DVD Talk Forum - Star Wars

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Here's a funny post made on the blu-ray.com thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by C A Iversen
I wonder if it's possible that Lucas turned up at James Earl Jones' house and told him what scene he was planning to insert audio into and Jones basically said "No.....Noooooooo!"

And Lucas stood up and said, "that'll do nicely James" and walked out with his pocket recording device?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignohippo (Post 10908385)

Exactly. Once he releases the remastered originals he's done (besides 3d). It's the same thing he did with DVD - wait until the format's almost dead and then release the originals as a last gasp (he packaged them with re-releases of the SE's knowing we'd buy the same crap again just to get the originals) - and he'll do it again with blu-ray.

I bought the first DVD set (the silver 2004 set), but I would have gladly bought the versions with the originals had they been 16x9. I even remember when that was announced, I kinda did an eye-rolling, "that's my Lucas" kind of reaction, but I immediately put them in my DVDAficionado wishlist (I took them right out when the truth was revealed). But the point was I could have lived with that kind of double dip.

These Blu-rays never even made it to my DVDAf wishlist. I almost wish I had pre-ordered so I could cancel it also.

I'll live with my DVD versions, but I've also got three widescreen VHS sets and two different laserdisc sets of the originals. I can wait out Lucas.

This was mentioned on another forum about the changes, and things not corrected in ROTJ:

Spoiler:

It bears repeating: I'd settle for 16x9 DVDs of the 97 SE's at this point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by milo bloom (Post 10908715)

It bears repeating: I'd settle for 16x9 DVDs of the 97 SE's at this point.

No it doesn't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignohippo (Post 10908380)

More power to you. You enjoy your shitty DVD versions for the next 10+ years.

I may throw up a little bit in my mouth every time one of these scenes comes on, but I'm not going to deny myself the chance to see the greatest movies of all time in beautiful HD clarity.

But that's just it - these aren't the greatest movies of all time any more (if they ever were). A piece of crap in HD is still piece of crap. A fart noise in 6.1 is still a fart noise.

I'm not trying to change Lucas' mind or start a boycott or anything. There's no way I'd be able to enjoy these movies with all the idiotic changes that have been made, so I am not going to buy the blu-rays. End of story.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenVulture (Post 10908441)

Yeah, really, what is with this shot? It has always bothered me, even when I was a kid. Could someone well-versed in special effects tell me why this is apparently impossible to fix in the 35 years since the original release?

Re: the fizzling out of Obi-Wan's lightsaber. If this is true... UNBELIEVABLE! That shot has bothered me for years as well and I was shocked even in 1997 that this wasn't changed. Crazy. The lightsaber basically turns into a fencing foil.

My take on all these changes (after 86 pages) as a former 'LucasFan': I'd be cool with whatever modifications he wants to make - heck, I might even be excited about them - if he just made proper restorations of the originals available. Folks wouldn't be as critical as they are now. Of course, with a legion of rear-smooching yes-men surrounding him, the outside criticism means nothing to him, and he continues to stand firmly in his film-history-defacing ways. His McCallums will tell him that it's just a small group of bitter fans that are crying foul on blogs and twitter. When you get as much criticism as Lucas has gotten - and God knows he's gotten a lot of shit since 1983, a great deal of it well-deserved - a survival mechanism kicks in and at a certain point you learn to phase it out.
That said, I think Lucas was receptive to criticism in 1999, based on the lack of Jar-Jar screentime in episodes 2 and 3. There were many other problems with episode 1, but none as obvious as Jar-Jar and practically every single newspaper and magazine review in the world noted it. He listened then.
Today, it's just a bunch of bitter purists. He doesn't care.
In his defense, we're asking him to spend a couple million on restorations that probably won't recoup the investment.

But, whatever. I'm taking the discussion back 50 pages. I pre-ordered the set and at least I've got those deleted scenes to look forward to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema (Post 10908708)

This was mentioned on another forum about the changes, and things not corrected in ROTJ:

Spoiler:

I've never seen 90% of the problems listed...and I'm glad I haven't. I'm sure they are there, but I'm usually too involved watching the film to notice some of the little inconsistencies/errors.

I've never been a fan of any of the changes ('97, '04, '11). I will always prefer the original versions that I grew up watching and I would pay a premium for the original unaltered trilogy on Blu-ray. However, I just don't take Star Wars that seriously anymore to get all worked up about it. After my son was born, I started to completely mellow out about stuff like this. I hope we will get the UOT on BD someday, but I'm going to buy this release in the meantime. Sure, I'll cringe during certain scenes (Jabba in ANH, Jedi Rocks, Hayden's ghost, Vader leaving Cloud City, etc)...but I can still enjoy the films for what they are...and I'm charged to see a lot of the extras.

I don't know what to think about re-watching the Prequels though...I don't really enjoy any of them...even ROTS. "The Clone Wars" series is better than anything Lucas has put out in years...it's what the PT should have been in my opinion...

Quote:

Originally Posted by skywalker8 (Post 10908767)

In his defense, we're asking him to spend a couple million on restorations that probably won't recoup the investment.

Based on just those that post to all the forums worldwide, how would he not recoup the investment?

