Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

The negatives were given a photochemical restoration 20 years ago. Even if they've deteriorated since then they can do wonders with separation masters to restore colour to faded negatives, never mind the vast suite of digital tools that can be used to fix warping, shrinkage, damage etc.

Honestly, the only barrier to restoring the original versions of the SW trilogy is having the corporate will to spend the necessary funds (likely in the 7 figures) to restore all three movies. We know that Lowry did a 16-bit 4K restoration back in 2012, we don't know what versions they were but it's a start. Even if Disney only re-release the SEs, at least there's a new 4K version waiting in the wings rather than the wildly uneven 2004 transfers used for the Blu-rays.

Depending if you beleive the "rumour" about the neg being cut up for the SE

[Mavrick]

Originally Posted by chip75

This was £10 in my local Tesco's. Their Star Wars aisle was gone and this was over the other end by the crisps and biscuits.

[IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71-1frdnmgL._SL1000_.jpg[/IMG ]

They had a huge christmas stock clear out, I picked up an old Destiny bundle PS4 for £80....

All the Star Wars Lego was reduced too, I got a Millennium Falcon for £30 that's £100 off the normal price Kylo Rens shuttle was only £25 Tie Fighters were £15 etc.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Mavrick

They had a huge christmas stock clear out, I picked up an old Destiny bundle PS4 for £80....

All the Star Wars Lego was reduced too, I got a Millennium Falcon for £30 that's £100 off the normal price Kylo Rens shuttle was only £25 Tie Fighters were £15 etc.

That was one thing I didn't look at today ... the consoles. I looked at the games and everything else. People had been coming in and asking for an iPad Mini for £79. I would have loved one of those or a PS4 (although I have enough unfinished games on the PS3).

I think I would have been tempted with a Falcon, but it would have ended up in the living-room, it's a big old thing.

I love these too, but they'd be literally just for show and nothing else.

[Alex_DeLarge]

Originally Posted by chip75

This was £10 in my local Tesco's. Their Star Wars aisle was gone and this was over the other end by the crisps and biscuits.

Yeah, they were/are a bargain. Not the best of reviews on this one. Wings don't stay on after a short time, but for a tenner it's worth picking up. I picked a couple up. Might aswell, bought everything else in the 3.75 line.
ASDA were also selling their exclusive X-Wing with Poe figure for £20 down from £50. Although in other stores it's down to £26.

[drterror666]

Originally Posted by Alex_DeLarge

Wings don't stay on after a short time

Are you throwing it around the room or something?

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by dvdmike

Depending if you beleive the "rumour" about the neg being cut up for the SE

It's not a rumour, as even before they did all the SE stuff the negative was physically separated to be cleaned (because the different stocks required different chemical baths) and they had to replace several shots of faded CRI stock with dupes. Lucasfilm archive everything so I've got no doubt that the trims are still in their vaults, but even if the original neg has gone up in smoke then they could use the original seps as a high-quality means of rebuilding the original movie.

Point being, I don't think there are any significant technical barriers to restoring the original versions, it's purely about having the corporate will (and thus the money) to do so.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Alex_DeLarge

ASDA were also selling their exclusive X-Wing with Poe figure for £20 down from £50. Although in other stores it's down to £26.

Was that our Living store, mate? I was a few hundred yards a way from it yesterday, but stopped at Smiths to pick up the Darth Vader and Boba Fett helmets. They're quite nice, but I'm not sure I'd buy more at £9.99. 2 for £7 was a bargain.

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Point being, I don't think there are any significant technical barriers to restoring the original versions, it's purely about having the corporate will (and thus the money) to do so.

I think as the technology is a getting better and better, if Lucasfilm are willing a full on restoration with digital re-compositing would be a revelation. The hard thing is trying to please everyone. But I'd be up for original presentations with new special editions with George's Final Cuts.

[Geoff D]

That's another level they could take it to, yeah. All that large format stuff scanned at 6K and recomped would be the balls. That's what the original SE restoration SHOULD have been IMO: using the tech to fine tune the existing VFX and paint out errors/matte lines/garbage mattes etc, instead of slathering lots of added digital crap over it...so if that's what Disney/LFL were to do for the 40th anniversary then I wouldn't have a problem with that whatsoever.

[Alex_DeLarge]

Originally Posted by drterror666

Are you throwing it around the room or something?

