Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[Blu-21]

Originally Posted by CinemaBlu

And I don't even buy for a second that the unaltered films will never be released in HD. Lucas said they would never be released on DVD and then he released them.

It was a clever and subtle troll by George to say he wasn't going to ever release the UOT on DVD but due to fan outrage and demand he caved in with as minimal effort as possible porting the letterbox Laserdisc masters over. In his mind technically he gave the fans want they were screaming out for..

[Maxwell Everett]

Originally Posted by Thomas Guycott

Lucas didn't invent motion control photography: it had been developed years earlier, and most famously used in 2001 with an analog system. What John Dykstra pioneered for Star Wars was a digitally computerized motion control system featuring easily repeatable complex motion and camera control.

Yep, the Dykstraflex (as it became known) definitely had its antecedents, particularly -- as you say -- on 2001. I'm not sure the Star Wars VFX would even have been possible without the groundwork that was laid with 2001. I know Lucas initially approached Douglas Trumbull first and he declined. And Dykstra had actually worked with Trumbull several years before (on Silent Running). I believe he even used Trumbull's dad, Don Trumbull, to help design the Dykstraflex.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Cliff

Whoa, whoa, whoa... slow down a second. I wouldn't say the '97 SE was "appreciated" so much as it was the least offensive with regard to the versions that suck. Had they shown the original '83 cut, the building around us would have crumbled from the excitement. Saying "I'm so glad that was the '97 special edition" (instead of the 2004 DVD or 2011 Blu-ray editions) is akin to saying, "Thank God I was kicked in the stomach instead of being stomped on the balls." Both are horrible, but one less so.

Hah! I didn't say y'all were doing the dance of joy, I said that it's not the worst option right about now. In your own words: "I never thought I'd say it, but thank God that was the '97 Special Edition". That sure sounds like some level of appreciation, no matter how painful it was. But I get it, you hate the SEs, I'm not gonna argue that point!

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Lyle_JP

Every fixed-pixel progressive display de-interlaces in some way. Some do it very poorly. Some (like Panasonic plasmas) do a superb job.

It's not just deinterlacing, it's also removing the extraneous fields from the 60Hz signal to restore the correct 24fps cadence. I've even tried it with Blu-rays output at 60Hz (done by turning off the 24p option on my BD player) and with the reverse pulldown activated I can't tell it apart from true 24fps content.

[Lyle_JP]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

It's not just deinterlacing, it's also removing the extraneous fields from the 60Hz signal to restore the correct 24fps cadence. I've even tried it with Blu-rays output at 60Hz (done by turning off the 24p option on my BD player) and with the reverse pulldown activated I can't tell it apart from true 24fps content.

Yes, I understand this. A poor de-interlacer will just bob a signal, whether film-based or not. A proper one will do a reverse telecine on film-based material. My Panny is excellent at this.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Blu-21

I think the OT look solid on BD but yeah even so there isn't a great deal of difference between the DVD editions, probably because they are the same masters. Caps-a-holic shows this.

I need to give them a fair spin on my front projection set-up. Maybe my opinion of the OT Blus will change a little.

[The Fallen Deity]

Disney need to invest in a Blade Runner type set, that would be perfect.

I'd love to have digital transfers of the '97 Special Editions, they're the versions that I grew up with and made a me fan of the series.

[Dispatch Ninja]

So I'm still watching the first film, but god, I'm absolutely loving it. I feel like an idiot for never starting these movies before. Can't wait to finish them. I'm going to have to buy the complete saga at some point, or maybe just the original trilogy if I end up hating the prequels.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by Dispatch Ninja

So I'm still watching the first film, but god, I'm absolutely loving it. I feel like an idiot for never starting these movies before. Can't wait to finish them. I'm going to have to buy the complete saga at some point, or maybe just the original trilogy if I end up hating the prequels.

I didn't know that there are still people that haven't seen Star Wars.

Pity that you're watching the special editions though...

[kemcha]

Looks like Arstechnica has posted a new piece about the possibility that Disney could give fans what they want and without rehashing the usual argument, I'm skeptical that such a thing could come to pass, even if Fox entered into some sort of arrangement with Disney; (Arstechnica article link posted below). The article is an interesting read.

Without getting into the usual argument, typically, we hear the usual desires of a core group of fans who want toe original, non-special edition, non-THX version, raw edition of the original trilogy but, while reading through the article, and realizing certain economical realities of releasing the unrestored original trilogy to Blu-ray, one thing dawned on me:

1. that there aren't enough consumers who would purchase the original theatrical versions

2. that it would cost LFL and Disney an exorbitant amount of money to remaster each film

Before I get shot down, I'll give everyone the benefit of the doubt that there are undoubtedly a lot of fans who would purchase the unaltered versions. I remember when George Lucas released the original trilogy with just the upgraded audio to THX and even that version has been decried by the 'We Hate the Special Edition' fangroup.

The only possible way I could see Disney moving forward to doing this is if they started a Kickstarter Project to get the fans to commit to buying such a release before (Disney) even spends a single dollar toward releasing such a set. To put out there, I sincerely doubt that Disney would release the original theatrical edition simply because (for one thing), Disney has always put out a quality Blu-ray release and I just don't see a circumstance where Disney would release the trilogy without upgrading the visual effects, sound effects and audio.

Do I think it's possible that such a trilogy could be released? It's possible, with Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. But, unless Disney can make a profit on such a release, they simply aren't going to release it. For one, there needs to be enough demand for it in order to justify releasing it. Another? With Fox holding onto A New Hope like an iron glove, the possibility of the first film going that route isn't likely to happen either.

I do think that a complete series boxed set might very well be released but that it could end up as a joint distribution deal between Disney and 20th Century Fox.

With a Kickstarter Project, it could give Disney an idea if such a release of the original trilogy would be worth pursuing.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/...-wars-we-want/

[wormraper]

/facepalm.... there wouldn't be enough people to turn a profit??? you do realize that this is the MOST *****ED about and asked thing in pretty much all film history? we have entire documentaries and books on the subject. this isn't just some random movie that someone would like re-done.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by wormraper

/facepalm.... there wouldn't be enough people to turn a profit??? you do realize that this is the MOST *****ED about and asked thing in pretty much all film history? we have entire documentaries and books on the subject. this isn't just some random movie that someone would like re-done.

Yes, i agree.
I don't know a single person that has seen the Star Wars trilogy and doesn't want the original unaltered one on Bluray too.

And i think that even people that prefer the special editions over the original ones (are there any?), would buy the originals too for completion's sake.
With a proper advertisement (eg. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! THE ORIGINAL UNALTERED STAR WARS TRILOGY AS WAS SEEN IN THEATERS!), people would go nuts!

[octagon]

Originally Posted by wormraper

/facepalm.... there wouldn't be enough people to turn a profit??? you do realize that this is the MOST *****ED about and asked thing in pretty much all film history? we have entire documentaries and books on the subject. this isn't just some random movie that someone would like re-done.

Originally Posted by filmmusic

Yes, i agree.
I don't know a single person that has seen the Star Wars trilogy and doesn't want the original unaltered one on Bluray too.

I want a UOT release as much as anybody but let's be honest, it probably wouldn't generate huge amounts of revenue. People talk good games but my guess is relatively few would double-dip and many of those would wait for bargain basement pricing.

[RayCRP]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

And i think that even people that prefer the special editions over the original ones (are there any?), would buy the originals too for completion's sake.

*Raises hand*

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by octagon

I want a UOT release as much as anybody but let's be honest, it probably wouldn't generate huge amounts of revenue. People talk good games but my guess is relatively few would double-dip and many of those would wait for bargain basement pricing.

Disney is re-releasing Sleeping Beauty Bluray and in the future Pinocchio and i don't know what else.
I bet, that when that time comes you will see these Blurays on top!

So why not the Star Wars films that are equally, or even more, famous?

[Kryptonic]

Originally Posted by octagon

I want a UOT release as much as anybody but let's be honest, it probably wouldn't generate huge amounts of revenue. People talk good games but my guess is relatively few would double-dip and many of those would wait for bargain basement pricing.

Also add in the fact that the general public doesn't really care too much or mind or even notice the changes and have already purchased them on Blu-ray...and the market shrinks even more. I think the best we'll get, if they do, is similar to the DVD version where their included as a bonus feature. They'll probably be remastered at a better quality for sure, but not the 4k ultra super-duper double lightsabered restoration many think will happen.

Some people in the online community forget that we are relatively small. These types of films sell millions upon millions of copies. We are a very small percent of that big pie.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by RayCRP

*Raises hand*

haha. Ok!
So, the question is:
Would you buy the unaltered Star Wars trilogy if it was out on Bluray?

[Jett Rink]

Does it really matter what cut of the film we all watch? The point is the story is the same no matter what, with a few extra seconds of film added here and there. I for one like the new cuts of the films will all the extra special features and corny effects added. And I don't understand the saying "George Lucas raped my childhood", as has been said many times in this forum. What does this even mean?

[Kryptonic]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

haha. Ok!
So, the question is:
Would you buy the unaltered Star Wars trilogy if it was out on Bluray?

Sure. Hearing Yub-Nub in lossless audio would really take me back.

But I prefer the updated editions. I have the theatrical DVD's and I sometimes put them on the background when I'm working, but when I seriously sit down and watch the movies, those are the updated versions are the ones I view.

[Dispatch Ninja]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

I didn't know that there are still people that haven't seen Star Wars.

Pity that you're watching the special editions though...

Yea, I'm kicking myself for not watching them sooner. This is the dvd I'm watching that my friend let me borrow...



I'm assuming this is one of the bad editions? I don't really have anything to compare it to since I've never seen the original theatrical cuts.