hopefully...
-- All I know about Bush is I had a good job when Clinton was president.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
lokki
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· Score: 1
Hell, I wouldn't put it past Lucas to alter the unmasking scene as well.
Feh
-- I won't dance in a club like this...All the girls are slags, and the beer tastes just like piss! -The Specials
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
gfxguy
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· Score: 1
Well, if that's true it's yet one more reason to just skip episode 3 entirely. I thought it couldn't get any worse... but surprise, surprise. Learn something new every day.
-- Stupid sexy Flanders.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
jdavidb
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· Score: 1
Okay, does anyone have any confirmation as to whether this is real or somebody's own personal reediting job? I wouldn't be surprised either way, but Google and Star Wars news sites don't seem to help much in the way of confirmation.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
Abreu
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· Score: 1
Anakin "dies" in Ep. III during the battle with Obi and that Vader is just a zombie.
So when Vader is alone in his hyperbaric chamber he actually feasts upon the flesh of the living???
-- No sig for the moment.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
blighter
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· Score: 1
I've been completely sure that Anakin would die in the prequels for years.
I used to have a whole elaborate theory with references to comments both in the original trilogy and the prequels backing it up, but then I decided to pretend to have a life and forgot most of them.;)
In a nutshell, however, my argument was that they are clearly setting Anakin/Vader up to be one of the most powerful Jedi ever(at least in terms of raw 'force-potential', please no mention of midcholirians and whatnot) if not THE most powerful Jedi ever.
And remember what Yoda says in ESB when he tells Luke he's dying. Luke says: "You can't die!" (in that adorable whining voice of his) and Yoda responds: "Strong in the Force am I, but not that strong.", implying that were one strong enough in the force, stronger even that Yoda, one could prevent oneself from dying.
Anakin was that strong in the force. Obi Wan killed him and he (Anakin) 'prevented himself from dying' or resurected himself as Vader.
This explanation always seemed to make perfect sense to me, especially given the pseudo-mythological overtones throughout the series (particularly in the originals).
It also ties in nicely with Obi Wan's statement that his student Vader killed Anakin, and we all know how much of a bizarre stickler Lucas has become for literal interpretations of things from the originals (example, Uncle Owen to Anakin in Clones: "I guess that makes us brothers." which to my mind was retarded, but that's an argument for another time.)
Wow, it's amazing how the Star Wars nitpicking comes right back when you let it! It's like riding a bike, I guess...
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
Vinnie_333
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· Score: 1
Like any of us want to see a Jedi with a Mullet! I was hoping that that fashion trend was purely confined to our galaxy!
--
"We shall party like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean." - HedonismBot
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
jargonCCNA
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· Score: 1
Anakin Skywalker, human, wasn't gone, but Anakin Skywalker, Jedi was. As soon as you give yourself over to the dark side, you cease to be a Jedi. Jedi-trained, sure, but you're still not a Jedi.
-- Matthew G P Coe
http://mgpcoe.blogspot.com/
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
"implying that were one strong enough in the force, stronger even that Yoda, one could prevent oneself from dying."
Yoda's statement suggests no such thing. He is basically saying that he can't use the Force to live longer. He doesn't say that it's possible, or even impossible.
"Obi Wan killed him and he (Anakin) 'prevented himself from dying' or resurected himself as Vader."
From what I understand, it has always been under the Emperor's influence that Anakin turns to the dark side. From what I've heard, he also plays a hand in keeping him alive after the lava fight. Also, I think the introduction of General Grievous will give us more insight into the cyborg nature of Vader.
Also consider when Obi Wan confessed to the whole Vader killed your dad "lie": "Your father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I have told you was true... from a certain point of view."
I think this is a pretty straightforward description of what will happen in EpIII. The death of Anakin is not a literal one. Plus I think that Lucas has already shown that Anakin is heading towards the dark side.
On an intersting side-note, you should check out the upcoming Knights of the Old Republic 2. One of the main baddies actaully holds his mutilated body together with the Force. Kinda reminds me of Gemma from Ninja Scroll.
Re:Now that does not make sense?
by
azmatsci
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· Score: 1
I thought vader was black? What gives...a white james earl jones?
-- I stole this sig.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
servognome
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· Score: 1
What irks me even more is the dialogue changes. I spent my entire childhood memorizing every line of those stupid movies, then suddenly they change the dialogue and it just sounds wrong. The worst part is the changes don't even add anything! Half of them seemed to be changed just because they could be.
-- D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
Otherwise, DVD letterbox AS AIRED. If you want to add changed scenes, outtakes, commentary, etc. fine, just make sure I can view it AS I SAW IT IN 1977 if I want to.
-- Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
I seriously can't wait for this DVD collection to come out, special version or not, all I can say is I do NOT lug a damn VCR to college (hell, I don't think I even have one in my house any more), so I haven't been able to see this trilogy in a long time. It'll be very sweet to have some viewings at school with tons of other nerds.
Good times will be had very soon at many a college dorm. . .
Comment removed
by
account_deleted
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· Score: 2, Informative
From the man who refuses to release original editions and continues to "rice" out his movies said this about movie purity:
"Star Wars" creator George Lucas, who testified with Steven Spielberg before Congress in the 1980s against colorization and other forms of alteration, said the process yanks such slapstick performers as the Stooges out of the black-and-white universe they belong in.
Columbia TriStar's White says colorization is just another tool to make old movies more palatable to modern audiences, like converting analog sound to 5.1 digital audio.
WTF? How many consumers even have a decent 5.1 setup? I'm willing to bet that two thirds of the 5.1 "systems" owned by consumers are shitty, $200 system-in-a-box deals. Most people don't know good sound quality from a hole in the ground, because it just doesn't matter much to them.
Last time I checked, there was also this little thing called GIGO: Garbage in, garbage out. Your new whizz-bang 5.1 mix won't sound any better than the original analog recordings did. Case in point: Akira DTS edition. The overall sound quality is fantastic, but it's very obvious that some of the sound effects were poorly recorded. The only way to fix that is to record new sound effects, but altering a film like that is not right, which is why it's seldom done. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. *glares at Lucas*
"I am very concerned about our national heritage, and I am very concerned that the films that I watched when I was young and the films that I watched throughout my life are preserved, so that my children can see them."
Han shoots first?
by
Alcimedes
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· Score: 4, Interesting
If he does, I'm not buying them, period. I can't believe that they'd change what basically amounts to a massive character development over three movies, and rework it to crap. all because it's not nice for Han to shoot first. that was the WHOLE FREEKING point. ugh.
Agreed...check out Firefly, if you haven't already. Joss Whedon knows how to create a protagonist with some funny and cool moral ambiguities, including no qualms about shooting first.
Re:Han shoots first?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Re:Han shoots first?
by
Anubis350
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· Score: 2, Insightful
While I agree with you to some extent, I'll point out something:
hand shooting second doesnt neccesarily show he's beeing nice. It could just be a casual confidence masking his actual nervousness, something I've always felt was a trademark of the han solo character in the original films. Han may not shoot first also because he's a smuggler, and smugglers dont shoot before trying to talk their way out of something first.
just something for you to think about
--Aaron
-- "goodbye and hello, as always"
~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
Yeah, but by that point in the script he had tried to talk his way out of it and he realised Greedo wasn't going to just let him walk.. it was all talked out at that point, so.. only one thing left. BANG!
Besides, if Lucas was so worried about Han having moral ambiguities, he'd have to entirely rework the character--he's a smuggler!
-- Matthew G P Coe
http://mgpcoe.blogspot.com/
Re:Han shoots first?
by
Blakey+Rat
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· Score: 2, Interesting
Han shoots first? If he does, I'm not buying them, period.
So you're saying you like the reissues from 1997 better than the original theatrical release? Or are you just really bad at proofreading?
And, arguably, since Lucas directed and wrote the movie, and he obviously has no problems with Han shooting second, that kind of means that maybe that's *not* the whole point?
ah, but han does have moral ambiguities, its a point thats made emphatically in the original film. On one hand he's a smuggler trying to make money at all costs, and on the other he's a guy who wants to do good. The character conflict is shown for example when han takes his money and leaves, but shows up to cover lukes ass at the end of the movie.
-- "goodbye and hello, as always"
~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
That's the point... because Han clearly has several moral ambiguities, why bother to have Greedo shoot first? Han looks way more badass if he shoots basically unprovoked, then nonchalantly stands and walks out, flipping the bartender a coin and saying, "Sorry about the mess." But then he still comes back and proves that, really, he's a good guy when he smokes Vader's Interceptor to let Luke get the missile (torpedo? I don't own a copy of the Trilogy myself and haven't seen it in a long time) off and blow up the Death Star.
-- Matthew G P Coe
http://mgpcoe.blogspot.com/
Re:Han shoots first?
by
Rogerborg
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· Score: 0, Flamebait
But a god damn ad, astroturfer. Also, in case you missed the Clue Boat, Lucas knows how to do that as well. You know, like he did in 1977. Whedon is a third rate hack parasiting from the abrosia that drips from the end of Lucas's massive cut cock.
-- If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
-- If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
Re:Han shoots first?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
You, my friend, are a complete twit, and I can shoot down your little love-poem to Lucas with one word:
lensmen
Check it out. It predates Star Wars, and it's fairly obvious that it's where the Jedi come from.
Re:Han shoots first?
by
Alcimedes
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· Score: 2, Informative
no, i'm just really bad at proof reading.
Lucas directed the movie, but it was basically a ripoff of an older, Japanese title. what i don't understand is why he'd make a fairly significant change without an excellent reason.
in our society, we have justifiable homocide. if you're protecting yourself from someone who's trying to kill you, and you kill them, you don't go to jail.
if, on the other hand, you murder someone, you have problems. Han murders Greedo. (or whatever his name is) because he doesn't want to go back to Jabba. the character that murders someone to me is a fundamentally different character than the guy who's just trying to keep from getting shot.
Re:Han shoots first?
by
Robmonster
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Doesnt your sig say you ignore stories by Michael?
Yes yes yes, but regardless of how criminal law works and regardless of what movie you think it's a ripoff of, the point is that this is LUCAS' movie.
If Greedo shooting first didn't bother Lucas at all, then it's quite clear to me that Lucas doesn't think that particular character trait of Han's is important whatsoever. He wrote the script and directed the movie, remember? If *ANYONE* could declare that the movie is now screwed up, it would be him, and he hasn't.
Well, yes, OF COURSE he does. That's the POINT. The character of Han Solo goes from ruthless mercenary, caring only about himself and his profit, to actually believing in and fighting for a cause. If Han Solo is basically a nice guy to start with, then his character instantly loses a lot of depth. That's why people are upset about the change, because it dumbs down the movie for an audience who can't handle ambiguous characters with complex motivations.
I think the new films need to be judged on their own merits to see if they truly do make good films. The problem is that in at least three of the changes in episodes IV-VI the changes have created problems within the continuity and/or flow of the new story.
Han/Guido - The point of this scene is twofold: show that Han Solo is being hunted by Jabba and that he is not a good guy. The problem here is that there is already a scene with Jabba showing that he is a wanted man. This removes one of the reasons for this scene. Regarding being a not-so-good guy, there is only the off-hand remark "sorry about the mess". Is this scene even necessary anymore? Without Han firing first, the scene really has no power and should be cut (or reverted).
Han stepping on Jabba's tale - This totally destroys our image of Jabba as a frightening foe. A mafia leader is not going to allow that kind of an affront to his person. It is simply not realistic for Jabba to overlook this offense, and while somewhat comical, it destroys the mood of the scene and weakens Jabba's character significantly.
New song/dance in Jabba's palace - Again, this weakens the entire sequence considerably. While at times the palace is portrayed as dark and sinister, this scene totally destroys that mood making the scene far too comical.
Many of the changes made to the films improved them (the adding of windows to the scenes at the end of episode V, new fighter sequences in episode IV). However, in my mind, these three examples weaken the new trilogy, and show evidence of bad film making.
--
I believe in de-evolution. God made the world perfect, man fell, and its been going downhill ever since!
Han murders Greedo. (or whatever his name is) because he doesn't want to go back to Jabba.
Um, Greedo was pointing a gun at Han. If someone's pointing a gun at me, and is ambiguously threatening to either take me to a crime boss that I owe money, and/or kill me on the spot, it's hardly "murder" to pull first and shoot the guy. Han was acting in self-defense. Even if he did legitimately owe the money to Jabba (after all, he did dump Jabba's spice), he was in imminent mortal danger from Greedo.
Shooting someone who is pointing a gun at you is not so obviously murder. Nonetheless, there IS still a distinction in Han's character if he shoots first -- but the part about the change that really pisses me off is the fact that NOBODY IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE WOULD MISS AT THAT RANGE. Not even Greedo. Not even fucking Jar-Jar would miss at that range. It's not the change in character that bothers me nearly as much as the fact that it's just fucking stupid.
-- "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
Re:"Digitally Remastered Footage"
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Probably fixed up Oola so she doesn't pop out of her costume.
Re:"Digitally Remastered Footage"
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Nope. The "costume malfunction" is intact.
Re: "Digitally Remastered Footage"
by
Black+Parrot
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· Score: 1
> Here's to hoping this has something to do with Princess Leia in Jabba's Palace:)
I want the scene they cut from E6, the one before she came out of the Ewok's house wearing her pyjamas.
-- Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Re:"Digitally Remastered Footage"
by
Doodleman3
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· Score: 1
Are you saying that you want to see a sex scene involving Jabba?
-- Never Underestimate A Human Being
Re:"Digitally Remastered Footage"
by
CelticWhisper
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· Score: 1
Are you saying that you want to see a sex scene involving Jabba?
No, that's for the adults-only anime version.
-- Help protect civil rights from abuse by the TSA - visit TSA News Blog.
http://www.tsanewsblog.com
Re:"Digitally Remastered Footage"
by
rlorenzo
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· Score: 1
one word: tentacles
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Aero+Leviathan
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· Score: 5, Interesting
I saw on some interview that the minor dialogue changes weren't even intentional; when they were remastering the film for 1997, they sometimes had to use different takes that hadn't deteriorated as much (or so they say). They claim they didn't even realise they had changed any of the dialogue until diehard fans started complaining... ^_~
-- ~ Aero
Actually...
by
EvilCabbage
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· Score: 5, Informative
Jabba didn't meet up with Han before Han took off (and certainly not the significantly older looking version of Han that you see in this scene). Etc. Etc.
Han did meet Jabba in the original cut, the scene was pulled from theatrical release though. Jabba was originally a dumpy irish fellow dressed in fur and leather.
If you're going to bitch about scene changes, at least have the facts my friend.
at least have the facts my friend... or just use logic:-)
Lucasfilm would've needed to do an extraordinary CG job with lip synchornization to reuse another cut scene for that Jabba thing. I mean, Han Solo was there talking to him.:-S
-- Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
Re:Actually...
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
...a dumpy irish fellow dressed in fur and leather.
christ, you just described my brother-in-law to a tee!
Han did meet Jabba in the original cut, the scene was pulled from theatrical release though. Jabba was originally a dumpy irish fellow dressed in fur and leather.
If you're going to bitch about scene changes, at least have the facts my friend.
He speaks the truth. I'm by no means a connoisseur of the StarWars culture, but IIRC the scene was cut due to time-shooting restraints. It's explained in an obscure VHS I found at a flea market a few years back called "Star Wars to Jedi" and appears to be circa 1985-ish (Lucas still had solid black hair). The video includes the original scene with the aforementioned Irish fellow and George Lucas explaining why it didn't work out. It also includes some other concept sketches for how Jabba should look. Unfortunately, I can find no documentation on the VHS anywhere online, save for the occasional reference on a SW Geek's blog.
I'm just hoping they left in the bit where the Stormtrooper entering the control room where C3PO & R2D2 are at whacks his head coming in. Friggin' hilarious. Or the part where Luke shouts "Carrie!" instead of "Leia!" at the end of Ep IV. Fun stuff like that should definitely be left in. Here's hopin'.
That is why I am glad I have the originals on LaserDisk.
I have the release also on LaserDisk, but the plastic has not been broken.
Re:hopefulness
by
Jugalator
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· Score: 5, Informative
Or the part where Luke shouts "Carrie!" instead of "Leia!" at the end of Ep IV. Fun stuff like that should definitely be left in.
From IMDb...
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: It is frequently claimed that upon returning to the Rebel base after destroying the Death Star, Luke exclaims, "Carrie!" when he hears Leia (Carrie Fisher) call "Luke!" Sound designer Ben Burtt has confirmed that, after extensive listening, it appears to be "Hey" or "Yay"; 'Mark Hamill' reports that he said, "Hey! There she is!" but mumbled the last word.
-- Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
Fuck IMDB, go watch the laserdisc-versions instead. It's "Carrie!", no question about it.
Sure, in later releases the "Carrie!" has been replaced, but I'm telling you, he did shout "Carrie!"
Re:hopefulness
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 1, Funny
And Mark Hamill tells us otherwise. Who are we to believe? Someone who has them on laser disc, or the guy who said the line?
I'd say the one with the laserdisc as the one who said the line may be under a contract or whatever preventing him from telling the truth: have you ever noticed how many "wonderful" directors have been working with "incredible" actresses/actors according to the DVD bonuses, no conflict, no hard work, only fun. Come on, a movie is a project involving tight delays, big budgets, etc. it cannot be Disneyland as the DVD bonuses are trying to tell. So I'm pretty sure that the actors' contract include a part preventing them from telling certain things.
Beside this line have been said in 1977, about 30 years ago.
dammit, I wish I could find someone who could provice me with a dvd copy of the laserdisc with the full 5.1 souindtrack and in high quality, but everyone I've asked doesn't know where to find such a thing.
I might add that I'd much rather have a seamless branching edition of the films that allow us to watch either version, and that I would pay for happily.
"I'm just hoping they left in the bit where the Stormtrooper entering the control room where C3PO & R2D2 are at whacks his head coming in."
I doubt they'd take it out, as they reference that in Episode 2 -- Jango Fett (whom the stormtroopers are cloned from) whacks his head on the door to his ship the same way that the stormtrooper does in ANH.
That would be difficult because the only SW laserdiscs with 5.1 are the SE versions. The upcoming DVDs are esentially the SE versions, so there's no need for a bootleg of that. Unless you have a problem with the post-SE changes, which would be stupid if you didn't have a problem with the SE changes in the first place.
If you want Han Solo to shoot first, you'll have to have him shoot first in the original glorious surround stereo.
Trying to merge the SE audio over is a rather difficult proposition not only for the changed scenes, but because the sound track itself was changed in places, the music in particular.
I found a useful workaround was to look for media and formats that are relatively obscure. Laserdisc still has a reputation, which means it's still pricy on eBay et al.
I got a CED and CED Player when I wanted to get the original version. This is a format RCA came out with in the early eighties and it died a quick death. You can get players on eBay, and the discs themselves, extremely cheaply, and what makes it even better is that the media itself is solid state (not magnetic), so as long as it hasn't been scratched, it will look as good as it did in 1981-3 (or whenever it was when it was made.)
Now, that's not fantastic, but it's reasonable. Also if the format you buy supports stereo, then chances are you're getting a Dolby ProLogic (5.1) soundtrack (because that's what was on the original reels, these being transfered to video more or less unchanged.) Feed it into a modern receiver, and you're good to go.
About the only major downsides are the resolutions and the fact what you buy will be full screen.
-- You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Re:hopefulness
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
On my older VHS version I must have played that bit over 10 times, but I still can't tell what he says. It sounds like he says "Carrie!", but that the sound guy spotted the goof and muffled it so badly that now it just sounds like some sort of nondescript yell.
Uh... "the significantly older version of Han" was filmed with the original movie, and a stand-in (a fat guy wearing some sort of fur outfit, looked kinda like Cyrano Jones from The Trouble With Tribbles) for Jabba, that George originally planned to replace with a stop motion Hut.
When that plan didn't work out (didn't have the time/budget/tech to do it convincingly) they added the Greedo scene to pass on the same information about Han's difficulties with the local smugglar king, which is why the conversation with Jabba is essentially the same as the conversation with Greedo.
I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
elberserko
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· Score: 5, Informative
The only true way to see the original theatrical versions of the trilogy is to get the laserdiscs. Not only does it look and sound better than the VHS but If you get the right ones, they are widescreen, which no VHS copy of the "original theatrical" versions have to the best of my knowledge.
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 2, Informative
In 1995, when the originals were remastered and released as the "faces" box set, they released VHS full screen, VHS widescreen, and LD widescreen editions.
In 1998, when they released the Special Editions, they released both full and widescreen in VHS and widescreen in LD.
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
bgarland
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· Score: 1
I've actually got them (in widescreen), but my laserdisc player died a couple years ago. I guess I should get a new one, and transfer them to my Mac and make a DVD out of it. MMmmm weekend projects =)
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
localman
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· Score: 1
My buddy has these, and every few years we do a viewing with an LCD projector. They are the best versions that a person could hope to own: good picture and sound, and original theatrical content.
Only problem is the LD swap thing. We've considered putting them on DVD. I bet someone already has and is selling them. Which I'd pay for.
I won't pay for this garbage that Lucas is releasing, though.
Cheers.
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
opwierde
·
· Score: 1
I'll have a torrent of that please.
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Nogami_Saeko
·
· Score: 4, Informative
I did that myself - I wouldn't buy pirate DVDs, but I had no problem format-shifting them myself (and doing some cleanup) - LDs through a DV transcoder into the computer, some DVNR and pull the edges of the letterbox down to pure black so as to not waste bits in MPG encoding, pulldown to 24frame progressive, multipass encoding, then some subtitling for the aliens talking.
That said, although the video looks good, it would certainly benefit from a digital-surround mix...
Hmm... Wonder about extracting the new remastered audio from the DVD release and re-editing it to match the older visuals, then recombine it. May be worth a shot:)
N.
-- "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
localman
·
· Score: 1
Wow -- you're the DVD f'n master! I was just gonna import it straight and burn it out. Too bad I can't buy copies off you!
Cheers.
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
bgarland
·
· Score: 1
I was thinking about doing this, as I have the original LDs, a Mac, and a DVD burner. Do you have any advice? Or would you be willing to part with a copy? It looks like you have more video editing experience than I do, so your version probably looks a lot better than anything I could do. Please get in touch: http://hangwire.com/
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
fliptout
·
· Score: 1
Hmm.. If I already owned a store bought copy of a movie, I wouldnt have any qualms with buying the exact same movie in a different format, albeit pirated.
-- A witty saying proves you are wittier than the next guy.
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
iainl
·
· Score: 1
Personally, I can't stand the '97 5.1 mix. The mixes on these new DVD versions is far superior to that, but partly because it sounds so much more like the original Dolby Stereo mix.
How did you do the audio transfer? If you'd ripped the uncompressed PCM off the LD's digital out I'd have been surprised to hear any audio complaints - its an absolutely classic mix.
On another note, as someone else who has done this (only with rather less ability on the video side), they do look nice, but these new DVDs are absolutely STUNNING. If you look past the little changes, the core issues of colour timing, fine detail, compression artifacting and so on are amongst the best I've ever seen, and certainly the best of any catalogue release from that era. Its really, really worth owning both these discs and the original cut from laser.
-- "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
aoty
·
· Score: 1
Not true. I have the original trilogy box set, THX Widescreen Edition, in front of me right now. Cost about $50 in '96 but well worth it. Even though I'm completely sick of Star Wars, I'm holding on to them for my kids to enjoy someday (assuming I can still find a working VCR then).
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
chill182
·
· Score: 1
There is a widescreen VHS set of the original trilogy. My brother has it. It came with a fourth tape of the making of Star Wars.
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Megane
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· Score: 1
I have both the "Faces" version and the regular widescreen version. (They also made a pan and scan full-screen version, and a time-compressed single-disc version of the three original movies, but I was never interested in those.) And two DVL-909 players (one boxed up and stowed in a closet).
Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
All I can say about this is: HA, HA! (insert pic of Nelson here) Of course the people who didn't care that Han no longer shoots first shouldn't care about the new changes, either. If they do care about the new changes, then they got what they deserved for not caring before.
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
Amber Fry?
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
localman
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· Score: 1
Qualms? No. I just doubt the guy would be willing to sell it for fear of legal repercussions.
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Ilgaz
·
· Score: 1
If you have captured all in mpeg 1, you wasted the LD.
LD needs mpeg 4 or lets say, pretty configured divx to master.
Its NOT VHS, its near betacam quality...
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Ahnteis
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· Score: 1
Check ebay.
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
bill_mcgonigle
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· Score: 1
Can you recommend some software for the noise reduction and letterbox matteing?
-- My God, it's Full of Source! OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Nogami_Saeko
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· Score: 1
Actually, I just used Virtualdub. After capturing the LDs as multiple AVI files (30 minute sides from the CAV discs), I stitched them all together in VD and made the cuts between discs clean and output a master AVI file (~22gb).
Then it was just a matter of playing with virtualdub filters to clean up the video and apply the cropping letterbox. There are lots of free filters out that you can play with - the key is to make small changes.
I also used soundforge to apply some light noise reduction to the 2-channel audio mix to get a bit of the BG hiss out during quiet sections.
N.
-- "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Nogami_Saeko
·
· Score: 1
Unfortunately I couldn't capture the digital PCM as my LD players are slightly older models that only have coax AC3 plugs that I have no way of using.
So I had to go with an analog capture which was good, but not perfect.
N.
-- "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Zarquon
·
· Score: 1
Converting RCA spdif to optical is trivial.. the most basic converters are more or less just an opamp and LED. You can occasionally get away with just an LED depending on the driving circuit, but I'd use at least a inline current limiting resistor.
Also, many soundcards with an optical SP/DIF input also have an internal header for an RCA (spdif) connection. In additional, the digital CD-ROM connection uses a variation of SP/DIF (SP/DIF with a 0-5v signal level.)
-- "'Tis great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults, greater to tell him his." --Poor Richard's Almanac
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
iainl
·
· Score: 1
That's very helpful if your amp or soundcard only has optical inputs and you've got an spdif to work with.
However, what the grandparent is referring to is that rather obscure Laserdisc-only format of an rf-modulated AC-3 signal. This was used because the Dolby 5.1 signal had to go on the right analogue stream of the disc.
A good late-edition LD player will have two seperate digital outputs - the RF one I've just described for getting Dolby 5.1, and also a 'normal' digital stream (more usually optical than spdif, in my experience) that you need to get either DTS, or as I was describing doing with the Star Wars discs, a PCM bitstream.
-- "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Zarquon
·
· Score: 1
Depends on the player. Only ones I've seen demodulate the AC3 and provide an spdif output. I think they were pioneers.
You're right. If it's the raw RF output, it's a lot more expensive. Once it's demodulated the ac3 is delivered by SP-DIF, either RCA or optical, and my previous post applies.
