Star Wars Original Trilogy Gets DVD Release Date 432
Angry Black Man writes "The Digital Bits is reporting that there is finally some official information from Lucasfilm regarding the release of the Star Wars OT (episodes IV, V, and VI) on DVD. The movies are coming to DVD in September of 2004. The animated series of Clone Wars shorts appearing soon on the Cartoon Network will also be released on DVD, possibly before the end of this year. The teaser campaign for Episode III will begin in January of 2005, leading up to the May theatrical release. Finally... Episode III will hit DVD in November of 2005."
hmmm (Score:2, Interesting)
Remastered? (Score:2, Interesting)
Official? (Score:5, Interesting)
Bonus disk & outtakes (Score:5, Interesting)
Also, Lucasfilm has said in the past that there aren't a lot of behind-the-scenes materials available for the original films, so having a single bonus disc of extras (as opposed to three) would make life easier for them.
I thought I remembered quite a bit of info on various "making-of" shows that showed the original models, how they did cutting-edge special effects on a shoestring budget, and the occasional flaws that made it through (like a TIE fighter shadow where the fighter itself had been removed).
Of course, nowadays I guess we expect someone to be filming the entire filmaking process for the express purpose of creating the ultimate making-of special. When even a film like Monsters, Inc., where every frame requires painstaking design and hours of rendering time, has "outtakes", "deleted scenes", and "goofs". Soon, we'll have cameramen following the cameramen, so we can see "The Making Of 'The Making Of "Star Wars VII: Attack Of The Menacing Phantom Jedi Clone Empire"'"
You know... maybe, just maybe, Lucas & co. should spend more time telling a coherent story with believable characters, and less time worrying about how he'll look in the outtakes?
Re:Nifty. (Score:5, Interesting)
Sucks don't it? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:hmmm (Score:2, Interesting)
(* Still clinging to his THX Widescreen Dolby Digital 6.1 Special Edition Laserdiscs and strokes them gently *)
I have the original THX edition (non-special edition) laserdisc boxed set too....
I wonder WHICH will be on the DVDs? I do kinda like watching the original versions too.
Re:hmmm (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Nifty. (Score:4, Interesting)
However, considering the massive fan base that the original trilogy has (screw special features, give us the movie)... many have speculated that he's dragging his feet because he was a big supporter of Laserdisc, and not DVD. Bitter? It's possibly hogwash, but I've grown tired of hearing the conspiracy, and I'm glad he's at least sort of answering the cries of the fans who want their high-quality DVDs.
Re:Sucks don't it? (Score:3, Interesting)
The Making Of... (Score:4, Interesting)
I thought I remembered quite a bit of info on various "making-of" shows that showed the original models, how they did cutting-edge special effects on a shoestring budget, and the occasional flaws that made it through (like a TIE fighter shadow where the fighter itself had been removed).
I remember watching those when I was a kid. The one on The Empire Strikes Back clearly sticks out in my mind. I was about 11 or 12 then and this was the first time I had ever gotten a chance to see movie magic in the making. I remember being stunned at the painstaking process of stop-motion animation that was used to animate the AT-ATs. The fact that they actually built a full-scale X-wing fighter that was lifted by a crane to simulate Yoda lifting the fighter out of the Degoba swamp. The Degoba sound stage, incidently, was the largest indoor stage in the world at that time. The rebel fighters who formed the ground forces on Hoth were actually Norwegian (or Scandanavian) people who didn't understand a lot of the english instructions being called out by the director.
I also remember fondly The Making of Return of the Jedi. They showed how some poor linguist sap had to don a giant Admiral Ackbar arm puppet and control his lips to match the sounds without being able to see Ackbar's mouth! I could go on and on. Those shows were great!
Does anyone have any idea how I can get copies of these? If there was any legal way of obtaining them, I'd gladly pay for them. However, as with so many things these days, they have disappeared into the ether because of the neglect of the copyright owners so I assume that I will have to rely on bootlegs. Please, any help would be appreciated.
And, oh yeah, what the fuck is wrong with you Lucas? What are you trying to pull with this "there aren't a lot of behind-the-scenes materials available for the original films" bullshit? Christ, at least you could have said that whatever stuff you did have all rotted because of failure to preserve it. To say there weren't a lot of behind-the-scenes materials shot is an obvious lie.
GMD
Petition Online For Original Trilogy (Score:4, Interesting)