Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (1977-1983)

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by MasturB

Did those chants really happen about raping their childhoods?

I want to hope that didn't actually happen.

I was crazy busy taking care of my family and my wife's family the last four days, but I did get a moment to see the first 20 minutes of the 40th panel. When Lucas came on stage, introduced by Kathy, the place went crazy...no chants of "raped our childhood", just joyous love of people yelling "LUCAS! LUCAS! LUCAS!" and George (dressed casually in jeans) looking genuinely moved and pleased.

And I still think there's going to be a limited theatrical release...the company has Guardians, Pirates 5 and Cars 3 to promote, guessing they're holding their powder, maybe they're going to wait all the way to Comic Con.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by cgpublic

1977 is not coming back.

Thank God. I was six years old, I didn't have a driver's license, couldn't buy whiskey, and there was no cable.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

Did people ACTUALLY expect the original theatrical cut of A New Hope this year?

No.

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

Get out of here with that.

No.

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

It told far more about the idiot fans than about Lucas. Whether one agrees or disagrees with whether Lucas should have made any changes at all, no one's childhood was the least bit affected by the special editions or any changes since. Anyone who thinks that their childhood was ruined because Lucas modified the films has had far too easy a life and anyone who is so affected by a "noooooo!", a rock, different renderings of Jabba or who shot first really needs to get a life.

The tearing down of the local movie theater (or the local candy store for that matter) has far more of an affect on people than not releasing the de-specialized editions.

My prediction for years has been that even if they were released, there would still be massive complaints by the trolls who think by finding fault, that they're smarter than everyone else (including Lucas). The original versions, even in 70mm, were released with mono surround. And most people saw the films in optical mono, since Dolby Optical Stereo was still relatively rare, especially for the first film. Should they be released in mono? Or in stereo, but with mono surround? if one truly wants the originals, then that's what they should get.

And since the originals would have to be re-constructed (unless simply scanned from the Library of Congress or a personal George Lucas print), some dissolves would be a fraction of a second off or the color timing would be perceived to be slightly different ("I saw this in a theater in 1977 and I remember how it looked!") or the edits would be a few frames off and people would freak out. It's also been reported over the years that there were some slight differences between the 70mm and 35mm versions.

The fact is that the Blu-rays of the first six films have grossed in the U.S. alone at least $408 million. Disney/Lucasfilm is not worried about the relatively small number of fanboys who would buy the original versions. I'm not saying they'll never do it, but if they do, it will be at a time when they don't have other stuff to sell - in an off year. And even though Lucas has no role in Disney's ownership of Lucasfilm, maybe they don't want to alienate him. Maybe they have to wait for Lucas to become a Force Ghost.

A few years ago, I put up for sale a boxed VHS set of the pre-special editions. No one wanted them, at least not anyone willing to pay a decent price for them. I realize a lot of people don't have VHS machines to play them back on anymore, but it seems to me that if there was really such a widespread demand for the untouched originals, I would have received far more interest.

Beautifully stated, sir. IMO the market for the truly unaltered originals with crappy sound, non-anamorphic presentation & whatever else is probably very small indeed.

I think what people really want are the special editions with a few of the "bleh" stuff removed like Han Shot first and that awful Jedi rocks song. Other than that stuff the special editons are much better than the unaltered orignals.

[Hardback247]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

I think what people really want are the special editions with a few of the "bleh" stuff removed like Han Shot first and that awful Jedi rocks song. Other than that stuff the special editons are much better than the unaltered orignals.

Like Adywan's Revisited version.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

Beautifully stated, sir. IMO the market for the truly unaltered originals with crappy sound, non-anamorphic presentation & whatever else is probably very small indeed.

I think what people really want are the special editions with a few of the "bleh" stuff removed like Han Shot first and that awful Jedi rocks song. Other than that stuff the special editons are much better than the unaltered orignals.

So I'm not sure I'm following this. The 77 film was originally 'non-anamorphic'?

Wut?

[captveg]

Originally Posted by octagon

So I'm not sure I'm following this. The 77 film was originally 'non-anamorphic'?

Wut?

The 2006 UOT DVDs are not anamorphically enhanced for 16x9 TVs. So instead of having a 2.4:1 aspect ratio in a 16x9 frame, you have a 2.4:1 aspect ratio in a 4x3 frame. So on 16x9 TVs they have both the encoded top and bottom black matting, and the monitor generated side matting, and therefore appear pillarboxed.

[svenge]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

Beautifully stated, sir. IMO the market for the truly unaltered originals with crappy sound, non-anamorphic presentation & whatever else is probably very small indeed.

So apparently in your universe films from 1977 are somehow incapable of being given a proper BD release based on 4K scans of original elements?

If that's the case, would you care to explain how Close Encounters of the Third Kind (also from 1977) managed to get a high-quality Blu-ray release, with all three major cuts (theatrical, 1980 SE, and 1997 "Director's Cut') included? Surely that can't be possible!

