Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[david_blu]

It can't be a bootleg, what seller trying to make a buck would put his dodgy copy in walmart so you pay walmart rather than him.

Also if it were a bootleg the artwork would probably have more effort put in to it lol!

[006]

Considering the art used is Fan Art I would imagine its bootleg. Pretty epic though if someone was able to return that haha.

Here is the fan art:
http://images.fanpop.com/images/imag...5_1440_982.jpg

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by kemcha

Gone With The Wind is another great film that received extensive remastering and was even originally filmed in black and white but underwent an extensive "colorization process" that transformed the film into glorious color.

[beadelf]

Originally Posted by Snowmaker

So we're thinking someone bought the real thing and then returned this monstrosity with the same receipt?

I'd be curious to see inside.

lol. probably find the dvds inside

[MCT]

Still havent bought the SEBD. And Im quite content on holding out until Disney decides to remaster and sell the UOT. However long it may take.

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by kemcha

Has anyone ever seen the DVD releases of the original films? Inferior sound, inferior special effects ... I'm glad Lucas did not remaster those films because they are not Lucas' vision.

Others have corrected the other false assertions (GWTW was most certainly intended in color) but the "inferior" special effects and "inferior" sound won Academy Awards. The film basically invented the modern visual and sound effects industries. They are some of the most historically significant films ever made.

No one says that the Special Editions (and Special Special and Special Special Special Editions we now have) shouldn't be available, but the fact that the original Oscar winning films are not available to watch in HD (or even DVD) quality. The DVD releases didn't actually happen for the original films - they were simply copies of the laserdisc (and not great ones - I have seen fans copy them better).

It's great that you can watch the versions you prefer - choice is a good thing. Thing is, those of us that would like to watch the films as they were originally made cannot. I don't understand why anyone would be against the choice of others to have what we want, when it won't take away from what you already enjoy.

Aside from the historical significance - on a personal viewing level, I don't mind the effects that were slightly enhanced - all the space stuff, and a few (Cloud City's windows) I actually kind of like. For me, though, every time some cartoon is added to a scene, or an entire scene like the cartoon musical segment used to lighten the tone of Jabba's Palace for the kiddos, it's like painting over the Mona Lisa with finger paints to me, particularly because the CGI is so terrible. I can't reach for the remote fast enough.

If Lucas had simply enhanced some effects, I don't think too many of us would be talking about it today. I'd still hope the originals were available for historical sake, but it was the revisions and additions that weren't there to begin with that take you right out of the film and you realize that you are watching cartoons inserted over a classic film that are so distasteful.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

I don't understand why anyone would be against the choice of others to have what we want, when it won't take away from what you already enjoy.

Eh, he tends to talk out of his rear-end a lot. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[JavaJulien]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

Eh, he tends to talk out of his rear-end a lot. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I could do without some of the theatrics though. I haven't seen it recently, but it does get annoying when people use the "Raped my childhood" analogy.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by JavaJulien

I could do without some of the theatrics though. I haven't seen it recently, but it does get annoying when people use the "Raped my childhood" analogy.

But how often have people REALLY said that in the grand scheme of things?

I'm not denying that a select few people have in fact said it and meant it, but they are an extremely small drop in the bucket out of all of those who want the original versions restored.

I actually think that statement is quoted FAR more often these days by people such as yourself complaining about those who have previously said it (or by those just making a joke out of the statement) than by those who are actually seriously saying and meaning it.

Some people seem to perceive such statements as happening way more often than they actually do.

[stvn1974]

George Lucas did not rape my childhood. He did however ruin Star Wars.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

Aside from the historical significance - on a personal viewing level, I don't mind the effects that were slightly enhanced - all the space stuff, and a few (Cloud City's windows) I actually kind of like. For me, though, every time some cartoon is added to a scene, or an entire scene like the cartoon musical segment used to lighten the tone of Jabba's Palace for the kiddos, it's like painting over the Mona Lisa with finger paints to me, particularly because the CGI is so terrible. I can't reach for the remote fast enough.

