Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[JackStraw]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

Has there ever been another case in cinema history of a movie having drastic changes and the original version being suppressed? Not having the originals available is a horrible idea. There isn’t a single reasonable argument to be made in favor of doing this, therefore it’s a fact that it’s a horrible idea, not an opinion. I know things like this are supposed to be subjective, but if no one can give a reason that makes any sense otherwise, then it should be considered a fact that it’s a horrible idea, just like how flinging a pile of sh*t on a canvas isn’t really art despite what some people say.

It's not even just making drastic changes and the original being suppressed. It's drastic changes to movies as beloved and that transcended cinema. It's like being able to eat the best chocolate cake you've ever had. Suddenly the baker takes it away and gives you a convenience store brownie telling you the cake was never that good in the first place. The brownie's still gonna taste alright but you know you'd much rather the chocolate cake.

George Lucas was convinced Close Encounters was going to be the much bigger movie. He bet Spielberg 2.5% of Star Wars box office take against 2.5% of Close Encounters that Close Encounters would be the bigger hit, and Spielberg took the bet. Apparently Lucas did pay up. Between that bet and the Hawaii getaway because he was nervous Star Wars wouldn't do well, Lucas never seemed comfortable with that original version. Even after that version made him a billionaire.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

I would find it very strange if there are people who don’t know the originals were altered as they’re watching the SEs. Do they they think the movies were shot in the late 90s or early 2000s?

Originally Posted by shinobipopcorn

Unless you watch them in that hatchet order or whatever it's called, the very numbering of the movies would clue someone in on their executive meddling. Not to mention the little green dude's constantly evolving appearance.

Hey I'm a 90s kid, I didn't see the OT til after I saw Phantom Menace in 1999, so I grew up watching the 97 and 04 SEs. It wasn't til just before TFA came out that my Star Wars flame was rekindled and I happened across those LE DVDs at a used store, so I finally watched them. Of course I loved them and I really can't imagine ever watching the SEs ever again (especially the 2011 abominations). I'm just saying that cases like this are exceptions, not the norm. We're here on a Star Wars thread/forum because we love this stuff WAY more than the vast majority of general audiences do. And increasingly, we're going to be marginalized at the expense of what the masses want. It is what it is. Like I said, I'm not at all happy about it. I'm just trying to be pragmatic here and not get my hopes up for something we're unlikely to get anytime soon, if at all.

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

Has there ever been another case in cinema history of a movie having drastic changes and the original version being suppressed? Not having the originals available is a horrible idea. There isn’t a single reasonable argument to be made in favor of doing this, therefore it’s a fact that it’s a horrible idea, not an opinion. I know things like this are supposed to be subjective, but if no one can give a reason that makes any sense otherwise, then it should be considered a fact that it’s a horrible idea, just like how flinging a pile of sh*t on a canvas isn’t really art despite what some people say.

The silent version of The Gold Rush was a pain to see for a long time, as the edited talkie version became the standard version.

[emailking]

Originally Posted by emailking

When I first heard about it, that was my thought. After I watched it, I realized it's better that way. It makes more sense than him saying nothing.

If it had always been there, and then Lucas excised it to make Vader the silent hero, people would complain just as vociferously about the removal.

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

It's almost like what we really want is for the original art to be preserved and available!

Oh I definitely support the originals being included or available in some way as I know it's important to a lot of you and I can see where you're coming from. If they did something like this to Terminator or Back to the Future I'd probably be pissed. But for me, I found almost all of the changes to be for the better and I would definitely not want to watch Star Wars without those in there at this point.

[Gold Ranger]

Why the hell would Disney honour Lucas' wish to not release the Unaltered Trilogy when the disregarded his wish of using his outline for the Sequel Trilogy.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

Has there ever been another case in cinema history of a movie having drastic changes and the original version being suppressed?

Sure, legions of them. And the opposite is also true, where the original artists changed their works, but their revisions are/were so unpopular, they were subsequently broomed. E.T.'s 20th Anniversary overhaul is maybe the most obvious example.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Gold Ranger

Why the hell would Disney honour Lucas' wish to not release the Unaltered Trilogy when the disregarded his wish of using his outline for the Sequel Trilogy.

Guys, this is just a guess, and you're probably going to throw a brick through a window...I just have a feeling we will see the unaltered OT versions....as streaming bonus features. I hope they're included on-disc, but when I saw the isolated music track for The Last Jedi not included on the disc, presented only on streaming....if you were Disney/LucasFilm trying to push consumers to a specific streaming market, well...that's how you'd do it. The UOT presented on streaming when you buy the next version of the saga on home video...I can so see that happening. Just a guess. Hope I'm wrong.

