Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by balthazar_bee

That's one of the tragic byproducts of this whole will he/won't he allow the original versions to be released -- namely a growing indifference to the whole shebang among people like us. We started off as huge fans, then grew increasingly disturbed by Lucas's tinkering and revisionist intransigence, and have finally arrived at this moment in history, which we celebrate with little more than a defeated, collective shrug.

These movies deserved better. Film history deserved better. It bums me right the hell out.

Remember what George Smiley says about Karla in Tinker Tailor?

"He's a fanatic, and the fanatic is always concealing a secret doubt."

I think Lucas is playing the long game here, hoping that eventually almost no one even remembers (let alone cares about) the original versions. He won't release them again because he's worried that -- if the two are allowed to exist side-by-side a la Blade Runner -- it'll be patently obvious that the special editions brought almost nothing to the table. That's why I'm starting to think the rumours about a certain clause in the contract are correct.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer on the 40th anniversary. But I'd like nothing more than to go home and put on Star Wars without either (a) watching an ancient upscaled laser disc transfer or (b) having to hear that ludicrous Krayt dragon imitation that now seems to come out of Alec Guinness.

It's honestly just because I've watched em all too recently. I've got the originals (or whatever those LE DVDs are), but meh. Also, I think I'm falling out of love with Star Wars a bit, but that's a different discussion lol

[stvn1974]

I loaned my Return Of The Jedi to George Lucas and he returned it with blinking Ewoks and Vader screaming "No, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO".

[Geoff D]

That rat bastard.

[Gold Ranger]

I go through periods of Love/Hate with Star Wars. Which really sucks because it is/was the greatest series of all time. It faltered for the first time around 2000, raised up in 02, crashed in 02. Dropped in 04. Raised up in 05, stayed there but wasn't as prevalent as before. Currently, it is now just there. It will never, I fear, raise to the heights it once was.

[stvn1974]

Originally Posted by Gold Ranger

I go through periods of Love/Hate with Star Wars. Which really sucks because it is/was the greatest series of all time. It faltered for the first time around 2000, raised up in 02, crashed in 02. Dropped in 04. Raised up in 05, stayed there but wasn't as prevalent as before. Currently, it is now just there. It will never, I fear, raise to the heights it once was.

I still get the same joy from the UOT, The Force Awakens and Rogue One as I did as kid in the 80's watching the original three.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Maybe I'll pop in the (unfortunately) non-anamorphic DVD of the original version of the movie and watch it tonight. On the 40th anniversary of the original film, it would be cool to watch it.

[crissrudd4554]

Might have to pop in my DVD-R's of my VHS'.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Captain Flint

I didn't realize loaning out a movie to a friend would get so much backlash holy shit

We have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain.

It's laughter and it's loving we disdain.

[svenge]

I may well hook up my LD player and watch the THX "Faces" discs from 1995. It's been a while since I used that machine to begin with...

[octagon]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I still get the same joy from the UOT, The Force Awakens and Rogue One as I did as kid in the 80's watching the original three.

I want to agree with that but man, that's a heavy lift.

I was fifteen when Star Wars came out and it blew me away. And in some ways Empire was even better.

Joywise that one-two punch set a really high bar.

They're still awesome and I still get chills watching them but the same joy? That's tough. But the fact that it's even a close call forty years later is pretty awesome. So there's that.

And as much I genuinely love TFA it's always going to be just a notch or two below Star Wars and Empire.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by svenge

I may well hook up my LD player and watch the THX "Faces" discs from 1995. It's been a while since I used that machine to begin with...

The bass on Jedi is floor-shakingly awesome on those discs, even Jabba's voice has this sonorous rumble which is simply not there on the modern 5.1 mixes.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

The bass on Jedi is floor-shakingly awesome on those discs, even Jabba's voice has this sonorous rumble which is simply not there on the modern 5.1 mixes.

My LD player is hooked up...don't tempt me. I've subjected my wife to a lot of Star Wars the last few weeks.

[Lyle_JP]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

My LD player is hooked up...don't tempt me. I've subjected my wife to a lot of Star Wars the last few weeks.