-- "'Tis great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults, greater to tell him his." --Poor Richard's Almanac
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Zarquon
·
· Score: 1
-- "'Tis great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults, greater to tell him his." --Poor Richard's Almanac
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
iainl
·
· Score: 1
Aaah, so it was.
Anyway, going back to my original point, I was merely pointing out that the poster's player only had an unmodulated AC3 out, and not a digital output for the PCM track.
But the pre-Special Edition laserdiscs that we're all using to make DVDs of don't have AC3 tracks, and so his player won't be outputting a digital signal of any kind. Which is a bummer, but buying a whole new player just to get slightly better sound from three films is a touch silly.
-- "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
Zarquon
·
· Score: 1
However, the newer revision laserdisc editions _did_ contain an LPCM track, which would be available unaltered via spdif on some players.
A little software, some encoding, and you can produce a very good AC3 track out of it. Not 5.1, but you can reencode in AC3 if your decoder doesn't decode the old Dolby Surround.
-- "'Tis great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults, greater to tell him his." --Poor Richard's Almanac
Re:I'll stick to my LaserDiscs....
by
smartalix
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· Score: 1
Not only that, but if you get the "Star Wars Definitive Collection" on Laserdisc (I paid $200 for mine retail when it first came out), the boxed set also includes all that documentary footage and a book, "George Lucas, the creative impulse" covering all of his mivies and the ideas behind "Star Wars".
Of course, I give out a little ironic laugh every time I look at the title.
-- Read a preview of my novel CYBERCHILD at www.smartalix.com/cyberchild
Re:Anonymous Coward.
by
TheShadowHawk
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· Score: 3, Funny
TheShadowHawk:P
-- Friends don't let Friends use Internet Explorer.
Sorry people
by
Neo-Rio-101
·
· Score: 5, Informative
If you RTFA, you see this:-
The controversy. The versions of Lucas' beloved films that are on these new DVDs are not the original theatrical releases but the special editions that played in theaters in 1997. Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
In other words, "we want you to pay for the priveleg of finding out whether or not we fixed the scene with Greedo and Han".
Thank goodness for Slashdot - for sure there will be a review up the day they are released, and the first thing everyone on Slashdot who buys it will check is, "did Greedo still shoot first?". Of course, the second thing they check will be Princess Leia in the slave-girl outfit...
Re:Sorry people
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
Do you want the real answer? Yes. Greedo still shoots first by 2 frames -- tightened up a bit from the 1997 release, IIRC.
To point out the obvious (not a conspiracy theory)
by
kamapuaa
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
George Lucas is about making money, not about establishing or preserving legacies or whatever. I just have to believe that he'll release these DVDs, claim they're the only official release ever, and wait for every nerd to buy them, even though they grumble about it being the revised version.
Only then, after the DVD saled have slowed down, will he decide to relent, release the original movies on DVD, and snap up the profits from nerds re-purchasing the DVDs of the original movie.
Kind of the inverse of Lord of the Rings DVD strategy - Lucas realizes if he releases the original versions first, nobody will buy the revised versions later.
-- Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
Why can't Lucas take a hint from the LOTR series and release the 13-DVD super-duper box set with 35 variations of each film including the original versions and his new screwed up versions? Charge people eleventy-seven dollars or whatever... just give people what they want.... not what he thinks they should have.
Boycott the Release
by
l0ungeb0y
·
· Score: 1, Interesting
From the Article: "The versions of Lucas' beloved films that are on these new DVDs are not the original theatrical releases but the special editions that played in theaters in 1997. Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
If this is in fact true, I say don't buy the god damned things. Tell Lucas you're fed up with his constant reworking of a classic that needs no changing and that you want the unadulterated original release on DVD without any scene edits for DVD. Personally, Lucas needs to stand down and let others do the creative work.
No kidding, we don't need him tinkering with what was already successful and beloved. We certainly don't need them to do anything crazy like throwing random scenes with Anakin and Padme, or having Jar Jar jump up the screen every 15 seconds.
Of course, "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves," doesn't really give me the vote of confidence that they've learned anything.
Re:Boycott the Release
by
ViolentGreen
·
· Score: 1
Lucas needs to stand down and let others do the creative work.
That's a very arrogant post.
Who are you to say that? It is his vision and his work. He is not doing this just to please you. He is making the changes because he wants to and re-re-re-releasing them for the money. If an author puts out some crappy work, nobody tells him to get someone else to write his books. It's Lucas's work and legacy and he has all the right to portray it as he chooses.
-- Not everything is analogous to cars. Car analogies rarely work.
What I don't get is why both can't be included on the same DVD. DVDs already have chapter skipping abilities and the movies mainly have additional footage, so by skipping select chapters, the movies would be viewed identically to the original form. Just let the user select which version off one of the menus.
How many times does this need to be said: "I don't want the special editions! I want the versions I saw in the theatre as a kid and that is the only version I'm going to buy, ever!"
What about that do you not understand? He's not corecting minor errors, ie; the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs, he's altering the stories simply to alter them.
I'll tell you the ONLY changes I want to see are actually compensations for the transfer from film to video process: I want Dart Vader's eyes to be opaque again, and I want the matte boxes removed from around the space ships. And that's it.
Larry Niven correcting the backwards rotation of the Earth in "Ringworld" is fine. Larry Niven rewriting it so that Speaker To Animals is a vegitarian is wrong.
It's bad enough they're not releasing the original movies (at least until Lucas dies, then I'm sure they'll take advantage of the opportunity to sell us the same crap again). Now releasing the DVDs is generating interest in the Laserdisks, and I still haven't tracked down the other two THX/Widescreen movies (I've got Jedi at least). It wouldn't be so bad if most of the changes (like Greedo shooting first) weren't because Lucas has his head up his ass and is listening to critics (who, it should be noted, also have heads up their asses, very often their own).
-- Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
I remember, years ago, a documentary about the making of Star Wars. Apparently the crew on ESB sung a wee ditty about the previous film:
Star Wars,
Paid off the taxes,
Made me a fortune,
Bought me a car!
(I'm sure you can guess the tune...)
As an aside, wasn't Star Wars the first film to highlight the possiblities of merchandising? I find that difficult to believe, but I can't really remember back beyond Star Wars...
-- This is where the serious fun begins.
Always Check
by
buckhead_buddy
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I've noticed two types of DVD producers. Those who talk about the extended / enhanced super versions and those who do not.
My rule of thumb is that if a producer is side-stepping the question about producing an enhanced version that they are trying to get you to buy the first "sucker" version.
If they are against modifying the movie, they'll usually proclaim that they'll NEVER have an altered version available loud and clear.
If their production schedule for the enhanced version means that the two versions will be released separately, the honest producers will usually give two deadlines, but you've got to do your homework and check this out for yourself. Retail stores don't like to point out "This isn't the DVD you're probably looking for."
Fore example, I haven't seen "The Passion of the Christ" yet, may rent it, but I may buy it and if it's rubbish give it away for Christmas. But I notice it's being produced in all sorts of unenhanced versions (widescreen, normal, Church 50-packs, etc). Only rumors are circulating about a possible enhanced release. Personally, I'll wait for "The Passion of the Christ - Second Coming!" rather than sweep up the version available at the end of August.
>Personally, I'll wait for "The Passion of the Christ - Second Coming!" rather than sweep up the version available at the end of August.
I want the version with audio commentary by Christ's dad.
I do believe I'd have to wear that one out.
As would we all.
Wake me up when they put the ORIGINALs on DVD
by
neurojab
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
An open letter to George Lucas.
Dear George,
The nostalgic value for DVD collectors of these movies is very high, but your changes destroy that value. No one who loved the movies in the 70s and 80s wants the "special edition" release, or the changes you have made since. The changes make them new movies, lesser versions of their former selves, they certainly are not the same movies I enjoyed in my youth. One of the great things about Star Wars was the amazing effect work that was very groundbreaking using the technology of the day. Updating the films with new technology destroys that accomplishment.
I will not buy Star Wars (again) until the original, unmodified movie is on DVD. Likewise for Empire.
Thank you. -an 80's Star Wars fan in your target market.
Re:Wake me up when they put the ORIGINALs on DVD
by
daVinci1980
·
· Score: 4, Funny
Dear 80's Star Wars fan in my target market,
Actually, I'm willing to be that you will purchase this version when it comes out. You'll open up the shiny plastic and you'll curse my name for not releasing the "pure" movies. It is possible that you will resist this boxed set, but fortunately for me you have friends and relatives who remember how much you love Star Wars, and *certainly* one or more of them will purchase this collection for you. Either way, your money will already be mine, and I won't really care. I'll be laughing all the way to the bank in one of my 30 new Ferraris.
However, I will let you in on a little secret. Ever since DVD came around as a format, I've been saying that I didn't feel DVD was an appropriate format for the Star Wars franchise. I didn't think the betamax sales had fallen off enough to cannibalize my own market share. However, I've clearly changed views on that, and it is therefore likely that at *some* point in the future, I will release the super-duper-ultra-elite-Star-Wars-Final-absolutely -no-kidding-this-time Edition. Which will actually just be the original theater version.
I hope this tidbit holds you over.
The master of your wallet,
George Lucas
--
I currently have no clever signature witicism to add here.
Re:Wake me up when they put the ORIGINALs on DVD
by
neurojab
·
· Score: 2, Funny
>fortunately for me you have friends and relatives who remember how much you love Star Wars, and *certainly* one or more of them will purchase this collection for you. Either way, your money will already be mine
No, that's not true. That's impossible! NO!!!!!
Re:Wake me up when they put the ORIGINALs on DVD
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
[5 minutes later]
#!/usr/bin/perl
@family = ('Bob', 'Jane', 'Joe User');
foreach $name (@family) {
open LETTER, ">$name.txt" || die "Could not open $name.txt";
print LETTER <<EOD; Dear $name:
As you almost certainly know, I'm a huge Star Wars fan, going way back to the 1970s when I stood in line to watch the orginal movie 16 times over a 3 day period. This Christmas season a new DVD version of the original 3 Star Wars episodes is supposed to become available. It is a bit presumptuous of me, but please note: although you might consider this an obvious potential Christmas present, I'm not interested because this version has been substantially modified from the original (e.g., Han shoots first!). If you really want to make me happy, please try to get the original Laser Disc (that's not DVD, but the big disks the size of an old vinyl record) version, which is often obtainable used.
Sincerely,
I.M. Geek EOD
close LETTER;
}
Re:Wake me up when they put the ORIGINALs on DVD
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
I really hate the new versions of the original trilogy, and I'm contemplating NOT buying the set coming out in September.
But in the event that GL does actually decide to release the originals, I wouldn't mind seeing it "cleaned up" a bit. For instance, removing the "boxy" look of the tie fighters flying through space would be cool, and let's face it, the new explosion of the death star looks way better.
That said, NOBODY (even GL) has the right to change the story line (Han shoots first, Luke does not scream when he leaps off the platform, Ewoks don't have a DJ, etc.) of such a phenomenal peice of American pop culture. Hell, I'd even call it art. And WE made George Lucas rich, WE DID. If our parents, and we as adults didn't go see/buy his movies, he'd have nothing. And as much as I am thankful that he had such a vision in his earlier years, I am appalled at his lack of respect for the fans and the people who put him (and Star Wars) where he is today. It's sick.
So that's my take on it. If GL wants to release a "cleaned up" Episode IV, V, and VI, fine with me. But DON'T, upon pain, torture or death RUIN such a masterpeice as Star Wars. Because it's bad enough that you came up with JarJar Binks.
Yeah, he's replacing some character called Han Solo. This Han guy wasn't popular with viewers aged eight or less, and as you can tell from the most recent films, this is the market segment they're really aiming for.
it took a while for Lucas to figure out his new old movies (ep 4-6) would not be making as much money as first anticipated. Given the post 2000 (equity) market decline, and the leveling off of the 2003 run-up momentum, Lucas was left with no other alternative but to re-sell something popular.
-tid242
--
With a few exceptions, secrecy is deeply incompatible with democracy and with science. --Carl Sagan
Just be thankful...
by
Chordonblue
·
· Score: 4, Funny
...They didn't replace the original Anakin with Jar-Jar!
(The HORROR!)
-- "...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
The DVDs are still available
by
spoco2
·
· Score: 1
Oh yes they are... Bittorrent is your friend... the quality is not up to par with a new DVD, but DANG they look nice, and they are AS I REMEMBER THEM.
Love them:D
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
wass
·
· Score: 5, Funny
Isn't he also changing the name to 'The Gathering Shadow' and making the following the scrolling introduction:
It is a time of uncertainty. The empire's ambiguous tariff statutes mandate close reexamination of galactic import quotas. Interim Princess Agoomba has co-chaired a subcommittee to draft amendments to existing trade policies
Meanwhile, regulatory agencies are being heavily lobbied by a consortium of mercantile interest groups and their suppliers to streamline loading restrictions for class C cargo vessels. The shipping...
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Waffle+Iron
·
· Score: 5, Funny
If they were offering the original movies on DVD, I'd jump at it. I don't know how I feel about this revisionist version, but it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.
I have altered the film. Pray I don't alter it any further.
-GL
DCMA and copyright to the rescue
by
gordo3000
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I cannot find it now, but I remember reading that if a work is no longer made available in todays standards then it looses its protection against copyright. This might have only been high tech, I`m not even very sure of it,but I think it compares to coming out with a song on record adn now since you won`t release on cd, no one can listen. So you lose copyright.
If this istrue,I wonder if it would mean the original theatrical releases now fall under this because lucas refuses to release them.
I`m not sure adn definitely not a lawyer, but any takers as to the truth of this???
Re:DCMA and copyright to the rescue
by
cei
·
· Score: 1
I call bullshit. Find the text on the government's copyright website or stop propagating lies. And anyway, the original film prints are still locked up in a vault somewhere and it will be a while before projectors stop being made.
-- This sig intentionally left justified.
Re:DCMA and copyright to the rescue
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
And anyway, the original film prints are still locked up in a vault somewhere and it will be a while before projectors stop being made.
Not that it matters for this argument, but I thought Lucas was claiming that there are NO film prints of the original theatrical release anymore.
Re:DCMA and copyright to the rescue
by
EvanED
·
· Score: 1
From what I hear, the Library of Congress has on, and Lucas tried everything he could think of to get them to replace it with the Special Edition and they wouldn't.
Have no clue if that's true or not; info from a Fark post.;-)
Re:DCMA and copyright to the rescue
by
TKarrde98
·
· Score: 1
Last I heard, media did not lose its copyright until 70 years after the death of the creator/copyright holder. Disney sued to get that law because Mickey Mouse was about to become Public Domain a few years back.
-=TK
-- ---------------------
"Every man, without exception, is full of it." -- Athanasius
Re:DCMA and copyright to the rescue
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
call bullshit all you want, but man, you need to calm down. I was asking if anyone had heard what I was remembering or if I was wrong. Anyways, anyone who reads that comment and thinks that it is some declaration of truth is an idiot(cough, that would be you). Read the last two lines rather than getting all bent out of shape, I was wondering. But I guess you can`t ask honest questions on a web board.
after doing some digging, I think my comment actually had to do with software patents though again, I`m not sure. But just for anyone that wants to call bullshit on this, I am not trying to propogate some lie. Before you lose control and decide to call all this a lie, I`m not even claiming it as fact. And of course, again, if you are foolish enough to read slashdot and think all the posts are stating facts, well, I feel very sorry for you.
-gordo3000, still too lazy to log in
Yes, they do...
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
...because I own them
came in a big blue collectors box with a hologram on the front... I got mine from QVC sometime in the early 90's, If I remember right.
They changed it? you mean
by
commodoresloat
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
"These aren't the DVDs you're looking for."
Is it the "Coke Classic" ploy?
by
NotQuiteReal
·
· Score: 3, Funny
1) Sell the [slightly?] altererd DVD versions to those who just have to have them.
2) Profit!
1b) Then wait a bit and [re]-sell the "original" version to purists who have to have that.
2b) Profit!
Wow, you don't even need the usual 3 steps.
-- This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
Re:Is it the "Coke Classic" ploy?
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
Wow, you don't even need the usual 3 steps. You must be bad at math cause that is 4 steps. And you also messed up because step 2 is supposed to be ???? If you are gonna do a cliche at least get it right. Christ why don't you just post about Natalie Portman with hot oatmeal in her pants.
Re:Is it the "Coke Classic" ploy?
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1, Funny
Because this time, Natalie shot first and got the grits in my pants.
Re:Is it the "Coke Classic" ploy?
by
EvanED
·
· Score: 1
Nono... you're missing a few releases.
1) This upcoming release of the OT 2) A future release, with all six movies, with the further edits to bring them in line with a single storyline and patch up some holes 3) A bunch of years after that, a "Special Edition" of the above 4) Finally, the originals
Re:Is it the "Coke Classic" ploy?
by
RoadWarriorX
·
· Score: 1
Sounds more like "The Disney Ploy" algorithm:
float disney_ploy(struct movie* x) { float total = 0.0; make_movie(x); total+=release_movie(x); wait(x, six_months); total+=sell(x, video && dvd); label(x, "Disney Classic"); while (still_profitable(x)) { put(x, disney_vault); wait(x, seven_years); remaster(x); total+=sell(x, video && dvd); } return total; }
Oops, there's seems to be an infinite loop in there, somewhere...
Why couldn't Lucas just release two DVD sets - one with the originals, one with his special edition?
He could make more money off the completists this way, too.
I wrote the prior post ("Always Check" - Article#9998184) in response to this article:
I'm going to wait...believe it or not.
by Agent Green (231202) *
on Wednesday August 18, @01:04AM (#9998016)
I'm actually going to wait this one out. I can't recall how many times the trilogy was released on VHS...and am not going to get taken like a sucker on this like I was with Fellowship of the Ring ...
After a bunch of Error 503's, the submit button finally kicks in. Yet when it's posted it gets attached to "Now Wait A Second" Article #9998031 which is on a completely different subject and makes me look like I'm more insane than I actually am:-)
Something weird's up with slashdot tonight. Be on the look out.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
holy shit someone moderate that up.. hahaaaaaa
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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pdamoc
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Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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bahamat
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I've got the originals on DVD. I copied them from a friend of mine who picked up a tiawanese bootleg set at a pawn shop.
It's got surprisingly good quality, and I was absolutely delited to find that it was the original trilogy.
The only down side is that the subtitles are in engrish. Oh well, can't win em all.
'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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Chordonblue
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· Score: 4, Insightful
Be careful what you wish for - I envision the future this way:
***Yo, Yo, Yo!!!*** - Check It! It's 'Star Wars Interactive' comin' to you on Supa Blu-Ray!
- See the original blocky transparencies around Tie Fighters and X-Wings! (Some of you out there really want that, huh?)
- Replace Greedo with Jar-Jar and make Han shoot first again! And again. And again!
- See the original Irish guy who played the part of Jabba the Hutt and put him in Episode Six!
- Give Boba Fett some extra rocket fuel so he can escape his fate!
Seriously, you know this sort of thing is coming eventually. So is all this panic about original versions a case of purity or old-tyme familiarity for us old farts? Believe me, it's hard to see some of this stuff happening to the films I grew up with (I was 12 when I saw Star Wars), but is the fact that Greedo shot first going to change the entire demeanor of the film?
Maybe it's a question of relevancy. As time goes on, you can expect more of this sort of thing to happen to films like it has with music.
Example: Look at Rap. Rap recycles old music into newer stuff. Should that be outlawed too?
-- "...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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Edgebound
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Example: Look at Rap. Rap recycles old music into newer stuff. Should that be outlawed too?
The difference is that the old music is still available, and it's available in the 'new' CD format too! In this case, Lucas has decreed "You may only purchase the rap version on CD. If you like the original, well, try to find it on LP or something. I don't care"
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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Boronx
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The problem is not that Greedo shoots first, it's that he shoots first and misses. His blaster is leveled right at Han's chest, barely a foot away, and Han isn't moving, and Greedo isn't exactly twitchy.
No way Greedo misses, which is why Han *has* to shoot first. It's a major plot hole.
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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zaxios
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Example: Look at Rap. Rap recycles old music into newer stuff. Should that be outlawed too?
No, and neither should the old music it recycles.
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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fr0dicus
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No, it's a cock-up, not a plot hole. You all want Greedo shooting first removed altogether, so how can it be a plot hole?
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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dave420
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Rap artists don't replace the original tracks with their alterations. Indeed, anyone who re-uses music like that releases their work alongside, and don't stop us from being able to buy the old versions on CD. There is a huge difference.
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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Phil+John
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Example: Look at Rap...... Should that be outlawed too?
Yes, yes it should.
-- I am NaN
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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Anonymous Coward
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(Paraphrased) Should Rap be outlawed too?
Absolutely! Anything that keeps that junk off the radio and TV should be supported. Every time I see some moron with a name like 'Puff Daddy' or 'Snoop Dawg' I think to myself "is that what your mother calls you when she rings you at home?". And what's all this 'ho' crap? I'd bet a giant clock on a chain that every rapper who calls his wife or girlfriend 'ho' is a rapper who'll be sleeping in the dog's kennel for the forseeable future.
I've heard more intelligent monologues from the meths-drinkers at the local bus-stop.
(slightly tongue-in-cheek, but I really can't abide Rap)
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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chefren
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Example: Look at Rap. Rap recycles old music into newer stuff. Should that be outlawed too?
Yes! Yes! Yes! Pleeaase! I will offer a pint of the blood of my firstborn child to whoever outlaws rap!
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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Anonymous Coward
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Look at Rap. Rap recycles old music into newer stuff. Should that be outlawed too?
Yes. Yes it should.
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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Anonymous Coward
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"Example: Look at Rap. Rap recycles old music into newer stuff. Should that be outlawed too?"
Yes. Yes it should. All rap should be outlawed.
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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Anonymous Coward
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1992 wants its joke back, while 1985 wants this one back.
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - God help us...
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emarkp
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See the original blocky transparencies around Tie Fighters and X-Wings!
You know, I can still see those. Are you suggesting they've been removed?
While you probably meant this as a joke, changing end credits would be much harder to do than to change the content of the movie itself.
Cameramen have guilds and unions (e.g. IATSE) that will raise a royal stink if the credits for their members were changed. Unless the names are in alphabetical order, the order of names for a position indicates clout of the person or significance of their contribution to the movie.
I think that fighting a few "purist librarians" and changing the order of the alphabet would be an easier task than fighting a union.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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polecat_redux
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I was under the impression that this wonderful new data format called "DVD" makes it possible to intersperse additional or modified scenes within the original picture (at the viewer's leisure). Perhaps if Lucas wasn't such an arrogant narcissist, he would try harder to appease fans of the original films rather than screwing needlessly with history.
Release dates not new
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motivator_bob
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· Score: 2, Insightful
These have been advertised (here in Oz at least) for a while now. Link shows box/cover art.
I'm writing a letter with pen and paper (okay, laserjet and paper) to Lucasfilm, stating that I will not buy the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD unless it includes the original theatrical version.
I've got four copies of the original trilogy, two original (one widescreen, one pan-'n'-scan) and two special edition (one widescreen, one pan-'n'-scan). That's quite enough. The only reason I'd want them on DVD is so that they don't degrade as fast as the VHS copies are.
I'm no longer interested in Lucas's further changes to the trilogy. (You could say I'm no longer as serious a fan as I was back when the special edition came out. Growing up, getting married, and having a kid will do that to you.) The only thing I will pay for is the original trilogy on DVD, in its original, theatrical format.
-- "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
Re:To point out the obvious (not a conspiracy theo
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Sancho
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Believe it or not, there are a LOT of people who would buy the special editions because "they're the special editions!" Most of the sheeple believe marketing hype and I bet even a few of them like the changes. I'd even bet even money that the purists are in the minority; they're just in the majority here because of the demographic.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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grolschie
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Exactly. The re-released tarted-up movies with stupid computer drawn extras looked rather stupid. Cannot beat the original movies.
Actually, as the other guy said, both of our quotes works...mine for the aspect that its FINALLY going on DVD, and yours because well....look what george lucas branded CRAP he's put out lately;)
Anamorphic laserdisc versions?
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kobotronic
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I have a fairly nice THX laserdisc set of the original trilogy. The only problem is that they're NTSC widescreen versions with only slightly more than 200 picture scanlines due to the crap vertical resolution of the format. Did they ever release an anamorphic widescreen version? If so, I think I have another holy grail to look for. Because I sure as shit ain't buying the latest offering from George.
Re:Anamorphic laserdisc versions?
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Anonymous Coward
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Is that the big black box with a tie fighter on the front? I got it in the mid 90s. It's nice becuase it's CAV. The downside is that it's 9 LDs total so there's a lot of disk changing when you watch it.
Re:Anamorphic laserdisc versions?
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kennedy
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i dont think there are *any* anamorphic LDs. the format was designed for playback on low-def tvs and the likes.
Re:Anamorphic laserdisc versions?
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kobotronic
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Untrue. They were rare, but they exist. Long before DVDs came out there was CRT home theater video projection systems. On these you could easily adjust the aspect ratio of the scanned video area. Even today I use a Barco system from 1992, it runs 16:9 720p content just fine.
I have several anamorphic laserdiscs. They look okay, though colors aren't nearly as good as DVD because it's an analog y/c system as opposed to a digital 3-component system. But it's roughly the same effective resolution, and you don't have MPEG2 compression artefacts to worry about.
If I did have access to an anamorphic CAV Star Wars LD set, it would be relatively simple to patch in the "good" scenes over a DVD rip from the new release.
Lucas-Crap(TM)
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Udo+Schmitz
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· Score: 2, Insightful
George originally planned to replace with a stop motion Hut.
Just another example of George-Lucas-revisionist-history. If they wanted to replace the fat guy with a puppet in 1976/1977 they would have had to do the scene with greenscreen or rear projection. In that time there would have been absolutely no way to replace that actor. (With all the interacting with and walking behind Harrison Ford) And why on earth would there be need for the fur costume?
No, that guy was planned as Jabba. Time constraints called for cuts and a Jabba that doesn't show up is somewhat more sinister anyway. Hitchcock taugzt us that what isn't shown in movies can be the most menacing.
Why do people still buy Georges crap? (No, I'm not talking about the DVDs)
Re:Lucas-Crap(TM)
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Anonymous Coward
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Ford only walks behind Jabba in the new cut. That was added digitally. In the original scene he only stands in front of him.
Re:Lucas-Crap(TM)
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Anthony+Boyd
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· Score: 2, Informative
If they wanted to replace the fat guy with a puppet in 1976/1977 they would have had to do the scene with greenscreen or rear projection.
Huh? No they wouldn't. They would film the stop-motion Hut with greenscreen, then superimpose that on top of the furry guy.
They would film the stop-motion Hut with greenscreen, then superimpose that on top of the furry guy.
