Original Star Wars Trilogy to be released on DVD

Started by Raikus, February 07, 2003, 03:29:25 PM

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matt35mm

Shouldn't this thread title be changed?

Anyway, I also agree that it's entirely his right to change the movies.  He's obviously a perfectionist, and he can't really let go of his movies.  They won't be entirely finished until he's dead.  FINE.  That's all within his right as the maker and owner of the movies and their rights, respectively.

But yeah, he is being pompous by denying to release the original versions, when it's obvious that so many people want them.

That said, it doesn't really matter what I think, because I'm not a Star Wars purist.  I don't feel like the movies have, in essence, been ruined.  They're still the same movies to me.  SOME of the additions are nice and make sense, whereas Lucas's idea that all CGI is completely realistic-looking hurts many of the new additions.  At least digital Jabba looks better than he did in 1997, but it still looks crappy.  ILM is seriously way behind companies like WETA Digital.

NEON MERCURY

Quote from: matt35mmShouldn't this thread title be changed?
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Quote from: MyxomatosisNothing like xixax.com to have a thread called, "Original Star Wars Trilogy never to be released on DVD" and we're all talking about the upcoming release.

Quote from: RegularKaratethe original WILL never be released... haven't you read the...?

fuck it



Quote from: MacGuffinHe probably thinks the Special Edition versions released in 1997 were the Originals.

Derek

It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black.

MacGuffin

Quote from: Derekaudio problems with Episode IV:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents

Quote from: TheDigitalBitsIn all the hype over the DVD release of Star Wars, I'm afraid to say there's a bit of bad news about the discs (or at least one of them) from a quality standpoint. We've discovered what we believe are serious audio defects on Episode IV - A New Hope. We've updated our DVD review of the set accordingly with the details as follows:

[Editor's Note: since we initially wrote this review, a few audio/mixing errors on the DVD version of A New Hope have been detected. They are as follows:

1) The familiar Force theme trumpet fanfare that used to play right after Red Leader says: "This is it!" and just as the X-wings start diving towards the Death Star's surface has been dialed back in volume so that it's almost inaudible - it's almost completely buried in the surround mix.

2) The audio quality varies wildly as Tarkin says the line: "You would prefer another target, a military target? Then name the system." - almost as if the master sound element was damaged.

3) Also, John Williams' score for the film seems to have been flipped in the rear channels, so that what should be the left rear channel seems to be playing from the right rear channel (and vise versa). What this means is that the rear channels don't match the front channels - instruments heard from the front right channel come from the left rear instead of the right rear. It's hard to notice, but we're getting a number of reports from people hearing this.

These problems would seem to be severe enough to merit a repressing/exchange of the disc. We're waiting to hear back from Lucasfilm on this issue and we'll update this review with the details as soon as we do.]

DigitalBits Update:

Well... Lucasfilm has responded to our questions about the audio issue on the DVD of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope with a blanket statement of denial. Here's the exact text:

"We are always impressed with how closely fans listen to the many different sound mixes we have made for the Star Wars movies over the years. It is flattering to know that, indeed, the audience is listening. Consequently, each mix comes out differently and any changes that you hear on the all-new Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX tracks on the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set are deliberate creative decisions. We can confirm that there are no technical glitches as reported."

Now here's my response. I don't buy it. The audio quality of that Tarkin line can't be anything other than a technical issue, probably a problem with the original audio element of the dialogue, and Lucasfilm doesn't want to cop to that on the eve of the big release. When you guys hear it tomorrow, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Tarkin's "Then name the system!" line sounds terrible. As far as dialing down the trumpet fanfare during the Death Star attack (in fact, much of Williams' music during the first part of the attack has been reduced in volume in the mix)... I can see that could be a creative decision. It's a decision I absolutely HATE, but okay, maybe that's a creative decision. You guys will have to see what you think when you get the discs.

As far as the reversed music in the surrounds issue - it's going to be very hard for the average listener to detect. We've heard from a number of sources, however, who claim to hear it. In fact, that's how we originally became aware of the problem ourselves. Still, in light of Lucasfilm's denial, we'd like more of you die hard audiophiles to give this disc a listen yourselves and see if you hear it too.

We'll keep looking into this, so stay tuned...
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

meatball

Stop speculating.

QuoteWhy Lucas tinkered with 'Star Wars'

SAN RAFAEL, California (AP) -- George Lucas never figured on a 30-year career as a space pilot. Once "Star Wars" shot into hyperspace, though, he found it hard to come back down to Earth.

Making its DVD debut Tuesday, Lucas' original sci-fi trilogy -- "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" -- began as an experimental foray into old-time studio moviemaking for Lucas, whose first two films had been far removed from usual Hollywood sensibilities.

Lucas' sci-fi satire "THX 1138" had been a commercial dud, but the energetic "American Graffiti" with its driving soundtrack and multi-character point of view scored with audiences, giving the director clout to try something bigger that had been on his mind.

"I'd already started this other idea, which was to do a kind of a classic action adventure film using sets," Lucas said over lunch at his 2,600-acre Skywalker Ranch. "I'd never worked on a set, I'd never worked at a studio. Never made a traditional movie. So I said, 'I'm going to do this once, just to see what it's like, what it's like to actually design everything, work on a soundstage, do an old-fashioned 1930s movie.

