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Jay G. 08-07-13 09:19 PM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by lamphorn (Post 11791513)
Doesn't the Library of Congress have good prints of the originals? Seems to me these movies were included in their film preservation program.

Lucas never delivered prints of the original versions of Star Wars and ESB to the LoC for the National Film Registry. Instead, he tried to give them prints of the SE, which they refused:
http://savestarwars.com/lucas-nfr.html

While both STAR WARS (1977) and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) are on the National Film Registry, the Library has not yet acquired new prints of either one. When the request was made for STAR WARS, Lucasfilm offered us the Special Edition version. The offer was declined as this was obviously not the version that had been selected for the Registry. We have not yet requested a print of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, added to the Registry late last year [2010].

The Library of Congress does hold the original release versions of STAR WARS, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI, but these 35mm prints were acquired as copyright deposits in March 1978, October 1980, and June 1983 respectively. All three are classified as archival masters and as such cannot be accessed for viewing/research. The existing condition reports for STAR WARS and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (there is no report for RETURN OF THE JEDI) indicate that the former has minor scratches but is in good shape overall, while the latter has extreme color fading. We also have an additional 35mm print of the original STAR WARS (received June 1979) with English subtitles for the deaf.
The one glimmer of hope is that Lucasfilm seems to employ a lot of people who are passionate about these films, and would like to see the OOT released. Reportedly the reason we got the OOT on DVD at all, even if just in a letterboxed transfer taken from an old Laserdisc master, is because people inside the company were urging Lucas to do it. Now with Lucas gone, it's possible these same people can push for a restoration.

LPMA 08-08-13 07:54 AM

re: Star Wars
 
Oh wow, that Library of Congress story is RIDICULOUS. Your film has the high honor of being chosen for preservation and you try to turn over your revisionist version of it? I'm now convinced he just doesn't get it.

Texan26 08-08-13 05:32 PM

re: Star Wars
 
And now there's an upcoming comic book series based on George Lucas original screenplay of "The Star Wars."

Watch trailer here: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=107565

TheBang 08-08-13 09:30 PM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by LPMA (Post 11791821)
Oh wow, that Library of Congress story is RIDICULOUS. Your film has the high honor of being chosen for preservation and you try to turn over your revisionist version of it? I'm now convinced he just doesn't get it.

Only now? :lol:

LPMA 08-09-13 08:04 AM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by TheBang (Post 11792661)
Only now? :lol:

Now more than ever. Resisting fan pressure to release a version of your films because you have a skewed idea that the new versions are somehow superior, I can somewhat understand the reasoning even if I disagree with it. Handing in a modified version of your film when it's been selected for preservation for being 'historically significant'? That's a whole other level of crazy.

Jay G. 08-09-13 08:11 AM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by LPMA (Post 11792916)
Now more than ever. Resisting fan pressure to release a version of your films because you have a skewed idea that the new versions are somehow superior, I can somewhat understand the reasoning even if I disagree with it. Handing in a modified version of your film when it's been selected for preservation for being 'historically significant'? That's a whole other level of crazy.

What's worse is that Lucas understands the importance of preserving the original versions of films, just not his own.
http://savestarwars.com/lucasspeecha...aledition.html

A copyright is held in trust by its owner until it ultimately reverts to public domain. American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history...

...It will soon be possible to create a new "original" negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires...

...In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be "replaced" by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten.

LPMA 08-09-13 08:31 AM

re: Star Wars
 
What a tool.

milo bloom 08-09-13 09:00 AM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by Jay G. (Post 11791523)
Lucas never delivered prints of the original versions of Star Wars and ESB to the LoC for the National Film Registry. Instead, he tried to give them prints of the SE, which they refused:
http://savestarwars.com/lucas-nfr.html


The one glimmer of hope is that Lucasfilm seems to employ a lot of people who are passionate about these films, and would like to see the OOT released. Reportedly the reason we got the OOT on DVD at all, even if just in a letterboxed transfer taken from an old Laserdisc master, is because people inside the company were urging Lucas to do it. Now with Lucas gone, it's possible these same people can push for a restoration.


