DVD review of the Limited Edition Crappy letterboxed versions of Star Wars movies
 

A french site, DVDRAMA, has reviewed the new Star Wars letterboxed dvds. This is the translation from babel fish. The word for word translation doesn't exactly make sense, but I think you will all get the gist that George Lucas definitely screwed his fans. Their video/audio review seems to be for all three movies, New Hope, Empire, and Jedi:

IMAGE: 5/10
Let us be clear. The first exit in DVD of the trilogy Star Wars without his "new" appendices really will disappoint. After having viewed the three French discs, one can affirm that the purpose of the presence of the original assemblies on a second DVD - the first will propose the version 2004 - is not to propose films under irreproachable conditions as should logically do it the support, but is used primarily as no-claims bonus. And we insist well on the consideration of films in the state like a simple supplement. Or at best, of disc of file allowing to preserve in its DVDthèque the films which rocked our childhood as well as the video cassettes or Laserdiscs while waiting to obtain something of really worthy of this name. Because against any waiting, the owners of Laserdiscs precisely, or the published remasterized VHS there is a little more than 10 years and equipped with a good video tape recorder will only gain there well little.

In addition, one will not be supposed to mistake on the presence of a stringcourse "Master THX" on the jacket since it relates to only the disc of the version 2004. The version of origin is thus not labellisée THX since like know we it, the image is not compatible 16/9ème, but especially because it does not have no particular face lift undergoes quite simply.

Copied of a source (the master of Laserdisc) with another (this DVD), the film thus pullulates of various artifacts, grains often indicators even on the LucasFilm logo with the starting of film, and a video noise pronounced on step badly of dark sequences where some blue and red edgings always do not shine by their discretion. Details which do not help definitively a hardly acceptable compression, especially for such strong titles, whose only true contribution - except nostalgia - will be a restitution of the colors and colours more convincing than the video cassettes and the laserdiscs. To reserve nevertheless for those which do not have any specimen of it, or which would wish to gather the two versions in only one case.

SOUND: 7/10
There still and without surprise, we have right to the band its of origin which did not profit from a remixage on five quite distinct channels. But the mixings of Wars Star already did not have in their time of lesson to receive and imposed Dolby Surround 2.0 of a monstrous effectiveness. The feeling of envelopment is well there, never not hesitating to make use, all decibels outside, of the five enclosures and imposes in a constant way its music like its overall effects. Obviously, all this will remain a little less clear and more choked than than proposes the second DVD and the assembly 2004 to us, but nostalgia answers here quite present, without shocking as much as the image. To reserve nevertheless for those which do not have any specimen of it, or which would wish to gather the two versions in only one case.

Here's the website:
http://www.dvdrama.net/rw_fiche-6663-.php

God-damn; I don't know about anyone else, but after three sentences, I ended up with a migraine so can someone translate the translation?

In short, bad video quality for the letterbox versions.

me too! sounds like jar jar binks did the review. deesa dvds are peeeusa and muy muy stinkowhiff

rotfl

I like this site!

NSFW:
http://www.dvdrama.com/news.php?16475

Haha!!!

hahahah you're right, I knew a Gungan had something to do with the translation!!!

I thought I was reading gargled Shakespeare the way it was translated but we all get thie gist. It's no surprise what the review found and I think we all were just waiting for some kind of confirmation that it's true. Reality can now set it and people can relinquish all hope for a decent transfer of the originals....until next time that is

For a second I thought I was just a dumb-ass who couldn't understand a simple review.
Glad I'm not alone.

Let us be clear... ;)

Anyway... it was this or nothing, so I'm fine with it. No more DVD-R bootlegs (at least for the theatrical versions), and maybe it's blasphemy to say this here, but I honestly don't want crystal clarity when it comes to these films. They are classics, and since everybody complained when Lucas digitally cleaned them up and added CGI, we might as well watch fuzzy transfers that at least have some character to them. Please don't let anyone from Lucasfilm read this post because they'll immediately start using that line as an excuse ("um, we meant for them to look that way... yeah, that's the ticket!), but I personally don't wanna see every crease in the rubber creatures in the cantina, nor do I want to be able to see the faces of the stormtroopers through the lenses on their helmets. Sure, give me the prequels in super-hi-def, but I've never been a fan of watching classic films that have been cleaned up to the point of barely resembling the films I saw as a kid.