[shinobipopcorn]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

Has there ever been another case in cinema history of a movie having drastic changes and the original version being suppressed? Not having the originals available is a horrible idea. There isn’t a single reasonable argument to be made in favor of doing this, therefore it’s a fact that it’s a horrible idea, not an opinion. I know things like this are supposed to be subjective, but if no one can give a reason that makes any sense otherwise, then it should be considered a fact that it’s a horrible idea, just like how flinging a pile of sh*t on a canvas isn’t really art despite what some people say.

Not a movie, but doesn't the colorized Lucy special air at Christmas? I'm sure there's a BW version lost out in someone's vault.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by OldSchoolGamer1203

[Show spoiler]Attachment 206763

I liked all the movies in the sense of them being entertaining sci-fi/fantasy popcorn films. The prequels have massive script and casting issues, but I'd be lying if I said they weren't a lot of fun to watch most of the time. It's just hard not to hold them to a much higher standard is all, since the original trilogy excelled in so many ways beyond just being dumb visual fun.

Anyway, saying I enjoyed them all ended with Last Jedi sadly, which other than a few scenes toward the end I pretty much loathed. I am hoping I warm up to it more in future viewings.

[Jar Jar Stinks]

Originally Posted by Gold Ranger

Why the hell would Disney honour Lucas' wish to not release the Unaltered Trilogy when the disregarded his wish of using his outline for the Sequel Trilogy.

People also forget the $4,000,000,000.00 paid for Lucasfilm and its properties. Disney should have had negotiated for broad latitude in what they can release.

[bobbyh64]

If a large majority of the general public doesn’t care what versions of the OT they watch, why would Disney go through the trouble of piecing the original versions back together? And how would they do it? Did Lucas leave behind a list of instructions that details every single cut made to the film, including all changes having to do with music, dialogue, effects, types of transitions, and the lengths of those transitions, including when music is supposed to fade out and how long those fades are, etc? I imagine there would be a huge amount of work to do and an OCD-level of attention to detail.

[rexcrk]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Guys, this is just a guess, and you're probably going to throw a brick through a window...I just have a feeling we will see the unaltered OT versions....as streaming bonus features. I hope they're included on-disc, but when I saw the isolated music track for The Last Jedi not included on the disc, presented only on streaming....if you were Disney/LucasFilm trying to push consumers to a specific streaming market, well...that's how you'd do it. The UOT presented on streaming when you buy the next version of the saga on home video...I can so see that happening. Just a guess. Hope I'm wrong.

Ugh. Don’t even give them the idea.

[Neon Rabbit]

Originally Posted by shinobipopcorn

Not a movie, but doesn't the colorized Lucy special air at Christmas? I'm sure there's a BW version lost out in someone's vault.

The black and white version of the I Love Lucy Christmas Special is widely available on DVD through multiple different releases. The colorized version that has been appearing on TV in the last few years is actually a much more recent colorization that is far and away better than the one done in the early 90s, and is part of a series of other random episodes they have been colorizing for various TV specials.

Personally, I don't mind them at all because the original episodes have not been suppressed and are widely commercially available, unlike Star Wars. It would be nice if they'd finish releasing the seasons on Blu-ray, but even the DVDs blow away most of the transfers shown on TV.

[bobbyh64]

I’m still waiting for Blu-ray releases of The Golden Girls.

[myway]

Hasn't Harmy basically said, as a LF employee, that they allow the Despecialized editions to exist bc they have no plans of releasing them and so it's basically a way to pacify us at no cost to them?

[frogjunk65]

I don’t care for any colorized versions. I don’t care if they keep doing it as long as the original b&w are still available.

[bobbyh64]

I wouldn’t mind buying a box set of updated special editions that had Jar Jar inserted in the OT, as long as the original versions of the movies were included.

[shinobipopcorn]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

I wouldn’t mind buying a box set of updated special editions that had Jar Jar inserted in the OT, as long as the original versions of the movies were included.

Jar Jar Returns | Robot Chicken | Adult Swim - YouTube

[spanky87]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

I’m still waiting for Blu-ray releases of The Golden Girls.

I will never miss out on an opportunity to post this pic:

[ambient_indie]

Originally Posted by spanky87

I will never miss out on an opportunity to post this pic: