Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[popeflick]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

You really haven't been paying attention to the state of film restoration lately, have you? The negative for The Godfather was literally crumbling away from decay until Steven Spielberg intervened on behalf of Coppola and begged the studio to allow the negative to be restored. It was only because of this that we have a good-looking HD transfer for both the original movie and its 1974 sequel.

Fact is, most modern-day movie executives really don't care a lot about film restoration. WHV has done a bit better than most, and occasionally Sony does also; Disney takes care of its animated classics because they're a cash cow. Other than that, most of the studios really couldn't care less.

I'm aware of the issues surrounding film stocks used in the 70's and your example underscores my point: they were able to do the restoration work BECAUSE the elements had been stored and archived properly. Had they not, the craptastic emulsions they used would have decayed.

So saying 'we're lucky' is only as true as the bullet dodged in realizing the emulsions were poor, as opposed to lucky they were stored. Nearly everything is stored and stored well in Hollywood. That's by design.

[Weirded Wonder]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

You really haven't been paying attention to the state of film restoration lately, have you? The negative for The Godfather was literally crumbling away from decay until Steven Spielberg intervened on behalf of Coppola and begged the studio to allow the negative to be restored. It was only because of this that we have a good-looking HD transfer for both the original movie and its 1974 sequel.

Fact is, most modern-day movie executives really don't care a lot about film restoration. WHV has done a bit better than most, and occasionally Sony does also; Disney takes care of its animated classics because they're a cash cow. Other than that, most of the studios really couldn't care less.

That was because the studio, nor Kodak, nor Coppola knew at that time that the film stock would degrade almost immediately.

I thought you said NOBODY?

[LetoAtreides82]

Originally Posted by Beard Esquire

Nobody? I think you have zero idea of what you're talking about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_preservation

Watch For All Mankind and see how NASA archived their rocket test footage, launch footage, and space footage.

NASA was awful at archiving. I remember reading about how they lost ton of footage.

[dookiex]

Originally Posted by The Doof

You should read the extensive article on the SW restoration. secrethistoryofstarwars.com I think.

You should watch the featurette on the Coppola Restoration for The Godfather. What held true for the Godfather original prints also holds true for the Star Wars original print. Film stock had not advanced that much between the two films and there was still no trend in the film industry to archive films. Plus nobody ever though that there would be such a thing as HD formats that would give close to print quality rendition of films. The site you linked to I had actually visited. The person who wrote the information in one part tries to imply the notion that Lucas is lying because film is not supposed to deteriorate so quickly (20+ years). The fact of the matter is if you stored the film in a strict climate controlled environment and basically never abused the film in the first place, then yes, the film will last a long long time. The problem is that the person who wrote the article did not include the fact that Star Wars was a VERY popular film and the original print must have had been used quite extensively to make the IP prints. Those IP prints were also used quite extensively to make the theatrical prints. It isn't a stretch to also think that they made more than one initial run of the IP prints as they must have had to replace damaged IP prints. In other words, the original Star War prints must have been in as worse a shape if not worse than The Godfather I & II prints.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by popeflick

I'm aware of the issues surrounding film stocks used in the 70's and your example underscores my point: they were able to do the restoration work BECAUSE the elements had been stored and archived properly. Had they not, the craptastic emulsions they used would have decayed.

So saying 'we're lucky' is only as true as the bullet dodged in realizing the emulsions were poor, as opposed to lucky they were stored. Nearly everything is stored and stored well in Hollywood. That's by design.

But you are completely missing the point: the movie's negative was very nearly lost FOREVER because the studio was NOT archiving it properly. It has been stated already in many articles. If Spielberg had not intervened when he did, the negative would have been lost. To lose one of Paramount's crown jewels simply due to neglect is not "archiving properly". Not by a long shot.

No, stuff is not "stored and stored well" in Hollywood. Just a few years back there was a bad fire in the Universal lot, which resulted in a loss of many studio prints and other valuable stuff. To say that stuff is "stored and stored well" in Hollywood is either a clear sign of denial or an outright admission of ignorance about the way things actually work there.

[dookiex]

Originally Posted by Beard Esquire

Nobody? I think you have zero idea of what you're talking about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_preservation

Watch For All Mankind and see how NASA archived their rocket test footage, launch footage, and space footage.

You are HILARIOUS. You're comparing NASA which have HISTORICALLY archived everything to the film industry which only cared about making theatrical prints then and there.

[LetoAtreides82]

Originally Posted by dookiex

You are HILARIOUS. You're comparing NASA which have HISTORICALLY archived everything to the film industry which only cared about making theatrical prints then and there.

Well not even NASA was good at archiving. See this video of NASA losing footage of our first moon landing:

NASA lost Moon Footage! - YouTube

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by popeflick

So saying 'we're lucky' is only as true as the bullet dodged in realizing the emulsions were poor, as opposed to lucky they were stored. Nearly everything is stored and stored well in Hollywood. That's by design.

