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Why Star Wars Should be Left to the Fans

Posted by samzenpus on from the don't-make-us-shoot-first dept.

Aguazul writes "The BBC has an interesting take on George Lucas's meddling with our memories: 'Fans of Star Wars are not happy. Someone has been tampering with their movie history.' They speculate on who really owns a piece of art. Even the artist doesn't really know what he's created, and a work doesn't become 'something' until given value by an audience: 'the artist is merely the medium for his or her work.' Many people contributed to the Star Wars trilogy. Is Lucas' over-inflated idea of his own importance in the process the reason he is stopping people seeing the unmodified originals?"

7 of 425 comments (clear)

  1. All I can say is... by Crookdotter · · Score: 4, Funny

    Noooooooo!!!!!!!

    1. Re:All I can say is... by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

      Think again. He could use those crayons to write the books for yet another prequel/sequel/whatever.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  2. The Creator has complete Control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is morally right that the creator of a work should have complete control over it for all time immemorial. You don't see people messing with The Iliad -- it exists today in exactly the same format that Homer wrote it down, and the changes that he penciled in to later editions have been faithfully reproduced. The same is true with the plays of Shakespeare, which are always performed with exactly the same script and stage directions that the Bard himself took to the copyright office before the original performances. And music also has never been altered after composition -- the composers intent is always honored by the performer, and the audience would demand no less.

    I don't see any reason we should give Lucas any less than the complete and total control over his creations enjoyed by Homer, Shakespeare, and Bach. To afford him anything else would be tragic.

  3. Re:I have seen the Blu-ray releases by buchner.johannes · · Score: 3, Funny

    In the new cut, did they put in the cantine scenes from the death star?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5iEK-IEzw
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ2yRTRlMFU

    --
    NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
  4. Re:It's his movie by jedidiah · · Score: 4, Funny

    The problem isn't so much that George is perpetrating a fraud. He is suppressing the originals. Part of his "ownership" is a social contract with the rest of us. It's part of the deal he made when he got to publish the originals and get a monopoly on their copying and distribution.

    George owes us a usable copy of the original. That's a 35mm print BTW.

    Also, his attempt to create derivative works and call them Star Wars are fraud and should be pointed out as such and perhaps even prosecuted as such.

    Quite often whining about "following the rules" when it comes to copyright tends to be entirely one sided and in favor of publishers.

    --
    A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
  5. Re:Prediction by hedwards · · Score: 4, Funny

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BMgegut3UM

    I think this speaks for itself.

  6. Re:I have seen the Blu-ray releases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Uh, no. Your cell phone does not produce better footage than a 335mm film camera.

    Whoa. That sucker must've been a bitch to pan with. "Enough with the running scenes already!" -pant pant-