Which would be impossible if anything else (speak: Han Solo) gets in the way. Remember the stepping-on-Jabbas-tail-joke in the SE? They would have needed to film Han (foreground), Jabba (middle) and the Falcon (background) seperately. Which they didn't. Which proves they never wanted to replace the irish fur model. And it would have looked shitty anyway. And it still wouldn't make sense to give a standin a costume.
Ford only walks behind Jabba in the new cut. That was added digitally. In the original scene he only stands in front of him.
Grr. Argh. I didn't write anything about Han behind Jabba, did I? Read it again, what I wrote was: "walking behind Harrison Ford". Which is the thing that makes replacing Jabba with anything else in 1976/1977 impossible.
You don't need to use green screens to make mattes. They just make the process easier.
Digitally this is true. But we talk 1970s for chrissake! Look at all stop motion stuff done in that period. Look at 1983s Return of the Jedi and Lukes fight against the Rancor. And this was 6 years before.
OOOH! George I-Hate-My-Fans Lucas has...
by
riprjak
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· Score: 1
...found another way to shit on our childhoods.
!!major rant warning!!
Like the poor dude from pvponline I am subconsciously programmed from seeing the originals at the cinema to buy this crap but; Ill bet Han Solo doesnt fucking fire first like in those special editions (LISTEN UP LUCAS, YOU FUCKNUT, IT WAS BETTER THE ORIGINAL WAY!!!!); IMHO he would have been better served making the new movies more old school and, perhaps, AVOIDING THE FUCKING MIDICHLORIAN IDEA!!!
Lets face it, Obi-Oh-look-I-was-Irish-as-a-young-man-but-british -as-an-adult-Wan apparently knew about these things when he explained the force to luke in ep IV according to ep I... WHY THE FUCK WOULD HE FORGET TO MENTION IT THEN??? unless they were something George I-Like-To-Shit-On-My-Fans Lucas dreamed up while smoking crack and planning to make a mockery of our childhood adoration of him.
*shudder* if only we weren't, generally speaking, limited to star-trek-wars for Sci-Fi; some writers (JMS, Im talking about you) can maintain continuity across a complex storyline; even remembering the past when they write the future, even if the tell the story out of step...
!!end rant!!
Look, I love starwars, and treasure the original videos (long since ripped onto DVD) as great films and stories... such a pity he fucked everything up from that point (JAR JAR FUCKING BINKS ANYONE???)... ah well, what are you gonna do??
Sorry;) just my 0.02 err! jak
Re:OOOH! George I-Hate-My-Fans Lucas has...
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Anonymous Coward
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Look, the Special Edition+ version coming out on DVD is all well and good (well, except for Greedo, Jabba and some other assorted changes I hate), but where the FCUK ARE THE DELETED SCENES!?!
You know. Those ones that appeared on 'Behind The Magic' double CD set from ANH, some random scenes from Hoth removed from ESB and the infamous ROTJ sandstorm (some pictures of which are scenes here: http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/416.html (X-Entertainment.com)).
He has no reason for not including them on the DVD release.
He has no reason for not including them on the DVD release.
Of course he does. If they aren't included in this DVD release, they can milk _another_ DVD release in a couple years.
How hard would it be...
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multiplexo
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· Score: 4, Interesting
To get LaserDiscs of the original movies before George started fucking around with them and remaster them onto DVDs and then distribute them underground? I have no desire to see the new and improved _Star Wars_ and it just shows how unoriginal Lucas is, he can't come up with anything new so he just reedits _Star Wars_ and re-releases it every time he needs a few more bux (just like the way Francis Ford Coppola) keeps re-editing _Apocalypse Now_ and adding new footage.
I'd be willing to bet that with decent equipment you could make a pretty good transfer from a LaserDisc and while it might not have the resolution or sound of the new versions it would retain all of the stuff that made the original movies so great.
-- cheap labor conservatives - they want to keep you hungry enough to be thankful for minimum wage.
Re:How hard would it be...
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bgarland
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I'm thinking about doing an LD->DVD transfer if I can't get ahold of a decent DVD version that someone else has done already (and I'm sure it's been done *many* times).
Anyone know?
Re:How hard would it be...
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Anonymous Coward
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Roughly as hard as it would be to do a search on ebay. I bought DVDs transferred from the laserdisc several years ago from ebay. Both the original trilogy and the special edition. They're a little grainy what with the mpeg artifacts (I assume because of both inferior source material and encoding techniques) but they're still worlds better than vhs. Also, the boxes looked fairly pro and the dvds were factory pressed. Came from some people in Hong Kong. I know, big surprise.
Re:How hard would it be...
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Anonymous Coward
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I'll post this anon, because of the nature of this post, but it's already been done, and the.torrents can be found. *cough*suprnova.org*cough*
Re:How hard would it be...
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EvilIdler
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I've seen torrents of the Star Wars trilogy DVDs. Maybe it's the real thing, but it's equally likely they're really the laserdisc versions.
It's only 14 gigabytes of downloads, if you have the patience;)
Re:How hard would it be...
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buckeyeguy
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I have the original SW/ANH on an old, crappy format of video disk (the RCA capacitance disks); bought back then because they were cheaper. Almost tempted to fire up the player and see what the differences are. They wouldn't be worth putting on DVD, that's for damn sure.
-- I'd have a personalized plate on my car, but "toxic bachelor" won't fit into 7 letters.
Re:How hard would it be...
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scharkalvin
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Well I DO have the original triligy on LD, and when I buy myself a DVD recorder (still waiting for the right mix of features and price) I will transfer them to DVD (before my old Sony MD player finally dies). The LD's still look good, the DVD transfer should be ok.
Re:How hard would it be...
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Been Done already just look for the DR G versions which are DVD size versions of the WS Laserdisc
There is also DVD case art and graphics available so you can roll your own.
Alt binaries starwars has them from time to time and I imagine they show up on other networks as well
I have the original SW/ANH on an old, crappy format of video disk (the RCA capacitance disks)
Ah, needlevision... thanks to confusing the public who couldn't tell the difference ("Duhhh, it was big and it played videos so it must have been one of them there laser thingies"), it probably did more to kill the laserdisc format than most of the real faults of laserdisc combined. Except maybe the one about how LDs cost $8 a disc to manufacture in the low quantities needed for the Home Theatre market. Some of that cost was for the clean room environment that they originally didn't realize they would need for manufacturing discs.
I had a VHS->DVD transfer done from my widescreen, original trilogy. They look and sound exactly like the VHS versions, which is to say the quality is mediocre, but they are watchable. Except for Greedo shooting first, I think the Special Editions are good. Unfortunately, while most people here are griping about the "lousy changes" in the Special Edition movies, few have mentioned the absolute gouging that this set represents. 70 bucks!? The Indiana Jones trilogy DVD set debuted at $45, IIRC. And this "Star Wars Trilogy" DVD set is only going to be released again as a larger set with all the prequels included. I think I'll wait.
Re:How hard would it be...
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jayteedee
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· Score: 2, Informative
I have the Laserdiscs for ANH and ESB. The LD's were pretty good for the day, but they have a lot of the old movie artifacts which I find slightly annoying to watch. You see some film scratches and you see the "double dots" which appear in the upper right corner, which for you young-uns was used to switch from one film reel to the next during presentations in a theater. The new versions of the VHS competed with the LD quality just because of the clean-up work they did. Don't get me wrong, LD can compete and exceed the DVD quality, but more often than not, the original film (used many times) or the transfer process makes the difference in the final LD quality (or DVD for that matter). It seems to be only in the last 8 years that the majority of film production has concentrated on making a good transfer to VHS, DVD, or LD. Before that, you got what you got unless you paid through some orifice for the "Criterion Collection" (or some other "richly titled" equivalent).
I think the best approach would be to rent the new DVD's when they come out and use the existing tools (DVD Shrink, Ifoedit, VOBedit and VideoReDo) to take the movies and simply remove the offending junk and burn to a new set of DVD blanks. Simple and effective, but you'll end up with better quality in the end. VideoReDo does a real good job with cutting the video and sound rather seamlessly if you run a few trials 1st since the actual "cut" location floats a little, but with trial and error you can get it basically perfectly.
I was once going to transfer all my LD's to DVD, but once DVD Shrink came out I found it far-far-far-far easier to rent the DVD (libraries, WalMart, etc) and copy to disk in less than 30 minutes than to do all the record, crop, compress, tweak, compress again (10-20 hours total although a lot of that is computer time). I did do this route for transfering my old 8mm videotapes to digital and that QUICKLY cured me from attempting the LD to digital route. But if you've got the time.....
-- Religion and science are both 90% crap..but that doesn't negate the other 10%.
Re:How hard would it be...
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buckeyeguy
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· Score: 1
Nahh, in our case my dad was too cheap to buy the Pioneer ones. We never thought it was better.
Shame, too... I have a bunch of those disks (Blade Runner with the original narration, and other curiosities). The real problem is directors who won't leave their own stuff alone.
-- I'd have a personalized plate on my car, but "toxic bachelor" won't fit into 7 letters.
Greedo....sounds like guido, AND he's a gangster. Fascinating.
Re:I just realized...
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Anonymous Coward
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Yup. Unoriginal sod, ain't he?
I haven't seen anyone mention this yet.
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cheetah
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· Score: 5, Informative
But there is a longtime petition site to get the original movies put on Dvd. http://www.originaltrilogy.com/ Check it out...
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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chimpo13
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· Score: 0, Offtopic
For christ's sake, I do not understand why this isn't rated +5 funny.
If, and I do mean if, I had beer in my mouth, it would've shot out of my nose. Not the generic, "it came out of my nose" bit, I mean real life. I have a beer sitting right here, damn it.
Absolutely correct; however...
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Stealth+Potato
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· Score: 5, Insightful
the theory is that when a jedi dies he comes back in his purest form
Which is exactly what would make the appearance of an 'old' Anakin in ghostly form all the more poignant. If the whole series is indeed the story of Anakin Skywalker, then is not the very consummation at the point where Darth Vader is finally turned by love for his son? Indeed, it is only then, and never before, that Anakin could truly be said to be pure; it was his final redemption before his death - his son saved him.
Re:Absolutely correct; however...
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BakaHoushi
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· Score: 1
Exactly my point. Anakin may have become a Sith when he became Darth Vader, but at the end of the trilogy, he is a Jedi once more. He IS pure then. Thus, it's not surprising that the wounds he received as a Sith would not show. Once Anakin fell in the volcano, essentially, he is a Sith, so of course they won't show up on him. (Similar to how he has his right hand at the end of the trilogy, despite the fact that Luke cut it off in their final battle)
Similarly, I'd like to note, even if Vader died a Sith, it wouldn't be too late for him. It is possible to be redeemed even after death. For this, I cite the game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. On a Sith Homeworld, you can meet the spirit of a Sith Lord who died 2,000 years prior to the game (making it 4,000 years prior to Episode 1). He regrets turning on his Jedi Masters and, with some persuasion, you can make him believe that it is indeed always possible to return to the Light Side and that if you show repentence. Thus, you save his soul. In this case, though, His purest form would have to revert to when he was a young Jedi. But Anakin became a Jedi once more BEFORE he died. Hence... Return of THE Jedi.
Re:Absolutely correct; however...
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Heywood+Yabuzof
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· Score: 1
Exactly - he wasn't exactly "pure" when he killed all those Tusken Raiders in ep2, was he? So should he show up as a bratty little kid ghost? The only logical (hah!) form he should be in is as he was when he died - old and shriveled up, as that was when he finally redeemed himself. I'll give them the "old as if he were never vader", at lest, but certainly not his younger, turning-to-evil self.
Re:Absolutely correct; however...
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chegosaurus
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· Score: 1
This is the problem with Star Wars. It's a thinly plotted kids' film. You try stacking five extra episodes on top and the whole thing collapses in a mass of contradiciton, inconsistency and ever more ridiculous explanations.
I loved Star Wars (I refuse to call it episode IV) up until my teens. I went to see the trilogy when it was re-released, and didn't really enjoy it much at all. It's easy to blame the changes that had been made, but the simple fact was that I'd outgrown them. Some parts were still fun, but it just wasn't enough.
For the record, I think Episode I was fairly poor, but Episode II has to be one of the worst films I have ever seen. And I've seen some shit.
Re:Absolutely correct; however...
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jdavidb
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· Score: 1
Similarly, I'd like to note, even if Vader died a Sith, it wouldn't be too late for him. It is possible to be redeemed even after death. For this, I cite the game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Re:Absolutely correct; however...
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katarac
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· Score: 1
I love it when people on slashdot talk about how they hate Episode II, cause you just know that even thought that may be true, when they saw all those jedi fighting battle droids in that arena, lightsabers filling the screen, they(we) were all sporting huge wood.
Re:Absolutely correct; however...
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Antisthenes
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· Score: 1
Yeah, how poignant... [sniff]
Except that, hmmm, would we forgive, say, Hienrich Himmler if he picked killing the Fuhrer over killing his own offspring?
I'm not sure where I originally read this analogy--some of David Brin's readers pointed out that Vader-Himmler is a better analogy than Vader-Hitler. Of course, most fans take the Vader's actual attainment of (a deathbed) redemption as an article of faith, though rather than admit that Lucas duped them into that sort of absurd moral reasoning they'll leap to defend Vader with poorly contrived arguments, rather than sticking with Occam's Razor and the sort of rules we apply to normal people. (See Brin's Salon article
Oh, and harbor, gentle reader, no doubts regarding my undying, albeit ambivalent, affection for the original trilogy.:-)
And I do believe redemption is possible for even some of the gravest sins--there's still hope for Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, even if George Lucas is too far gone...
The controversy. The versions of Lucas' beloved films that are on these new DVDs are not the original theatrical releases but the special editions that played in theaters in 1997. Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
It's the MOTHER FUCKING special edition. I'm not fucking buying that crap. I'm going to try to transfer my VHS copies to DVD for fuck sake.
Re:(RTFA) Re:Han shoots first?
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Doh!
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· Score: 1
"We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
I think this really means, "We want to encourage our fans to give us more money."
Re:(RTFA) Re:Han shoots first?
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TrekCycling
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· Score: 1
Is it possible to do this? Easily? I recently bought the VHS copies (I'd long ago sold them, thinking stupidly that the DVDs were right around the corner) out of desparation, knowing they might be the last pure copies I'd ever come across. I have a VCR solely for these. I hate Lucas.
> Blah, when will Lucas get it, we want the origional damn films as shown in theaters, not his revisionist history with all the damn modern FX. Jeezus if South Park is making fun of you you know you are doing something wrong.
Due to word-wrapping in my browser I read that as -
not his revisionist history with all the damn modern FX Jeezus.
Sadly, I was wondering which scene he inserted Jesus into rather than marvelling that he would stoop to it.
-- Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
I think that's what he meant...
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PseudoThink
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· Score: 1
...given that he recognized it had been changed from the original. Everyone wants Han to shoot first, except for the creator of Jar-Jar Binks, apparently.
Perhaps it's because I'm too young to have seen the original movies in theater, but I *like* the newer versions. They have a couple of extra scenes, and they look better. More, better looking Star wars can't be a bad thing? I also think they make some scenes feel more alive, with more people in the background and so on.
There, now you can go ahead and mod me down.
-- Martin
Re:I don't mind
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cranos
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· Score: 3, Insightful
I'm sorry but part of the charm of the originals was the fact the special effects were amazing without the use of CG.
The newer bits just clashed something chronic with the original, hell they couldn't even get Jabba's size right between A New Hope and Return of The Jedi.
Actually, that's explained. In several of the novels, it is stated that Hutts grow larger and more sloth-like as they age.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
DarkHelmet
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· Score: 5, Funny
I think George Lucas sees Star Wars as a mock autobiography of his life, with himself playing Darth Vader. At first, he used to be on the good side of the force. But then he became corrupt with the evils of money, and became more a machine now, twisted and evil.
-- /^[A-Z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z]{2,4}$/i
Never underestimate the power of the Force!
by
JollyFinn
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· Score: 1
"Despite the force behind Star Wars, its price probably will prevent it from taking the year's top-selling spot." Never underestimate the power of the Force!
-- Emacs is good operating system, but it has one flaw: Its text editor could be better.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1
They claim they didn't even realise they had changed any of the dialogue until diehard fans started complaining...
Wow, is that a sign of lazyness, or do they just not care.
--
PS: Han shot first.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
vae victis
StarWars.com News Releases
by
crashnbur
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· Score: 2, Informative
Episode III Behind the Scenes Preview: The Return of Darth Vader
The Birth of the Lightsaber The Characters of Star Wars The Force Is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars Star Wars Battlefront Trailer and Playable Demo Star Wars: Episode III Making the Game Preview Original Trailers and TV Spots Never-Before-Seen Production Gallery Original Posters and Print Campaigns
the futility of protest
by
gad_zuki!
·
· Score: 5, Funny
I really hope DVDs/SVCDs of the laserdisc version get pushed on popular bittorrent and p2p networks the day this comes out. I'd love to read news articles and talking heads on the news trying to figure this out.
*two local tv anchors on location at a suncoast DVD retailer observing the long line*
"Well Jane, it seems this is one of the most pirated movies in history."
"Yes Tom, the online world has never been shy about co-opting releases."
"True, except they're pirating the version sold in the 80s from something called a 'laserdisc.'"
*confusion ensues as a pasty skined geek grabs Jane's mic*
Fan: "Greedo does NOT shoot first!!!"
*security hauls the fan away*
"What was that about?"
"No idea. What's a greedo? *pause* Don't worry folks he's getting the help he needs."
*back on Skywalker Ranch*
Fan has eyes clipped open while a projector plays the Greedo scene endlessly before him and a small crowd tied to their chairs in a small theater. A tear run downs his cheek as he quietly, in unison with the rest, whispers, "Greedo shoots first. Greedo shoots first. Greedo shoots first."
They both shoot at the same time, only Greedo misses.
If you're going to rant about the new versions, at least rant about the new, new version;)
-- "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
Re:the futility of protest
by
kennylives
·
· Score: 0, Troll
I really hope DVDs/SVCDs of the laserdisc version get pushed on popular bittorrent and p2p networks the day this comes out.
Where have you been?? These have been available on numerous torrents and other p2p's for years.
Oh, and your post isn't that funny. Sorry.
--
Where the value of X-Mailer: is the true measure of a man...
Re:the futility of protest
by
drinkypoo
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· Score: 1
Well please provide a link to a torrent so I don't have to buy the fucking laserdisc and make one myself. All I have is a Hollywood DV-Bridge and frankly the quality isn't all it should be. I do have a nice panasonic LD player, though...
-- "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Re:the futility of protest
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
http://search.suprnova.org/
Re:Anonymous Coward.
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Because in Soviet Russia it would say Coward, Anonymous.
Deleted scene on DVD
by
FryGuy1013
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· Score: 2, Funny
http://www.limpfish.com/starwars/
Sorry, I couldn't resist posting this. Mod me down if you want.
-- bananas like monkeys.
Re:Deleted scene on DVD
by
FryGuy1013
·
· Score: 2, Funny
Whoops that's the wrong deleted scene. This is the one I meant:
Check out where these guys are getting their samples from. A LOT of those LPs are totally forgotten - never made it to digital.
A good DJ scratchin' for truly original samples won't look in Sam Goody's. He'll be in 'Bob's Bunker' in Philly or some other old record shop or thrift store.
Part of the reason why? CD's sound too damn clean! Doesn't THAT sound familiar?!
-- "...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
Re:To point out the obvious (not a conspiracy theo
by
fr0dicus
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· Score: 1
Yes. I like the cleaned up special effects, and I couldn't give a damn if Greedo shot first or not. If they'd changed it so that Han blew up the Death Star, or C3PO defeated Darth Vader, then that would be one thing, but these are utterly utterly trivial things that the artist who created them preferred in his own vision of how the films should be. I must admit to a certain amount of incredulity as to just how tragically vehement people are about this. Do any of you understand the irony of the Comic Book Guy in The Simpsons?
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
TomServo
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· Score: 5, Insightful
I enjoyed the star wars films, and while I'm not a huge star wars fan, I was most likely going to pick these up.
Then I read the same bit you quoted.
That's crap. They're complaining in the article that they're not the highest forecasted sellers for this holiday season because it's $70, and blaming it on that. Maybe it has something to do with:
a) not releasing the original versions, the ones that everyone really wants to see and b) telling them to pay $70, yet refusing to tell them what they're actually getting, so they can "check them out for themselves."
When I buy a DVD, I damn well want to know what I'm getting. Extras are beyond that, but I want to know that the movie I'm buying is the movie that I've seen previously and enjoyed.
LotR is one thing. They have additional scenes on the super fancy-pants versions. But they don't go changing the scenes you've already watched. LotR gave extras that we hadn't seen, ones that we can skip easily with the remote if we decide we don't like them, or even purchase the version that's identical to the theatrical release. With this, we STILL can't buy the theatrical release, and we don't even know if they're changing what we saw in the re-release. That's absolutely ridiculous.
However, given the way that LucasFilm has treated its fans, give it 3-4 years. We'll have the originals, untouched, on DVD, as a super special bonus edition at $90 just to bleed a little more out of those that bought this set. It makes me sad, I remember loving these movies as a kid. However, as a principle, I feel like buying any of these versions now gives LucasFilm validation to fuck with me and take every possible dollar they can out of my wallet. Screw 'em. I like the movies a lot, but they're not my favorites.
I'll miss 'em, but they're not good enough to bend over for.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
BlackHawk-666
·
· Score: 4, Funny
Look for the extra scenes where they have digitally inserted Jar Jar Binks in. Plus, Jar Jar does a stand up comedy routine in the bar scene in Star Wars;->
-- All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
What I want...
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
is all the deleted scenes included, even if it slows down the film or seems odd, or requires extra special effects. Even though I cringed when Luke was talking to Biggs before blowing up the deathstar I am always intrigued when I watch extra stuff like that because I don't remember it. I can practically recite the original Starwars so these additions keep it fresh.
Oi, and I don't want to be able to see through the snowspeeders either in ESB. All this tech, and they can't even get that right.
An additional word about 'blocky trans..'
by
Chordonblue
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· Score: 1
You know when I saw Star Wars in the theatre in 1977 (actually I think it was 1978 by the time we saw it), I never saw those transparencies around the ships. Maybe I was young and easily fooled, but I have to say that I was shocked to see how obvious it was on VHS some years later.
I have to say that I could do without that. Light celophane around tie fighters is not what I remember from the original so I could care less if they choose to 'sex up' the effects a bit.
What DOES bother me is the 'Greedo' scene. What is it with these directors starting feeling guilty in their old age and US having to suffer? It's like those damn guns to walkie-talkies in E.T...
Uh... WHY???!!!
Such a stupid, pointless change because apparently, Spielberg doesn't like gun violence now.
What does the future hold for current films if the trend follows? What happens if Quintin Tarrentino becomes a Quaker? What happens if he decides to change 'Pulp Fiction' so that all bloody scenes are 'cleaned up' for the Super HD DVD version?
I think the only answer will be to allow whatever changes people want to make to it, made. I think that eventually anyone will have the ability to shape their programming more to their taste and that ability will occur with or without (probably without) the studio's help.
Look at the Episode One remix that was floating around the 'net as a primative example. Is this a bad thing? Ah, probably no more so than other pop culture trends. Who knows? Maybe then someone will be able to make 'Battlefield Earth' not SUCK so bad...
Probably not tho...
-- "...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
Re:An additional word about 'blocky trans..'
by
PantsWearer
·
· Score: 1
Such a stupid, pointless change because apparently, Spielberg doesn't like gun violence now.
I'm not sure why Spielberg did this. You can't say that he doesn't use guns, since he did direct Saving Private Ryan, which definitely had plenty of guns. He also co-produced Band of Brothers, which had a pretty impressive array of violence.
I think it's more because it was a "kids' movie" in his view. Personally, I thought the guns were appropriate. If you've got a ton of government alien hunters running around in the woods, it seems logical that they'd have guns.
-- Be glad life is unfair, otherwise we'd deserve all this.
Re:An additional word about 'blocky trans..'
by
toddestan
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· Score: 1
I have a version of ET that has two disks - the original movie, and the new version that replaces the guns with flashlights. I don't remember right now, there may of been a third with special features too. So it's not like Star Wars at all, I can watch whatever version I want on an official DVD.
Re:An additional word about 'blocky trans..'
by
sootman
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· Score: 1
Actually, all it is that, due to differences in how color works in the different media, the blocky masks are easier to see on video than on film. That's all. It's kind of like this: the rectangle should be very close to the background color. Since TVs and/or tape can't show colors that subtley different, it makes one darker, one lighter, and the difference becomes more apparent.
-- Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
I'm waiting for the 32-disc boxset to come out with the making of the making of the making of the Star Wars movies, the commentary on the audio commentary and of course the interview with the sister-in-law of Mark Hamill's nieces step-brother, who lives in Australia.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
CountBrass
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· Score: 1
Yeah but for that to happen you'd have to be over 21.
-- Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
Laserdisc is indeed analogue (at least the picture is analogue - its got either PCM, Dolby Digital or full-bitrade DTS sound, depending on title). Doesn't mean that its in any way bad, though; it took DVD a good year or two to substantially beat LD for image quality.
There's analog stereo audio too. Well, on most LD releases. If there's a Dolby Digital track, it takes up the space of the right(?) channel and the analog soundtrack is reduced to mono.
On the bright side, no MPEG compression artifacts!
--
Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
At least its true with NTSC discs - PAL ones only had either/or, which is why PAL-land never got any 5.1 discs.
For bonus points, the PCM digital stereo track could be replaced with a DTS bitstream, which sounded _really_ nice, as its double the bitrate of most modern DTS DVDs.
But the audio is seriously changed in places. For example, in Jabba's palace you have that stupid singing critter over the top of the rest of the sounds. It would take an absolute sound-ninja to fix all the little places where Lucas has fucked over the original soundtrack to match his 'vision' for the series.
-- Read Pynchon.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
madmancarman
·
· Score: 1
Not if you live in Canada.
-- First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Gandhi
Trolling? Or imbecile?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Go back and re-read the bold text from the message to which you replied and you should soon discover why your reply completely misses the point.
I heard from a credible source (he was showing images, ie Hayden Christensen as the end of RotJ, from the DVD release months and months ago) that ILM have just signed an NDA for Eps 7,8 and 9. God help us all if it's true.
-- "Dre don't get as high as me.... I'm Cheech and Chong" - Snoop Dogg
so much for starting a trend.. oh well.. back to lurk mode.
-- Friends don't let Friends use Internet Explorer.
Re:Trolling? Or imbecile?
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
That would require him (or, perhaps, her) not being a halfwit. You're asking too much.
Someone take a lightsaber to this midget!
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Cut his head off before he ruins anymore of my precious childhood memories of seeing these films several times over in the theatre in the 70's. F-YOU George! If it wasn't for Outlaw and Full Throttle I'd say you were good for nothing!
