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Classic Star Wars Trilogy Finally on DVD
chinton writes "From starwars.com: 'In response to overwhelming demand, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie, as well as the original theatrical edition of the film. That means you'll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.'"
Didnt george lucas come out years back with some rhetoric about how DVD was tehsux and lucasfilm would only pump out VCDs or some shit like that? .. yeah .. good plan ..
So wouldn't this be the re-re-re-re-re-rerelease?
There is nothing wrong with being gay. It's getting caught where the trouble lies.
If only they could now release episodes one through three with remastered versions that don't feature lousy acting, shallow characters and crappy plots.
Some say he is made with ascii, others that he is eyeballed daily by millions. All we know is, he is known as the Sig
Is it truly the original? Did Han shoot first?
Software sucks. Open Source sucks less.
You know, there's something undeniably good about Episodes IV, V & VI.
Especially when you see it on the big screen. Unfortunately, I was born in 1982 meaning that I wasn't quite to the point of being able to go see it in theatres when it was released. But the special edition releases changed all that--though the changes George Lucas made did leave me feeling kind of hollow (wtf, Han?).
I would think that the mass turn out to see the special edition movies would be proof enough that releasing the originals to theatres every ten years would be profitable. In fact, I would conjecture that releasing it every ten years would give everyone the chance to see it at an early age and be beneficial to the Star Wars franchise. I know Lucas wouldn't be able to resist changing parts of it but hopefully he'll be preoccupied with destroying the Indiana Jones Trilogy by then.
I did notice that Mr. Lucas isn't cited once in this article and instead we hear from Jim Ward who is perhaps actually interested in what the fans have to say as they are providing his paycheck.
If you were to ask me on any day of the week, "Would you like to go see one of the Star Wars movies on the big screen?" You bet I would. It's immeasurably better than the utter drek that's in theatres now. Oftentimes my friends propose we go see a movie only to discover that there is nothing but pure crap. What does Lucasfilm have that so few movies today lack? Timelessness--the ability to surpass the aging of the film and the advances in technology that every movie today uses.
While it's true I'm a fan of Star Wars so my opinion might be biased, I've never found anyone who's outright hated it.
Well, I got original separate movies for my birthday at a young age, the VHS set of this trilogy when I was about 15, I bought the special edition DVDs in wide screen format a couple years ago and now it looks like I'll be purchasing yet another copy of these movies. Boy, Lucasfilm sure has my number.
My work here is dung.
I bought the four disc DVD set when it came out, but that POS is hitting half.com when I get my hands on this. Finally, no Jabba, no "whoosh!" at Alderaan, no ring of fire when the Death Star explodes, no interruption of the wonderful "Hyperspace" piece at the end of Empire, and...
HAN FIRES FIRST!
[ home ]
I should have known they'd eventually cave to milk another buck out of me. I never would have bought the redux trilogy if I'd believed this was coming. Sad thing is, I know I'll buy them...
Trouble making decisions? Just flip for it.
Well, now we know that even someone like George Lucas can be influenced by the promise of a ton of money. Well... probably not Lucas himself but all the people who can influence him.
So now we'll have the opportunity to purchase yet another copy, bringing some people up to 5 seperate copies of the same set of movies.
That's pretty impressive.
I seem to remember back when they were selling the original films on VHS in the UK shortly before the remastered version came out the advertising said that this was the last chance to buy this version of the film.
-- Sorry, I can't think of anything funny to say here.
It pissed me off to no end when I got the original trilogy on DVD, and they'd replaced the ghost of the "old" Anakin Skywalker with the ghost of the "young" Anakin Skywalker at the end of RotJ.
I am still waiting for the Jar Jar Binks edition. The one where the movies are done as they were meant to be, with Luke being replaced by Jar Jar Binks.
Sorry, in this modern world, you can't shoot *first* unless you're the baddy...
You'll have to wait till the SW fans try to shoot you and miss.
Justin.
You're only jealous cos the little penguins are talking to me.
Just so I could say "May the 4th be with you".
*drumroll* *cymbals*
Thank you, thank you, try the lobster.
as if millions of hells had frozen over and were suddenly silenced.
Nice to see that they're relasing the original versions in the same boxes. Now I can show my kids the versions I saw, and not the "digitally enhanced" (read:bastardized) versions where they cut/rearranged scenes.
w ars-the-changes-part-one.html for a listing of the changes between thr original Star Wars and the 2004 "digitally enhanced" version. No doubt, the DVD release will match those of 2004.
See http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-
I imagine he's bastardized Empire and Jedi as well.
Cruising the internet on my TI-99/4A @ a whopping 300 baud!