This is true for me as well. I actually like the enhancements to Cloud City (which suit the story better and tone in well with the "look" of the PT) and Mos Eisley (though I find the "new" Mos Eisley a little disorienting, because from the dialogue I always imagined the spaceport as more of a boondocks truckstop), but then we get the Star Wars-themed Muppet Show that is Jabba's Palace, and I can't help but groan.

[Snowmaker]

Originally Posted by Snowmaker

So we're thinking someone bought the real thing and then returned this monstrosity with the same receipt?

I'd be curious to see inside.

The UPC on the back of this "bootleg" it the exact same number as what's on the real Saga Collection. Making it easy to "return" on the original receipt.

[Show spoiler]

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by kemcha

I'll settle this once and for all: there will never, ever, be a release of the original unedited versions of the original unedited films. There simply isn't enoough demand among movie fans to justify Lucasfilm remastering those films and Lucasfilm simply doesn't want to.

Dang, bro. You are bringing the fanboy on HARD. That is an incredibly bold statement, and unless you are one of the lawyers that drafted the sale agreement or are a top-tier Disney exec, it's also a statement that is heavily ignorant.

Disney has spent the past several years restoring their classics to full glorious HD to ensure many more years of re-releases raking in the mother-lovin' green. Once rights revert back to them from Fox, I see no reason why they wouldn't do the same with the OT. It just all depends on what the number-crunchers in accounting project the cost-to-benefit ratio is for such a move.

I have a pretty strong suspicion you'll be eating your words (and sooner rather than later).

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Snowmaker

The UPC on the back of this "bootleg" it the exact same number as what's on the real Saga Collection. Making it easy to "return" on the original receipt.

So the guy or gal just bought a Star Wars set knocked up a bootleg and returned the item for $90? I wonder if they just got a receipt made up or got one from a friend and cashed in the dodgy copy for $90.

Don't some stores ask for details when returning items? I guess they gave false information. The sales assistant must have been asleep at the wheel that day!

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

I have a pretty strong suspicion you'll be eating your words (and sooner rather than later).

I hope he will. I'm 99.99% certain that we will see the original trilogy restored at some point with Disney and FOX working together. The demand for restorations and the publicity they get from them is pretty big.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by chip75

So the guy or gal just bought a Star Wars set knocked up a bootleg and returned the item for $90? I wonder if they just got a receipt made up or got one from a friend and cashed in the dodgy copy for $90.

Don't some stores ask for details when returning items? I guess they gave false information. The sales assistant must have been asleep at the wheel that day!

There is a bar code on the back of that package. It is possible and likely that they used a bar code generator (which you can use online or free), and just entered the same number from the actual saga set release.

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by kemcha

I'll settle this once and for all: there will never, ever, be a release of the original unedited versions of the original unedited films. There simply isn't enoough demand among movie fans to justify Lucasfilm remastering those films and Lucasfilm simply doesn't want to.

Even if this were correct (which I don't believe it will be) there are other avenues available. Harmy's De-Specialized Star Wars Trilogy
already proves that. This dedicated group of fans have gone through the original trilogy and restored it to a very close facsimile of the way the films were originally shown. This community has used elements from every release available from around the world to make HD versions that look quite amazing. Even better, in one of the more recent posts it was mentioned that they had acquired an original film print that hasn't suffered horrendous damage over the years and would be utilizing it for another go at the original film.

I may take years to get an official release of the Original Trilogy, but it will happen, and as it stands now, Unofficial HD versions already exist to help bridge the time gap.

On another note, saying that there isn't enough demand for the original films is inaccurate. In 2006, a petition acquired over 70,000 signatures in an attempt to get the original trilogy released. I'm sure that this is but a small fraction of the people that are willing to buy such a release if it were actually released. Furthermore, it's been quoted in the past that to actually remaster the films and release an Original Trilogy, it may actually cost less then 1 Million dollars as there have already been substantial restoration work done in both 1995 and 2004 to form the special editions, and with everything being digital now, replacing the digital editions additions/alterations with the originals counterparts isn't nearly as hard as it was 20 years ago. Source

An Excerpt from said source...