Every DVD preorder has fed the monster...
by
vudufixit
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· Score: 2, Interesting
We can sign all of the petitions we want. We blew our chances at obtaining unaltered versions when we preordered the trilogy by the millions. We all fed the monster...
Re:Every DVD preorder has fed the monster...
by
splint3r
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· Score: 1
I got pre-special edition laser disk rips. Go on, hate me, you know you want to.
Re:Every DVD preorder has fed the monster...
by
vudufixit
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· Score: 1
Hate you? I don't even know you - I'll just go on Ebay and buy some!:)
... If George Lucas would've learned something from his good friend Steven Spielberg. Make movies, don't muck around with your old ones (well, muck around as little as possible, I'm aware of the E.T. walkie talkies. Something tells me Spielberg didn't put in a fraction of the effort coming up with that.) Do something new every now and then. Take your skills and knowledge and try and tell a good story, maybe even break away from science fiction a bit. I know he had it in him at one point, American Graffiti's a great movie.
But I guess Lucas isn't a director at heart. If he was, he would've directed Empire and Return. He likes his special effects and he's good at them-- the last two movies felt more like advertisements for Industrial Light and Magic than labors of love.
Though to his credit, the Star Wars video games have generally been great... Fun, well-made, darker and more true to the promise of Star Wars than any of the movie's sequels have been.
(No, I didn't call it "Episode IV" or "A New Hope." I still call the first one Star Wars. The eight-year-old me would've wanted it that way.)
As far as I'm concerned it's the best thing to come out of Star Wars since the original movies. I can't say my disappointment was wiped away or anything, but... the game was just awesome and with a sequel coming out... I've just decided that games like that are where I'll have to live out the rest of my Star Wars dreams. That and bad fan fiction.
Spielburg does muck about with old movies, Re: War of the Worlds. However, his approach is different, he refilms it from scratch. In all honesty, if 4-6 need such changes, I think it would be best to refilm from frame zero. Perhaps then, we could rid ourselves of the disco haircuts.
Re:Imagine...
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
At least Spielberg had the decency to keep the old version of "E.T." available. You can get a boxed DVD set that has both the original and the new versions.
If Lucas did that, people would not be complaining nearly as loudly as they are now. The fact that he is only making the new versions available is what is angering fans.
Hit your library and find an old biography of Lucas. There a very good one from around 82-84, either just before or just after Jedi. Lucas pretty much hates directing. He shoots a bunch and does most of his work in editing.
As for the trilogy, he can release a new version every week and edit in Smurfs and Transformers for all I care. Like most others here, I only hate his adamant refusal to let the originals see the light of day. Ask around, that's all 95% of us want.
-- Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Butthead: "This movie sucks in ways in wich we have never seen stuff suck before"
--
What a rotten party, have we run out of beer or something?
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
cafard
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
b) telling them to pay $70, yet refusing to tell them what they're actually getting, so they can "check them out for themselves."
When I buy a DVD, I damn well want to know what I'm getting.
Is this *such* a big deal? 24h after the release of the box, reviews are going to pop-up on every web site, including/.
I can understand not liking the non-release of the originals, but complaining about the fact that the content of the box is not yet known is not such an issue. Unless of course you can't wait 24/48h after the initial release, which usually means maximum price tag.
Personnaly, after the years waiting for those movies on dvd, i'll survive long enough for *at least* read reviews...
-- This post is awesome.
Greedo's assasination conspiracy theory
by
cafard
·
· Score: 1
While I agree some of the added scenes do add to the movies, some of them are simply unacceptable. Greedo shooting first for example.
Indeed. All this weird stuff around Greedo is more proof than we need to justify that it is a conspiracy!
George Lucas entire idea of good vs evil is that evil gets to possesive. Anakin goes to the dark side because he can't let go. He explains this in great detail in some interviews. But now look at George Lucas himself. Can he let Star Wars go? Can he say, okay I done what I can now let someone else take over? Nope.
By his own words he has strayed to the dark side.
--
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Less true than you think
by
tod_miller
·
· Score: 4, Funny
Star wars is fictional, there is no 'dark side'.
Anakin is a fictional character...
If George had strayed to the dark side, you would be floating in mid air clutching your throat:-)
Re:Less true than you think
by
MindStalker
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· Score: 1
Yes, but a fictional story can have real moral lessons. And the idea that possesiveness is a root of evil if a common thread and generally true. So it's not entirly incorrect to say that George Lucas has strayed into the "dark side" even if the term itself has a fictional deriviative
Saddest part about the whole thing:
by
dioscaido
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
That even with all the caveats about the changes, most people will buy the DVDs. Giving Lucas another $1 billion dollar smash hit, and further shielding him from the truth that most fans, while they consume his movies faithfully, hate them nonetheless.
Re:Saddest part about the whole thing:
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
Yes, you fucking moron. People are buying shit they hate just to... I don't know... throw away money. Maybe Lucas is as rich as he is because he earned it. Fucking slashdotter morons.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Curtman
·
· Score: 1
The real problem will be when 24/48 hours before the release, these will be flying all over P2P networks everywhere. Hrmm, pay George $70 the day after tomorrow and risk another Jar-Jar episode? I don't think so.
-- What would an EWOULDBLOCK block, if an EWOULDBLOCK could block would? -- me
Grrr, I have them on VHS
by
Zegnar
·
· Score: 0, Redundant
Here's the old paying-for-stuff-twice shit. I have all these on VHS, and ideally, I should be able to send 'em in, with a nominal media/postage fee, and receive my DVD's. But that would mean less fat profit for George.
So I'll stay here fast forwarding through my crappy quality videotapes, whilst they degrade until I have an unwatchable mass of static, which won't be replaced, for the same reason, unless I want to pay again.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
bogado
·
· Score: 1
That's it I guess. I really hate this rewriting the history. Bootlegs are the only way out. I want to have StarWars where Han Shoots first, I want to have the crappy (ok they were not really crappy) special efects. It is part of history.
To me is Ok to have a new version with new sceenes, but it is not ok to making it impossible to get a original version. And I think it is really ok to offer us something that is simply being denied to us.
--
[]'s Victor Bogado da Silva Lins
^[:wq
Shadows of "Definitve Collection " LD Set
by
ThatbookwritingWheel
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Anyone remember the "Definitve Collection" Laserdisc set they put out in the mid 90s. 9 Discs CAV with lots of additional material. Those were the the Special Edition remastered versions WITHOUT the shitty new stuff. I remember being quite irate that they came out with the SE versions (after shelling out 500 Deutschmarks at that time for the LD set) now I'm happy I kept them.
-- We are all packets in the Internet of life!
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
you have got to be friggin kidding me. is this man serious?
well, he did name a movie attack of the clones.....
I'm sorry, but I don't buy any of the crap people are saying about the changes being made. The comment:
Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
is the first official word I've seen that even slightly mentions changes from the 1997 Special Editions.
The quote is just a ploy to get people more curious. It'll probably attract more people by specticle alone than the prospect of alterations repels.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous+Cowpat
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· Score: 1, Interesting
LotR is one thing. They have additional scenes on the super fancy-pants versions. But they don't go changing the scenes you've already watched
Oh yes PJ does.
A relative of mine was an extra in the cinema/VHS release, but the scene that he was in was chopped out for the extended DVD.
Bad PJ, Bad PJ.
-- FGD 135
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
ideonode
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Lucas's revisionist history really does bother me as a geek.
Here's an interesting question for you. Tolkien published The Hobbit in 1937. When he was writing The Lord of the Rings, he realised that the 'Riddles in the Dark' chapter that he had originally written didn't really fit in with the whole ring mythos of LotR (basically, in the original, Gollum simply gives Bilbo the ring after the riddle contest is won - but of course, we know that there's no way that the ring-consumed Smeagol would have simply handed it over because he couldn't guess a riddle). My question to you is, is that ok? Is that any more or less wrong than Lucas' revisionism?
I think it's a tricky issue. Tolkien alludes to his re-write in the LotR (Bilbo occassionally mentions how he changed his story - cf. 'The Council of Elrond'), whereas Lucas tends to simply re-write the story and erase the previous versions.
Still, I think it asks interesting questions as to whether authorial control can ever be retained once the original text is out in the wilderness.
My George Lucas moment
by
sdo1
·
· Score: 5, Funny
My four year old gave me a piece of artwork, which was a mess, but great (if you have kids, you'd understand). But the next day he wanted to take it back to make some changes and additions. I accused him of being like George Lucas. He cried.
Does that make me a bad parent?
-S
-- ---
What parts of "shall make no law", "shall not be infringed", and "shall not be violated" don't you understand?
Re:My George Lucas moment
by
EmagGeek
·
· Score: 5, Funny
No, it means you have one really smart kid, who, at the ripe age of 4, can already make the connection that to be associated with George Lucas in any way is a Bad Thing(TM).
Glad you enjoyed it. It's the honest to God truth too! It happened yesterday. My wife heard me say it to him (I think my exact words were "Who do you think you are, George Lucas?"), her head snapped around, and she burst out laughing. Eventually my son decided that he should stop crying and start laughing too, though I don't think he knows what was so funny about it.
-S
-- ---
What parts of "shall make no law", "shall not be infringed", and "shall not be violated" don't you understand?
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Tharian
·
· Score: 1
Cool. So does the history also get rewritten so Hans first shot at Guido misses and turns Jar Jar into a puddle of goo and then, while Guido is distracted, Han shoots him in the back in a pre-emptive shot?
Oh, wait, that wouldn't be firing in self-defense then, would it?
-- I'm not a nerd. I'm a geek. Nerds make more money.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
ideonode
·
· Score: 1
Sorry - I may not have clarified in my above post - Tolkien actually revised and republished The Hobbit in 1951, prior to the release of LotR.
Re:Box Set (Showgirls?)
by
gosand
·
· Score: 0, Flamebait
I'm waiting for the super-special-extended-ultra-remastered-digitally- enhanced mega super version box set of all 6 movies.
Six!? Why on earth would you want EP1-3? (I'm going with the overwhelming probability that EP3 will SUCK). Actually, I have a feeling that if they are ever remastered, they will be done even worse. So they will be complete train wrecks that will be watched for their absolute ridiculousness. Kind of like Showgirls, but without the nudity.
--
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
JET+666
·
· Score: 2, Informative
you can still buy the cinema/VHS release on dvd(and it is cheaper)
-- De sig boss de sig
Starwars, the Original Trilogy, Version 3
by
EmagGeek
·
· Score: 3, Funny
In version 3 of TOT, not only does Han not shoot first, but greedo is arrested by the department of homeland security for no goddamn reason whatsoever. After 45 years of litigation, he is found guilty of making terroristic threats, but the decision is overturned by the ninth circus court of appeals on grounds that his trial was unfair because he's green. After seeing this news on intergalactic TV, Han escapes from his retirement home, finds greedo, and finally shoots him dead with the only weapon remaining in the universe that can still be taken on space vessels - strained peas!
Re:Starwars, the Original Trilogy, Version 3
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
no way is it strained-peas...it's gotta be whirled-peas.
PTSD
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
George Lucas is like Oliver Stone and Michael Moore.
Washed up. Done. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Swap the entire lot of them out with someone fresh. Alex Winters could probably do a decent job...
What's the problem?
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1, Interesting
Ok, so I don't like the Greedo shooting first part as much as the next guy, but jesus, is it really so bad that you have to curse the entire DVD set for it?
So what if he re-did some special effects? I didn't see this many complaints when the story about THX1138 getting redone came out!
Besides Greedo shooting first, how did he "ruin" the originals?!
Re:What's the problem?
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 0
Ok, so I don't like the Greedo shooting first part as much as the next guy, but jesus, is it really so bad that you have to curse the entire DVD set for it?
Yes
So what if he re-did some special effects? I didn't see this many complaints when the story about THX1138 getting redone came out!
THX1138 isn't StarWars. THX1138 is a 1984 rip-off that Lucas directed back in 1970? We're talking StarWars here, not Lucas.
Besides Greedo shooting first, how did he "ruin" the originals?!
Why does every CG character added have to do somthing pointless and silly? (The pointless little incident(s) at Mos Eisley, for example, that made the movie more disney-esque which it had no business being.) Watch RotJ -- Notice as really shitty music video? yeah, he added that. What about that bullshit dialog change in Empire? Does Darth know just a bit too much?
Lucas is a dick who ruined starwars!
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Tharian
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· Score: 1
Right... Greedo, not Guido.
-- I'm not a nerd. I'm a geek. Nerds make more money.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
CrazyTalk
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· Score: 4, Interesting
OK, your mention of Jabba in ANH gives me a chance to rant a bit - he shouldn't be in that movie at all. Period. (In my mind, this is worse than the famous Han-shoots-first controversy). Having grown up watching the original movies, having Jabba be this unseen, mysterious figure added to the interest and suspense in the sequels. In ROTJ when he was finally revealed, that was a defining moment in the movies. Showing what he looks like up front in the "first" movie just ruins the ending! Of course, by now everyone on the planet with any remote interest at all knows what Jabba the Hut is and what he looks like, but in my mind his presence early on does nothing but hurt the story.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
AndyChrist
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· Score: 4, Funny
Jabba didn't look so bad in stills. It was the way the skin moved which ruined the effect. That and the jarring compositing.
The only special edition which was an improvement was Empire.
Other additions in this version:
More Ewoks: An ewok shoots Darth Vader's tie fighter at the end of A New Hope, gives a thumbs-up.
Ewoks kill the wompa in the cave with spears and rocks and a stolen imperial walker, then dance around Luke singing "Yubba Nubba Cubba Chubba."
The Emperor's guard are replaced by ewoks in red capes.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Class+Act+Dynamo
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· Score: 2, Interesting
I wonder if Mr. Lucas makes these unnecesary changes only to create rumbling among the hardcore Star Wars afficionados. Perhaps he subscribes to the whole "there is no such thing as bad publicity". I wonder how many people are gonna buy these DVD's just in order to study them and find every inconsistency. I'm not saying I agree with the changes. They suck. Only that maybe Mr. Lucas has some bizarre plan, evil mastermind that he is.
-- My other computer is a Jacquard loom.
Re:'Star Wars - Interactive' - I'd buy it !
by
bored_geek
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· Score: 1
- Replace Greedo with Jar-Jar and make Han shoot first again! And again. And again!
To watch him slump forward onto the table dead! Splat! Oh ya! Oh ya! How much? I'll pre buy right now!
Re:To point out the obvious (not a conspiracy theo
by
jabels
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· Score: 1
Sorry, but that wasn't the "Lord of the Rings" strategy. Peter Jackson *announced* from the beginning that there would be exactly two versions of each film, a theatrical cut (what he called an "official version") and the extended cut. He *hates* that kind of DVD release schedule that keeps adding features to get you to buy another set. That's why he announced in advance that there would be two sets, so if you knew you wanted the EE, you would wait for it (as I have).
If you want a comparison to how the Star Wars trilogy will be released, take a look at the Alien series.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
you can legally drink beer with 16 in germany, but most groceries will sell it to you even if you are only 12.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Add Hayden at the end of the RotJ??? Then he should add Ewan McGregor for Obi-Wan as well...
This is so rediculous! Glad I have the ORIGINAL on Laserdisc!:D
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
TXH-88
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· Score: 1
So we have to wait until just before he dies for the good dvd set to come out?
Re:To point out the obvious (not a conspiracy theo
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gilroy
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Blockquoth the poster:
If they'd changed it so that Han blew up the Death Star, or C3PO defeated Darth Vader, then that would be one thing, but these are utterly utterly trivial things
Ah, another person who believes that "plot" is the point of literature. Han shooting first is a big deal. It establishes his character: He's not the "nice one". He's dangerous. He's also possibly someone willing to sell out Luke, et al. (It's the same reason for mentioning the spice dump -- making clear that Han is not above breaking a contract and running.) Later, his decision to flee Yavin with his loot make perfect sense, because we've already established he's not the nice one. His eventual return is then a progression of the character, the start, so to speak, of his redemption.
Now, in the SE, we have that Han shoots only out of self-defense. He's morally "clean" -- and totally uninteresting. He's not a rough and real character; he's just some smirking wannabe who acts the tough guy. His flight from Yavin is now incongruous while his return is logical but uninteresting.
It's as much as mistake to think that only major plot points define a movie as it is to think that only Great Men define history...
Thank the gods for netflix
by
Grumpman
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· Score: 1
I'm gonna have to see it on Netflix first. If Hayden really is in RotJ, then I won't be buying it!!
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
look at this! I have comment id 9999799!
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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N3koFever
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· Score: 1
"The real problem will be when 24/48 hours before the release, these will be flying all over P2P networks everywhere."
Try 2,000 hours before the release - a genuine DVD rip of ROTJ was leaked a couple of weeks ago right after they gave advance copies to some VIPs;)
Either way I'm not buying these. I have the original, unedited trilogy on LaserDisc and I'm going to convert them to DVD. It won't look as good as the DVDs but no-one's fucked with it, Han doesn't have the power to dodge a beam of light fired from two feet away, and I don't have to give another $70 to Lucas to fund his latest "revision" in a few years.
How would you encode analog info in an optical disk?
Re:non digital?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
analog spacing of the pits is what LD does.
Marathon countdown: T-minus just under a year
by
erpbridge
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· Score: 1
OK, so who's having a marathon party in just over a year, prior to the release of ROTS?
Of course, to really have the marathon party in entirety so far, you'd need ROTS to be released, in special version with restored scenes and all. Then you can watch it all, in order, with the restored scenes...
Now if only Lucas would let out a special version of the DVD's that had the original footage. I know this was done with videotapes...
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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N3koFever
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· Score: 1
Please don't give Lucas any ideas.
Taking a shot at 10,000,000
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iamdrscience
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· Score: 1
Greedo shot first.
This is it. I'm getting a laser disc player.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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sh00z
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· Score: 1
The only special edition which was an improvement was Empire.
Amen, brudda! It was nice to see some WINDOWS in Cloud City. The rest of it was crud. "Jedi" is just plain wrong without the Ewoks' *Lug Nub* song at the end.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
ViolentGreen
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· Score: 1
Right because South Park never makes fun of anybody...
-- Not everything is analogous to cars. Car analogies rarely work.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
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squiggleslash
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· Score: 4, Funny
My understanding is that Lucas has been fairly concerned about the criticism of the "Greedo shooting first" thing and has modified it quite a bit in the new DVD version. I took a sneak peek at the modified script.
Essentially, Greedo will take Solo at gun-point to a small room and torture Solo for about five minutes. At the end of this sequence, Solo is able to get an arm free and knocks over a rack of sharp pointy metal rods, which fall on Greedo knocking him out, but otherwise leaving him uninjured.
Solo then gets up, considers shooting Greedo, but then says "No, I cannot shoot you Greedo. That would be decending to the same depths as Jabba the Hutt. One day you will look back on this, on what you did today, and you will be filled with regret and remorse. When that day comes, consider it your punishment, for you will feel so much shame you will wish I had killed you."
With this, he puts back on his loin-cloth and round glasses, and hastily makes his way back to the Millenium Falcon.
-- You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
With this, we STILL can't buy the theatrical release, and we don't even know if they're changing what we saw in the re-release. That's absolutely ridiculous.
You can buy the theatrical releases; I have. The only problem is that they're going to be on fifteen year old VHS tapes.
You can pick up DVD copies on eBay, but I'm pretty sure those are unauthorized copies of the VHS tapes. I don't believe the theatrical versions were ever released on DVD anywhere in the world.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
CreatureComfort
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· Score: 1
A legal copy? Really? Where pray tell?
-- "Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
jbarr
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· Score: 1, Insightful
But you see, that's the problem!
Now, rarely are the DVD versions the same as what comes out in the theater. It seems that directors are simply "pushing out" whatever they can to make the theater release dates, then they use the DVD as their platform to show the movie "as they intended". The problem is that that's NOT how the viewers originally see it! Unless the production company releases the exact version, forever gone are the days of being able to legally view the theater version on DVD.
Case in point is "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". The version I saw in the theater back in the late 70's is NOT the version that's now on DVD. Call me a purist, but I actually prefer the theter version better. Short of trying to find the Laserdisc and a Laserdic player on eBay, I have absolutely no chance of legally seeing the same version I saw in the theater.
Another example is the LOTR series. The version I saw in the theater again was not what was on the DVD. In fact, many scenes were SPECIFICALLY SHOT to be exclusive to the DVD. So, now as a theater-goer, I have to resign myself to the fact that what I am viewing on the "big screen" is simply not what the director "intended" and is not what will be on the DVD.
This is nothing more than directors using the excuse of "creative license" to re-write history, and all they have to do is slap on a "director's cut" label, and everyone thinks it's something great.
The funny thing is that Lucas is really shooting himself in the foot. If he would release both the same version as originally seen in the theater as well as his "special, wiz-bang, enhanced, super, director's cut" version, he woud probably make a mint, because many would buy both!
-- My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
gfxguy
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· Score: 1
I didn't see SP, but I did see the Simpsons parody of Lucas, and it was hillarious... the whole sequel movie takes place "parliament" and looks like watching C-SPAN with aliens for two hours.
Of course, I can't comment on the Simpsons making fun of anybody meaning they must be doing something wrong, because the Simpsons makes fun of everybody.
I never thought I'd actually get drawn into a Star Wars purity thread -- it's a little bit of a geek nuts flex even for me. Anyway.
Believe me, it's hard to see some of this stuff happening to the films I grew up with (I was 12 when I saw Star Wars), but is the fact that Greedo shot first going to change the entire demeanor of the film?
Maybe not, but it does change the character of Han Solo a lot. I mean, sure, we've all seen these films a zillion times now and know he ends up as a good guy, but when you're seeing the film for the first time, you don't know that. Our heroes hire him to smuggle them offplanet, and it's interesting precisely because he's this unpredictable, dangerous, mercenary character. He could extort Obi-Wan for more money once they're in space, or turn them over to the Imperials for a reward. You just don't know.
A guy who shoots only in self defense loses a lot of that edge. I thought the original scene was great in that it gave you the essence of the character in just a few minutes. The alteration changes what that essence is.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
blackmonday
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· Score: 4, Funny
Settle down guys, we're all just gonna copy them off Netflix anyways. (Did I just say that out loud?)
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
kpgalligan
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· Score: 2, Insightful
I think all the changes are horrible. I hated them when they came out, I hate them now. I know, I'm a religious weirdo for it. Shockingly enough, even though I'm on this site, and sending a flame about a special edition star wars release (while at work), I'm not a rabid nerd. Its just that watching the movies I can see every change, and I know its not supposed to be there. Its like a woman who's really not that old going in for major plastic surgery. Look babe, cheeks don't go there. At least not yours.
I'd probably pay $150+ for a high quality version of the originals. I wouldn't take the remakes as a gift. I have the first 3 on vhs, and I plan to pick up a decent vcr and try to pull them off and make my own (crappy quality, I know) dvd's, and that'll be it till GL wakes up.
Asshole has to realize that his movie is part of the world now. He gets paid for it, but its not "his" anymore.
I doubt Lucas & Co. read /.
by
calypso15
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· Score: 1
So do what I did. Email them and tell them you won't buy this DVD set. Tell them you'll wait until the originals are released on DVD. And mean it.
It's damn hard to find email addresses for people remotely related, I found:
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
kpgalligan
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· Score: 1
Golf clap.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
proj_2501
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· Score: 1
on amazon.com, i see a listing for: fellowship of the ring - platinum series special extended edition lord of the rings trilogy - widescreen the two towers - platinum series special extended edition the return of the king - widescreen lord of the rings trilogy - fullscreen the two towers - widescreen fellowship of the ring - widescreen
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
jbarr
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· Score: 1
We reallu have two issues here:
1. How "good" is Lucas's latest version.
2. Why doesn't Lucas release the original?
To the first point, that's obviously subjective. Lucas now has tools that were not originally available during initial production, that he can use to twist and mold and tweak to his heart's content. How good it ends up being will simply be subjecetive to the viewers. Personally, I hope that he creates a stunning masterpiece.
But, as good as it may be, it's not the original. He should keep it named "Star Wars Episode IV: a New Hope" and everyone will be happy. But, again, it's not the original "Star Wars". Unfortunatly, the marketing machine will use the popularity of the original to sell this new version.
To the second point, the simple fact remains that people who saw "Star Wars" in the theater will never see what they saw on DVD. I simply don't understand why George Lucas doesn't release the original, unaltered, as-seen-in-the-theaters version. Is he so arrogant that he cannot release to the public what really made his career? Is he so above reality that he has to re-write history to make a buck? I'll bet that pleanty of people would buy up BOTH versions if available. Personally, if the "original" version is not viewable in the new set, then I have no desire to purchase the new set. Lucas lost a sale...
-- My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
J.+T.+MacLeod
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· Score: 1
I agree that Jabba not being shown makes him a powerful figure, but it was never intended to be that way.
The original scene was shot, but the SE guys couldn't make it work, and it was thusly left by the wayside.
It may be for better or for worse, but at least in this case, it isn't revisionist.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
p3d0
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· Score: 1
Maybe this is lucky ten million?
-- Patrick Doyle I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
There is no constitutionally protected right to re-view movies in the same form that you original saw them.
If your memory isn't good enough, you'll just have to deal. Think of the generations (well, at least two of them) of people who couldn't buy ANY home version of a movie they'd seen.
Of course there's no "constitutionally protected right to re-view movies in the same form that you original saw them." The problem is that by "re-writing history" without providing a reference to the original work, we're setting a potentially dangerous precedent. Eventually, people could come to view this "new version" as "the original" simply because they have no access to the original for comparison.
Yes, we're only talking about a movie here, but where do you draw the line? We already see "re-written" history in our school's textbooks, and in other forms of media including movies and music. It's not the actual "re-writing" that's the problem, but the lack of reference to the original. Though this age of "digital altering" has unleashed vast creativity, we must be sure to preserve the originals.
-- My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
The problem is that by "re-writing history" without providing a reference to the original work, we're setting a potentially dangerous precedent. Eventually, people could come to view this "new version" as "the original" simply because they have no access to the original for comparison.
What do you mean, setting a precedent? Ever heard of Master and Commander? Or U-1136 or whatever it's called? Hollywood is already deliberately perverting real history; perverting Star Wars history is a very minor crime in comparison.
Sure there is. The originals are supposed to go into the public domain within a "limited time".
Bull. The copyright to the originals goes into the public domain. Nothing says that the owner is required to retain a copy of the original and release it at any time. Passing into the public domain simply means that he can no longer sue anybody for making their own copies (or, much more importantly, derivative works).
The fact that there may be situations where a given work is "lost" just goes to show just how badly broken the current copyright system is.
Double bull. Most works are lost (no quotes) almost immediately, never getting a second printing/viewing/hearing long before copyright expires. And this is a good thing, because 90% of everthing is crud. Copyright is the right to copy, not the responsibility to copy.
