Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

My BD player doesn't support BD-R so Harmy doesn't do much good for me.

I believe there are DVD versions.

There might even be a way to view the 720p version on multiple DVDs, but not sure.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by vidjunkie

With "Star Wars" Day this Sunday I thought I would share a preview of our covers, thanks to Imrahil for the Trilogy cover and bartlettphoto for the other, although we had to edit it to make it to our new specs.

Those look very nice.

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

I believe there are DVD versions.

There might even be a way to view the 720p version on multiple DVDs, but not sure.

You can burn the AVCHD version onto a DL DVD-R. That might just be the old 1.0 edition.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by riddlerfiddler

Trust me, as someone who owned the originals on vhs, I know just how bad they can look. For me, holding on to the dvds of the original is more of a matter of taste. I'm part of the legion of fans who weren't to keen on Lucas performing digital witchcraft on the originals the way he did.

Empire hasn't been as messed with as the other two, and it pisses me off. I understand that Lucas wanted to mess with his film. But he didn't write OR direct Empire or Jedi! Jedi is to me the worst offender, with god awful CgI singing, the weird sarlac, and Hayden Christiansen. Also Vaders NOOOO.

You know he got free reign because the director of Jedi had already passed

[Geoff D]

I don't think it was because Marquand had passed away that Jedi got more tinkering, because if you read JW Rinzler's superb making of book you get the distinct impression that Lucas was calling the shots and it was more or less his film (as we've always assumed was the case). So he felt entitled to screw with it some more, unlike Empire which has always been ****ed with the least because he had very little to do with the day-to-day shooting of the movie, i.e. there wasn't loads of stuff which he got frustrated with first-hand. Contrast that with Jedi, where, for example, they did several tests to try and get the Ewoks to blink but it just wasn't working. Hence the CG blinks added in for the Blu-ray all those years later.

And besides, the 'dead director' rationale doesn't hold up because Kersh died before the new Blu-ray versions were released, so Lucas could've gone crazy with that latest revision, but he didn't. Even on the Blu-rays it got the least amount of all-new tinkering.

[The Fallen Deity]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I don't think it was because Marquand had passed away that Jedi got more tinkering, because if you read JW Rinzler's superb making of book you get the distinct impression that Lucas was calling the shots and it was more or less his film (as we've always assumed was the case). So he felt entitled to screw with it some more, unlike Empire which has always been ****ed with the least because he had very little to do with the day-to-day shooting of the movie, i.e. there wasn't loads of stuff which he got frustrated with first-hand.

And besides, the 'dead director' rationale doesn't hold up because Kersh died before the new Blu-ray versions were released, so Lucas could've gone crazy with that latest revision, but he didn't. Once again, even on the Blu-rays it got the least amount of all-new tinkering.

I think the fact that Empire was the least tinkered with is also due to huge respect that Lucas has for Irvin Kershner.

Also yeah Return Of The Jedi is pretty much a Lucas directed film even though he wasn't credited as such.

[Geoff D]

Yep. Empire is Kersh's film, unlike the other two.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Yep. Empire is Kersh's film, unlike the other two.

And no coincidence Empire is largely considered the best Star Wars movie.

[Lyle_JP]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

The DVD sound mix is practically identical.

You mean, besides the swapped surround channels for the music on ANH?

[Lyle_JP]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Yep. Empire is Kersh's film, unlike the other two.

True. My understanding is that Marquand directed pretty much everything on Endor, but everything else (Tatooine, Dagobah, aboard the Death Star, etc.) was actually Lucas. Certainly everything with Luke/Vader/the Emperor was Lucas.

[frogmort]

Originally Posted by Lyle_JP

You mean, besides the swapped surround channels for the music on ANH?

Matthew Wood went back to the original audio stems for a complete remastering of the audio on ANH. It's vastly improved in so many different ways. The LFE is quite surprisingly impressive too.

[The Fallen Deity]

Originally Posted by frogmort

Matthew Wood went back to the original audio stems for a complete remastering of the audio on ANH. It's vastly improved in so many different ways. The LFE is quite surprisingly impressive too.

They gave they audio a complete overhaul but not the actual transfers.

Shame really.

[Bogey]

Originally Posted by Jim Morrison

I've got the complete saga on BD but when it comes to Episodes 4-6, I still go back to the DVDs. I find the poor picture quality far less distracting than the jarring changes imposed by George Lucas. For me it's easily the lesser of two evils.

Agreed.

[TAC]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

Yeah, but the picture quality of the originals on DVD is just horrid. I need to check out Harmy's one of these days.

What is this Harmy you speak of? Thanks

[thebard]

Originally Posted by TAC

What is this Harmy you speak of? Thanks

We could tell you... but then we'd have to kill you.

Google "star wars despecialized".

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Lyle_JP

True. My understanding is that Marquand directed pretty much everything on Endor, but everything else (Tatooine, Dagobah, aboard the Death Star, etc.) was actually Lucas. Certainly everything with Luke/Vader/the Emperor was Lucas.

Marquand oversaw the location stuff certainly, but when they got on to the soundstages Lucas was shooting second unit, moving into sets directly when Marquand was finished with them, and so the actors naturally started gravitating towards him. And once Marquand submitted a cut of the film with his own editor, as he insisted upon in his contract, Lucas was able to basically take over the show, bringing in his own editors and shaping the movie as he saw fit.

[Blu-21]

There are many elements in Return of the Jedi and in the special edition versions of A New Hope that have a family friendly/childish type vibe that are obviously absent in the far more mature Empire Strikes Back.

don't get me wrong ESB is family friendly as well, but in a different way in terms of its directing style, narrative and tone. I don't think that's a coincidence in regards to Lucus' lesser involvement which he's "updated" and "modified" the least.

[HomerThompson]

Originally Posted by Blu-21

There are many elements in Return of the Jedi and in the special edition versions of A New Hope that have a family friendly/childish type vibe that are obviously absent in the far more mature Empire Strikes Back.

don't get me wrong ESB is family friendly as well, but in a different way in terms of its directing style, narrative and tone. I don't think that's a coincidence in regards to Lucus' lesser involvement which he's "updated" and "modified" the least.

ESB is the darker of the trilogy, but all these films were made for a family audience ala Disney for kids but adults enjoy. That's doesn't mean there aren't scary elements. Just like those early Disney films or Grimms Fairy Tales. We all fell in love with Star Wars as kids. That's who these films are made for at their core, the child and the child in all of us.

[kinko]

So it's May the 4th.
Any thoughts on if Disney will announce any new Star Wars Blu Ray content?
I have still never bough the Blu Ray release of the Original trilogy in hopes of getting a fully restored OT.....come on Disney, you know it makes sense.

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by kinko

So it's May the 4th.
Any thoughts on if Disney will announce any new Star Wars Blu Ray content?
I have still never bough the Blu Ray release of the Original trilogy in hopes of getting a fully restored OT.....come on Disney, you know it makes sense.

If that was going to happen today, we probably would have been hearing rumors and leaks for weeks.