This would be a DAY 1 purchase for me that dare I say I would even pay MSRP of probably what $89.99 for say just the original trilogy restored? I imagine most here would as well, and I'm guessing at that MSRP it would probably be about $50 on release day. Unless you are talking more than say $10 million or so(you said a "couple") I don't see how he would not. And mind you I would buy the complete saga as well to have the PT and all the extras. Just as long as I knew I could also get, albeit seperately the UOT.

New R2 effects in ROTJ. Top shot is old, for comparison.
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/7566/rdoo02.jpg

Shouldn't that have triggered his foot rockets so he zooms around Endor?

Oh, nevermind. This isn't 3D, yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinata242 (Post 10908869)

Shouldn't that have triggered his foot rockets so he zooms around Endor?

Oh, nevermind. This isn't 3D, yet.

C'mon, man. Don't give him more stupid ideas. -ohbfrank-

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema (Post 10908241)

I'm still getting the set. Are some of the changes bad? Yes. Are they bad enough to make me avoid the release? No. Noooooooo!

That's cool but for me the answer is "fuck yes!" I don't even have the OT on DVD and was hoping Lucas was either gonna leave the same old shitty alterations or perhaps even reverse some of them. Instead, he's made shittier alterations. This set isn't worth my money if I'm not gonna enjoy the movies. :shrug:

I probably wouldn't notice or care (this much) about most of these changes, but the double "No" from Vader in ROTJ almost makes me want to pass simply because Lucas ruined one of the greatest scenes of the entire series.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LosingMyMind (Post 10908858)

New R2 effects in ROTJ. Top shot is old, for comparison.
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/7566/rdoo02.jpg

I'm not seeing much of a difference? The bottom shot is just brighter and the color is a bit different. Even 3P0 looks different. Doesn't look like anything's changed, or am I missing something?

EDIT: I guess he is reflecting more light off certain surfaces. Huh, nice find...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anubis2005X (Post 10908892)

There's more stuff popping out of his dome too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LosingMyMind (Post 10908902)

There's more stuff popping out of his dome too.

Good thing we have Lucas around to make solid changes like this instead of making sure the lightsabers don't look like crap at random times...

^ Don't forget the extra rocks. Boy, if I had a dime for every time I've heard someone complain about the lack of rocks in Star Wars for the last 34 years...

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinata242 (Post 10908390)

Hey, thanks for the kind words! If it's all the same to you, I think I'm going to just fall back and just use these again:

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3830/photo1vj.jpg

Imagine that, the titles are are correct.

Star Wars
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Return Of The Jedi

For some reason the Episode IV A New Hope and so on have bothered me.

These are not the movies I was looking for, I just cancelled my pre-order.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anubis2005X (Post 10907571)

Do we know if there are any alterations to the prequels? I don't care about 'em, I'm just curious...

this was answered im sure, but i read too that Episode 1 Yoda is now 100% CGI to make it look like the other prequels

I too canceled my pre-order. With lackluster special features and the near certainty that the untampered originals would not be included, I was already on the fence. The new changes are just another in a long list of reasons not to buy. Maybe I'll pick it up used one day if nothing better comes along.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmr1723 (Post 10908827)

However, I just don't take Star Wars that seriously anymore to get all worked up about it.

Damn right.

I started losing my interest in Star Wars the day tickets for Phantom Menace went on sale. I got there six hours before the theater opened. The line was already around the building. After I waited for two hours, I finally realized that the movie would be the same no matter when I saw it, so why spend half my day waiting in line?

And in the years since, I realized that there are way, way, way too many other films out there to spend so much time worrying about just three of them.

I'd pay $90 for the original films I love. But if they aren't available, fuck it. I'll watch something else.

I like how on other sites, people are making a list of THINGS THAT ARE NOT FIXED AND ADDED while bitching about the things that are FIXED AND ADDED.

Dear,

Your order has been successfully canceled. For your reference, here's a summary of your order:

You just canceled order #xxx-xxxxx-xxxxx placed on January 6, 2011.

Status: CANCELED

_____________________________________________________________________

1 of Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray]
By: Mark Hamill, et al

Sold by: Amazon.com LLC

Cancelled Reason: Other -
George Lucas

A famous man once said...

Quote:

To me, film is historical document and therefore it has practical value. People 500 years from now will look at our films and be able to figure out what we were like...They are technological extensions of, a derivation from, the comic strip.

and...

Quote:

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.

People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society. The preservation of our cultural heritage may not seem to be as politically sensitive an issue as "when life begins" or "when it should be appropriately terminated," but it is important because it goes to the heart of what sets mankind apart. Creative expression is at the core of our humanness. Art is a distinctly human endeavor. We must have respect for it if we are to have any respect for the human race.

These current defacements are just the beginning. Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder. Tommorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with "fresher faces," or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actor's lips to match. It will soon be possible to create a new "original" negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires. The copyright holders, so far, have not been completely diligent in preserving the original negatives of films they control. In order to reconstruct old negatives, many archivists have had to go to Eastern bloc countries where American films have been better preserved.

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.

The public's interest is ultimately dominant over all other interests. And the proof of that is that even a copyright law only permits the creators and their estate a limited amount of time to enjoy the economic fruits of that work.

and recently said...

Quote:

As a filmmaker and a lover of cinema, I have always appreciated the many disciplines that go into making a film-- the props, the costumes, all the aspects that come together to make the whole as great as the sum of its parts. I have archived all the important pieces from my own films, and I am a staunch believer it's important that we all make an effort to preserve our cinematic heritage-- before it's too late.