This is neither a new problem -- it goes back to copyists making deliberate or accidental changes to the Bible -- nor a reason for outcry. Where do *you* draw the line? Is the "original" supposed to be more valuable just because it was first? What about the hundreds of hours of film that didn't make it to the original release? Aren't they more "original" than the release? Of course not. You buy the creator's version because he created it. He decides whether or not to create anything else. If you don't like his decisions... tough. They're his decisions.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
JET+666
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· Score: 1
George Lucas is a profiteering asswipe ...
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
George Lucas is a profiteering asswipe...
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
supabeast!
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· Score: 1
No, but they were released on LaserDisc, which made for much better transfers than VHS tapes would have. Unfortunately, most of the bootleg DVDs out there are of the Special Edition, probably because the Hong Kong Triads don't realize that Americans want the originals.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
pete-classic
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· Score: 1
Laserdisc video is NOT digital
by
mgw1181
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· Score: 1
Analog composite video is the native format on the disc. So, the TV input card would be the first A->D conversion. Even S-Video output on a LD player is created by an internal comb filter, and its quality is only better if the LD player's comb filter is better than your TV's.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Pope
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· Score: 4, Insightful
As mentioned above, there are 2 versions of each LOTR movie on DVD: the extended version and the regular. Rent/buy the regular versions, and you have what was in the cinema. I can't see what you're whining about.
-- It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
They should do the Matrix thing..
by
Snaller
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· Score: 1
Commentary on the extras disc?
They should do what the Wachowski brothers did on the new Matrix box set: The asked three movie critics, who all hated the movies, to do a commentary track on all the films. So they basically just sit there and hack it too pieces - MST3k lives! *g*
-- If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
freqres
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· Score: 1
No, it's Guido now. They digitally removed the green alien guy and inserted James Gandolfini in his place.
-- Rampant Ninja related crimes these days...Whitehouse is not the exception
Han shot first! Han shot first! Han shot first! Han shot first! Han shot first! Han shot first! Han shot first! Han shot first! Han shot first! Han shot first! Han shot first!
C'mon people, let me hear you! How many times do I gotta say it!?
-- It's like "looking busy" at your employment - it's actually easier to do real work than to fake it. - bmo
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
CrazyTalk
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· Score: 1
Yes, I know - I think this was a case of the movies being made better by accident. Intentional or not, its another good reason not to muck with them.
Blackmail works better.
by
korbin_dallas
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· Score: 1
Don't beg Lucas to release the 'originals'.
Use Leverage you man-animals.
Tell Lucas if he doesn't release the original versions you will post 'The Star Wars Christmas Special' to bit-torrent, for all to see...and hate GL.
Didn't they announce this months ago? I've had my copy on pre-order with Amazon since July 1st.
-- It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
Actually, PJ did- the car scene
by
mekkab
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· Score: 1
LotR is one thing. They have additional scenes on the super fancy-pants versions. But they don't go changing the scenes you've already watched
PJ edited out the car, and in the directors commentary said "What car? I don't see any car!" But in reality he was being facetious.
There certainly was a car in FOTR, I didn't catch it, and neither did he.
I realize there is a major difference in removing a tiny gaffe that most people didn't catch (and if you did, it would actually detract from the experience of being in "middle earth") to re-writing history a la Lucas. So this is the exception that PROVES the rule!
-- In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
I saw Empire in 1980 (at age 11) but after years of only seeing Empire on TV, during the early nineties re-release I was stunned at how beautiful a movie it is on the big screen. A wide variety of interesting settings, expansive landscapes and space-scapes. The space convoy scenes and the dual are beautifully put together. And the movie is teeming with interesting characters.
Also, I don't think the SFX guys get enough geek-credit for the miraculous job they did enhancing cloud city in the special edition of Empire.
Sam
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
freqres
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· Score: 1
And Lando bringing a spaceship full of 40oz bottles of Colt 45. It's always good.
-- Rampant Ninja related crimes these days...Whitehouse is not the exception
Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
So, any insiders with more information on this quote fromt he article?
Lucas has lost millions
by
ClosedSource
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· Score: 1
by not releasing the orginal versions prior to damaging the franchise with Episodes I & II. The perfect time would have been when the special editions were out in the theatres. I have the original movies on tape, for me the DVD's are just too late.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
cylcyl
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· Score: 1
Changes for overall consistency, I don't mind. However, Han Solo is not in the Prequels, the the mythos surrounding the original trilogy is complete. This is not the time you fool with it.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
toolshed7
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· Score: 0
Dont forget 2010. It was changed because of Europa was found. Because it is still one of our best chances for life, other than the blue marble. But, clarke wrote the change down on the very first page and informed the fans,why the change was bad.
Some changes are good, but changes like the greedo shot change the characters involved. Han lost some of his rebel edge.
Stephen King also rewrote some of the Dark Tower series, I like the changes he made...he cleaned up some of questions readers had. Because the Tower is all consumping..it is everything and everytime. King also informed the reader why he made changes...he did not just say figure it you....quarters... King loves the quarters.
I think authors or creators should do this, most are young when their great works are created and their dream of that universe is not fully realized until they are much older. But dont change the story, just add to it.
Authors, just remember Greedo scene...dumb is all I can say.
--
Deserving got nothing to do with it.....shuffle
Different Versions
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
There are countless versions of the movie. I have an old copy on VHS that has some dialogue that is not found on any version I have seen since.
When the spend so much time putting together these DVD the need to have a option page that allows you to click or un-click the various stages.
Your basic movie with no changes and then a check box for each change you want added (and some check boxes that would automatically select all the changes for a particular release). The DVD players should be capable of storing the order of scene it has to play and which ones so why not give the user some controls to select which scenes are added or not (Greedo firing first my ass!). That way you would not need to have 10 or so version of the movie. I really hate it when Lucas offers a new version with 2 seconds of added footage and more dumb-ass changes so he can make enough money to buy yet another ivory back scratcher.
Star wars has been revised for the past 30 years
by
dominux
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· Score: 1
read some of the drafts for star wars. Leah rescues a captured Luke in the death star, not the other way round.
another jedi mind trick...
by
vectrex
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· Score: 1
...these are not the Star Wars we're looking for...
I want my darn Original Trilogy I saw when I was a kid. Not those butchered movies.
I've never watched any of the star wars movies
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
I have never watched any of the star wars movies. It wasn't until slashdot, that people kept posting and commenting about the movies that I was finally inclined to watch.
and I have to be perfectly honest and say, they're not good movies. the acting isnt very good, especially Luke's.
Re:I've never watched any of the star wars movies
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Blasphemer!!! STONE HIM!!!
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
nwbvt
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· Score: 1
Or you if you are cheap you can go to your local used DVD store. A lot of people bought the origional ones when they came out and then bought the extended editions a few months later and sold the origional ones. Complete rip offs if you ask me. I don't mind director's cuts, but those were as if they were never cut in the first place.
-- Mathematics is made of 50 percent formulas, 50 percent proofs, and 50 percent imagination.
Light Sabers changed for Vader versus Ben Kenobi Death Star duel.
TractorBeam control now in Aurebesh.
Han and Greedo scene slightly changed (everyone's seen this).
Jabba the Hutt redone from Special Edition Jabba.
Boba Fett still mugs camera.
Han still steps on tail - "You're a wonderful human being" - still there.
(The scene is an improvement over the SE - however, still not great.)
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Emperor replaced with Ian McDiarmid.
Dialogue in this scene has been slightly modified, indicating either that the Emperor knows it was Luke who nuked the Death Star, or that he is Vader's son. Maybe both. Otherwise, dialogue remains in tact. Emperor's theme from Jedi also added into the scene.
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi:
Hayden Christenson has replaced Sebastian Shaw only in the Force Ghost shot.
Line about Leia remembering her mother while talking to Luke on the Ewok Village veranda has either been omitted, or modified.
Naboo has been added to the final planetary celebration montage at the end of the movie. It is a shot very similar to the helicopter shot of Theed in TPM when AATs are moving up the street towards the palace.
Original Trilogy Bonus Materials Extras:
Episode III teaser trailer.
Episode III Vader "making of" featurette.
Easter Egg: Warwick Davis short film of Wickett the Ewok fighting Boba Fett on the Death Star II, shot as a gag during the filming of Return of the Jedi.
I wonder if they are going to add the scene where Luke is talking to Biggs at Tochi Station that was filmed but not used in the movie. I have this on some CDROM about Star Wars behind the scenes.
-- It's like "looking busy" at your employment - it's actually easier to do real work than to fake it. - bmo
Our List of Demands!
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
So I guess to please everybody we will actually need more than just 2 versions of the original trilogy:
1. Pure episodes 4-6, as if transferred straight from original release prints to DVD 2. Same as above but with the color correction and restoration 3. A version of each with SOME of the SE stuff (voted on by committee perhaps) 4. The SE versions as they were re-released in theaters 5. The SE versions with the added tie-ins to episodes 1-3
Widescreen is a must but we better also get a pan-and-scan version of each for the poor souls out there who can't enjoy a movie on TV bracketed by those evil black bars. "It's a waste of space"
And we'll need every audio option possible for the highest quality sound on any home system as well as a "Nostalgia Sound" version that gives us the true feeling of listening to SW in a crappy theater circa 1977.
A must-have will be a different director's commentary for each of the above 5 versions and lets drag a few of the main actors into a separate audio track and force them to reminisce about the production just one last time. For those who were young children in the 70s we can revisit the "Nostalgia Sound" idea and have some fatherly voice read aloud all of the subtitles for the alien-speak.
DVD versions are a must but perhaps new VHS copies of the above would be wise for those who like the nostalgia of tape. Might as well crank out some higher rez versions for the inevitable Hi-Def coming soon and also prepare for the future with a video-on-demand edition.
And finally they should be prepared for a revised list of consumer demands if/when episodes 7-9 ever see the light of day.
Or we could just let George do whatever the heck he wants with them and realize that we will never be able to re-capture the magic these movies gave us in our childhoods.
Honestly I'd just like to see the originals pop up at my local megaplex every 10 years or so. Uh, with the color fixes and restoration.:)
Does it really matter?
by
jvj24601
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· Score: 2, Insightful
I was 6 years old when I saw Episode IV in the theatre. I grew up with Star Wars action figures (and lego) as my favorite toys, and I yelled at my parents when they gave away those toys while I was away at school. Episode IV goes down as one of my favorite movies of all time. Not because it was the best of them, but because as the first, it inspired my imagination. It made me think about outer space, about being an astronaut. It started me on the path of being interested in space, then science, then eventually computers.
I collected some of the comic books, and I've read a few of the novels. I've seen every SW movie in the theatre, and rent them when they come out on VHS/LD/DVD.
But does it really bother me that GL changes them? It doesn't. Would I like to own the original theatrical release on DVD? Probably. But I don't feel that I am entitled to it, and if it's not available, then it's not available. Am I the only one who feels this way?
My son is nine years old. He's enjoyed watching all five films we've rented, but he's only seen the Special Edition of the first trilogy. I don't really care if he ever sees the original.
I mean, they are only films. Yes, they're an important part of the history of film, but it's not like the originals aren't available at all. It's not like we're never going to be able see the original versions ever again. It's not like the old versions are being recalled, or being destroyed (think 1984). It's not like we're being "duped" into buying these versions - everyone who cares to find out will be able to know exactly what's changed.
I guess I just don't understand all the venom being thrown about here. Maybe if it were me, if I were the creator of this universe, maybe I would be satisfied with my first pass. Maybe. But who knows? I've never produced anything of entertainment value that millions of people have seen. If I did, and I later had the means and the money to change them, would I? Perhaps.
But in the end, they were movies. Not just movies - they shaped a part of my childhood. But they were movies. And those experiences as a kid, those moments about dreaming of a future so different to the present, well, no amount of film editing is going to take those memories away.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Ubergrendle
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· Score: 3, Insightful
Completely different kettle of fish here.
First off, there is a very strong rationale for his changes. He documents them fully. It is not in the interests of marketing.
Second, the previous version is still availalbe in print. Some editions of The Hobbit include both chapters so that the reader can make the difference. There has been no active attempt to surpress or prevent the distribution of the original version.
Finally, I'd argue that a popular, visual, commercial medium that is available for a 20 year period because a culturally shared product. I fear that just like people are still trying to rebuild/recreate the original version of Metropolis (Fritz Lang) or The Magnificent Ambersons, down the road a high-resolution version of Star Wars/Empire/ROTJ won't be available and it will be lost to the ages.
Ultimately I find Lucas' and Speilberg's post-editing of their successes to be a sign of self-concious inferiority complexes. Its the equivalent to me of an aging movie star going through plastic surgery, to attempt to prolong their glory days or relive their past success.
-- John Maynard Keynes: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?"
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Afrosheen
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· Score: 1
Try 2 years before the release. I bought the trilogy on DVD in 5.1 dolby surround, widescreen, from a local asian market. Evidently they released it in Singapore or Hong Kong legally but not here (US). Even the cover art looks right.
Mucusfilm. Bah.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
If you write a story, and accidental changes make it better, wouldn't that indicate that you're not a very good writer?
Lucas is a hack.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
linicks
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· Score: 1
It's surprising to me that nobody thinks that these images are just "photoshopped" pictures and just rambles on about rumored changes. Couldn't some random fan just take an image and super-impose Episode III Anakin on Episode VI Anakin's body?
I had heard that Lucas was planning on doing the special edition movies from 1997.
--
I got nothing...
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
rikkards
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· Score: 1
I plan to pick up a decent vcr and try to pull them off and make my own Four words: Bittorrent Suprnova Laserdisc rip
Not bad quality
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Not to mention the musical score changed for smoother editing of additional footage. I noticed big differences in some scenes just based on the music being adjusted. If you've never experienced this phenomenon, check out the Ultimate Edition of the movie Legend. The two soundtracks make for two very different movies.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
rgarcia
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· Score: 2, Informative
Actually, that asian "release" is not official and is really a Laserdisc rip to DVD. That's why your version doesn't have the so-called enhancements Lucas put in; they were done after the Laserdisc release.
--
I couldn't fail to disagree with you less.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
It is also in-character and fits well as part of the story.
The Hobbit is Bilbo's account of the period (from the Red Book, IIRC?) and similar to historians who summarize President Jefferson's black kids, they add to and update the history as more info comes available.
I guess after the fall of the Empire it's not surpising to see history get whitewashed by the Rebels. I'd love to see Star Wars 7 explore this topic.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
renderhead
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· Score: 1
It's true! If you play the scene in the special edition where they dubbed in Luke's scream backwards and at half speed, you can clearly hear a voice saying "George is dead." In the disputed scene where Luke is rumored to shout "Carrie!" he was actually saying "I buried George," but it was obscured by the music.
-- I wish that my inferiority complex were as good as yours.
-RenderHead
Star Wars Battlefront Demo...
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Everyone is missing the whole point of buying the DVD. It has the Star Wars Battlefront demo included on the extras disk!
Star Wars Battlefront Trailer and Playable Demo:
The fourth disc will offer a trailer featuring an exciting look at the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront video game from LucasArts, along with a special demo for Xbox users that lets players fight the Battle of Endor as a Rebel or Imperial soldier and drive AT-STs, ride speeder bikes and use different weapons to lead their side to victory. The full version of Star Wars Battlefront will also be released Sept. 21 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
FuzzyBad-Mofo
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· Score: 1
No way man, the less Ewoks the better!
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
drinkypoo
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· Score: 2, Insightful
There will not be a rerelease of star wars with the correct han/greedo scene until Lucas dies because judging by his statements on the issue of post-edits he believes that they actually make the movies better. In other words he believes he can do no wrong.
-- "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
darkwing_bmf
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· Score: 1
I like the original The Hobbit better. It was more cheerful. The ring didn't have nearly the evilness that it did in LotR. Riddles are fun and good. Dark badness gripping at your soul is bad.
Completely wrong about LOTR
by
rd_syringe
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· Score: 1
You can buy the theatrical versions quite easily. There's even a small trilogy boxset with all three. Did you even bother looking in the store?
Nothing was filmed "exclusively" for DVD. Peter Jackson just happened to film a LOT of shit. Much of ROTK's footage still won't be on the Extended DVD in November.
These extended editions are being driven by fan demand. No fleecing going on. They've been open about the two versions since the very beginning.
The Hobbit wasn't as hugely popular as Lord of the Rings. Those books didn't take off until ten years later. So when Tolkien was changing The Hobbit, it was still a "minor" revision to a children's book.
Once the Lord of the Rings became hugely popular, Tolkien was very open about the fact that he would have done things differently in retrospect (off the top of my head, he believes the story is too short). But he never touched the manuscripts except to fix very minor technical mistakes.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Jeezus if South Park is making fun of you you know you are doing something wrong.
Man, I hope people with your mentality don't drive, vote or procreate.
watching Star Wars and an adult vs. as a kid
by
Chiisu
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· Score: 1
I finally sat down to watch the Star Wars trilogy again (it'd been years), and this time it just didn't seem the same. Darth Vader nor the Emporer seemed that menacing, and Luke and Han didn't seem as heroic. Maybe as I'm getting older I'm turning towards Star Trek, Babylon 5, Farscape, etc. which has much better writing, people who actually care about the characters and story and such (yeah, I know Star Trek is having its problems now). Plus, I hate to admit it but the aging special effects are also a factor, even if not a great one. Honestly, I enjoyed seeing Episode II more, but that's just me.......
Re:watching Star Wars and an adult vs. as a kid
by
bmalia
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· Score: 1
You didn't notice the bad acting when you were a kid either.
--
There's no place like ~/
Re:watching Star Wars and an adult vs. as a kid
by
MortgageMan
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· Score: 0
I was 12 when it first came out in 1977...
It isn't the same for me either but take heart; this viewing you do know how it's going to turn out...
--Richard
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
ideonode
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· Score: 2, Interesting
First off, there is a very strong rationale for his changes. He documents them fully. It is not in the interests of marketing.
Playing devil's advocate here....
Does the intention behind the author's revision actually matter in this argument? You could argue that George Lucas made Greedo shoot first as subsequent character development suggests Han wouldn't have done so. I don't subscribe to that view myself, but it's possible. At the same time, Tolkien effectively changed the actions of a principal character as he realised that their behaviour didn't make sense when viewed through the lens of its sequels.
To answer your second point, getting hold of the original Hobbit is difficult - yes, there are parallel editions, but these were only really produced in the 1980s, and genuine firsts will set you back $50,000+. At the same time, Lucas didn't exactly supress the laserdisc trilogy did he? After the second edition of the Hobbit was published, there was no reprinting of the first edition. This is equivalent to their being no DVD of the original trilogy once the Special Edition was created.
He still shoots first, but the sequence has been cleaned up to make it look much less fake and jerky.
Yet Another Retarded LOTR DVD Joke
by
rd_syringe
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· Score: 1
I reply to every one of these, because each one is no less retarded then the one before.
There are TWO editions of each film. Just two. The theatrical release, which comes out first. Then, the excruciating 3+ hour extended version that comes out months later for the hardcore fans.
New Line and Peter Jackson have been open about this since the beginning. They are not ripping anyone off. Even the extras are different on both releases. Both release dates are announced before the first DVD hits shelves.
Yet, time after time, someone on Slashdot still feels the need to use a lot of adjectives to describe it and pretend that makes it a witty joke. "It's the super mega 13-dvd extended ultra edition! Mod me up!" The implication is that they're fleecing people with multiple editions, which is simply not true. Standard and extended. This isn't a hard concept to grasp.
Greedo shoots first
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
This has been available for preorder from Amazon since May, with the same release date and more info than is available in the article.
What's wrong with the SE's?
by
bmalia
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· Score: 1
If I was as the store to purchase Star Wars, and there was 2 boxed sets on the self... One the original version, and one of the special edition, I'd buy the special edition. But that's just me. Guess I'm just not a die-hard fan.
--
There's no place like ~/
Re:What's wrong with the SE's?
by
narcc
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· Score: 1
The special edition makes me sick -- have you *seen* that completely random (and out of place) "music video" toward the beginning of RotJ?
I'd ask "What was Lucas thinking!?" but it's perfectly obvious that he wasn't...
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
(trb001)
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· Score: 1
Go on eBay, I got the Laserdisc rips on DVD for around $35. Pretty damn good quality.
--trb
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
kpogoda
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· Score: 1
I guess they will have to generate income off the originals. The new movies certainly were a disappointment. One can only hope the third will compensate for the first two movie's inadequecies.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
StalinsNotDead
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· Score: 1
risk another Jar-Jar episode
They'll probably insert a Gungan (Jar-Jar's race) into one of the scenes just to show that they helped the Rebel Alliance. Maybe replace Lando's copilot in the Mellinium Falcon in Return of the Jedi.
-- Thanks to the internet, we can now all die alone together! -SomeWoman
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
StalinsNotDead
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· Score: 2, Funny
probably because the Hong Kong Triads don't realize that Americans want the originals.
Why doesn't someone send them an email?
-- Thanks to the internet, we can now all die alone together! -SomeWoman
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Jbrecken
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· Score: 1
And taking out the best songs.
Yub-yub!
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Ilgaz
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· Score: 1
I definitely won'T buy them but I can bet they will be on DVD9 format, dual layer DVD.
They could use the other side for original stuff costing nothing. Plain stereo and plain 35 mm mastered (not remastered), wouldn't need the 4th layer which makes problem with some players.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
buckeyeguy
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· Score: 1
The possibilities are endless...
"Does Darth Vader have to choke a bitch?"
-- I'd have a personalized plate on my car, but "toxic bachelor" won't fit into 7 letters.
...come on slashdotters! Buy yet another copy of Star Wars and make George Lucas another fortune! You know you want it... as if you've not seen the damn thing before, you're now going to rush out and buy it again.
But the DVD has special features and it's in digital Dolby Pro Logic 26.1 surround with added bass!
Wouldn't it be cool if Serenity were released on the same day as EpIII? You could have those long lines of people waiting to see the latest Star Wars while the Joss fans stream out of the theater loudly telling everyone within earshot "If you want some good sci-fi, see the *other* movie!" Everybody that can't get tickets to sold-out Star Wars screenings will see Serenity, instead, creating a whole new class of fans who'll talk up the movie to their friends. The critics could do double-feature reviews, complete with David and Goliath metaphors. By being better quality, by having the testicular fortitude to go up against the Star Wars franchise head-to-head, and by virtue of the great word of mouth, the second week of Serenity would kick ass in box office receipts as Star Wars drops precipitously.
I can dream, can't I?
Re:Firefly and completely OT
by
Snaller
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· Score: 1
Well, if we are dreaming - i'm dreaming that George Lucas realises SW is bad and endorces Firefly instead:)
-- If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
(yet another) Obligatory link
by
Lisandro
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· Score: 1
I currently own the first 3 on rapidly degrading VCR tape.
I own the 4th on DVD and my niece has the 5th...
Even though I was 12 years old when it first came out, and even though I was the FIRST person in line on premier night, I'm waiting until the whole series is finished and then I will by the giant director's cut box.
I did the director's cut box with The Godfather and I was not at all sorry...
--Richard
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
mvdwege
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· Score: 1
Greedo shooting first [...]
Actually, last week one of our local TV stations was screening A New Hope. Since I didn't know whether this was the special edition version or the original, I was paying close attention to the cantina scene.
As it happens, it was the Special Edition, but what surprised was how little Greedo shooting first mattered for the tone of the scene.
You see, in the scene you see Han reaching for his blaster under the table as Greedo comes to sit with him. Han's intent is obvious: he intends to shoot Greedo under the table. So regardless of whether or not Greedo shoots first, this scene retains the characterisation of Han as somewhat of a rat.
Frankly, the whole 'but Han was supposed to shoot first!' cries seem a bit like a storm in a glass of water to me. It is a silly gratuitous change, true, but it is not the earth-shattering change the rabid fan boys make it out to be.
Mart
-- "I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
TylerDurden0
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· Score: 1
"Have at you!" Awesome. Even better if he kept poking at Darth Vader, saying "I'm invinceable! Jedi always triumph!" saying none shall pass, then is taken down by a balrog or something.
See if only Lucas had the vision of the/.'ers.
-- Warning: I am the silence machine.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Don't worry about the Hong Kong Triads, JC Denton and I took care of them long ago.
One word, okay two...Blu-Ray
by
sracer
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· Score: 1
I have a sneaking suspicion that the non-SE Original Star Wars Trilogy will be the first title released for Blu-Ray discs.
IIRC, Lucas is a fan of Blu-Ray... and may even have some financial interest in the technology. What better way to kick-start a new format than to have it debut with one of the most sought-after titles for the format (DVD) that it is replacing?
In the case of Tolkien, as the stories of Middle Earth developed over the years, they got better. The Lord of the Rings is much richer than The Hobbit, and I think The Hobbit was enriched by the addition of The Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion, and the subsequent posthumously published books have further enhanced the Middle Earth world. Unfortunately, as Lucas has continued to mess with the Star Wars story, it has continued to decline (midichlorians for example).
MODS: RD_SYRINGE IS OVERLY CRITICAL GUY/BONCH
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
they're not photoshops, they're screenshots from leaked video
I think he did a fantastic job with Star Wars, Indiana Jones, American Graffiti, etc., so I obviously want him to make new movies.
But he's old and rich, has a family, and wants to do something 9-5, so he dicks around with his old movies. It's better than flipping burgers.
I don't mean this as a value judgement, just an honest acessment of his choices. You can't force a guy to do something he doesn't want to do, so instead, just don't buy his product.
Of course, I have the laserdiscs so I'm not as directly affected, even if I did cheap out and get the CLV version.
I expect great Movies from Lucas when his kids are all out of the house, say in 15 years and he can afford to put in a few all-nighters in the editing room.
-- My God, it's Full of Source! OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Buy it again for the first time!
by
^_^x
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· Score: 1
Someone had to say it. Thanks!
I used to buy a lot of DVDs, but now that you're pretty well guaranteed to be ripped off no matter what version you buy because another one is on the way with "the rest" of the features, I just download movies in slightly sub-DVD quality without the extras! Thanks, RIAA!
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
BestNicksRTaken
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· Score: 1
The release of this trilogy is going to make sales of dual layer DVD burners skyrocket!
I hope they have $10 media by then;-)
-- #include <sig.h>
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
CreatureComfort
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· Score: 1
You're right, my bad. I was still thinking Star Wars. Guess I might blame it on too much caffeine. I really should stop drinking coffee earlier in the day.
-- "Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Kesh
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· Score: 1
But that's exactly why there was such an outcry. It was a completely gratuitous change, not to mention badly edited. (It looked like Han broke his neck to turn his head like that.) Not to mention it makes Greedo into a laughable shot.
The scene then comes across as Han getting his weapon ready, just in case he's attacked, instead of killing Greedo preemptively. It changes the tone of the scene completely.