Backlash has, of course, occurred because of all this drama. The last dedicated release of the original version was a Laserdisk and VHS in 1995 (using the 1985 IP, which was then mastered in THX, according to Into the Digital Realm--the in-progress restoration couldn't be used for this release because it was still in-progress). By 2006, originaltrilogy.com had petitioned over 70,000 signatures to get the original versions released, and while the Laserdisk-port release of that year was at least admission of defeat of Lucas' crusade to erase the originals from existence, it also frustrated fans and experts alike, especially since the release wasn't even anamorphic (as the Laserdisk wasn't). When a letter-writing campaign reached Lucasfilm they responded by saying that the Laserdisk was the best source for the originals [62] --which it would be without having to spend money, that is. Robert Harris, the man who had hand-restored Vertigo and Lawrence of Arabia, and later The Godfather, went on record saying he knew there were pristine 35mm elements available for use, and offered his services to restore the film [63]. Lucasfilm did not respond. The efforts of fans and professionals like these will probably result in the aforementioned restoration at some point, if only for the callousness of making money, but it seems that day is not today.

[BlackRiderX]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

There is a bar code on the back of that package. It is possible and likely that they used a bar code generator (which you can use online or free), and just entered the same number from the actual saga set release.

I was actually thinking that a store employee was pulling this return switcharoo, as the store in question actually stocks very little BDs.

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

This is true for me as well. I actually like the enhancements to Cloud City (which suit the story better and tone in well with the "look" of the PT) and Mos Eisley (though I find the "new" Mos Eisley a little disorienting, because from the dialogue I always imagined the spaceport as more of a boondocks truckstop), but then we get the Star Wars-themed Muppet Show that is Jabba's Palace, and I can't help but groan.

Exactly. And I hate why they did it more than anything with Jabba's. It was to appeal to kids and make it a more "kid friendly" atmosphere without going all Eyes Wide Shut and painting dresses on the dancers and Leia, LOL. I saw it in the theater at five years old, and man - I still remember how creepy and fascinating it was. And now it pretty much opens with a big song and dance number like it's one of the Family Guy parodies or a Robot Chicken episode (why was Sy Snootles working that day? Cheery non-threatening childrens-book friendly-man is sick with the flu!").

I'm just fine with ESB SE, simply because less was done to it. The slightly expanded opening sequence doesn't bother me, and what effects were added were tastefully done and look authentic. I always thought Cloud City was funny - I mean, you have this gorgeous view, yet no windows? LOL.

ROTJ, minus Jabba's Playhouse sequence, is OK too. I don't even mind the "Noooo!" so much, or even the shots of the galaxy at the end (I don't need them, but I don't despise them).

What bothers me the most is Star Wars - the whole Praxis effect (or was that ROTJ? Both? Can't remember), and mostly the Tatooine stuff - which is the part we do not share like of. I'd be fine with it - the city designs were actually used in Star Wars Galaxies, may she rest in piece, so it feels kinda homey to me, reminding me of a dead lover in a bittersweet way since I played from launch to shutdown. But the problems i have there are again, the poor CGI. I don't care how they do it, they simply cannot CG a beast for the life of them (Dewbacks especially) - heck, they still couldn't do it by Attack of the Clones. I don't know how Spielberg made Jurassic Park in 93 and people still can't get it that good even today.

Originally Posted by chip75

I hope he will. I'm 99.99% certain that we will see the original trilogy restored at some point with Disney and FOX working together. The demand for restorations and the publicity they get from them is pretty big.

Fox is out of the picture. Lucas got all the rights back in to Star Wars itself in 97 or 98 in the deal for the SE's (see link #1 in my signature) to butter him up so he brought the new trilogy to Fox, which he didn't have to do.

So now, Lucas is out (see link #2), Fox is out, and Disney owns everything, lock, stock, and R2-Unit.

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

Source

An Excerpt from said source...