Originally Posted by Texan26 (Post 11792492)
And now there's an upcoming comic book series based on George Lucas original screenplay of "The Star Wars."

Watch trailer here: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=107565

That comic looks great, I've basically reserved a spot for the TPB on my Star Wars graphic novel shelf already.

But I also wanted to say it's these two things, the idea that the LFL staff hasn't all drank the koolaid and this old story is being allowed to be used that's giving me a glimmer of hope that we'll see the originals in the near future. Even if the majority of the movie buying and viewing public don't know the difference, there's still a very loud minority that's keeping it in the conversation and releasing something like this would create a lot of goodwill for the franchise.

Disney said they'd be calling the shots if they bought LFL, they may be giving it enough time so it doesn't look like their crapping on George's old ideas, but I'm fairly confident that we'll see these.

hanshotfirst1138 08-09-13 10:05 AM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by LPMA (Post 11792934)
What a tool.

The word you are looking for is "hypocrite." I'm almost certain ;).

LPMA 08-09-13 10:12 AM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by hanshotfirst113 (Post 11793041)
The word you are looking for is "hypocrite." I'm almost certain ;).

Hypocrite would simply be too kind.

Josh Z 08-09-13 12:44 PM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by Jay G. (Post 11792922)
What's worse is that Lucas understands the importance of preserving the original versions of films, just not his own.
http://savestarwars.com/lucasspeecha...aledition.html

In his mind, Lucas rationalizes that his argument was against studios (the "copyright holders") altering movies without the participation of or against the wishes of the original filmmakers. But since he is the original filmmaker, he can do whatever the hell he wants to his movie whenever he wants to.

stvn1974 08-09-13 04:34 PM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by Josh Z (Post 11793217)
In his mind, Lucas rationalizes that his argument was against studios (the "copyright holders") altering movies without the participation of or against the wishes of the original filmmakers. But since he is the original filmmaker, he can do whatever the hell he wants to his movie whenever he wants to.

But he wasn't the original director of Empire or Jedi so by his own rationality he should only be able to take a shit over the prequels and the original Star Wars.

Dr. Forrester 08-10-13 05:35 AM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by stvn1974 (Post 11793507)
But he wasn't the original director of Empire or Jedi

My personal favorite "Lucas farming out work" story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJQ4vCu-S0U

A Lynch-helmed Jedi might have fascinating, especially if they could have successfully combined Lynch's strong visual style with Lucas' strength in straightforward narrative.

Josh Z 08-10-13 10:32 AM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by stvn1974 (Post 11793507)
But he wasn't the original director of Empire or Jedi so by his own rationality he should only be able to take a shit over the prequels and the original Star Wars.

He was still the guiding creative force behind all six movies. But anyway, point being that he's a hypocrite.

hanshotfirst1138 08-10-13 06:33 PM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by Dr. Forrester (Post 11793926)
My personal favorite "Lucas farming out work" story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJQ4vCu-S0U

A Lynch-helmed Jedi might have fascinating, especially if they could have successfully combined Lynch's strong visual style with Lucas' strength in straightforward narrative.

"Apparently they were talking about me directing the third Star Wars movie, but Lucas and Spielberg changed their minds once they saw Turkish Delight. I guess they were worried the Jedi would start fucking right away."
Paul Verhoeven

stvn1974 08-10-13 08:23 PM

re: Star Wars
 
Lynch directed Jedi would have been amazing. At the end you would find out that instead of being brother and sister that Luke and Leia were were the same person.

mcnabb 08-12-13 06:17 AM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by Josh Z (Post 11794046)
He was still the guiding creative force behind all six movies. But anyway, point being that he's a hypocrite.

I always found it rather creepy that he altered ROTJ when Marquand had died in 1987. Atleast Kershner was alive and in the documentary he talks about how Lucas approached him about doing a few changes to ESB. Marquand wasn't even alive to give input into any changes. Now many will argue that Lucas is the creator of SW and I agree with that, but he did hire a director for these movies, so ESB & ROTJ are not 100% his vision.

I also thought it was disrespectful to take out actual actors from scenes in ESB & ROTJ. To delete Clive Rivell from the Emperor's only scene in ESB and delete Sebastian Shaw (who died in 1994) from the Ghost Scene comes off as a huge F-You to those actors. I would like to know if Rivell still gets residuals from ESB since he is not in the movie anymore?

It's one thing to change special effects, and its another thing to delete actual actors from the movies.

Michael Corvin 08-12-13 07:33 AM

re: Star Wars
 
Wouldn't "deleting" an actor be about on par with cutting the only scene they were in?

mcnabb 08-12-13 08:06 AM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by Michael Corvin (Post 11795525)
Wouldn't "deleting" an actor be about on par with cutting the only scene they were in?

Lucas did leave Shaw in the final scene with Luke when he is unmasked, but was deleted in the force ghost scene. You're right about Rivell as he was cut from the only scene he was in ESB.

stvn1974 08-12-13 12:14 PM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by mcnabb (Post 11795536)
Lucas did leave Shaw in the final scene with Luke when he is unmasked, but was deleted in the force ghost scene. You're right about Rivell as he was cut from the only scene he was in ESB.

Shaw's eyebrows are still pissed about being deleted from Jedi.

LosingMyMind 08-12-13 01:15 PM

re: Star Wars
 
George Lucas has a new baby girl
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/p...erest/2642649/

George Lucas and his wife, Ariel Investments president Mellody Hobson, are the parents of a daughter, born via surrogate, according to the Huffington Post.

The child, given the lofty name of Everest Hobson Lucas, arrived on Friday. She joins Lucas' older kids Amanda, 32; Katie, 25; and Jett, 20.

Lucas, 69, and Hobson, 44, got hitched June 22 at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California.

Surrogacy has been in the news of late. Jimmy Fallon and wife Nancy Juvonen also just had a daughter, Winnie Rose, born via surrogate. Elizabeth Banks' two boys were also born via surrogate, as were Sarah Jessica Parker's twin daughters.

Randy Miller III 08-12-13 01:46 PM

re: Star Wars
 
He'll be great at making up stories from her childhood!

Ignohippo 08-12-13 09:53 PM

re: Star Wars
 
Dude's crazy like a fox. I guarantee you restored and remastered versions of the originals exist and were done when the SE's were remastered for Blu.

By having the SE's, he's created a whole other product. They'll cram the SE's down our throat again in 3d eventually and we'll all buy them. Then, a few years later, they'll come out with the Un-altered originals and we'll all buy them again. Then, a few years after that, 3d versions of the originals.

He knows what we want. But he also knows we'll buy the crappy SE's until originals are finally released. It's a whole other "product" he's created.

However, now that Kennedy is in charge, I don't know if she's up for those games. She seems to be very no-nonsense. She's pretty much dis-owning the prequels and seems to be very pro-original trilogy. She's also shrewd enough to know she'd look like a savior to SW fans if she'd release the originals.

RocShemp 08-12-13 11:31 PM

re: Star Wars
 
Am I safe in assuming that this release is just the altered versions repackaged?

The Valeyard 08-12-13 11:57 PM

re: Star Wars
 

Originally Posted by Ignohippo (Post 11796674)
By having the SE's, he's created a whole other product. They'll cram the SE's down our throat again in 3d eventually and we'll all buy them. Then, a few years later, they'll come out with the Un-altered originals and we'll all buy them again. Then, a few years after that, 3d versions of the originals.

He knows what we want. But he also knows we'll buy the crappy SE's until originals are finally released. It's a whole other "product" he's created.

What's with all this "we" talk, kemosabe? I love the Original Trilogy and haven't bought any of the Special Edition releases. They aren't cramming anything down your throat. Just don't buy them. Trust me. It's easy.


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