Come on. Let's not kid ourselves. As much as George likes to pretend he's taking the high ground and being true to his artistic vision (which annoyed me, but at least I could respect), we all knew this would come down to $$$$. In the grand scheme, it's a trivial amount of work to get these DVDs ready to go and the cost of production is trivial. This decision will bring in millions upon millions of dollars into Lucasfilm and there's no way they could turn that down.
It has nothing to do with the pressure we collectively put on them. It has nothing to do with George caving on his desire to keep tweaking his movies.
It has to do with bringing in more moolah. Just keep milking the cash cow.
Um... and I... um.... well... I'll probably be first in line to squeeze the teet.
-S
--- What parts of "shall make no law", "shall not be infringed", and "shall not be violated" don't you understand?
They are "attractively priced" at $200 so the MPAA can recoup the losses that occur when someone who buys the set makes a copy of each disk for individual usage, at 6 disks, $35 for each disk (conservative estimate by the MPAA), they lose $210 (What does the MPAA expect? A user to buy 2 copies?). The MPAA, in their generosity and wisdom, is prepared to accept losing $10 per sale, hence the price of $200
"Sure there's porn and piracy on the Web but there's probably a downside too."
However, if Lucas wants to put out new DVDs, more power to him. However, you know what's funny? Sure, Lucas is releasing DVDs that have the original uncut versions of the OT on them. But note:
If you absolutely have to have the original versions, you have to buy the Special Editions to get them. So if you've already bought the DVD collection, you get to buy it again. So the "OMG!!1! HAN DIDN'T SHOOT FIRST?? I'M SO BUMMED!!" crowd get to buy the version they hate *twice*.
Sure, those consumers will put the other versions up for sale on Ebay as fast as possible. But by the time they sell, the Bluray/HD-DVD version comes out.
The circle is now complete!
Insert simplistic political, ideological, or personal proselytization here.
Personally ( and I know I might be in the minority here) I preferred the original theatrical release to the 'Director's Cut'.
Mr Scott I have a lot of time for - but in this case, I have to disagree.
"You'll have to wait till the SW fans try to shoot you and miss."
Don't panic. It sounds tougher than it really is. You can get right up in their face and they'll STILL miss.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
It's not possible to "enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977."
Watching a DVD is NOT the same as watching projected film on a screen in a theatre.
But the big problem is, I don't know of any safe way to erase, then subsequently restore, my memories of the past couple of decades so that I can see the film knowing nothing about the movie except a Time magazine review and a friend saying it was great.
How can I watch the 1977 Star Wars without the burden of twenty-nine-years'-worth of accumulated "spoilers?."
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
Lucas is essentially releasing a high grade dvd bootleg of the Uber 1993 Laserdisc release. The picture quality will be 1993 and the sound 2.0 stereo AND you still have to essentially re-buy the crappy 2004 release which comes in the same set. Lucas is such a cock. I know damn well he has perfect, unaltered, un-CGI'ed, versions of Star Wars; he has to have them. But, instead, he is pretending that they were somehow destroyed.
"Jeremy, you need to get to an internet cafe and cut and paste some appropriate sentiments about me from the world wide
You're acting like George Lucas, insisting that one needs an excuse (Lucas's official line is that Han shooting Greedo first makes him seem cold and heartless, nevermind the fact that Greedo had a gun pointed at him, and besides, "cold and heartless" is how we like Han, anyway). To counter that lame line, someone put together this page: Top 10 Other Things that Han Shot that Didn't Shoot at Him First.
;)
To the GP — your thoughts about Han and Greedo might be slightly altered after you see this alternate version
Options:
Han shoots first.
Greedo shoots first.
Both shoot at the same time.
Greedo doesn't shoot.
Han doesn't shoot. Greedo accidentally shoots himself.
Nobody shoots. Greedo declares the life of a rogue is not for him, and goes off to enjoy the sunshine
Jabba shoots first.
The Dukes of Hazzard had the worst cookie cutter plot lines ever. From the above link:
My work here is dung.
So Dick Cheney isn't a Star Wars fan, I presume.
AP: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?
... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore.
Lucas: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it.
Source (9/15/2004)
I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.
I know that the scenes were filmed, and I seem to remember seeing the scenes with Luke's friends in Anchorhead, where Biggs told him he was joining the rebellion (leaving Luke behind on Tattooine). Sure, it's 29 years ago, and I was only nine years old at the time, but I can still remember later reports saying that it was in the original theater release (and the first victim of George's redacting desires). It was one of those things that Lucas didn't want to do, but added because he was told just having the 'droids would remind people of THX 1138 in a bad way.
