New Original Star Wars Trilogy Edits/Alterations

[Ash]

AndyC wrote:


>
> As for Lucas, I wonder if he's just afraid to let his movies
> get old. What he's doing to keep his masterpiece current is a
> lot like an aging woman who, in her vanity, desperately keeps
> running back to the surgeon to be cut and pulled and stitched
> into an increasingly grotesque imitation of youth.


You hit the nail right on the head Andy.
I completely agree.
I've always liked them as they were.
Granted, some of the newer special FX are kinda cool, especially the re-done scenes of Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back.
I have always thought that Empire could've used a couple of touches here & there.

It was his tinkering of the very first film that was the worst of all.



Post Edited (09-11-04 16:33)

[trekgeezer]

I watched Lucas on the Charlie Rose show and he said that when he made the first Stars Wars he felt like he only had about 25% of what he wanted to do on the screen. Although he said in reality he had about 75% of what he wanted in it.

Many artists and writers change their work later. Michelangelo painted over part of the Sistine Chape  he'd already finished. Edgar Allan Poe wrote different versions of some of his poems because he wasn't satisfied with them.  J. R. R,  Tolkein published the Hobbit in 1937 and then after he published LOTR, he went back and rewrote part of the Hobbit to include the story of the ring.

George Lucas is far from the first guy to go back and tinker with his work. If you like the original trilogy as first released, hang on to your VHS. I've got mine.

[AndyC]

trek_geezer wrote:
> If you like the original trilogy as first
> released, hang on to your VHS. I've got mine.

I've got 'em, but they lack the quality and longevity of DVDs.

It's not so much the tinkering as messing with history that bothers me. The revised films are not what became such a phenomenon in the 70s and 80s. I would agree that the original, untampered films should also be released, either on their own, or with the new versions.

Of course, the fact that only the revised versions are getting a DVD release makes me wonder if Lucas is deliberately trying to wipe the originals out of existance, at least for the general public. It's like he's trying to mess with our collective memory.

As for the changes themselves, I don't mind seeing a few technical enhancements, or a few planned effects that couldn't be done at the time. As long as the originals are preserved and there is some documentation of the changes, that's OK. But changing the nature of characters, or even replacing actors with people who weren't around at the time just seems wrong to me, under any circumstances.



Post Edited (09-14-04 07:13)

[kriegerg69]

....and Lucas can go screw himself.

[daveblackeye15]

AndyC that's what I've been saying, I agree with you. Preserve the originals and you can do whatever the hell you want Lucas. JUST PUT THEM ON DVD!!

[Ash]

I went into a local video game shop today (9-17-04) and they had the new Star Wars DVD playing on one of their televisions.
Apparently they had got ahold of the box set somehow before it's official release..

I watched the entire "Assault on the Death Star" scene from the end of Episode 4 along with probably 5 or 6 other customers that were there and WOW!  What an improvement in the image!

It was great to see how sharp and crystal clear Star Wars was on DVD.
It looks fantastic!



Post Edited (09-18-04 03:12)

[nobby]

The biggest mistake George Lucas ever made was putting the original original original (see how rediculous this is) trilogy on laserdisc.  From what I understand there are several people making DVDs out of them.

Since he isn't giving people what they want, people are finding a way to get it without his help.  He will probably be forced into releasing the OOOT when the bootlegs saturate his market.

[AndyC]

It is also a possibility that he intends to release the unaltered versions once everybody has bought the spruced up ones.

Like new movies that come out with a plain DVD, then a super-duper special edition to wring more money out of the real fans. He might be aiming at the wider market with this release, but once sales slow down, he could come out with the original movies for the fans who can't be without them, even after they've shelled out 60 bucks already.

Coming out with the originals first, he probably wouldn't have as good an opportunity for double dipping. If the fans had the originals, they could more easily say the new versions weren't worth buying. To a large degree, that's what happened with the VHS release a few years back.

If people figure the new ones are all they're getting on DVD, even the fans might cave in and buy them (I almost did) along with the general public who don't really care what he's done to them. But the serious fans will still long for the original, untouched versions, and will gladly fork over another 60 bucks in a couple of years if they become available.

Lucas could make big bucks on his tweaked and twisted version, then turn around and throw the fans a bone, and rake in a bunch more. In the end, he'll sell more of the new version anyway, but a lot of people will own both. I'd say that's win-win for George Lucas.

[nobody]

I don't get how everyone fully acknowledges Lucas's greedy nature but still chooses to support him in his neverending quest for money.

[Sugar_Nads]

Like I said before, if anybody wants the Original Trilogy theatrical releases (the way it was meant to be seen),  e-mail me. I know a guy that sold me a nicely packaged set and the quality is outstanding by far...