The sail barge getting blown up was my go-to demo scene for years!

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Lyle_JP

The sail barge getting blown up was my go-to demo scene for years!

For low frequency in the LD days? Salvage crew cutting through the doors of the lifeboat at the beginning of Aliens, T-Rex appears in Jurassic Park, Recognizer vs. Light Cycle in Tron, train wreck at the beginning of The Fugitive...apartment neighbors hated me.

[Lyle_JP]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

For low frequency in the LD days? Salvage crew cutting through the doors of the lifeboat at the beginning of Aliens, T-Rex appears in Jurassic Park, Recognizer vs. Light Cycle in Tron, train wreck at the beginning of The Fugitive...apartment neighbors hated me.

The sail barge was a "has everything" demo. Bass, explosions, great score in the surrounds, etc. For a terrific low frequency demo, I always liked the probe on the bridge in Star Trek:TMP. It was serious bass that you didn't fully appreciate until it was suddenly taken away.

[Alan_Grant]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I still get the same joy from the UOT, The Force Awakens and Rogue One as I did as kid in the 80's watching the original three.

Joy? From Star Wars? Coulda shocked me with all the whining and complaining you do around here.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Lyle_JP

The sail barge was a "has everything" demo. Bass, explosions, great score in the surrounds, etc. For a terrific low frequency demo, I always liked the probe on the bridge in Star Trek:TMP. It was serious bass that you didn't fully appreciate until it was suddenly taken away.

I never had the chance to hear that in the LD days...I understand the Praxis explosion in Trek 6 was quite the thing, though. I was also a big admirer of the sound mix in Frank Marshall's Alive. Holy moly, that rattled my guts, emotionally and viscerally.

[Jakdonark]

My wife and daughter were out last night so I was able to spin my definitive LD of Star Wars for a bit. Yes the picture is a bit fuzzy, but the colors still look pretty good and the sound is amazing. I found a set of the limited edition DVDs with the originals recently. I had them awhile ago but sold them, wanted another set for collectors purposes. I'd say the Laserdisc looks better. Lots of digital blocking and frozen grain, at least the LDs look smoother. And that sound! Nice bass in the music and some of the effects. A lot of that is just gone in the 5.1 mix.

As was said above, stuff like Aliens, Tron, Jurassic Park; even with lossless sound being clearer, there is something about those old mixes that just sounds "better", in my opinion of course.

[Jakdonark]

Originally Posted by Lyle_JP

The sail barge getting blown up was my go-to demo scene for years!

Lol back in the day the music when Luke first enters Jabba's palace used to make my old Mono Toshiba set rattle. Then a friend brought his official VHS over to another friends house and hooked up his ghetto blaster. Wow! My wife and daughter don't realize how lucky they are to have what we have now.

[steel_breeze]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

In other news, I'll be attending a special 40th Anniversary Screening of STAR WARS at the University of Southern California (Lucas' alma mater) on Thursday, May 25th. I assume it's the latest Special Edition from the 2011 Blu-rays, but I'm hoping it's the new 4K restoration we've heard so much about from recent STAR WARS directors and DPs. However... though I'm NOT going to get my hopes up... I'm NOT, I swear... the running time listed on the event invitation is 121 minutes. Make of that what you will. That is NOT the running time of the Special Edition(s).

Following up on my earlier post, copied above...

The 40th Anniversary screening I attended at USC was... drumroll... the stinkin' 2011 blu-ray! And I mean seriously: the blu-ray. I'd be surprised if it was even a DCP of the blu-ray master, because it had all the compression issues. Really disappointing. Even though it was a very young audience (young to me = college kids), I feel like the energy went out of the room every time a Special Edition shot came up. Soooo cartoony and dated on the big screen. I was really hoping for the 4K restoration we'd been hearing so much about. Incredibly disappointed. I wanted to leave the moment Darth Vader entered the Tantive IV and was surrounded by a force field of frozen grain.

Only interesting thing is that Gary Kurtz was there... but he didn't do a Q&A.