I personally liked the scenes. It made it easier for the audience to feel Luke's feeling of being left behind while important things happened Elsewhere, and made Bigg's death in the trench more painful.
There are a lot of people who have a particular memory of how things were, and want that memory respected. I think, in all seriousness, there's only one serious flaw in the 2004 remakes, the whole Han-on-Jabba's-tail thing. The Han and Greedo shoot each other simultaneously is, really, nothing. It doesn't matter. It would never have been an issue, nor changed anyone's view of Han as a character, had it been that way in 1977. It only matters because it's a change, and because it replaced an even bigger change in the (awful) 1990s releases. For the most part, the 2004 versions fixed the ugliness of the 1990s versions. The CGI is fixed. There are no serious characterization issues (beyond Jabba's tail.)
I think this release is a good thing. There are people who'll watch both and will say "1977's for me, it's the real deal, I'm never going to like anything else", and there are others who'll watch both and say "You know, now I've seen it, I don't think my fears about the 2004 version are realised." We'll see.
Hopefully the number of valueless idiots who keep comparing Lucas's wish to keep his movies true to his vision to an act of terrible violence perpetuating largely against women will dwindle too. There's no excuse any more for it.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
He's probably referring to Jabba's slave dancer's wardrobe malfunction, in ROTJ, just before he flushes her down the drain.
That one galled me more than Han shooting first, and it was mostly because there was so little reason for it to have been there -- I as a 10-year-old understood perfectly that Vader could have caught a shuttle to his star destroyer in the time allowed. I didn't have to fucking have it spelled out for me, and I especially didn't need to see it done so badly. I mean, there were maybe 2 or 3 things in all of the special editions that were done so well they were a pleasure to see -- the re-done Mos Eisley, and the liftoff of the Millenium Falcon from same, but they didn't clean up a lot of the obvious green blotches on the screen left over during the final battle scene, and almost all of the extras were in some way slopped in there. It's like we've got a clone of George Lucas monkeying with his films, because whatever touch he had in the '80's with filmmaking he's completely lost -- he thinks nothing of shattering the rhythm of a scene with gratutious special effects or fanboi money shots. This applies to the new films as well. It's like they were made by a different person.
I still own the originals on laserdisc, but like a complete tool I will probably be buying these re-issues because the resolution is higher on DVD. And my LD player is broken and I can't think of a good reason to replace it.
My book, podcast
Dunno, we'll have to find out. My VHS copies are dying. There is still good in you, George, I can feel it!
Finally! Another way to donate to one of my favourite charities: The Lucas Family Inheritance
;)
I wonder if he will be re-releasing Star Wars in 3-D in the original, and altered formats?
The money will never run out at this rate
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
Copying a 20-30 year old work does not deprive the artist of that work. They've had plenty of opportunity to sell it & can continue to sell it.
If our copyright terms hadn't been extended so many times, the movies could very well be in the public domain already; Lucas could keep selling them, but others would be free to distribute them as they please.
Klingon programs don't timeshare, they battle for supremacy.
No need to cry ...over spilled milk.
Pfft. I only cry over spilled blue milk.
OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! Thank you George for milking me for my entire net worth!
Now the value of my Star Wars LaserDiscs is going to plummet!
3. I don't remember seeing Episodes IV through VI (I was more into Star Trek as a kid) and I'd like to pick them up to find out what happens with this whole Darth Vader guy from Episode III that I just watched last week for the first time. Does he ever figure out he has two kids? Will he make up with Obi Wan? Whatever happened to the Jedi order? Did it die off or are there still Jedi out there? What about Yoda? Whatever happens to him? I think I'm officially hooked on this whole Star Wars thing and I'm dying to know how it all turns out so I'll be sure to pick up these DVDs. For example, whatever happens to Jar Jar Binks after Episode III? Hopefully Episode IV will clear that up.
I have no idea whether or not this scene was in the original version of the film, which I did see when it came out. It's been too long for me to remember stuff like that. I can say that the human mind has an amazing ability to remember things that never happened. I worked with 2 guys a few years who both swore they saw on TV an episode of _You Bet Your Life_ with Groucho Marx where supposedly the following conversation took place:
Groucho: Why do you have so many kids? (NOTE: the man is said to have had 9 kids or maybe more, depending on who tells the story.)
Man: I love my wife.
Groucho: Well, I love my cigar, but I take it out every now and then.