Huh? Then why are so many artists like Lucas and Scorsese clamoring for Hollywood to save decaying films that are disappearing in vaults every day? Many of these so called "well stored prints" are literally turning to dust. Some cannot even be found. Watch the special features on Blade Runner. Look at all the effort that had to go into putting that film back together. They were missing entire sections of it at one point, and weren't sure it was going to be restorable as a result.

[Beast]

Originally Posted by LetoAtreides82

NASA was awful at archiving. I remember reading about how they lost ton of footage.

[phansson]

Originally Posted by LetoAtreides82

Well not even NASA was good at archiving. See this video of NASA losing footage of our first moon landing:

You beat me to the punch. NASA has lost A LOT of important historical documents/items.....

[BluBonnet]

Here's the L.A. Times article on the Godfather restoration:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...0,124290.story

My favorite parts:

The restoration was a sizable undertaking that required a team of technicians, several hundred thousand dollars and two years of effort, largely because the negative for "The Godfather" had been nearly destroyed by overprinting and mishandling.

The restoration might never have happened, though, without the intervention of Coppola's old friend Steven Spielberg. He persuaded Paramount Chairman Brad Grey to greenlight the undertaking, which included full-digital restorations of "The Godfather" and "The Godfather: Part II" and the remastering of "The Godfather: Part III."

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by phansson

You beat me to the punch. NASA has lost A LOT of important historical documents/items.....

Just send it to Lucasfilm. He'll restore it, add in some some Star Destroyers that he wished were there when it originally aired, and have Jar Jar do a bit part with Neal and Buzz.

"Yousah needs thatsah hose to breath?!! EGADS!"

I for one plan to boycott such revisionist work though, and will demand the unaltered moon landing footage!

[popeflick]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

Huh? Then why are so many artists like Lucas and Scorsese clamoring for Hollywood to save decaying films that are disappearing in vaults every day? Many of these so called "well stored prints" are literally turning to dust. Some cannot even be found. Watch the special features on Blade Runner. Look at all the effort that had to go into putting that film back together. They were missing entire sections of it at one point, and weren't sure it was going to be restorable as a result.

Where is a list of these losses?

You don't think these guys might be overstating the case JUST A BIT? There are vaults all over town. Yes, they certainly are not catalog complete, but these places are humid and temp controlled, light deprived etc. Had they just been throwing stuff into closets in Canoga Park they would have been destroyed.

The simple fact is this: there are great releases of their films in HD. Bottom line. An enormous amount made since the 60's is fine and most made by the studios is included in that. Once you begin pushing deeper than that you get into the realm of PD films, films made by bankrupt production or distribution companies, obscure stuff with small releases, like Fear and Desire by Kubrick - preserved with the help of Scorcese, but that film is 55 years old.

Blade Runner is a good example, but you also have to give it some slack due to the tortured history that film had, with work prints being released, first "Director's Cut" and all. That's almost an exception to this debate.

Again, this is off track: Lucas is full of it when he claims there are not hi quality elements to restore the OT to blu ray. Full of it.

[georgec]

This is the thread that doesn't end,
Yes, it goes on and on my friend,
Some people started posting not knowing what it was
But they'll continue posting forever just because...

[phansson]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

Just send it to Lucasfilm. He'll restore it, add in some some Star Destroyers that he wished were there when it originally aired, and have Jar Jar do a bit part with Neal and Buzz.

"Yousah needs thatsah hose to breath?!! EGADS!"

I for one plan to boycott such revisionist work though, and will demand the unaltered moon landing footage!

He would take out Neil Armstrong and put in Jar Jar. "Theesa isa one teensy step for meesa, onesa bigga leap for gungankind,....."

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by popeflick

Again, this is off track: Lucas is full of it when he claims there are not hi quality elements to restore the OT to blu ray. Full of it.

Oh, I totally agree with you on SW. Lucas has all he needs to do whatever he would ever want with those films. Few movie makers have the level of control...lucky for us. He is indeed full of it.

[Shaft Windu]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

Which is stupid. You've created this pointless, stupid rule where the only people who can even remotely, reasonably request the UOT are those who like the PT. That's like saying the only people who should be able to order a regular cheeseburger as McDonald's are those who also like Big Macs, and that anyone who hates Big Macs shouldn't be allowed to order from the menu at all.

Just because some people don't like every entry on the "menu" of films that Lucas has offered doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to request the ones that they do like.

You can whine all you want and demand anything you like! I just said I don't like it! You have to live with that - I think you can live without my approval!

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by phansson

He would take out Neil Armstrong and put in Jar Jar. "Theesa isa one teensy step for meesa, onesa bigga leap for gungankind,....."

And when he stepped off of the ladder, it would be into a pile of crap while a space horse farted on him.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by georgec

This is the thread that doesn't end,
Yes, it goes on and on my friend,
Some people started posting not knowing what it was
But they'll continue posting forever just because...

I gotta go. This thread has sucked up WAY too much of my day!!

[MCT]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

And when he stepped off of the ladder, it would be into a pile of crap while a space horse farted on him.