Is that a horrible thing? No. It's just very jarring to those of us who saw it the original way, and think that this version makes less sense.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
After which Geedo opens one eye and blasts Solo while exclaiming "If you are going to shoot, shoot! Don't talk!".
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
AtariKee
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· Score: 1
In fact, quite good quality. I've got all three of the LD rips and I don't plan on buying this set when it's released.
-- "You're getting brutal, Sark. Brutal and needlessly sadistic."
"Thank you, Master Control"
-Sark and the MCP
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
AbRASiON
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· Score: 1
"Ultimately I find Lucas' and Speilberg's post-editing of their successes to be a sign of self-concious inferiority complexes. Its the equivalent to me of an aging movie star going through plastic surgery, to attempt to prolong their glory days or relive their past success."
I couldn't have possibly said it better myself......
Hell I'm not even a "star wars nut" but that man is still raping my childhood (but just a little bit,... maybe he's only putting the head in?)......
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
AbRASiON
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· Score: 1
I couldn't agree with this post more - infact (sadly) I had forgotten he wasn't in ANH or ESB - but it just seems so much more logical to me.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Billly+Gates
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· Score: 1
Ways George Lucas Could Ruin Episode III
16. Have Darth Vadar create a secret energy task force behind close doors 15. Decide to be more like Star Trek Enterprise and hire Bearmen and some other lame writers put in Yoda and Obi Wan killed only to have some strange paraphysical event from the timeline bring them back in a later movie. 14. Have the Sith accuse the Jedi council of being unpatriotic and then talk about homeland security 13. Have Lawrence Fishbone's character say to Anakin "You join the light side and you will wake up believing whatever you want to believe. You join the dark side and I will show you how far the rabbit hole goes" 12. Have Lawrence Fishbone's character say "DOES YODDA LOOK LIKE A BITCH? THEN WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO FUCK HIM FOOL" 11. Show Amidala being artificially inseminated by C3P0. 10. Have Greedo's father shoot Han's father. 9. Have the Empire invade the planet of Erak on the pretext that they have weapons of mass destruction. 8. Anakin shouting at the end, "I'll get you, Obi Wan, if it's the last thing I do!" 7. Forgetting the whole plot and killing Anakin and Yoda. 6. Tell the actors and actresses that they were over-emoting during the last two movies, and they should act with less excitement. 5. End the movie with the Sith holding a large celebratory barbecue in the woods, with fireworks bursting overhead. 4. Cast John Stamos and Dave Coulier as Luke and Leia's Uncle Jesse and Uncle Joey 3. Have the actors make light sabre and blaster sound effects themselves 2. Have the incident that finally pushes Anakin over to the dark side, be the Jedi Council making fun of his new haircut 1. Entitle it Revenge of the Sith, and continue to write and direct it on his own.
Rejected Names for Star Wars: Episode III
15. BattleField Tatoeee starring John Trovalta as Anakin and Hubble as Yoda and spirtual leader 14. CasaDeathStar starring Humphrey Bogart as Obi Won 13. Star Wars reloaded 12. Star Trek XXXVII: The search for Yoda 11. The Ewoks Strike Back 10. CGIFriday's 9. Who's Your Daddy? 8. Yodadance 7. Who Let the Dooku Out? 6. The Emperor's New Clothes 5. Episode C-3PO 4. Return of the Jar Jar 3. Rock Me Amidala 2. Am I Darth or Not? 1. A Jedi is Born
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Fancia
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· Score: 1
If you write a story, and accidental changes make it better, wouldn't that indicate that you're not a very good writer?
No, it just indicates that you're a writer. It's fairly par for course. A bad writer would be someone who wouldn't *realize* qhat that the accidents made it better, which does once again go back to Lucas.
--
Bít, zabít, jen proto, ze su liska!
Wrong! Not Bull!
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
The way the system originally(!) worked, in order to have copyright protection, you had to submit a copy of the work, along with a fee to register the copyright, and presumably cover filing and storage costs somewhat.
This is why the current system is borked. Originally, You could either:
A. Hold on to your work and then burn it when you die, taking it with you forever. and variations there-on
B. Release the work, but don't file copyright, you've saved a few bucks, but too bad so sad if pirates start distributing.
C. Pay, and file for copyright on the work. You can now release it, and be assured of legal recourse against those who steal your work, BUT you agree to give it up to the public domain after a set time, AND the copyright office holds a copy to ensure that it will be available.
That is how the system is supposed to work!
Re:To point out the obvious (not a conspiracy theo
by
fr0dicus
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· Score: 1
Bullshit. He's hanging around in Mos Eisley, he's working for the Hutt's. He charges extra for avoiding Imperial's and takes a no-questions-asked job. Do you need some more? That's just what I can think if immediately.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
Afrosheen
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· Score: 1
Then it's the best version available, particularly for purists that don't like having their memories tinkered with.
Personally I hate the funky emperor and would like the revised one added, but c'est la vie, the rest of the movie is perfect.
Re:Some of the changes (possible spoilers)
by
pertinax18
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· Score: 1
I think you are getting Samuel L. Jackson who was in Star Wars AND Pulp Fiction with Laurence Fishburne who is from the Matrix but NOT Star Wars.
Slashdot Mirror
Comment removed based on user account deletion
All over the globe, geeks just passed out.
Oh wait...wrong forum. Nothing to see here...move along...
About (expletive) time! At least I can dump those hideous VHS tapes. What took so long?
Thank-you Your fan base
Episode IV was incredible. I was blown away by it when it came out.
But by the time VI came out, it had a very Police Academy IV thing going on.
Let's hope Episode III is good..
You know you're a geek if you've ever replied to a tagline.
I'm waiting for the super-special-extended-ultra-remastered-digitally- enhanced mega super version box set of all 6 movies.
I just can't wait until they come out with the box set with all six films and I can spend a day watching the entire Star Wars story. It'll get better as it goes on no doubt, as episode one was so bad, yet the originals are oh so good.
I hear that in this version Alderaan shoots first.
I'm actually going to wait this one out. I can't recall how many times the trilogy was released on VHS...and am not going to get taken like a sucker on this like I was with Fellowship of the Ring.
:)
Once the second release is out, then it'll be time to party. Probably when episode 3 is done and release and it's all in one pretty box.
// Agent Green (Ian / IU7 / KB1JQO)
// IEEE 802.3: All 10base Are Belong To Us
I tried to get a friend of mine to transfer his VHS version of the Star Wars trilogy over to DVD. Too bad you have to bootleg it in order to get the unadultered version of it.
Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
It was even more amazing when I heard it last year around this time.
they're the digitally raped editions
Before/after shots for us who have not got the VHS editions?
Wow, I should not post when knackered.
"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of geeks suddenly cried out in glee and were suddenly silenced."
Join the TWIT army now!
Lucas's revisionist history really does bother me as a geek. While I agree some of the added scenes do add to the movies, some of them are simply unacceptable. Greedo shooting first for example.
If they were offering the original movies on DVD, I'd jump at it. I don't know how I feel about this revisionist version, but it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.
'The staff in the hand of a wizard may be more than a prop for age,' -Hamá, the doorward
I just paid $63 for the first two seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm on DVD.
You mean that doesn't come with free Star Wars DVDs?
I mean, it's not like they're new movies or anything...
Come on! This article has been up for seven minutes, and nobody has answered the most important question:
Does Greedo shoot first???
Come on! You call yourselves geeks?
From what I hear, the commentary on the "Bonus DVD" in question consists entirely of fan commentary on all episodes of the Star Wars franchise in DVD audio format.
It is said that the US is considering classification of this DVD as a weapon, putting it into the same class as strong crypto used to be. This is based on preliminary results obtained after playing the entire disc non-stop to George Lucas...it took only 30 minutes for him to start begging to be encased in Carbonite.
-JT
Big Lucas takes care of us.
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Blah, when will Lucas get it, we want the origional damn films as shown in theaters, not his revisionist history with all the damn modern FX. Jeezus if South Park is making fun of you you know you are doing something wrong.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Hang on? the younger Anakin in spirit form?
But he didn't die until the end of Ep VI. I figured your "jedi" spirit took the form of your body at the time of death?
Sheesh.. not unlike lucas to create some friggin' plot holes! :P
Friends don't let Friends use Internet Explorer.
What irks me even more is the dialogue changes. I spent my entire childhood memorizing every line of those stupid movies, then suddenly they change the dialogue and it just sounds wrong.
The worst part is the changes don't even add anything! Half of them seemed to be changed just because they could be.
D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
In celluloid if at all possible!
Otherwise, DVD letterbox AS AIRED.
If you want to add changed scenes, outtakes, commentary, etc. fine, just make sure I can view it AS I SAW IT IN 1977 if I want to.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
I seriously can't wait for this DVD collection to come out, special version or not, all I can say is I do NOT lug a damn VCR to college (hell, I don't think I even have one in my house any more), so I haven't been able to see this trilogy in a long time. It'll be very sweet to have some viewings at school with tons of other nerds.
Good times will be had very soon at many a college dorm. . .
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Bel, the mostly sane.. "Of course I can't see anything! I'm standing on the shoulders of idiots." -- Me
If he does, I'm not buying them, period. I can't believe that they'd change what basically amounts to a massive character development over three movies, and rework it to crap. all because it's not nice for Han to shoot first. that was the WHOLE FREEKING point. ugh.
i hate people sometimes.
Isn't this like REALLY old news? What's new about this? It's not like they have anything we didn't already know! This was announced AGES ago.
0110100100100000011000010110110100100000011000100
Here's to hoping this has something to do with Princess Leia in Jabba's Palace :)
-JT
I saw on some interview that the minor dialogue changes weren't even intentional; when they were remastering the film for 1997, they sometimes had to use different takes that hadn't deteriorated as much (or so they say). They claim they didn't even realise they had changed any of the dialogue until diehard fans started complaining... ^_~
~ Aero
Jabba didn't meet up with Han before Han took off (and certainly not the significantly older looking version of Han that you see in this scene). Etc. Etc. Han did meet Jabba in the original cut, the scene was pulled from theatrical release though. Jabba was originally a dumpy irish fellow dressed in fur and leather.
If you're going to bitch about scene changes, at least have the facts my friend.
I'm just hoping they left in the bit where the Stormtrooper entering the control room where C3PO & R2D2 are at whacks his head coming in. Friggin' hilarious. Or the part where Luke shouts "Carrie!" instead of "Leia!" at the end of Ep IV. Fun stuff like that should definitely be left in. Here's hopin'.
First Post...
Well atleast until Lucas "remasters" it
Uh... "the significantly older version of Han" was filmed with the original movie, and a stand-in (a fat guy wearing some sort of fur outfit, looked kinda like Cyrano Jones from The Trouble With Tribbles) for Jabba, that George originally planned to replace with a stop motion Hut.
When that plan didn't work out (didn't have the time/budget/tech to do it convincingly) they added the Greedo scene to pass on the same information about Han's difficulties with the local smugglar king, which is why the conversation with Jabba is essentially the same as the conversation with Greedo.
The only true way to see the original theatrical versions of the trilogy is to get the laserdiscs. Not only does it look and sound better than the VHS but If you get the right ones, they are widescreen, which no VHS copy of the "original theatrical" versions have to the best of my knowledge.
TheShadowHawk :P
Friends don't let Friends use Internet Explorer.
If you RTFA, you see this:-
The controversy. The versions of Lucas' beloved films that are on these new DVDs are not the original theatrical releases but the special editions that played in theaters in 1997. Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
Isn't this like REALLY old news?
It sure is. A lot of stores in Australia already have huge posters advertising the release date as September 26. OLD news.
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Only then, after the DVD saled have slowed down, will he decide to relent, release the original movies on DVD, and snap up the profits from nerds re-purchasing the DVDs of the original movie.
Kind of the inverse of Lord of the Rings DVD strategy - Lucas realizes if he releases the original versions first, nobody will buy the revised versions later.
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
Isn't this topic Star Wars PREQUELS?
Do your best, hope for the best, suspect the worst.
Why can't Lucas take a hint from the LOTR series and release the 13-DVD super-duper box set with 35 variations of each film including the original versions and his new screwed up versions? Charge people eleventy-seven dollars or whatever ... just give people what they want .... not what he thinks they should have.
Midichlorians.
I'll bet 50 Republic Credits on it.
From the Article:
"The versions of Lucas' beloved films that are on these new DVDs are not the original theatrical releases but the special editions that played in theaters in 1997. Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
If this is in fact true, I say don't buy the god damned things.
Tell Lucas you're fed up with his constant reworking of a classic that needs no changing and that you want the unadulterated original release on DVD without any scene edits for DVD.
Personally, Lucas needs to stand down and let others do the creative work.
It's bad enough they're not releasing the original movies (at least until Lucas dies, then I'm sure they'll take advantage of the opportunity to sell us the same crap again). Now releasing the DVDs is generating interest in the Laserdisks, and I still haven't tracked down the other two THX/Widescreen movies (I've got Jedi at least). It wouldn't be so bad if most of the changes (like Greedo shooting first) weren't because Lucas has his head up his ass and is listening to critics (who, it should be noted, also have heads up their asses, very often their own).
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Heres a part where i rake in some money.
Ooh, heres another million... selling out, selling out, cashing in, nother million.
Money. Money, money.
Is anyone still watching this? suckers.
-George Lucas
I've noticed two types of DVD producers. Those who talk about the extended / enhanced super versions and those who do not.
My rule of thumb is that if a producer is side-stepping the question about producing an enhanced version that they are trying to get you to buy the first "sucker" version.
If they are against modifying the movie, they'll usually proclaim that they'll NEVER have an altered version available loud and clear.
If their production schedule for the enhanced version means that the two versions will be released separately, the honest producers will usually give two deadlines, but you've got to do your homework and check this out for yourself. Retail stores don't like to point out "This isn't the DVD you're probably looking for."
Fore example, I haven't seen "The Passion of the Christ" yet, may rent it, but I may buy it and if it's rubbish give it away for Christmas. But I notice it's being produced in all sorts of unenhanced versions (widescreen, normal, Church 50-packs, etc). Only rumors are circulating about a possible enhanced release. Personally, I'll wait for "The Passion of the Christ - Second Coming!" rather than sweep up the version available at the end of August.
An open letter to George Lucas.
Dear George,
The nostalgic value for DVD collectors of these movies is very high, but your changes destroy that value. No one who loved the movies in the 70s and 80s wants the "special edition" release, or the changes you have made since. The changes make them new movies, lesser versions of their former selves, they certainly are not the same movies I enjoyed in my youth. One of the great things about Star Wars was the amazing effect work that was very groundbreaking using the technology of the day. Updating the films with new technology destroys that accomplishment.
I will not buy Star Wars (again) until the original, unmodified movie is on DVD. Likewise for Empire.
Thank you.
-an 80's Star Wars fan in your target market.
is it actually un-funny? because it seems like it should be, but then i keep laughing.
-tid242
With a few exceptions, secrecy is deeply incompatible with democracy and with science. --Carl Sagan
So did they edit in Jar Jar at any point in these films?
-tid242
With a few exceptions, secrecy is deeply incompatible with democracy and with science. --Carl Sagan
...They didn't replace the original Anakin with Jar-Jar!
(The HORROR!)
"...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
Oh yes they are... Bittorrent is your friend... the quality is not up to par with a new DVD, but DANG they look nice, and they are AS I REMEMBER THEM.
:D
Love them
Oh wait, director mixup, that was Randall Curtis.
make world, not war
Please explain this for those of us plebs that missed the meme on the first time by :)
Why is this informative/funny?
WHY?????!!!!!
Is that like the weird word that Amidala is from where Queens are elected and Senators are appointed?
My other first post is car post.
I have altered the film. Pray I don't alter it any further.
-GL
I cannot find it now, but I remember reading that if a work is no longer made available in todays standards then it looses its protection against copyright. This might have only been high tech, I`m not even very sure of it,but I think it compares to coming out with a song on record adn now since you won`t release on cd, no one can listen. So you lose copyright.
If this istrue,I wonder if it would mean the original theatrical releases now fall under this because lucas refuses to release them.
I`m not sure adn definitely not a lawyer, but any takers as to the truth of this???
...because I own them
came in a big blue collectors box with a hologram on the front... I got mine from QVC sometime in the early 90's, If I remember right.
"These aren't the DVDs you're looking for."
2) Profit!
1b) Then wait a bit and [re]-sell the "original" version to purists who have to have that.
2b) Profit!
Wow, you don't even need the usual 3 steps.
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
Why couldn't Lucas just release two DVD sets - one with the originals, one with his special edition? He could make more money off the completists this way, too.
I wrote the prior post ("Always Check" - Article#9998184) in response to this article:
After a bunch of Error 503's, the submit button finally kicks in. Yet when it's posted it gets attached to "Now Wait A Second" Article #9998031 which is on a completely different subject and makes me look like I'm more insane than I actually amSomething weird's up with slashdot tonight. Be on the look out.
holy shit someone moderate that up.. hahaaaaaa
Alternative links (elitemrp.net got a taste of /.):
dvd_palpatine1.jpg
empire_emperor.jpg
dvd_jabba1.jpg
dvd_esprit2.jpg
It's funny because it says "Anonymous Coward"!
I've got the originals on DVD. I copied them from a friend of mine who picked up a tiawanese bootleg set at a pawn shop.
It's got surprisingly good quality, and I was absolutely delited to find that it was the original trilogy.
The only down side is that the subtitles are in engrish. Oh well, can't win em all.
Be careful what you wish for - I envision the future this way:
***Yo, Yo, Yo!!!*** - Check It! It's 'Star Wars Interactive' comin' to you on Supa Blu-Ray!
- See the original blocky transparencies around Tie Fighters and X-Wings! (Some of you out there really want that, huh?)
- Replace Greedo with Jar-Jar and make Han shoot first again! And again. And again!
- See the original Irish guy who played the part of Jabba the Hutt and put him in Episode Six!
- Give Boba Fett some extra rocket fuel so he can escape his fate!
Seriously, you know this sort of thing is coming eventually. So is all this panic about original versions a case of purity or old-tyme familiarity for us old farts? Believe me, it's hard to see some of this stuff happening to the films I grew up with (I was 12 when I saw Star Wars), but is the fact that Greedo shot first going to change the entire demeanor of the film?
Maybe it's a question of relevancy. As time goes on, you can expect more of this sort of thing to happen to films like it has with music.
Example: Look at Rap. Rap recycles old music into newer stuff. Should that be outlawed too?
"...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
Way to suck all the humor out by overexplaining everything.
There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
Greedo shooting first for example.
And taking out the best songs.
There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
Download the SPECIAL EDITION here!
"'Yrch!' said Legolas, falling into his own tongue."
I've heard that they could POSSIBLY CHANGE the order of the camera crew listing on the end credits.
Mostly unacceptable!!!
Your head a splode
I was under the impression that this wonderful new data format called "DVD" makes it possible to intersperse additional or modified scenes within the original picture (at the viewer's leisure). Perhaps if Lucas wasn't such an arrogant narcissist, he would try harder to appease fans of the original films rather than screwing needlessly with history.
These have been advertised (here in Oz at least) for a while now.
Link shows box/cover art.
mb.
I'm writing a letter with pen and paper (okay, laserjet and paper) to Lucasfilm, stating that I will not buy the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD unless it includes the original theatrical version.
I've got four copies of the original trilogy, two original (one widescreen, one pan-'n'-scan) and two special edition (one widescreen, one pan-'n'-scan). That's quite enough. The only reason I'd want them on DVD is so that they don't degrade as fast as the VHS copies are.
I'm no longer interested in Lucas's further changes to the trilogy. (You could say I'm no longer as serious a fan as I was back when the special edition came out. Growing up, getting married, and having a kid will do that to you.) The only thing I will pay for is the original trilogy on DVD, in its original, theatrical format.
"Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
Believe it or not, there are a LOT of people who would buy the special editions because "they're the special editions!" Most of the sheeple believe marketing hype and I bet even a few of them like the changes. I'd even bet even money that the purists are in the minority; they're just in the majority here because of the demographic.
Exactly. The re-released tarted-up movies with stupid computer drawn extras looked rather stupid. Cannot beat the original movies.
Wait until the release comes out with all it's scene modifications, and then you'll wish your post said:
"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of geeks suddenly cried out in agony and were suddenly silenced."
-- n
I have a fairly nice THX laserdisc set of the original trilogy. The only problem is that they're NTSC widescreen versions with only slightly more than 200 picture scanlines due to the crap vertical resolution of the format. Did they ever release an anamorphic widescreen version? If so, I think I have another holy grail to look for. Because I sure as shit ain't buying the latest offering from George.
Just another example of George-Lucas-revisionist-history. If they wanted to replace the fat guy with a puppet in 1976/1977 they would have had to do the scene with greenscreen or rear projection. In that time there would have been absolutely no way to replace that actor. (With all the interacting with and walking behind Harrison Ford) And why on earth would there be need for the fur costume?
No, that guy was planned as Jabba. Time constraints called for cuts and a Jabba that doesn't show up is somewhat more sinister anyway. Hitchcock taugzt us that what isn't shown in movies can be the most menacing.
Why do people still buy Georges crap? (No, I'm not talking about the DVDs)
...found another way to shit on our childhoods.
h -as-an-adult-Wan apparently knew about these things when he explained the force to luke in ep IV according to ep I... WHY THE FUCK WOULD HE FORGET TO MENTION IT THEN??? unless they were something George I-Like-To-Shit-On-My-Fans Lucas dreamed up while smoking crack and planning to make a mockery of our childhood adoration of him.
;) just my 0.02
!!major rant warning!!
Like the poor dude from pvponline I am subconsciously programmed from seeing the originals at the cinema to buy this crap but; Ill bet Han Solo doesnt fucking fire first like in those special editions (LISTEN UP LUCAS, YOU FUCKNUT, IT WAS BETTER THE ORIGINAL WAY!!!!); IMHO he would have been better served making the new movies more old school and, perhaps, AVOIDING THE FUCKING MIDICHLORIAN IDEA!!!
Lets face it, Obi-Oh-look-I-was-Irish-as-a-young-man-but-britis
*shudder* if only we weren't, generally speaking, limited to star-trek-wars for Sci-Fi; some writers (JMS, Im talking about you) can maintain continuity across a complex storyline; even remembering the past when they write the future, even if the tell the story out of step...
!!end rant!!
Look, I love starwars, and treasure the original videos (long since ripped onto DVD) as great films and stories... such a pity he fucked everything up from that point (JAR JAR FUCKING BINKS ANYONE???)... ah well, what are you gonna do??
Sorry
err!
jak
Look, the Special Edition+ version coming out on DVD is all well and good (well, except for Greedo, Jabba and some other assorted changes I hate), but where the FCUK ARE THE DELETED SCENES!?! You know. Those ones that appeared on 'Behind The Magic' double CD set from ANH, some random scenes from Hoth removed from ESB and the infamous ROTJ sandstorm (some pictures of which are scenes here: http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/416.html (X-Entertainment.com)). He has no reason for not including them on the DVD release.
I'd be willing to bet that with decent equipment you could make a pretty good transfer from a LaserDisc and while it might not have the resolution or sound of the new versions it would retain all of the stuff that made the original movies so great.
cheap labor conservatives - they want to keep you hungry enough to be thankful for minimum wage.
Greedo....sounds like guido, AND he's a gangster. Fascinating.
But there is a longtime petition site to get the original movies put on Dvd. http://www.originaltrilogy.com/ Check it out...
For christ's sake, I do not understand why this isn't rated +5 funny.
If, and I do mean if, I had beer in my mouth, it would've shot out of my nose. Not the generic, "it came out of my nose" bit, I mean real life. I have a beer sitting right here, damn it.
riding round the world on an old motorcycle
the theory is that when a jedi dies he comes back in his purest form
Which is exactly what would make the appearance of an 'old' Anakin in ghostly form all the more poignant. If the whole series is indeed the story of Anakin Skywalker, then is not the very consummation at the point where Darth Vader is finally turned by love for his son? Indeed, it is only then, and never before, that Anakin could truly be said to be pure; it was his final redemption before his death - his son saved him.
And in 2 or 3 years we'll all get to fork over another $100 when they come out on HD-DVD. Or maybe it will be a $150 6-movie set.
In the HD-DVD release, Greedo will shoot two or three times, then Han will bitch-slap him.
The article says
The controversy. The versions of Lucas' beloved films that are on these new DVDs are not the original theatrical releases but the special editions that played in theaters in 1997. Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves."
It's the MOTHER FUCKING special edition. I'm not fucking buying that crap. I'm going to try to transfer my VHS copies to DVD for fuck sake.
Sadly, I was wondering which scene he inserted Jesus into rather than marvelling that he would stoop to it.> Blah, when will Lucas get it, we want the origional damn films as shown in theaters, not his revisionist history with all the damn modern FX. Jeezus if South Park is making fun of you you know you are doing something wrong.
Due to word-wrapping in my browser I read that as -
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
...given that he recognized it had been changed from the original. Everyone wants Han to shoot first, except for the creator of Jar-Jar Binks, apparently.
Perhaps it's because I'm too young to have seen the original movies in theater, but I *like* the newer versions. They have a couple of extra scenes, and they look better. More, better looking Star wars can't be a bad thing? I also think they make some scenes feel more alive, with more people in the background and so on.
There, now you can go ahead and mod me down.
Martin
I think George Lucas sees Star Wars as a mock autobiography of his life, with himself playing Darth Vader. At first, he used to be on the good side of the force. But then he became corrupt with the evils of money, and became more a machine now, twisted and evil.
/^[A-Z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z]{2,4}$/i
"Despite the force behind Star Wars, its price probably will prevent it from taking the year's top-selling spot."
Never underestimate the power of the Force!
Emacs is good operating system, but it has one flaw: Its text editor could be better.
Wow, is that a sign of lazyness, or do they just not care. -- PS: Han shot first.
vae victis
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I really hope DVDs/SVCDs of the laserdisc version get pushed on popular bittorrent and p2p networks the day this comes out. I'd love to read news articles and talking heads on the news trying to figure this out.
*two local tv anchors on location at a suncoast DVD retailer observing the long line*
"Well Jane, it seems this is one of the most pirated movies in history."
"Yes Tom, the online world has never been shy about co-opting releases."
"True, except they're pirating the version sold in the 80s from something called a 'laserdisc.'"
*confusion ensues as a pasty skined geek grabs Jane's mic*
Fan: "Greedo does NOT shoot first!!!"
*security hauls the fan away*
"What was that about?"
"No idea. What's a greedo? *pause* Don't worry folks he's getting the help he needs."
*back on Skywalker Ranch*
Fan has eyes clipped open while a projector plays the Greedo scene endlessly before him and a small crowd tied to their chairs in a small theater. A tear run downs his cheek as he quietly, in unison with the rest, whispers, "Greedo shoots first. Greedo shoots first. Greedo shoots first."