I read some of a biography of Groucho and the author looked into this. He said that it NEVER happened on the TV show, but a conversation somewhat similar did happen in the early 1950s on Groucho's radio version of the show, which predated the TV version by some years. Interestingly enough, the incident did NOT happen on broadcast, but happened while the show was on a commercial break. If you look on the Internet, this whole story has been debunked at various sites, yet I had 2 guys who were very vehement that they saw this. I told one of them that there was no evidence anywhere to support his story and lots of evidence that it never happened and he basically said "I still remember seeing it."
One of the guys used to tell stories about a couple of Soupy Sales shows he swears were broadcast nationally in the early 1960's that involved some jokes about 4 letter words. I did some research on the internet and these have been debunked, yet this guy swears he saw these episodes. Frankly, it makes no sense at all that this could even be true in that era of broadcast TV, but this guy was about ready to fight you if you suggested that it didn't really happen. Maybe you're right and it was in the film, but sometimes memory plays tricks on us.
What does Lucasfilm have that so few movies today lack? Timelessness
Yep, Star Wars Holiday Special makes people cringe just as much today as it did when it first aired.
I know it's trendy to bash George Lucas and Star Wars and all, but I'm getting a little tired of hearing the same arguments against them over and over.
"George Lucas makes a lot of money, therefore he's a sell-out and evil." Well, gee, I never would have guessed that a guy should expect to make money off a venture into which he has poured 32 years of his life and millions upon millions of dollars of his own money. And let's not forget that when he was first starting out, he fully expected failure. He produced ANH with the movie studios laughing in his face. Even the actors working for him thought it was a little silly.
"George Lucas says one thing, then a few years later changes his mind." Such high standards! I know that something I said a few years ago sure doesn't hold much much water with me now. What do you expect him to do? Read the future?
"Star Wars sucks!" Wonderful. It's great that you're outspoken and all. I don't think you're gonna be able to talk Lucas out of releasing this new box set, but you're welcome to try.
So, we've had an original VHS release, a special edition release, and a DVD box set release of the original trilogy. So what if he wants to release the originals again on DVD? No one's forcing you to buy them. If it's really that big a deal to you to see the original cut vs. the remastered/re-edited versions, then buy them. If not, then don't. It's as simple as that. Don't put the blame at Lucas' doorstep.
Me, personally, I'm probably going to hold out and see what the impending 6-DVD box set will be like. I already have the special edition VHS tapes and the remastered box set. If the 6-DVD box set doesn't include the original trilogy as it was before the special edition re-editing, then I'll just buy this set that coming soon.
"You will pay for your lack of vision..." - Emperor Palpatine to Ray Charles
THX isn't an audio format, it is specifications for audio reproduction. It isn't 5.1, or 6.1, or 7.1, or any other digit.digit for that matter. THX is just a guarantee that it meets certain qualities. Nothing is "in THX." www.thx.com
Come take a look at http://originaltrilogy.com/ - these are real fans who've taken the original Laserdiscs(!) and created DVDs with ALL the original content in them.
Top stuff for any fan.
If a square is really a rhombus, why aren't all triangles purple?
Hilarious!
My favorite "pointless thing that you notice" in the original Star Wars was when Obi-wan tells Luke after the jawa vehicle attack "These blast points are too accurate for anyone but Imperial stormtroopers." Those troopers basically didn't hit anything they were aiming at for the next 2 movies/6 years!
I too have the laserdisc versions both of the original commercial release and the remastered edition. Lucase wants our money. How long can it be before the "super-original" version comes out where the scrolling text starts with "Star Wars" instead of "Episode IV:A New Hope"? Now that would be something!
Ben Kenobi: For almost two decades the star wars movies were enjoyed by all. Before the dark times. Before the Edits.
Luke Skywalker: How did the movies die?
Ben Kenobi: A film producer named George Lucas, who was an idol of mine until he turned to evil, helped the industry change the scenes. He betrayed and murdered the Star Wars movies.
---------------------
Darth Vader: "There is no escape. Don't make me edit you. Luke, you do not yet realize your importance. You've only begun to discover your power. Join me and I will edit your training. With our combined strength we can end this great film series and bring profit to the company"
Luke Skywalker: "I'll never join you!"
Darth Vader: "If you only knew the power of the Movie Business. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to the movies."
Luke Skywalker: "He told me enough! He told me you killed him!"
Darth Vader: "No. I am the movies."
Luke Skywalker: "No. That's not true! That's impossible!"
Darth Vader: "Search your feelings. You know it to be true."
Luke Skywalker: "Noooooooo!"
Darth Vader: "Luke, you can destroy the Movie Business. It has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me, and together we shall rule Hollywood as father and son. Come with me. It is the only way."
---------------
Luke Skywalker: "Search your feelings, Lucas. You can't do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate."