Thats a question for those that reported the fault.

Originally Posted by chip75

Was that our Living store, mate? I was a few hundred yards a way from it yesterday, but stopped at Smiths to pick up the Darth Vader and Boba Fett helmets. They're quite nice, but I'm not sure I'd buy more at £9.99. 2 for £7 was a bargain.

No mate, it was the one in town. They had both X-Wings last week. I bought the last black one they had and also an exclusive X-Wing. Was in there again today and they had only one left. Also Popped into Living this afternoon and they have 3 or 4, but for some reason they're £26 in there. Still a good price though. Not many figures around though. Glad I bought mine in complete waves as they came out.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

I doubt Lucasfilm would have destroyed the original negatives without making high quality duplicates or, more liked, used said high quality dupes for the Special Editions.

Anyone know what state the Fox archive is in? Even if the original negatives are missing I'd be shocked if Fox hadn't held onto 2K or 4K suitable elements somewhere.

It wasn't as much as they were destroyed the optical effects were disassembled if those rumours are true, but technology has improved so much now, they could do a complete re-compositing and make the film look better than it did release week in 1977.

There wouldn't be any 2K or 4K elements, just the film at Lucasfilm, Fox wouldn't have anything. Lowry did digital masters, but they're pretty dated and they had a lot of issues back when they were first produced for the DVDs. Lowry have done newer 4K digital versions, but I think they're the tinkered versions.

[Geoff D]

I'd still take those tinkered 4K versions at this point, chip. I dislike the Lowry transfers so much I sold my SW Blu-rays; yeah, the latest and greatest Lucas changes pissed me off too, but I could accept them a bit easier if the movies didn't have such horribly pumped up colour & contrast with frozen grain floating around everything.

[Brandon K]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

horribly pumped up colour & contrast with frozen grain floating around everything

Yup The ANH desert scenes in particular

[Brightstar]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

I doubt Lucasfilm would have destroyed the original negatives without making high quality duplicates or, more liked, used said high quality dupes for the Special Editions.

Anyone know what state the Fox archive is in? Even if the original negatives are missing I'd be shocked if Fox hadn't held onto 2K or 4K suitable elements somewhere.

If anyone is intrested this is how lucas made the 97 SE

Star Wars Restoration - 1997 - part 1 - YouTube

[ApocalypsePirate]

The original cuts are out there on DVD from that old set . Negatives be damned... They can restore from those DVD laserdisc transfers and digitally clean up everything form there and give us original films on Bluray. I understand thats not ideal and you can't get the same level of quality but for the original cuts on bulray I would settle for "good enough".

[chip75]

If Lucasfilm still has the elements then re-compositing everything shouldn't be too difficult, even if the film has deteriorated the restoration techniques today are leaps and bounds over what they were in 1997.

Originally Posted by ApocalypsePirate

They can restore from those DVD laserdisc transfers and digitally clean up everything form there and give us original films on Bluray.

The problem is those Laserdisc transfers are nowhere near high enough quality for today's displays, you could clean them up, but I'm not even sure the masters for those versions are in high enough resolution to make them even useful.

I think everything they need is all at Lucasfilm, it's just a case of how much it costs and when they want to release them. As Geoff D has said next year would be the best bet, the anniversary will be celebrated no matter what else gets released and Disney love Anniversaries!

[Brightstar]

It would be a miracle if that would happen next year but just one question will the first film be just called Star Wars in the opening crawl ?

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Brightstar

It would be a miracle if that would happen next year but just one question will the first film be just called Star Wars in the opening crawl ?

I think they'll keep them consistent, unless they do some sort of Blade Runner style set with multiple cuts.

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by ApocalypsePirate

The original cuts are out there on DVD from that old set . Negatives be damned... They can restore from those DVD laserdisc transfers and digitally clean up everything form there and give us original films on Bluray. I understand thats not ideal and you can't get the same level of quality but for the original cuts on bulray I would settle for "good enough".

Lowry ****ed those transfers up too.
They are not even the best laserdiscs

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

Does that mean we're not so much as to mention the Despecialized Editions? Or am I taking your comments to literally?

Just don't go into detail about them, this isn't the place for it.

[Kwebbotaurus]

The American Library of Congress has the original 1977 negative in their archive(not sure if they have Empire& Jedi) & they have made a 4K scan of it.