Timber

I just watched the 2 Star Wars ones and first off I must say that I must have only seen the 1981 version as my original version because it was always episode IV to me. Secondly they are just so messy now. All the background takes away from what's on screen. There is no point putting in a flying drone just to have it there.

It's a shame we'll never see the original again.

Solid Snake

I get where you're coming from...but... I can see Disney doing this. I'm not like passionate about it ever happening. I've got no stake in this at all. To me they're just cool movies that are important. SW doesn't have me as big fan. But...for the sake of film history... I want this to happen. Cuz I LOVE film restorations. And to have something like this, a property that changed film in such a way? I want it restored back to what it was on BD.

Again, I can see this never happening and that's fine & dandy w/ me. BUT... seeing Disney release these digitally now. Gives me hope. I really want to see wtf these films looked like before 1997 and everything after it happened. In HD. I won't watch those "special feature" original letterboxed crap that came w/ the SEs. Fuck that. It's 1080p or gtfo for me.

RocShemp

Didn't Lucas actually cut up the original negatives and then ditch them once he made his initial tinkering? It'd take a massive restoration project to get the originals back. I dunno if Disney would be willing to put the effort into that when they can just keep raking in cash from the new movies and related shows/merchandise.

Mike86

Aren't there also people out there who own prints of the Original Trilogy who have been willing to donate their prints for restoration purposes? I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe there are no copies out there at all that are untouched.

RocShemp

Even if said prints exist, the conditions they are in are also in question. And, in the end, it's a cost-benefit thing. Besides, don't Fox still have some sort of distribution rights regarding the original three? I doubt Disney are the sort to share profits (the Sony/Spider-Man deal notwithstanding).

Solid Snake

I dunno, mate. They've shown, via videos, that the Fox logo ain't on the OT films anymore. They may own the whole damn thing. Digital distribution may be one thing that doesn't count?

Obi-Wanma

Fox logo is still on the original film, even in digital.

Sean O'Hara

Even if the best source they can find is a scratched up 16mm print, I'd take that, unrestored, over the Special Editions any day.

Hazel Motes

I actually grew up on the 90's special editions. Those are the versions I prefer. I thought most of the upgrades were pretty good. Even Jabba. However Hayden Christensen shoe horned into Jedi is where I draw the line.

I've accepted that i'll likely see anything close to a blu ray OT release that I'm satisfied with. I own the OT on vhs, I might need to acquire a vcr at some point.

joe_b

Fox has ownership of A New Hope in perpetuity. I read their distribution rights for Empire and Jedi (along with the prequels) were due to expire in May 2020. Disney now appears to have the digital rights to Empire through Sith, so I'm not sure if a deal was struck with Fox or if they never had the digital rights to begin with.

Solid Snake

I meant the fanfare. My bad.

Mike86

I believe Robert Harris of The Digital Bits has personally offered to do the restorations at a minimal cost if they were to do it. It's fucking Star Wars I don't buy that the rights holders would be that concerned about putting money into it when it'll pay off in one way or another eventually. As far as the rights go go I think Fox owns the first film no matter what but The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi revert to Disney in 2017.

Edit: joe_b beat me to it on the rights and I guess 2020 not 2017.

Brack

The Star Wars: Despecialized Edition is out there and looks mighty good. Why the original trilogy couldn't be released without the special editions is absurd.

hanshotfirst1138

I heard that Harris volunteered his services at a minimal cost, but George Orwell Lucas says that the originals "Don't exist for him anymore" and therefore declined, determined that every print, tape, and disc rot away and leave only his preferred cut for people to see.

Solid Snake

coming from a guy that in the past was so passionate about film and the history of it. That son of a bitch.

zero

Damn that's horrible, whatever will I do with my DVD copies that are unaltered?

Mondo Kane

1st CG Jabba? Or 2nd CG Jabba?

Empire seems to always remain untouched (Due to it being the less tinkered-with as far as a Special Edition goes) but I've noticed that there's been a MASSIVE influx of ROTJ stuff lately:
*Slave Leia being a major show-stopper at Celebration Anaheim.
*Battlefront game features hefty gameplay stages on Endor.
*Star Trader at Disney stores have more ROTJ product there any of the movie-installments.
*The idea of a speeder-biker motion ride at Disney parks.
*And the fact that Ewoks are cooler now than they ever have been before.

One question that I've always wanted to ask to the old school purists: Do you still prefer the land-speeder "Force-Field" over what was corrected in the SE's?

Obi-Wanma

So did I. On Episode IV, it's still there.

SmackDaddy

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I have the "despecialized" trilogy and they are fantastic.

Timber

How does Hayden at the end of RoTJ make any sense at all? He never even wore that outfit. And even if you subscribe to the belief that Anakin "died" when he succumbed to the the darkside you would also have to subscribe to the belief that he came back when he chose to save Luke.

mewmartigan

Those are the only editions I do watch! I much prefer a worse picture quality OT. Some of the changes are just absolutely awful.

mewmartigan

I don't necessarily prefer one over the other but I never thought to myself "boy, that force field under the landspeeder looks awful, sure wish they would fix it". Fixing up minor vfx is no big deal....adding or removing is. However, as I said, I am fine with no fixing up of vfx at all.

I really want the original, untouched OT. Bad special effects, low key jabba band, sarlaac mouth (lack of), cheesy ewok song and all.

Obi-Wanma

Let me preface this by saying I am not in favor of Hayden at the end of ROTJ in any way, but "He never even wore that outfit" may be the silliest argument I've ever read on the topic. How is old Anakin wearing that outfit any different? He never wore it either. In fact, he never even existed in the form that Sebastian Shaw appears in for the original ending.

Timber

The point for me is that watching RoTJ originally we had no idea what Jedi wore. We assumed that they looked like Kenobi and Yoda so Anakin fit in. Keeping the original ending the outfit isn't jarring. However putting Hayden connects it to the PT so much that seeing him like that doesn't make sense. If Lucas wanted to put Hayden in there he should look like he did in RoTS. Or put McGregor in there as well and replace Guinness and it would work to prove Lucas' point.

Cellar Door

Maybe force-ghost Obi-Wan loaned one of his old robes to force-ghost Anakin.