YAY! Someone else is posting the link to what is probably the most informative and well-researched article about this whole matter.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

Exactly. And I hate why they did it more than anything with Jabba's. It was to appeal to kids and make it a more "kid friendly" atmosphere without going all Eyes Wide Shut and painting dresses on the dancers and Leia, LOL. I saw it in the theater at five years old, and man - I still remember how creepy and fascinating it was. And now it pretty much opens with a big song and dance number like it's one of the Family Guy parodies or a Robot Chicken episode (why was Sy Snootles working that day? Cheery non-threatening childrens-book friendly-man is sick with the flu!").

I didn't realize how weak Jedi is compared to the first two films until I saw Attack of the Clones. It was then that I understood that all was not well in the once impressive mind of GL. I had defended Jedi for years against the naysayers, and even though it's still leaps and bounds superior to any of the prequels, its flaws are way more apparent to me than they were before those movies.

I too miss the original Jabba's court with the puppeted Sy (when I saw Jedi in the theater for the first time, everyone cracked up at her super long legs and big fat lipsticked lips at the end of that straw-thin trunk). The Jedi alterations have mostly been unnecessary.

I'm just fine with ESB SE, simply because less was done to it. The slightly expanded opening sequence doesn't bother me, and what effects were added were tastefully done and look authentic. I always thought Cloud City was funny - I mean, you have this gorgeous view, yet no windows? LOL.

Two things about the Empire alterations really bug me. First is the new spoon-feeding Lucas gave us with the new emperor dialogue. Second is the break in pacing during the Cloud City escape. That was probably my favorite action sequence of the entire OT, and now we have to stop right in the middle of it to watch a shuttle dock because Lucas thinks I can't surmise that Vader got to his star destroyer before the Falcon. I also prefer the original Boba Fett dialogue.

ROTJ, minus Jabba's Playhouse sequence, is OK too. I don't even mind the "Noooo!" so much, or even the shots of the galaxy at the end (I don't need them, but I don't despise them).

I can't stand Jar Jar saying "wee-sha free!" and I hate seeing Hayden's ghost. I love how Lucas's original message of redemption in the OT ends up becoming a prequel statement about how child murders can repent on their death beds at the last minuet to get into heaven.

I don't know how Spielberg made Jurassic Park in 93 and people still can't get it that good even today.

Expert craftsmanship. Spielberg commissioned puppets from Stan Winston after he was impressed with Winston's alien queen, and he interspersed the practical and CGI by putting them in where each was appropriate. In essence, he did what a master filmmaker does, he created a near seamless illusion.

[ObiTrentKenobi]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

Even if this were correct (which I don't believe it will be) there are other avenues available. Harmy's De-Specialized Star Wars Trilogy
already proves that. This dedicated group of fans have gone through the original trilogy and restored it to a very close facsimile of the way the films were originally shown. This community has used elements from every release available from around the world to make HD versions that look quite amazing. Even better, in one of the more recent posts it was mentioned that they had acquired an original film print that hasn't suffered horrendous damage over the years and would be utilizing it for another go at the original film.

I may take years to get an official release of the Original Trilogy, but it will happen, and as it stands now, Unofficial HD versions already exist to help bridge the time gap.

On another note, saying that there isn't enough demand for the original films is inaccurate. In 2006, a petition acquired over 70,000 signatures in an attempt to get the original trilogy released. I'm sure that this is but a small fraction of the people that are willing to buy such a release if it were actually released. Furthermore, it's been quoted in the past that to actually remaster the films and release an Original Trilogy, it may actually cost less then 1 Million dollars as there have already been substantial restoration work done in both 1995 and 2004 to form the special editions, and with everything being digital now, replacing the digital editions additions/alterations with the originals counterparts isn't nearly as hard as it was 20 years ago. Source

An Excerpt from said source...

I can backup your comment... Harmy's Despecialized Editions are SUPERB! Better than the DVD laserdisc conversion, and probably the absolute best you will find of the unaltered original trilogy anywhere. (however, he had to use multiple sources and used quite a bit of computer special effectory to achieve the closest possible representation of the original theatricals you can find.) These are the editions I'm showing to my soon to be 5 year old in a couple months when I let him watch Star Wars for the first time ever, so he can get the same experience in the same order as I did.