Because in Soviet Russia it would say Coward, Anonymous.
http://www.limpfish.com/starwars/
Sorry, I couldn't resist posting this. Mod me down if you want.
bananas like monkeys.
having a disco at the end of RoTJ unfortunately won't be erased from living memory on the new DVD ...
"It's not your information. It's information about you" - John Ford, Vice President, Equifax
I can only pray that the real George Lucas is dead and has been spinning in his grave for a decade now.
In Soviet America the banks rob you!
Yoda: Too sober you are. Use the funny with only understanding, you cannot. Either laugh or do not laugh, there is no explanation.
Check out where these guys are getting their samples from. A LOT of those LPs are totally forgotten - never made it to digital.
A good DJ scratchin' for truly original samples won't look in Sam Goody's. He'll be in 'Bob's Bunker' in Philly or some other old record shop or thrift store.
Part of the reason why? CD's sound too damn clean! Doesn't THAT sound familiar?!
"...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
RTFS
You said!!! II can't believe it!! That's a line from...! HHahahaah! You ...! hAhahaahh!
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
Tell me, will the "special edition" release of "Pretty Woman" on DVD get mention on /. as well?
Scott
©20014 angrykeyboarder & Elmer Fudd. All Wights Wesewved
Yes. I like the cleaned up special effects, and I couldn't give a damn if Greedo shot first or not. If they'd changed it so that Han blew up the Death Star, or C3PO defeated Darth Vader, then that would be one thing, but these are utterly utterly trivial things that the artist who created them preferred in his own vision of how the films should be. I must admit to a certain amount of incredulity as to just how tragically vehement people are about this. Do any of you understand the irony of the Comic Book Guy in The Simpsons?
I enjoyed the star wars films, and while I'm not a huge star wars fan, I was most likely going to pick these up.
Then I read the same bit you quoted.
That's crap. They're complaining in the article that they're not the highest forecasted sellers for this holiday season because it's $70, and blaming it on that. Maybe it has something to do with:
a) not releasing the original versions, the ones that everyone really wants to see and
b) telling them to pay $70, yet refusing to tell them what they're actually getting, so they can "check them out for themselves."
When I buy a DVD, I damn well want to know what I'm getting. Extras are beyond that, but I want to know that the movie I'm buying is the movie that I've seen previously and enjoyed.
LotR is one thing. They have additional scenes on the super fancy-pants versions. But they don't go changing the scenes you've already watched. LotR gave extras that we hadn't seen, ones that we can skip easily with the remote if we decide we don't like them, or even purchase the version that's identical to the theatrical release. With this, we STILL can't buy the theatrical release, and we don't even know if they're changing what we saw in the re-release. That's absolutely ridiculous.
However, given the way that LucasFilm has treated its fans, give it 3-4 years. We'll have the originals, untouched, on DVD, as a super special bonus edition at $90 just to bleed a little more out of those that bought this set. It makes me sad, I remember loving these movies as a kid. However, as a principle, I feel like buying any of these versions now gives LucasFilm validation to fuck with me and take every possible dollar they can out of my wallet. Screw 'em. I like the movies a lot, but they're not my favorites.
I'll miss 'em, but they're not good enough to bend over for.
Look for the extra scenes where they have digitally inserted Jar Jar Binks in. Plus, Jar Jar does a stand up comedy routine in the bar scene in Star Wars ;->
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
is all the deleted scenes included, even if it slows down the film or seems odd, or requires extra special effects. Even though I cringed when Luke was talking to Biggs before blowing up the deathstar I am always intrigued when I watch extra stuff like that because I don't remember it. I can practically recite the original Starwars so these additions keep it fresh.
Oi, and I don't want to be able to see through the snowspeeders either in ESB. All this tech, and they can't even get that right.
You know when I saw Star Wars in the theatre in 1977 (actually I think it was 1978 by the time we saw it), I never saw those transparencies around the ships. Maybe I was young and easily fooled, but I have to say that I was shocked to see how obvious it was on VHS some years later.
I have to say that I could do without that. Light celophane around tie fighters is not what I remember from the original so I could care less if they choose to 'sex up' the effects a bit.
What DOES bother me is the 'Greedo' scene. What is it with these directors starting feeling guilty in their old age and US having to suffer? It's like those damn guns to walkie-talkies in E.T...
Uh... WHY???!!!
Such a stupid, pointless change because apparently, Spielberg doesn't like gun violence now.
What does the future hold for current films if the trend follows? What happens if Quintin Tarrentino becomes a Quaker? What happens if he decides to change 'Pulp Fiction' so that all bloody scenes are 'cleaned up' for the Super HD DVD version?
I think the only answer will be to allow whatever changes people want to make to it, made. I think that eventually anyone will have the ability to shape their programming more to their taste and that ability will occur with or without (probably without) the studio's help.
Look at the Episode One remix that was floating around the 'net as a primative example. Is this a bad thing? Ah, probably no more so than other pop culture trends. Who knows? Maybe then someone will be able to make 'Battlefield Earth' not SUCK so bad...
Probably not tho...
"...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
I'm waiting for the 32-disc boxset to come out with the making of the making of the making of the Star Wars movies, the commentary on the audio commentary and of course the interview with the sister-in-law of Mark Hamill's nieces step-brother, who lives in Australia.
Yeah but for that to happen you'd have to be over 21.
Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
Laserdisc is non-digital, though - correct?
Read Pynchon.
But the audio is seriously changed in places. For example, in Jabba's palace you have that stupid singing critter over the top of the rest of the sounds. It would take an absolute sound-ninja to fix all the little places where Lucas has fucked over the original soundtrack to match his 'vision' for the series.
Read Pynchon.
Not if you live in Canada.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Gandhi
Go back and re-read the bold text from the message to which you replied and you should soon discover why your reply completely misses the point.
and now I just joined the beer-out-the-nose club!
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
"I find your lack of cash disturbing..."
And the brethren went away edified.
speechless...
perhaps enlightened...
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING MY ANONYMOUS FREIND!
Please...
I'm forming a cult now.
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
I heard from a credible source (he was showing images, ie Hayden Christensen as the end of RotJ, from the DVD release months and months ago) that ILM have just signed an NDA for Eps 7,8 and 9. God help us all if it's true.
"Dre don't get as high as me.... I'm Cheech and Chong" - Snoop Dogg
so much for starting a trend.. oh well.. back to lurk mode.
Friends don't let Friends use Internet Explorer.
That would require him (or, perhaps, her) not being a halfwit. You're asking too much.
Cut his head off before he ruins anymore of my precious childhood memories of seeing these films several times over in the theatre in the 70's. F-YOU George! If it wasn't for Outlaw and Full Throttle I'd say you were good for nothing!
We can sign all of the petitions we want. We blew our chances at obtaining unaltered versions when we preordered the trilogy by the millions. We all fed the monster...
... If George Lucas would've learned something from his good friend Steven Spielberg. Make movies, don't muck around with your old ones (well, muck around as little as possible, I'm aware of the E.T. walkie talkies. Something tells me Spielberg didn't put in a fraction of the effort coming up with that.) Do something new every now and then. Take your skills and knowledge and try and tell a good story, maybe even break away from science fiction a bit. I know he had it in him at one point, American Graffiti's a great movie.
But I guess Lucas isn't a director at heart. If he was, he would've directed Empire and Return. He likes his special effects and he's good at them-- the last two movies felt more like advertisements for Industrial Light and Magic than labors of love.
Though to his credit, the Star Wars video games have generally been great... Fun, well-made, darker and more true to the promise of Star Wars than any of the movie's sequels have been.
(No, I didn't call it "Episode IV" or "A New Hope." I still call the first one Star Wars. The eight-year-old me would've wanted it that way.)
Beavis: "This movie sucks ehehehe."
Butthead: "This movie sucks in ways in wich we have never seen stuff suck before"
What a rotten party, have we run out of beer or something?
b) telling them to pay $70, yet refusing to tell them what they're actually getting, so they can "check them out for themselves." When I buy a DVD, I damn well want to know what I'm getting.
/.
Is this *such* a big deal? 24h after the release of the box, reviews are going to pop-up on every web site, including
I can understand not liking the non-release of the originals, but complaining about the fact that the content of the box is not yet known is not such an issue. Unless of course you can't wait 24/48h after the initial release, which usually means maximum price tag.
Personnaly, after the years waiting for those movies on dvd, i'll survive long enough for *at least* read reviews...
This post is awesome.
While I agree some of the added scenes do add to the movies, some of them are simply unacceptable. Greedo shooting first for example.
Indeed. All this weird stuff around Greedo is more proof than we need to justify that it is a conspiracy!
This post is awesome.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
By his own words he has strayed to the dark side.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Star wars is fictional, there is no 'dark side'.
:-)
Anakin is a fictional character...
If George had strayed to the dark side, you would be floating in mid air clutching your throat
I find your lack of faith disturbing.
#hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
That even with all the caveats about the changes, most people will buy the DVDs. Giving Lucas another $1 billion dollar smash hit, and further shielding him from the truth that most fans, while they consume his movies faithfully, hate them nonetheless.
The real problem will be when 24/48 hours before the release, these will be flying all over P2P networks everywhere. Hrmm, pay George $70 the day after tomorrow and risk another Jar-Jar episode? I don't think so.
If they were offering the original movies on DVD, I'd jump at it.
Me too! So sign the petition
Lucas only understands $$$.
zWhat would an EWOULDBLOCK block, if an EWOULDBLOCK could block would? -- me
Here's the old paying-for-stuff-twice shit. I have all these on VHS, and ideally, I should be able to send 'em in, with a nominal media/postage fee, and receive my DVD's. But that would mean less fat profit for George. So I'll stay here fast forwarding through my crappy quality videotapes, whilst they degrade until I have an unwatchable mass of static, which won't be replaced, for the same reason, unless I want to pay again.
That's it I guess. I really hate this rewriting the history. Bootlegs are the only way out. I want to have StarWars where Han Shoots first, I want to have the crappy (ok they were not really crappy) special efects. It is part of history.
To me is Ok to have a new version with new sceenes, but it is not ok to making it impossible to get a original version. And I think it is really ok to offer us something that is simply being denied to us.
[]'s Victor Bogado da Silva Lins
^[:wq
Anyone remember the "Definitve Collection" Laserdisc set they put out in the mid 90s. 9 Discs CAV with lots of additional material. Those were the the Special Edition remastered versions WITHOUT the shitty new stuff. I remember being quite irate that they came out with the SE versions (after shelling out 500 Deutschmarks at that time for the LD set) now I'm happy I kept them.
We are all packets in the Internet of life!
you have got to be friggin kidding me. is this man serious?
well, he did name a movie attack of the clones.....
Wow, you don't even need the usual 3 steps.
Yes you do! You forgot:
x) ???
zWhat would an EWOULDBLOCK block, if an EWOULDBLOCK could block would? -- me
Oh cool! And I hear that the Ewoks now sport 3" fangs and have replaced the Ewok victory dance with gangsta rap.
I'd have a personalized plate on my car, but "toxic bachelor" won't fit into 7 letters.
I'm sorry, but I don't buy any of the crap people are saying about the changes being made. The comment: Rumor have circulated about additional changes, but Ward would not deny or confirm them. "We want to encourage our fans to check them out themselves." is the first official word I've seen that even slightly mentions changes from the 1997 Special Editions. The quote is just a ploy to get people more curious. It'll probably attract more people by specticle alone than the prospect of alterations repels.
Oh yes PJ does.
A relative of mine was an extra in the cinema/VHS release, but the scene that he was in was chopped out for the extended DVD.
Bad PJ, Bad PJ.
FGD 135
Lucas's revisionist history really does bother me as a geek.
Here's an interesting question for you. Tolkien published The Hobbit in 1937. When he was writing The Lord of the Rings, he realised that the 'Riddles in the Dark' chapter that he had originally written didn't really fit in with the whole ring mythos of LotR (basically, in the original, Gollum simply gives Bilbo the ring after the riddle contest is won - but of course, we know that there's no way that the ring-consumed Smeagol would have simply handed it over because he couldn't guess a riddle). My question to you is, is that ok? Is that any more or less wrong than Lucas' revisionism?
I think it's a tricky issue. Tolkien alludes to his re-write in the LotR (Bilbo occassionally mentions how he changed his story - cf. 'The Council of Elrond'), whereas Lucas tends to simply re-write the story and erase the previous versions.
Still, I think it asks interesting questions as to whether authorial control can ever be retained once the original text is out in the wilderness.
My four year old gave me a piece of artwork, which was a mess, but great (if you have kids, you'd understand). But the next day he wanted to take it back to make some changes and additions. I accused him of being like George Lucas. He cried.
Does that make me a bad parent?
-S
--- What parts of "shall make no law", "shall not be infringed", and "shall not be violated" don't you understand?
Cool. So does the history also get rewritten so Hans first shot at Guido misses and turns Jar Jar into a puddle of goo and then, while Guido is distracted, Han shoots him in the back in a pre-emptive shot?
Oh, wait, that wouldn't be firing in self-defense then, would it?
I'm not a nerd. I'm a geek. Nerds make more money.
Sorry - I may not have clarified in my above post - Tolkien actually revised and republished The Hobbit in 1951, prior to the release of LotR.
Six!? Why on earth would you want EP1-3? (I'm going with the overwhelming probability that EP3 will SUCK). Actually, I have a feeling that if they are ever remastered, they will be done even worse. So they will be complete train wrecks that will be watched for their absolute ridiculousness. Kind of like Showgirls, but without the nudity.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Maybe Lucas should just remake himself.
you can still buy the cinema/VHS release on dvd(and it is cheaper)
De sig boss de sig
In version 3 of TOT, not only does Han not shoot first, but greedo is arrested by the department of homeland security for no goddamn reason whatsoever. After 45 years of litigation, he is found guilty of making terroristic threats, but the decision is overturned by the ninth circus court of appeals on grounds that his trial was unfair because he's green. After seeing this news on intergalactic TV, Han escapes from his retirement home, finds greedo, and finally shoots him dead with the only weapon remaining in the universe that can still be taken on space vessels - strained peas!
George Lucas is like Oliver Stone and Michael Moore.
Washed up. Done. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Swap the entire lot of them out with someone fresh. Alex Winters could probably do a decent job...
Ok, so I don't like the Greedo shooting first part as much as the next guy, but jesus, is it really so bad that you have to curse the entire DVD set for it?
So what if he re-did some special effects? I didn't see this many complaints when the story about THX1138 getting redone came out!
Besides Greedo shooting first, how did he "ruin" the originals?!
Right... Greedo, not Guido.
I'm not a nerd. I'm a geek. Nerds make more money.
OK, your mention of Jabba in ANH gives me a chance to rant a bit - he shouldn't be in that movie at all. Period. (In my mind, this is worse than the famous Han-shoots-first controversy). Having grown up watching the original movies, having Jabba be this unseen, mysterious figure added to the interest and suspense in the sequels. In ROTJ when he was finally revealed, that was a defining moment in the movies. Showing what he looks like up front in the "first" movie just ruins the ending! Of course, by now everyone on the planet with any remote interest at all knows what Jabba the Hut is and what he looks like, but in my mind his presence early on does nothing but hurt the story.
Jabba didn't look so bad in stills. It was the way the skin moved which ruined the effect. That and the jarring compositing.
The only special edition which was an improvement was Empire.
Other additions in this version:
More Ewoks: An ewok shoots Darth Vader's tie fighter at the end of A New Hope, gives a thumbs-up.
Ewoks kill the wompa in the cave with spears and rocks and a stolen imperial walker, then dance around Luke singing "Yubba Nubba Cubba Chubba."
The Emperor's guard are replaced by ewoks in red capes.
I wonder if Mr. Lucas makes these unnecesary changes only to create rumbling among the hardcore Star Wars afficionados. Perhaps he subscribes to the whole "there is no such thing as bad publicity". I wonder how many people are gonna buy these DVD's just in order to study them and find every inconsistency. I'm not saying I agree with the changes. They suck. Only that maybe Mr. Lucas has some bizarre plan, evil mastermind that he is.
My other computer is a Jacquard loom.
To watch him slump forward onto the table dead! Splat! Oh ya! Oh ya! How much? I'll pre buy right now!
Sorry, but that wasn't the "Lord of the Rings" strategy. Peter Jackson *announced* from the beginning that there would be exactly two versions of each film, a theatrical cut (what he called an "official version") and the extended cut. He *hates* that kind of DVD release schedule that keeps adding features to get you to buy another set. That's why he announced in advance that there would be two sets, so if you knew you wanted the EE, you would wait for it (as I have).
If you want a comparison to how the Star Wars trilogy will be released, take a look at the Alien series.
you can legally drink beer with 16 in germany, but most groceries will sell it to you even if you are only 12.
Add Hayden at the end of the RotJ??? Then he should add Ewan McGregor for Obi-Wan as well...
:D
This is so rediculous! Glad I have the ORIGINAL on Laserdisc!
So we have to wait until just before he dies for the good dvd set to come out?
Ah, another person who believes that "plot" is the point of literature. Han shooting first is a big deal. It establishes his character: He's not the "nice one". He's dangerous. He's also possibly someone willing to sell out Luke, et al. (It's the same reason for mentioning the spice dump -- making clear that Han is not above breaking a contract and running.) Later, his decision to flee Yavin with his loot make perfect sense, because we've already established he's not the nice one. His eventual return is then a progression of the character, the start, so to speak, of his redemption.
Now, in the SE, we have that Han shoots only out of self-defense. He's morally "clean" -- and totally uninteresting. He's not a rough and real character; he's just some smirking wannabe who acts the tough guy. His flight from Yavin is now incongruous while his return is logical but uninteresting.
It's as much as mistake to think that only major plot points define a movie as it is to think that only Great Men define history...
The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
I'm gonna have to see it on Netflix first. If Hayden really is in RotJ, then I won't be buying it!!
look at this! I have comment id 9999799!
"The real problem will be when 24/48 hours before the release, these will be flying all over P2P networks everywhere."
Try 2,000 hours before the release - a genuine DVD rip of ROTJ was leaked a couple of weeks ago right after they gave advance copies to some VIPs ;)
Either way I'm not buying these. I have the original, unedited trilogy on LaserDisc and I'm going to convert them to DVD. It won't look as good as the DVDs but no-one's fucked with it, Han doesn't have the power to dodge a beam of light fired from two feet away, and I don't have to give another $70 to Lucas to fund his latest "revision" in a few years.
How would you encode analog info in an optical disk?
OK, so who's having a marathon party in just over a year, prior to the release of ROTS?
Of course, to really have the marathon party in entirety so far, you'd need ROTS to be released, in special version with restored scenes and all. Then you can watch it all, in order, with the restored scenes...
Now if only Lucas would let out a special version of the DVD's that had the original footage. I know this was done with videotapes...
Please don't give Lucas any ideas.
Greedo shot first.
This is it. I'm getting a laser disc player.
Right because South Park never makes fun of anybody...
Not everything is analogous to cars. Car analogies rarely work.
Why not put HC in my the ghost of Alec Guinness, eh?t he-george-lucas-vision-appeal/
George Lucas shall go down as the greatest tinkerer in history.
Here's a related post on the subject: http://www.alittlepoison.com/archives/2004/08/18/
Essentially, Greedo will take Solo at gun-point to a small room and torture Solo for about five minutes. At the end of this sequence, Solo is able to get an arm free and knocks over a rack of sharp pointy metal rods, which fall on Greedo knocking him out, but otherwise leaving him uninjured.
Solo then gets up, considers shooting Greedo, but then says "No, I cannot shoot you Greedo. That would be decending to the same depths as Jabba the Hutt. One day you will look back on this, on what you did today, and you will be filled with regret and remorse. When that day comes, consider it your punishment, for you will feel so much shame you will wish I had killed you."
With this, he puts back on his loin-cloth and round glasses, and hastily makes his way back to the Millenium Falcon.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
You can buy the theatrical releases; I have. The only problem is that they're going to be on fifteen year old VHS tapes.
You can pick up DVD copies on eBay, but I'm pretty sure those are unauthorized copies of the VHS tapes. I don't believe the theatrical versions were ever released on DVD anywhere in the world.
A legal copy? Really? Where pray tell?
"Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar
But you see, that's the problem!
Now, rarely are the DVD versions the same as what comes out in the theater. It seems that directors are simply "pushing out" whatever they can to make the theater release dates, then they use the DVD as their platform to show the movie "as they intended". The problem is that that's NOT how the viewers originally see it! Unless the production company releases the exact version, forever gone are the days of being able to legally view the theater version on DVD.
Case in point is "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". The version I saw in the theater back in the late 70's is NOT the version that's now on DVD. Call me a purist, but I actually prefer the theter version better. Short of trying to find the Laserdisc and a Laserdic player on eBay, I have absolutely no chance of legally seeing the same version I saw in the theater.
Another example is the LOTR series. The version I saw in the theater again was not what was on the DVD. In fact, many scenes were SPECIFICALLY SHOT to be exclusive to the DVD. So, now as a theater-goer, I have to resign myself to the fact that what I am viewing on the "big screen" is simply not what the director "intended" and is not what will be on the DVD.
This is nothing more than directors using the excuse of "creative license" to re-write history, and all they have to do is slap on a "director's cut" label, and everyone thinks it's something great.
The funny thing is that Lucas is really shooting himself in the foot. If he would release both the same version as originally seen in the theater as well as his "special, wiz-bang, enhanced, super, director's cut" version, he woud probably make a mint, because many would buy both!
My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
I didn't see SP, but I did see the Simpsons parody of Lucas, and it was hillarious... the whole sequel movie takes place "parliament" and looks like watching C-SPAN with aliens for two hours.
Of course, I can't comment on the Simpsons making fun of anybody meaning they must be doing something wrong, because the Simpsons makes fun of everybody.
Stupid sexy Flanders.
I never thought I'd actually get drawn into a Star Wars purity thread -- it's a little bit of a geek nuts flex even for me. Anyway.
Believe me, it's hard to see some of this stuff happening to the films I grew up with (I was 12 when I saw Star Wars), but is the fact that Greedo shot first going to change the entire demeanor of the film?
Maybe not, but it does change the character of Han Solo a lot. I mean, sure, we've all seen these films a zillion times now and know he ends up as a good guy, but when you're seeing the film for the first time, you don't know that. Our heroes hire him to smuggle them offplanet, and it's interesting precisely because he's this unpredictable, dangerous, mercenary character. He could extort Obi-Wan for more money once they're in space, or turn them over to the Imperials for a reward. You just don't know.
A guy who shoots only in self defense loses a lot of that edge. I thought the original scene was great in that it gave you the essence of the character in just a few minutes. The alteration changes what that essence is.
Settle down guys, we're all just gonna copy them off Netflix anyways. (Did I just say that out loud?)
I think all the changes are horrible. I hated them when they came out, I hate them now. I know, I'm a religious weirdo for it. Shockingly enough, even though I'm on this site, and sending a flame about a special edition star wars release (while at work), I'm not a rabid nerd. Its just that watching the movies I can see every change, and I know its not supposed to be there. Its like a woman who's really not that old going in for major plastic surgery. Look babe, cheeks don't go there. At least not yours.
I'd probably pay $150+ for a high quality version of the originals. I wouldn't take the remakes as a gift. I have the first 3 on vhs, and I plan to pick up a decent vcr and try to pull them off and make my own (crappy quality, I know) dvd's, and that'll be it till GL wakes up.
Asshole has to realize that his movie is part of the world now. He gets paid for it, but its not "his" anymore.
So do what I did. Email them and tell them you won't buy this DVD set. Tell them you'll wait until the originals are released on DVD. And mean it.
It's damn hard to find email addresses for people remotely related, I found:
askfox@foxinc.com, businessinquiries@lucasfilm.com, marlene.saritzky@lucasfilm.com
Feel free to add any others you find.
Calypso
Golf clap.
on amazon.com, i see a listing for:
fellowship of the ring - platinum series special extended edition
lord of the rings trilogy - widescreen
the two towers - platinum series special extended edition
the return of the king - widescreen
lord of the rings trilogy - fullscreen
the two towers - widescreen
fellowship of the ring - widescreen
We reallu have two issues here:
1. How "good" is Lucas's latest version.
2. Why doesn't Lucas release the original?
To the first point, that's obviously subjective. Lucas now has tools that were not originally available during initial production, that he can use to twist and mold and tweak to his heart's content. How good it ends up being will simply be subjecetive to the viewers. Personally, I hope that he creates a stunning masterpiece.
But, as good as it may be, it's not the original. He should keep it named "Star Wars Episode IV: a New Hope" and everyone will be happy. But, again, it's not the original "Star Wars". Unfortunatly, the marketing machine will use the popularity of the original to sell this new version.
To the second point, the simple fact remains that people who saw "Star Wars" in the theater will never see what they saw on DVD. I simply don't understand why George Lucas doesn't release the original, unaltered, as-seen-in-the-theaters version. Is he so arrogant that he cannot release to the public what really made his career? Is he so above reality that he has to re-write history to make a buck? I'll bet that pleanty of people would buy up BOTH versions if available. Personally, if the "original" version is not viewable in the new set, then I have no desire to purchase the new set. Lucas lost a sale...
My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
I agree that Jabba not being shown makes him a powerful figure, but it was never intended to be that way.
The original scene was shot, but the SE guys couldn't make it work, and it was thusly left by the wayside.
It may be for better or for worse, but at least in this case, it isn't revisionist.
Maybe this is lucky ten million?
Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
There is no constitutionally protected right to re-view movies in the same form that you original saw them.
If your memory isn't good enough, you'll just have to deal. Think of the generations (well, at least two of them) of people who couldn't buy ANY home version of a movie they'd seen.
Fellowship http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=NLD0 05542 0 06355 0 06929
Towers http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=NLD
Return http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=NLD
De sig boss de sig
You know what's ridiculous is the way that people spell "rediculous" on this and so many other web boards.
Obi Wan: You don't need to see our -
Stormtrooper shoots Obi Wan in the arm
Obi Wan: OW! That hurt, you bastard! Have at you!
New Matrix/John Woo-like fight footage ensues, involving 12 storm troopers, 20 jawas, and Jango Fett's brother-in-law.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Nah, most parts of the civilized world you can legally drink beer at 18.
Some even more civilized places have a legal beer drinking age of 16
No sig for the moment.
Guido - is this a Sopranos cross-over?
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
George Lucas is a profiteering asswipe ...
No, but they were released on LaserDisc, which made for much better transfers than VHS tapes would have. Unfortunately, most of the bootleg DVDs out there are of the Special Edition, probably because the Hong Kong Triads don't realize that Americans want the originals.
Best Lucas parody ever is on the Clerks cartoon.
Analog composite video is the native format on the disc. So, the TV input card would be the first A->D conversion. Even S-Video output on a LD player is created by an internal comb filter, and its quality is only better if the LD player's comb filter is better than your TV's.