Now that I've got that off my chest, I think I'll go watch my original "VIDEO RENTAL LIBRARY" pan-and-scan VHS release of STAR WARS. Nostalgia city, baby!!! ;)

For the purposes of full disclosure, let it be stated that I am a nitpicker at heart, I buy all my DVDs widescreen, I shake every box to make sure there isnt a floater in there, I make sure I have a box with no blemishes. I believe there should be a version of Star Wars Episodes 4, 5, and 6 on DVD as they were released in 77, 80 and 83 in crystal clear clarity.

However.....

Growing up, I watched my fool-screen copies religously and very happily. The main reason that I dont put my VHS's in my VCR to watch them now (both the very last release of the OT unaltered and the only VHS release of the special editions before Lucas tweaked with them again for the first DVD release) is that I dont want a glitch with my VCR suddenly happening and wrinkling my tapes. This might be the only time that I think that, given the choice of buying the full or widescreen version of a DVD, I would pick the full screen and be able to watch my favorite movies I had as a kid the way I watched them as a kid.

Of corse, thats my opinion.....I could be wrong.

Yes, very much like a "Shakespearean" review. :eek:

The French sure know how to butcher the language!

Sarcasm?

"pullulates"?

I'm going to use that word whenever possible now.

I think everyone should post the same opinions again that they've posted in the other 49 Star Wars DVD threads. Aaaaannnnd... GO!

You date a lot of fat chicks huh?

Sweet! Then we can have the people bitching about the people bitching about DVDs. And then we can have the people bitching about the people bitching about the people bitching about the DVDs.
Then we can have the people telling everyone to keep the bitching and the bitching about the bitching in the thread about the DVDs.
In another two days, we can have another thread to repeat it all in.
EDIT:
Not to forget those who tell those bitching about the bitching that if they don't like it they can gtfo of the thread. This, of course, is swiftly followed by a tremoundously civil discourse of whether or not one should be allowed to complain about the contents of a thread when they were aware before they entred said thread.

How many ways can you say "merde"?

I don't really know what to say to that.

Why attack me simply because I don't make unreasonable demands on studios, especially when it involves releasing films the way *I* would like to see them instead of how the director/writer/producer wants them to be? After all, I happen to think that GEORGE LUCAS should have some say in how STAR WARS movies are released. Call me crazy.

Forgive me for showing a bit of substance and putting less emphasis on the appearance of something and instead concentrating on whether it has value even though it might be less than perfect. If everything has to be perfect in order for you to be happy, I pity you. I apologize for responding to a personal attack with one of my own, but how else does one respond to such a thing?

I don't think I ever want to talk about STAR WARS again if it's gonna end up like this...

Hahaha, that made me snort my iced tea :)

fat chicks will still look fat through fuzzy eyes...

You know, I really thought there were some quality people here. Obviously I was wrong. I'm sure you won't miss me.

:later:

Well I'm not saying this to be condescending but you've only been here since June, but even so... just even looking at the other thread you know how touchy a Star Wars subject is. This thread is slowly transforming into the same old other threads that exist already about Star Wars... they all end up the same. I'm with you man, it's really frustrating and people really just blow things out of proportion. If you can't take the heat, then don't jump into the fire. It's that simple. And they weren't even really ripping on you that terribly, just using a metaphor to explain their side of the argument to you (which shouldn't be in this thread to begin with!).

Well, it merely confirms that the discs *are* what we pretty much already *knew* they were. Crap quality... and bitching won't help. But it sucks. And it sucks enough that people have a right to bitch. And I suppose those who want to gripe about the bitchers can do so too if they must--and it appears they must.