The only reason that the original versions were treated so poorly on DVD (4:3 letterboxed video with 2.0 audio) is out of pure spite by George Lucas. It was literally the lowest-effort method possible (a straight port from the 1993 Laserdisc box set), made in a failed attempt to quiet the widespread clamor among true fans for a quality release of the version that garnered Oscars for Best Visual Effects and was inducted into the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" instead of the botched abortion that the so-called "Special Editions" are.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by captveg

The 2006 UOT DVDs are not anamorphically enhanced for 16x9 TVs. So instead of having a 2.4:1 aspect ratio in a 16x9 frame, you have a 2.4:1 aspect ratio in a 4x3 frame. So on 16x9 TVs they have both the encoded top and bottom black matting, and the monitor generated side matting, and therefore appear pillarboxed.

Yes but what does any of that have to do with a potential UOT BD release? Are people clamoring for a UOT release somehow bound by the constraints and limits of previous home video releases?

That's what I'm not following.

[stvn1974]

Lucas probably knocked off a billion dollars from his asking price if Disney stated in the contracts that the UOT would never be released in any form.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

A few years ago, I put up for sale a boxed VHS set of the pre-special editions. No one wanted them, at least not anyone willing to pay a decent price for them.

Just out of curiosity, what was the highest offer you rejected?

[Stanis]

No, we want the originals. Everyday releases get shade thrown on them if they dont have the original mono track or do have cuts or new color timing and some boycott and some people accept everything a studio releases. Both sides are valid, but only one has an official SW release, hence the angst.

[captveg]

Originally Posted by octagon

Yes but what does any of that have to do with a potential UOT BD release?

Not a lick, of course.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by svenge

The only reason that the original versions were treated so poorly on DVD (4:3 letterboxed video with 2.0 audio) is out of pure spite by George Lucas. It was literally the lowest-effort method possible (a straight port from the 1993 Laserdisc box set), made in a failed attempt to quiet the widespread clamor among true fans for a quality release of the version that garnered Oscars for Best Visual Effects and was inducted into the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" instead of the botched abortion that the so-called "Special Editions" are.

Lucas did not want to spend the millions of dollars needed at the time to reassemble and restore the negative back to the 1977 version, after spedning $5 million on the SE. "Why would I spend the money to do that?" he said. Meanwhile, pirate versions of the laserdiscs were flooding the market so he essentially released his own version of the laserdisc masters to kill the piracy. Today, it's relatively inexpensive to re-assemble the original version using digital tools. It wasn't spite, it was economics. Also, Lucas himself said if he had known how deeply the Han/Greedo revision would upset people, he never would have done it. Lucas is stubborn, sure, but he didn't refuse to release the UOT to people on Blu-Ray or DVD out of spite. Lucas is a genius, but he can be a little tone deaf with his fan base. Shoot, Chuck Jones was in awe of Walt Disney and loved Walt's films, while still saying he had no self-awareness when it came to employee relations...trying to remember the exact quote from Chuck's auto-biography...something along the lines of "He had the political acumen of a squid, but he's the patron saint of animation." Lucas reminds me a little of that.

[spanky87]

The lack of UOT announcement was disturbing, and its unfortunate that Carrie Fisher couldn't be there, but this was still the biggest and most eventful Star Wars Celebration.

George Lucas was there. They even got Harrison Ford to show up to one of these things. Carrie Fisher's daughter eulogized her mother before that beautiful tribute video. John Williams conducted a live concert. Hayden's homecoming. The usual actor panels. Hamill's heartfelt one hour tribute to Carrie Fisher. The Rebels announcement and trailer. The Last Jedi panel, poster, teaser trailer.

The Best of Celebration Orlando - YouTube

"When you see all these little kids, and you see the look on their face, this is what I did it for." - George Lucas.

It was a good weekend. I don't think we'll get to see all the surviving main actors of the OT and George Lucas all together at an event like this again.

[cgpublic]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

And so is yours.

Absolutely, when it comes to a decision by a director, albeit one with the clout of Lucas, about his work. I don't have to like it, but I do respect the fact that if he feels the changes reflect his vision, and that he would prefer the UOT to not see a broad release, so be it.

As I said, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but even the opinions of millions of Star Wars fans do not take precedence over the opinion of Lucas.

[Rodney-2187]

I still appreciate and respect him, but that's why I'm glad he sold it.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

A few years ago, I put up for sale a boxed VHS set of the pre-special editions. No one wanted them, at least not anyone willing to pay a decent price for them. I realize a lot of people don't have VHS machines to play them back on anymore, but it seems to me that if there was really such a widespread demand for the untouched originals, I would have received far more interest.

A year ago I put up for sale four separate VHS collections of the pre-special editions. They sold for £75 collectively at the first time of asking. Also, my Definitive Collection laserdisc boxset sold for £50. Maybe it's just the Brits who are still interested in the UOT?

[svenge]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

A year ago I put up for sale four separate VHS collections of the pre-special editions. They sold for £75 collectively at the first time of asking. Also, my Definitive Collection laserdisc boxset sold for £50. Maybe it's just the Brits who are still interested in the UOT?

There's still a vibrant secondary market for OT Laserdiscs on the US side of eBay, especially the 1993 "Definitive Collection" CAV boxset and 1995 "THX Faces" CLV single-film releases.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

It wasn't spite, it was economics.

I think it's a bit of both. Sure, the time and expense of restoring them is one thing but Lucas really does see them as "unfinished" movies that caused him an awful lot of personal torment - despite them having furnished him with his private empire - and he wouldn't need much convincing to leave them well enough alone.