"And I'll do it in that mode from the 1930s Saturday matinee serials, using kind of 1930s and '40s sensibilities, and I'll base it on sort of mythological motifs and icons. I'll just put it together in a modern form, and I'll have fun. That's how I got into that. I did it because it was an interesting move into an area that I thought I'd never go into."

Three decades later, Lucas is preparing to launch the last of his six "Star Wars" films. Next summer brings "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith," completing the prequel trilogy that tells the story of young Anakin Skywalker's metamorphosis into the villainous Darth Vader of the original three films.

Fans have eagerly awaited the first three "Star Wars" films on DVD, a release Lucas initially intended to delay until he finished "Episode III."

Some will be miffed that the original theatrical versions are not included in the "Star Wars" boxed set, which features only the special-edition versions Lucas issued in the late 1990s, with added effects and footage, including a scene between Harrison Ford's Han Solo and crime lord Jabba the Hutt in the first "Star Wars."

Darth Vader, whose origins are being traced in the first three films, is one of movie history's great villains.

Q: Why did you change your mind and decide to put the original three movies out on DVD now?

GEORGE LUCAS: Just because the market has shifted so dramatically. A lot of people are getting very worried about piracy. That has really eaten dramatically into the sales. It really just came down to, there may not be a market when I wanted to bring it out, which was like, three years from now. So rather than just sit by and watch the whole thing fall apart, better to bring it out early and get it over with.

Q: Why did you rework the original trilogy into the special-edition versions in the late 1990s?

LUCAS: To me, the special edition ones are the films I wanted to make. Anybody that makes films knows the film is never finished. It's abandoned or it's ripped out of your hands, and it's thrown into the marketplace, never finished. It's a very rare experience where you find a filmmaker who says, "That's exactly what I wanted. I got everything I needed. I made it just perfect. I'm going to put it out there." And even most artists, most painters, even composers would want to come back and redo their work now. They've got a new perspective on it, they've got more resources, they have better technology, and they can fix or finish the things that were never done. ...

I wanted to actually finish the film the way it was meant to be when I was originally doing it. At the beginning, people went, "Don't you like it?" I said, "Well, the film only came out to be 25 or 30 percent of what I wanted it to be." They said, "What are you talking about?" So finally, I stopped saying that, but if you read any interviews for about an eight- or nine-year period there, it was all about how disappointed I was and how unhappy I was and what a dismal experience it was. You know, it's too bad you need to get kind of half a job done and never get to finish it. So this was my chance to finish it.

'I'm making the movies'

Q: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?

LUCAS: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it. ...

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. It's like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be.

Lucas has often said he was unhappy with the original trilogy as it was released.

I'm the one who has to take responsibility for it. I'm the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they're going to throw rocks at me, they're going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good, or at least something I think is not finished.

Q: Do you pay much attention to fan reactions to your choices?

LUCAS: Not really. The movies are what the movies are. ... The thing about science-fiction fans and "Star Wars" fans is they're very independent-thinking people. They all think outside the box, but they all have very strong ideas about what should happen, and they think it should be their way. Which is fine, except I'm making the movies, so I should have it my way.

Q: After "Episode III," will you ever revisit "Star Wars"?

LUCAS: Ultimately, I'm going to probably move it into television and let other people take it. I'm sort of preserving the feature film part for what has happened and never go there again, but I can go off into various offshoots and things.

You know, I've got offshoot novels, I've got offshoot comics. So it's very easy to say, "Well, OK, that's that genre, and I'll find a really talented person to take it and create it." Just like the comic books and the novels are somebody else's way of doing it. I don't mind that. Some of it might turn out to be pretty good. If I get the right people involved, it could be interesting.

cine



Alethia


picolas


pete

Quote from: cinephile in the bruce lee threadThis is the geekiest thread I've ever read.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

Ghostboy

So far, all I've watched is the Empire Of Dreams documentary, which just left me feeling totally invigorated, feeling like I was eight years old again, back when the Making Of Star Wars book made me decide I wanted to make films. Some of that behind the scenes footage was fantastic, and I love the outtake where Chewie talks in a british accent (the guy that played Chewie lives nearby, I bet he's getting mobbed by autograph hounds this week). Also, Darth Vader cutting Obi Wan in half was great.

Also, The Birth Of Darth Vader completely gave me chills, because I'm a dork like that.

SHAFTR

"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

meatball

Quote from: Cinephilemeatball, that was like so 3 pages ago.

Figures. I don't read anybody else's posts. I just post blindly.  :twisted:


MacGuffin

'Star Wars' DVD Box Sales in Stratosphere

"Star Wars Trilogy," the most anticipated DVD of the year, generated $115 million in worldwide sales during its first day in release Tuesday, but that figure from executives at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment also includes sales of the "Star Wars Battlefront" video game.

Unit sales numbers were not immediately available for the four-disc set featuring remastered and newly crafted versions of "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi."

As is typical with collectible DVD box sets, retailers believe that "Star Wars Trilogy" will have a long shelf life, anticipating additional sales during the holiday gift-giving season.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks