I think people will buy it because there will be the new documentaries, deleted scenes, etc., but all six movies will be packaged together. So if they want stuff for the original trilogy, then they have to have the prequel trilogy.

I also think there will be the further changes to Episode I, perhaps some fixed things for the transfer/sound on Episode IV, etc. Plus, this will hopefully be the end-all, be-all set (for SD, at least...maybe), so hopefully they'll throw everything at it. With enough new and old material and "final" versions/transfers of the films, people will re-buy.

That, plus the undoubtedly slick packaging.

Agreed. Though, I suspect further changes to all six films, to varying degrees. Yoda will be CGI in TPM. Bail Organa will appear in ANH. And anything else with which Lucas is still uncomfortable will be tweaked. Look forward to seeing the final versions.

--THX

And maybe for once, the WS edition will be Gold and FS will be Silver.

I remember back in the 90's they release the OT on VHS (in widescreen as well). Was that version better than the OT on the recent DVD release?

I hope they put the unreleased spoof documentary "Return of the Ewok" on the disc. they have only showed it once at "celebration" It was basically a spoof, documentary about little warwick davis. This does float around in the bootleg market, but I have never seen a copy. I would love to give it a look.

The 1983 book The Making of Return of the Jedi (edited by John Phillip Peecher; published by Ballantine/Del Rey) had this tantalizing bit of information in its first chapter, in a section on First Assistant Director David Tomblin:


As if he weren't busy enough, Tomblin began a project in his spare moments and on the nights when he couldn't sleep. It is a 30-minute documentary woven around little Warwick Davis, who plays the Ewok Warrick. (Later, the character was rechristened into Wicket W. Warrick.) It is about Warwick Davis, age twelve, height 2 feet 10 inches, going out into the grown-up world and living out several boyish fantasies before being cast as an Ewok in Jedi.
"It all began when Warwick walked in the door for his audition and smiled," Tomblin says ruefully. "That smile cost me all my lunch hours and most of my days off."

A 1985 Starlog article also made brief mention of the film:


Off-set, Davis also worked on another movie project. David Tomblin, Jedi's second unit and assistant director (STARLOG #86) conceived the idea. "He thought I was a really good Ewok and everything," enthuses Davis, "and he had written the script. He kept thinking of it in the night, he used to jump up and write little bits. Eventually, he ended up with this whole story, and we made this little film." Under Tomblin's direction, a humorous half-hour semi-documentary, semi-fictional film was made, charting Davis' initiation into the world of Ewoks and blockbuster moviemaking. "I think they used bits of it for promoting Return of the Jedi, but nothing else," says Davis. However, a copy of Tomblin's "little film," transferred onto videocassette, is preserved next to the Davis family TV set. It is a very special, professionally made "home movie" of one boy's real Star Wars adventure.
For many long years, that was all the world would know about Return of the Ewok. Then, in 1996, Star Wars Insider printed an interview with Warwick Davis and teased us a little more:


But Davis revealed - for the first time, he said - the most exciting extracurricular activity at Elstree. "While we were shooting the film," he proclaimed, "the assistant director, David Tomblin, wrote a film called Return of the Ewok, which was basically me, as Warwick, getting the part of Wicket. It's about 25 minutes long, but it was never properly completed.
"Harrison was in it, and Anthony Daniels, and [co-producer] Robert Watts. There was a little bit with Frank Oz where I visit Yoda and get my intergalactic passport. There's a great bit where I'm at the cinema in London showing Empire, the scene with Luke fighting Vader, and Luke back-flips out of the theater and I say "Go on, Luke, you can do it' and he back-flips back in. It's a unique piece of history, since it's got Elstree Studios" - much of which was recently razed - "standing as it was.

"As far as I know," he continued, tantalizingly, "I've got the only copy, a VHS. It's a treasured memory." Suddenly struck with an idea and vowing to "make some calls," Davis declared, "I might see if I can bring it on my convention appearances, for the fans

You would think that'd make sense, but maybe the "silver" is really supposed to be platinum. I'm not a big fan of gold, so I've actually liked the way the releases have been packaged so far. Sucks if you like gold, though.

It wouldn't shock me if some folks here would try to claim that, but no... being VHS, that boxed set is far inferior to the recent DVDs, even though they're not anamorphic. I'll even go further and point out (as I have before), that the recent DVDs are actually superior to the Definitive Edition Laserdisc set as well.

The biggest misconception with the OT DVDs is that because they used the same master that was used for the Definitive Edition Laserdisc set, the result can be no better than the Laserdiscs, which as the British would say is absolute bollocks. I'll grant you that using an analog master that's over a decade old for a 2006 DVD release is being lazy and cheap to put it mildly, not to mention the fact that it completely wastes the anamorphic capability of DVD. However, given the reality that we were either gonna get this old master or nothing at all, I'll take it.

I recognize that an analog master intended for Laserdisc certainly falls short of what DVD is capable of, but the OT DVDs really are the best versions of those films you can find. DVD can show more detail from the original master tape (and yes, more flaws) than the Laserdiscs could, so what you're getting isn't just the LD set all over again, it's like you now have access to the original master tapes for that set, and you're seeing and hearing stuff you couldn't get out of the resulting Laserdiscs, and therefore, stuff that wasn't present on any bootleg at the time the OT DVDs were released. Aside from being forced to buy the 2004 versions in the bargain, the official OT DVDs are most definitely worth buying, even if you have the best bootleg set ever made (not implying that you have bootlegs, just giving you a frame of reference).

The short answer is that VHS quality is so poor in comparison to DVD, that just about the only way you can get a DVD that's <b>not</b> better than the VHS is if the studio actually used a VHS source (very rare) and the bitrate is low enough to cause visible artifacting. One exception to that is when the VHS was produced shortly after the film was released, then they come and do a DVD 10-20 years later from the same film print they transfered to VHS. If that print has deteriorated over time and they don't clean it up at all, <b>then</b> you might well be better off with the VHS, or a DVD-R transfer of it. Even then you won't get as much detail, but to me a highly-detailed image of a washed-out film print isn't any better than a blurry VHS with rich colors. Everybody's got their preferences, though. Oh, and of course there's the likelihood that the VHS version will be pan-and-scan, which adds yet another dimension.


one last note, though...

Even though the widescreen THX set on VHS wouldn't be as good, what does everyone think about the THX Laserdiscs? I seem to recall hearing about problems of one kind or another that actually made the THX discs inferior to the Definitive Edition set, if only in terms of content. It strikes me that they must have gone back to the master for the Definitive Edition set for a reason, and I'd imagine it's because of the shortcomings of the THX Laserdiscs.

Anyone have a more informed opinion on the matter?

The "Faces" THX laserdiscs come from the same master as the Definitive Collection box set, which also carried the THX logo. The only difference (aside from packaging and bonus features) is that the box set was in CAV format and the separate releases in CLV.

Yeah, I was kind of hoping that was the case. It does look less tacky than gold anyway.

Sorry. Had to laugh at you using that word in relation to these films.

In some parts the OOT DVD's look good, and in other parts they are so loaded with grain, it is awful to watch on an HD-TV that is zoomed to 16 x 9.

I have a 52" Widescreen TV, and the parts on Hoth, especially the exterior mountains and all the snow are very grainy, and the Tatooine parts aren't much better. When you say it shows everything, you are right on that.

ROTJ is probably the only decent transfer of the OOT DVD's that came out in September, as some parts I compared to the SE, and you really can't tell that much a difference.

I think ESB suffers the most from the movie not being anamorphic, cause that was always the best looking OT films design wise with Hoth, Dagobah, and Bespin, and it really comes off as just dull and grainy compared to the SE.

If Lucas could just remaster the OOT, so many people like me would be happy.

Ohhh... didn't know that. Thanks, Josh. :)

I am only interested in the original trilogy in their original form. Hopefully Lucas will make it anamorphic.

George can pound sand. My laserdiscs are fine. I haven't purchased the OT on DVD, and I can't stomach the remainder of the series.

Both the 1993 and 1995 laserdiscs come from the same masters. The 1993 LD's were a boxed set, with a bunch of extras like commentaries and featurettes.

In 1995, the films were released individually, but the ony extra was a George Lucas interview on each film.

There was some controversy about the 1993 Defintive Collection. Click on the two links and scroll down to where they talk about the 93 set. Episode 4 had some sound issues, and Episode 5 had footage missing.

http://www.davisdvd.com/misc/starwars/ep4.htm

http://www.davisdvd.com/misc/starwars/ep5.htm

The Star Wars movies have always looked like shit on home video formats. The current SE DVDs are probably the best have the films have ever looked, even better than their original theatrical runs. I don't think that an amamorphic transfer would really improve a lot of the problems with grain and washed-out colors.

The Definitive Collection box set went through several repressings where things (like the missing couple of seconds in Empire) were corrected. Here's a FAQ on the topic:

http://home.earthlink.net/~treadwell...arwars/THX.htm

Lucas really drove that franchise into the gound in terms of anything new and fresh. As far as I'm concerned Lucasfilm has received my last dime. Ill find the original films on DVD at some pawn shop in a year for $10. Then I'll resell my other set for a profit on FleaBay.

For Lucas, it's never been about the fans.

They'd have to do restoration and clean-up first.

Already done. Watch the HD versions that have been playing on HBO and Cinemax.

which are RIDICULOUSLY fucked up. The "color correction" on that is atrocious.

http://www.theforce.net/latestnews/s...ion_100566.asp

Thers the article which has been mentioned before in which a Lego release has mention of the 30th collection. :)

You may want to elaborate on that.

Star Wars thread in the HD forum for those interested: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=474877

As Cow pointed out, that's totally contrary to your previous postings.

As well, I couldn't disagree more. The HD masters looked RIDICULOUSLY fantastic. Like they were made yesterday.

Well what can you say, it's just another can of worms added to the bathtub that is 'Star Wars debate'. Anyways, how about we stick on topic.