Darth Vader: "It is too late for me, consumers. The Movie Business will show you the true nature of money. It is your master now."
Luke Skywalker: "Then my movies are truly dead."
-------------------
Anakin Skywalker: "Luke, help me take these edits off."
Luke Skywalker: "But you'll die."
Anakin Skywalker: "Nothing can stop that now. Just for once, let me look on you with my original film."
(Luke disconnects and releases the original films on dvd.)
Anakin Skywalker: "Now, go my consumer. Leave me."
Luke Skywalker: "I won't leave you here; I've got to save the movies!"
Anakin Skywalker: "You already have, Luke. You were right, you were right about me. Tell your fellow consumers you were right..."
"I only speak the truth"
Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
the most important thing lost from the original 3.
We'll finally be able to dance to the Yub Nub song at the end of Jedi again
*DrugCheese rants*
May the forth... be with you
Please, Please, this is supposed to be a happy occasion. Lets not bicker and argue about who killed who.
The days of the digital watch are numbered.
Sorry George. I bought bootleg copies (very nice bootlegs) a half a decade ago when you stated publicly that you would NEVER release these.
:) And it's all Lucasfilms fault that I'm not giving them any more of my cash. I didn't buy the 2004 editions (raping the memory of dead actors by replacing them digitally was the limit for me), and I won't buy these.
Now that you've changed your mind, I'm not just going to run out and buy them. Why should I? I already have them. Sure, they may have a bit better video quality, but I'm refusing to give you my $ just because you realized you needed the cash and it meant more than your supposed "artistic integrity".
Too little, too late. You had a good 15 years of me buying everything you put out (FS VHS, Widescreen VHS box set, Definitive Collection LD's, "face" CLV LD's)....but your attitude towards fans, in spite of this 11th hour reversal, just make me not care.
I have no problem paying good money for great product, but conversely when someone like Lucas dicks fans over and over I have no problem going the bootleg/download route. I bet the BitTorrent sites will have it before it even comes out.
AE
So, does this mean that those guys can stop the work they've done on the X0 laserdisc rips?
This guy's the limit!
Google is your friend.
For a lot of people, Han Solo made Star Wars. I really don't care about the Jedi, good vs. evil, all that rehashed crap... the cool part is a cocky, badass smuggler with a cobbled-together tin can of a spaceship living on the frontier. Han's the only remotely interesting character in all six films aside from Obi-Wan, Lando, and a couple of minor players.
As a similar change, what if we edited it so that in the Emperor's room at the very end, Vader attacks first instead of Luke striking out in anger. That sorta changes the mood of the whole scene and Luke's entire character. Same thing with Han allowing Greedo to get a shot off at point blank range, and also Greedo somehow missing from two feet away.
Actually, it seems that pretty much ANY jedi can sense another jedi's strength. Why not just have Yoda et al say "hey! This one's teh strong!".
"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a movie is insignificant next to the power of the Force."
with my apologies to Lord Vader.
What ? Me, worry ?
"original" doesn't mean the first 3. original means han shoots first, no stupid cgi, no haydens ghost at the end, etc. the actual ORIGINAL theatrical releases
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I hate to burst your bubble, but they released the 'box set' of all three of the Star Wars original Trilogy a good while back, 2 years ago just before Christmas I think. I have it on DVD, and while it does not contain the original theatrical release, who would really want that? It isn't anywhere near the quality of the digitized DVD version. So as to compare how good DVD is over film? What's the point, they've demonstrated that already!
No. He's more machine now than man, twisted and evil.
Seriously, this isn't about good in the least. Let me do some translating here. From TFA:
"Over the years, a truly countless number of fans have told us that they would love to see and own the original version that they remember experiencing in theaters," said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd. "We returned to the Lucasfilm Archives to search exhaustively for source material that could be presented on DVD. This is something that we're very excited to be able to give to fans in response to their continuing enthusiasm for Star Wars."
Like all PR machines, there's a certain amount of fudging that goes on, let me translate:
"Over the years, a throng of vicious purists have told us that the so called 'improvements' suck balls. What they want to see is the original before we did more damage than repair. There was also a large number of nerds stationed outside George's house chanting, 'Han Shot First.'" said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd. "Pretty much, all we have to do is take the last VHS release before the special editions and prime it for DVD release. However, don't make the mistake that we're being altruistic to our fans in any way. The fact is, many of these weak willed nerds broke down and bought the first DVD release and now that their failure is complete, we can sock it to them with yet another release. George loves cash, what can we say? We double charge the weak and now even milk the cash out of the purists that were holding out."
Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.
Details here