As mentioned above, there are 2 versions of each LOTR movie on DVD: the extended version and the regular. Rent/buy the regular versions, and you have what was in the cinema. I can't see what you're whining about.
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
Commentary on the extras disc?
They should do what the Wachowski brothers did on the new Matrix box set: The asked three movie critics, who all hated the movies, to do a commentary track on all the films. So they basically just sit there and hack it too pieces - MST3k lives! *g*
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
No, it's Guido now. They digitally removed the green alien guy and inserted James Gandolfini in his place.
Rampant Ninja related crimes these days...Whitehouse is not the exception
Han shot first!
Han shot first!
Han shot first!
Han shot first!
Han shot first!
Han shot first!
Han shot first!
Han shot first!
Han shot first!
Han shot first!
Han shot first!
C'mon people, let me hear you! How many times do I gotta say it!?
It's like "looking busy" at your employment - it's actually easier to do real work than to fake it. - bmo
Yes, I know - I think this was a case of the movies being made better by accident. Intentional or not, its another good reason not to muck with them.
Use Leverage you man-animals.
Tell Lucas if he doesn't release the original versions you will post 'The Star Wars Christmas Special' to bit-torrent, for all to see...and hate GL.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
Terl.
They Live, We Sleep
Didn't they announce this months ago? I've had my copy on pre-order with Amazon since July 1st.
It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
LotR is one thing. They have additional scenes on the super fancy-pants versions. But they don't go changing the scenes you've already watched
PJ edited out the car, and in the directors commentary said "What car? I don't see any car!" But in reality he was being facetious.
There certainly was a car in FOTR, I didn't catch it, and neither did he.
I realize there is a major difference in removing a tiny gaffe that most people didn't catch (and if you did, it would actually detract from the experience of being in "middle earth") to re-writing history a la Lucas. So this is the exception that PROVES the rule!
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
Also, I don't think the SFX guys get enough geek-credit for the miraculous job they did enhancing cloud city in the special edition of Empire.
Sam
And Lando bringing a spaceship full of 40oz bottles of Colt 45. It's always good.
Rampant Ninja related crimes these days...Whitehouse is not the exception
So, any insiders with more information on this quote fromt he article?
by not releasing the orginal versions prior to damaging the franchise with Episodes I & II. The perfect time would have been when the special editions were out in the theatres. I have the original movies on tape, for me the DVD's are just too late.
Changes for overall consistency, I don't mind. However, Han Solo is not in the Prequels, the the mythos surrounding the original trilogy is complete. This is not the time you fool with it.
Dont forget 2010. It was changed because of Europa was found. Because it is still one of our best chances for life, other than the blue marble. But, clarke wrote the change down on the very first page and informed the fans,why the change was bad. Some changes are good, but changes like the greedo shot change the characters involved. Han lost some of his rebel edge. Stephen King also rewrote some of the Dark Tower series, I like the changes he made...he cleaned up some of questions readers had. Because the Tower is all consumping..it is everything and everytime. King also informed the reader why he made changes...he did not just say figure it you....quarters... King loves the quarters. I think authors or creators should do this, most are young when their great works are created and their dream of that universe is not fully realized until they are much older. But dont change the story, just add to it. Authors, just remember Greedo scene...dumb is all I can say.
Deserving got nothing to do with it.....shuffle
There are countless versions of the movie. I have an old copy on VHS that has some dialogue that is not found on any version I have seen since.
When the spend so much time putting together these DVD the need to have a option page that allows you to click or un-click the various stages.
Your basic movie with no changes and then a check box for each change you want added (and some check boxes that would automatically select all the changes for a particular release). The DVD players should be capable of storing the order of scene it has to play and which ones so why not give the user some controls to select which scenes are added or not (Greedo firing first my ass!). That way you would not need to have 10 or so version of the movie. I really hate it when Lucas offers a new version with 2 seconds of added footage and more dumb-ass changes so he can make enough money to buy yet another ivory back scratcher.
read some of the drafts for star wars. Leah rescues a captured Luke in the death star, not the other way round.
...these are not the Star Wars we're looking for...
I want my darn Original Trilogy I saw when I was a kid. Not those butchered movies.
I have never watched any of the star wars movies. It wasn't until slashdot, that people kept posting and commenting about the movies that I was finally inclined to watch.
and I have to be perfectly honest and say, they're not good movies. the acting isnt very good, especially Luke's.
Or you if you are cheap you can go to your local used DVD store. A lot of people bought the origional ones when they came out and then bought the extended editions a few months later and sold the origional ones. Complete rip offs if you ask me. I don't mind director's cuts, but those were as if they were never cut in the first place.
Mathematics is made of 50 percent formulas, 50 percent proofs, and 50 percent imagination.
Episode IV: A New Hope DVD:
- Light Sabers changed for Vader versus Ben Kenobi Death Star duel.
- TractorBeam control now in Aurebesh.
- Han and Greedo scene slightly changed (everyone's seen this).
- Jabba the Hutt redone from Special Edition Jabba.
- Boba Fett still mugs camera.
- Han still steps on tail - "You're a wonderful human being" - still there.
(The scene is an improvement over the SE - however, still not great.)
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back- Emperor replaced with Ian McDiarmid.
Dialogue in this scene has been slightly modified, indicating either that the Emperor knows it was Luke who nuked the Death Star, or that he is Vader's son. Maybe both. Otherwise, dialogue remains in tact. Emperor's theme from Jedi also added into the scene.
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi:- Hayden Christenson has replaced Sebastian Shaw only in the Force Ghost shot.
- Line about Leia remembering her mother while talking to Luke on the Ewok Village veranda has either been omitted, or modified.
- Naboo has been added to the final planetary celebration montage at the end of the movie. It is a shot very similar to the helicopter shot of Theed in TPM when AATs are moving up the street towards the palace.
Original Trilogy Bonus Materials Extras:- Episode III teaser trailer.
- Episode III Vader "making of" featurette.
- Easter Egg: Warwick Davis short film of Wickett the Ewok fighting Boba Fett on the Death Star II, shot as a gag during the filming of Return of the Jedi.
Episode I DVD Re-Release:Go here for teh [sic] funny.
Just wait for 2007's release, where all of the Ewoks will be digitally replaced with walkie-talkies.
I wonder if they are going to add the scene where Luke is talking to Biggs at Tochi Station that was filmed but not used in the movie. I have this on some CDROM about Star Wars behind the scenes.
It's like "looking busy" at your employment - it's actually easier to do real work than to fake it. - bmo
So I guess to please everybody we will actually need more than just 2 versions of the original trilogy:
:)
1. Pure episodes 4-6, as if transferred straight from original release prints to DVD
2. Same as above but with the color correction and restoration
3. A version of each with SOME of the SE stuff (voted on by committee perhaps)
4. The SE versions as they were re-released in theaters
5. The SE versions with the added tie-ins to episodes 1-3
Widescreen is a must but we better also get a pan-and-scan version of each for the poor souls out there who can't enjoy a movie on TV bracketed by those evil black bars. "It's a waste of space"
And we'll need every audio option possible for the highest quality sound on any home system as well as a "Nostalgia Sound" version that gives us the true feeling of listening to SW in a crappy theater circa 1977.
A must-have will be a different director's commentary for each of the above 5 versions and lets drag a few of the main actors into a separate audio track and force them to reminisce about the production just one last time. For those who were young children in the 70s we can revisit the "Nostalgia Sound" idea and have some fatherly voice read aloud all of the subtitles for the alien-speak.
DVD versions are a must but perhaps new VHS copies of the above would be wise for those who like the nostalgia of tape. Might as well crank out some higher rez versions for the inevitable Hi-Def coming soon and also prepare for the future with a video-on-demand edition.
And finally they should be prepared for a revised list of consumer demands if/when episodes 7-9 ever see the light of day.
Or we could just let George do whatever the heck he wants with them and realize that we will never be able to re-capture the magic these movies gave us in our childhoods.
Honestly I'd just like to see the originals pop up at my local megaplex every 10 years or so. Uh, with the color fixes and restoration.
I was 6 years old when I saw Episode IV in the theatre. I grew up with Star Wars action figures (and lego) as my favorite toys, and I yelled at my parents when they gave away those toys while I was away at school. Episode IV goes down as one of my favorite movies of all time. Not because it was the best of them, but because as the first, it inspired my imagination. It made me think about outer space, about being an astronaut. It started me on the path of being interested in space, then science, then eventually computers.
I collected some of the comic books, and I've read a few of the novels. I've seen every SW movie in the theatre, and rent them when they come out on VHS/LD/DVD.
But does it really bother me that GL changes them? It doesn't. Would I like to own the original theatrical release on DVD? Probably. But I don't feel that I am entitled to it, and if it's not available, then it's not available. Am I the only one who feels this way?
My son is nine years old. He's enjoyed watching all five films we've rented, but he's only seen the Special Edition of the first trilogy. I don't really care if he ever sees the original.
I mean, they are only films. Yes, they're an important part of the history of film, but it's not like the originals aren't available at all. It's not like we're never going to be able see the original versions ever again. It's not like the old versions are being recalled, or being destroyed (think 1984). It's not like we're being "duped" into buying these versions - everyone who cares to find out will be able to know exactly what's changed.
I guess I just don't understand all the venom being thrown about here. Maybe if it were me, if I were the creator of this universe, maybe I would be satisfied with my first pass. Maybe. But who knows? I've never produced anything of entertainment value that millions of people have seen. If I did, and I later had the means and the money to change them, would I? Perhaps.
But in the end, they were movies. Not just movies - they shaped a part of my childhood. But they were movies. And those experiences as a kid, those moments about dreaming of a future so different to the present, well, no amount of film editing is going to take those memories away.
Completely different kettle of fish here.
First off, there is a very strong rationale for his changes. He documents them fully. It is not in the interests of marketing.
Second, the previous version is still availalbe in print. Some editions of The Hobbit include both chapters so that the reader can make the difference. There has been no active attempt to surpress or prevent the distribution of the original version.
Finally, I'd argue that a popular, visual, commercial medium that is available for a 20 year period because a culturally shared product. I fear that just like people are still trying to rebuild/recreate the original version of Metropolis (Fritz Lang) or The Magnificent Ambersons, down the road a high-resolution version of Star Wars/Empire/ROTJ won't be available and it will be lost to the ages.
Ultimately I find Lucas' and Speilberg's post-editing of their successes to be a sign of self-concious inferiority complexes. Its the equivalent to me of an aging movie star going through plastic surgery, to attempt to prolong their glory days or relive their past success.
John Maynard Keynes: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?"
Try 2 years before the release. I bought the trilogy on DVD in 5.1 dolby surround, widescreen, from a local asian market. Evidently they released it in Singapore or Hong Kong legally but not here (US). Even the cover art looks right.
Mucusfilm. Bah.
If you write a story, and accidental changes make it better, wouldn't that indicate that you're not a very good writer?
Lucas is a hack.
It's surprising to me that nobody thinks that these images are just "photoshopped" pictures and just rambles on about rumored changes. Couldn't some random fan just take an image and super-impose Episode III Anakin on Episode VI Anakin's body?
I had heard that Lucas was planning on doing the special edition movies from 1997.
I got nothing...
I plan to pick up a decent vcr and try to pull them off and make my own
Four words:
Bittorrent Suprnova Laserdisc rip
Not bad quality
Not to mention the musical score changed for smoother editing of additional footage. I noticed big differences in some scenes just based on the music being adjusted. If you've never experienced this phenomenon, check out the Ultimate Edition of the movie Legend. The two soundtracks make for two very different movies.
Oops wrong universe!
Actually, that asian "release" is not official and is really a Laserdisc rip to DVD. That's why your version doesn't have the so-called enhancements Lucas put in; they were done after the Laserdisc release.
I couldn't fail to disagree with you less.
The Hobbit is Bilbo's account of the period (from the Red Book, IIRC?) and similar to historians who summarize President Jefferson's black kids, they add to and update the history as more info comes available.
I guess after the fall of the Empire it's not surpising to see history get whitewashed by the Rebels. I'd love to see Star Wars 7 explore this topic.
It's true! If you play the scene in the special edition where they dubbed in Luke's scream backwards and at half speed, you can clearly hear a voice saying "George is dead." In the disputed scene where Luke is rumored to shout "Carrie!" he was actually saying "I buried George," but it was obscured by the music.
I wish that my inferiority complex were as good as yours.
-RenderHead
Everyone is missing the whole point of buying the DVD. It has the Star Wars Battlefront demo included on the extras disk!
Star Wars Battlefront Trailer and Playable Demo:
The fourth disc will offer a trailer featuring an exciting look at the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront video game from LucasArts, along with a special demo for Xbox users that lets players fight the Battle of Endor as a Rebel or Imperial soldier and drive AT-STs, ride speeder bikes and use different weapons to lead their side to victory. The full version of Star Wars Battlefront will also be released Sept. 21 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC.
No way man, the less Ewoks the better!
There will not be a rerelease of star wars with the correct han/greedo scene until Lucas dies because judging by his statements on the issue of post-edits he believes that they actually make the movies better. In other words he believes he can do no wrong.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I like the original The Hobbit better. It was more cheerful. The ring didn't have nearly the evilness that it did in LotR. Riddles are fun and good. Dark badness gripping at your soul is bad.
You can buy the theatrical versions quite easily. There's even a small trilogy boxset with all three. Did you even bother looking in the store?
Nothing was filmed "exclusively" for DVD. Peter Jackson just happened to film a LOT of shit. Much of ROTK's footage still won't be on the Extended DVD in November.
These extended editions are being driven by fan demand. No fleecing going on. They've been open about the two versions since the very beginning.
The Hobbit wasn't as hugely popular as Lord of the Rings. Those books didn't take off until ten years later. So when Tolkien was changing The Hobbit, it was still a "minor" revision to a children's book.
Once the Lord of the Rings became hugely popular, Tolkien was very open about the fact that he would have done things differently in retrospect (off the top of my head, he believes the story is too short). But he never touched the manuscripts except to fix very minor technical mistakes.
Man, I hope people with your mentality don't drive, vote or procreate.
BTW, nice sig...
Time to go watch more ATHF.
Karnal
I finally sat down to watch the Star Wars trilogy again (it'd been years), and this time it just didn't seem the same. Darth Vader nor the Emporer seemed that menacing, and Luke and Han didn't seem as heroic. Maybe as I'm getting older I'm turning towards Star Trek, Babylon 5, Farscape, etc. which has much better writing, people who actually care about the characters and story and such (yeah, I know Star Trek is having its problems now). Plus, I hate to admit it but the aging special effects are also a factor, even if not a great one. Honestly, I enjoyed seeing Episode II more, but that's just me.......
First off, there is a very strong rationale for his changes. He documents them fully. It is not in the interests of marketing.
Playing devil's advocate here....
Does the intention behind the author's revision actually matter in this argument? You could argue that George Lucas made Greedo shoot first as subsequent character development suggests Han wouldn't have done so. I don't subscribe to that view myself, but it's possible. At the same time, Tolkien effectively changed the actions of a principal character as he realised that their behaviour didn't make sense when viewed through the lens of its sequels.
To answer your second point, getting hold of the original Hobbit is difficult - yes, there are parallel editions, but these were only really produced in the 1980s, and genuine firsts will set you back $50,000+. At the same time, Lucas didn't exactly supress the laserdisc trilogy did he? After the second edition of the Hobbit was published, there was no reprinting of the first edition. This is equivalent to their being no DVD of the original trilogy once the Special Edition was created.
So, no, not a different kettle of fish at all.
He still shoots first, but the sequence has been cleaned up to make it look much less fake and jerky.
I reply to every one of these, because each one is no less retarded then the one before.
There are TWO editions of each film. Just two. The theatrical release, which comes out first. Then, the excruciating 3+ hour extended version that comes out months later for the hardcore fans.
New Line and Peter Jackson have been open about this since the beginning. They are not ripping anyone off. Even the extras are different on both releases. Both release dates are announced before the first DVD hits shelves.
Yet, time after time, someone on Slashdot still feels the need to use a lot of adjectives to describe it and pretend that makes it a witty joke. "It's the super mega 13-dvd extended ultra edition! Mod me up!" The implication is that they're fleecing people with multiple editions, which is simply not true. Standard and extended. This isn't a hard concept to grasp.
... in Japan
This is perhaps the saddest thread I've even read on slashdot. Well, okay, at least this week.
Not just for its content, but for its moderation.
There are four lights!
This is my sig. It's prescription, I swear. I need it for reading things... on the other side of things
Try imageshack.us
This has been available for preorder from Amazon since May, with the same release date and more info than is available in the article.
If I was as the store to purchase Star Wars, and there was 2 boxed sets on the self... One the original version, and one of the special edition, I'd buy the special edition. But that's just me. Guess I'm just not a die-hard fan.
There's no place like ~/
Go on eBay, I got the Laserdisc rips on DVD for around $35. Pretty damn good quality.
--trb
I guess they will have to generate income off the originals. The new movies certainly were a disappointment. One can only hope the third will compensate for the first two movie's inadequecies.
risk another Jar-Jar episode
They'll probably insert a Gungan (Jar-Jar's race) into one of the scenes just to show that they helped the Rebel Alliance. Maybe replace Lando's copilot in the Mellinium Falcon in Return of the Jedi.
Thanks to the internet, we can now all die alone together! -SomeWoman
probably because the Hong Kong Triads don't realize that Americans want the originals.
Why doesn't someone send them an email?
Thanks to the internet, we can now all die alone together! -SomeWoman
And taking out the best songs.
Yub-yub!
I definitely won'T buy them but I can bet they will be on DVD9 format, dual layer DVD.
They could use the other side for original stuff costing nothing. Plain stereo and plain 35 mm mastered (not remastered), wouldn't need the 4th layer which makes problem with some players.
"Does Darth Vader have to choke a bitch?"
I'd have a personalized plate on my car, but "toxic bachelor" won't fit into 7 letters.
...come on slashdotters! Buy yet another copy of Star Wars and make George Lucas another fortune! You know you want it... as if you've not seen the damn thing before, you're now going to rush out and buy it again.
.... suckers.
But the DVD has special features and it's in digital Dolby Pro Logic 26.1 surround with added bass!
Yeah, yeah... same old film....
Wouldn't it be cool if Serenity were released on the same day as EpIII? You could have those long lines of people waiting to see the latest Star Wars while the Joss fans stream out of the theater loudly telling everyone within earshot "If you want some good sci-fi, see the *other* movie!" Everybody that can't get tickets to sold-out Star Wars screenings will see Serenity, instead, creating a whole new class of fans who'll talk up the movie to their friends. The critics could do double-feature reviews, complete with David and Goliath metaphors. By being better quality, by having the testicular fortitude to go up against the Star Wars franchise head-to-head, and by virtue of the great word of mouth, the second week of Serenity would kick ass in box office receipts as Star Wars drops precipitously.
I can dream, can't I?
http://i.somethingawful.com/inserts/articlepics/ph otoshop/07-30-04-games/Brendle.jpg
:)
Presented as a game, but still, relevant
I currently own the first 3 on rapidly degrading VCR tape.
I own the 4th on DVD and my niece has the 5th...
Even though I was 12 years old when it first came out, and even though I was the FIRST person in line on premier night, I'm waiting until the whole series is finished and then I will by the giant director's cut box.
I did the director's cut box with The Godfather and I was not at all sorry...
--Richard
Actually, last week one of our local TV stations was screening A New Hope. Since I didn't know whether this was the special edition version or the original, I was paying close attention to the cantina scene.
As it happens, it was the Special Edition, but what surprised was how little Greedo shooting first mattered for the tone of the scene.
You see, in the scene you see Han reaching for his blaster under the table as Greedo comes to sit with him. Han's intent is obvious: he intends to shoot Greedo under the table. So regardless of whether or not Greedo shoots first, this scene retains the characterisation of Han as somewhat of a rat.
Frankly, the whole 'but Han was supposed to shoot first!' cries seem a bit like a storm in a glass of water to me. It is a silly gratuitous change, true, but it is not the earth-shattering change the rabid fan boys make it out to be.
Mart"I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
"Have at you!" Awesome. Even better if he kept poking at Darth Vader, saying "I'm invinceable! Jedi always triumph!" saying none shall pass, then is taken down by a balrog or something.
/.'ers.
See if only Lucas had the vision of the
Warning: I am the silence machine.
Don't worry about the Hong Kong Triads, JC Denton and I took care of them long ago.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the non-SE Original Star Wars Trilogy will be the first title released for Blu-Ray discs. IIRC, Lucas is a fan of Blu-Ray... and may even have some financial interest in the technology. What better way to kick-start a new format than to have it debut with one of the most sought-after titles for the format (DVD) that it is replacing?
In the case of Tolkien, as the stories of Middle Earth developed over the years, they got better. The Lord of the Rings is much richer than The Hobbit, and I think The Hobbit was enriched by the addition of The Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion, and the subsequent posthumously published books have further enhanced the Middle Earth world. Unfortunately, as Lucas has continued to mess with the Star Wars story, it has continued to decline (midichlorians for example).
they're not photoshops, they're screenshots from leaked video
- make an entirely new and original movie
- dick around with the ones he's made already
- flip burgers
I think he did a fantastic job with Star Wars, Indiana Jones, American Graffiti, etc., so I obviously want him to make new movies.But he's old and rich, has a family, and wants to do something 9-5, so he dicks around with his old movies. It's better than flipping burgers.
I don't mean this as a value judgement, just an honest acessment of his choices. You can't force a guy to do something he doesn't want to do, so instead, just don't buy his product.
Of course, I have the laserdiscs so I'm not as directly affected, even if I did cheap out and get the CLV version.
I expect great Movies from Lucas when his kids are all out of the house, say in 15 years and he can afford to put in a few all-nighters in the editing room.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Someone had to say it. Thanks!
I used to buy a lot of DVDs, but now that you're pretty well guaranteed to be ripped off no matter what version you buy because another one is on the way with "the rest" of the features, I just download movies in slightly sub-DVD quality without the extras! Thanks, RIAA!
The release of this trilogy is going to make sales of dual layer DVD burners skyrocket!
;-)
I hope they have $10 media by then
#include <sig.h>
You're right, my bad. I was still thinking Star Wars. Guess I might blame it on too much caffeine. I really should stop drinking coffee earlier in the day.
"Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar
The scene then comes across as Han getting his weapon ready, just in case he's attacked, instead of killing Greedo preemptively. It changes the tone of the scene completely.
Is that a horrible thing? No. It's just very jarring to those of us who saw it the original way, and think that this version makes less sense.
After which Geedo opens one eye and blasts Solo while exclaiming "If you are going to shoot, shoot! Don't talk!".
Oh wait... wrong franchise...
In fact, quite good quality. I've got all three of the LD rips and I don't plan on buying this set when it's released.
"You're getting brutal, Sark. Brutal and needlessly sadistic."
"Thank you, Master Control"
-Sark and the MCP
"Ultimately I find Lucas' and Speilberg's post-editing of their successes to be a sign of self-concious inferiority complexes. Its the equivalent to me of an aging movie star going through plastic surgery, to attempt to prolong their glory days or relive their past success."
......
I couldn't have possibly said it better myself......
Hell I'm not even a "star wars nut" but that man is still raping my childhood (but just a little bit,... maybe he's only putting the head in?)
I couldn't agree with this post more - infact (sadly) I had forgotten he wasn't in ANH or ESB - but it just seems so much more logical to me.
Ways George Lucas Could Ruin Episode III
16. Have Darth Vadar create a secret energy task force behind close doors
15. Decide to be more like Star Trek Enterprise and hire Bearmen and some other lame writers put in Yoda and Obi Wan killed only to have some strange paraphysical event from the timeline bring them back in a later movie.
14. Have the Sith accuse the Jedi council of being unpatriotic and then talk about homeland security
13. Have Lawrence Fishbone's character say to Anakin "You join the light side and you will wake up believing whatever you want to believe. You join the dark side and I will show you how far the rabbit hole goes"
12. Have Lawrence Fishbone's character say "DOES YODDA LOOK LIKE A BITCH? THEN WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO FUCK HIM FOOL"
11. Show Amidala being artificially inseminated by C3P0.
10. Have Greedo's father shoot Han's father.
9. Have the Empire invade the planet of Erak on the pretext that they have weapons of mass destruction.
8. Anakin shouting at the end, "I'll get you, Obi Wan, if it's the last thing I do!"
7. Forgetting the whole plot and killing Anakin and Yoda.
6. Tell the actors and actresses that they were over-emoting during the last two movies, and they should act with less excitement.
5. End the movie with the Sith holding a large celebratory barbecue in the woods, with fireworks bursting overhead.
4. Cast John Stamos and Dave Coulier as Luke and Leia's Uncle Jesse and Uncle Joey
3. Have the actors make light sabre and blaster sound effects themselves
2. Have the incident that finally pushes Anakin over to the dark side, be the Jedi Council making fun of his new haircut
1. Entitle it Revenge of the Sith, and continue to write and direct it on his own.
Rejected Names for Star Wars: Episode III
15. BattleField Tatoeee starring John Trovalta as Anakin and Hubble as Yoda and spirtual leader
14. CasaDeathStar starring Humphrey Bogart as Obi Won
13. Star Wars reloaded
12. Star Trek XXXVII: The search for Yoda
11. The Ewoks Strike Back
10. CGIFriday's
9. Who's Your Daddy?
8. Yodadance
7. Who Let the Dooku Out?
6. The Emperor's New Clothes
5. Episode C-3PO
4. Return of the Jar Jar
3. Rock Me Amidala
2. Am I Darth or Not?
1. A Jedi is Born
http://saveie6.com/
Bít, zabít, jen proto, ze su liska!
This is why the current system is borked. Originally, You could either:
A. Hold on to your work and then burn it when you die, taking it with you forever. and variations there-on
B. Release the work, but don't file copyright, you've saved a few bucks, but too bad so sad if pirates start distributing.
C. Pay, and file for copyright on the work. You can now release it, and be assured of legal recourse against those who steal your work, BUT you agree to give it up to the public domain after a set time, AND the copyright office holds a copy to ensure that it will be available.
That is how the system is supposed to work!
Bullshit. He's hanging around in Mos Eisley, he's working for the Hutt's. He charges extra for avoiding Imperial's and takes a no-questions-asked job. Do you need some more? That's just what I can think if immediately.
Then it's the best version available, particularly for purists that don't like having their memories tinkered with.
Personally I hate the funky emperor and would like the revised one added, but c'est la vie, the rest of the movie is perfect.
I think you are getting Samuel L. Jackson who was in Star Wars AND Pulp Fiction with Laurence Fishburne who is from the Matrix but NOT Star Wars.
Otherwise, quite funny!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
How about releasing both the "classic" and special editions on DVD.
FamilyGadget