It's Official -- Star Wars on DVD

savagexp writes "There's yet to be an actual press release, but according to DVDFile.com, 20th Century Fox and LucasFilm have confirmed that The Original Trilogy will arrive on September 21st in a four-disc set. More info can be had here."

Press Relase Link

[Icepick_]

http://www.starwars.com/episode-iv/news/2004/02/ne ws20040210.html

Yes, but it's not really the original

[signe]

It's not the original Star Wars trilogy. It's the version that Lucas ham-handedly put together in 1997. It definitely won't be on my list of must-have DVDs, regardless of how much I would love to own the original trilogy on DVD.

Greedo did not shoot first.

-Todd

Originaltrilogy.com

[DeadBugs]

It may not be too late to visit the Original Trilogy [originaltrilogy.com] website and sign the petition to get the original un-updated version put on DVD. 50,000 have signed up already!

Well it may be too late, but the fans must be heard!

Re:what's the difference?

[stratjakt]

Some superflous new scenes added, like computer generated spaceships flying around. More computer generated aliens in the background.

In the first film, they took some cutting-room floor footage of Han talking to Jabba as he's preparing to take off in the Millenium Falcon. (I thought I read somewhere that Marlon Brando was actually playing Jabba in that scene). Anyways, they put in a computer generated Jabba walking alongside Han, and it looks pretty cheesy to me.

I hate overused computer animation. I think it looks out of place and fake, and the world of Star Wars was much more believable made out of foam rubber costumes and cheesy props.

The big one that gets all the geeks riled up is they changed the Cantina scene, so that Jabba's bounty hunter shoots at Han, and he kills him in 'self defense'. In the original, Han just shoots him under the table and gets up and leaves.

It effectively changes Han's character from an outlaw who cares only about himself, to some sort of good guy who found himself in trouble.

I haven't seen the special edition versions of the other two movies.

Re:They'll have more releases

[sg3000]

> Remember when the first trilogy was released on VHS? And
> then the widescreen edition. And then the digitally remastered
> edition.

I remember it as:

1. Original trilogy full screen
2. Original trilogy with THX re-mastered sound, full screen (I think the three movies had the stormtrooper mask, Yoda, and Darth Vader)
3. Then re-mastered trilogy, full screen (in the gold box)
4. Then re-mastered trilogy, wide screen (in the silver box)

I imagine Peter Jackson saw the above and was a bit inspired when he released Lord of the Rings several times.

Personally, I prefer the re-mastered versions if Star Wars. The Death Star looks cooler blowing up, the snow battle on Hoth looks better, and the end of Return of the Jedi is actually pretty good once Lucas purged the "Yub Yub" song.

I recommend one change though -- Lucas should replace whatever actor played the Emperor in ESB, and stick in Ian McDiarmid [imdb.com] instead. Then the circle would be complete.

Re:Special editions only :-(

[Chess_the_cat]

I read on AICN that Lucas has decided to change it back again and make it so that Han does shoot first.

Re:what's the difference?

[Zathrus]

And, of course, anybody who will actually bother looking at the E.T. 20th Anniversary DVD will note that both the original, unaltered 1983 and the "enhanced" 2003 vesions are sold in the very same package.

I think the alteration in question (guns -> flashlights) is absurd as well, but talk about making a mountain out of a molehill.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Special editions only :-(

[tuffy]

I knew that he'd never release the original movies on DVD, so I've been copying my "Definitive Collection" laserdiscs onto DVD via my PC.

This has been done, and a nicely transferred version is floating around the internet already - complete with high resolution covers and a "bonus" DVD full of extra material. The quality isn't ideal (the transfer is for 1 single-layer DVD per film) but it's widescreen, better than VHS and the best version of the originals we're likely to get.

Re:what's the difference?

[tuffy]

The rest of the Special Editions are not too bad though.

I could do without Luke screaming as he's falling from the platform in "Empire", though. It's completely pointless and out of character. Except for the two Han scenes in the original, that's the third most irksome thing about Lucas' "adjustments".

Re:HDDVD

[misterpies]

Of course, because like all movies until pretty recently it was recorded on good ol' photographic film, which offers a resolution far higher than any existing digitised video format. Same goes for digital cameras - even the best still don't match the resolution of a decent 35mm film.

Re:They'll have more releases

[chad9023]

I recommend one change though -- Lucas should replace whatever actor played the Emperor in ESB, and stick in Ian McDiarmid instead.

Good call, except it actually was Ian McDiarmid. [imdb.com]

Re:They'll have more releases

[Chibi]

I imagine Peter Jackson saw the above and was a bit inspired when he released Lord of the Rings several times.

New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson have been very upfront about their release plans for the Lord of the Rings movies. Saying they are doing the same thing as Lucas is inaccurate... at least so far. Plenty of people thinking they will put out some form of mega-collector's set after the final (extended) movie comes out. But, up to now, they have been very fan-friendly in terms of their openness regarding the release plan.

USAToday Article

[Genjurosan]

Find the article on USAToday HERE [usatoday.com].

Re:Special editions only :-(

[Highlander]

Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition) (1993) - This item will be released on March 9, 2004.

H

Re:what's the difference?

[Anonymous Custard]

Plus, in the starport Jabba's moving around, and has all these expressions, just like a lame-ass cartoon. It contrasts terribly with the stationary, smug, heartless Jabba we know and love from his palace and on his yacht in the Sarlacc Pit scene.

In the first film, they took some cutting-room floor footage of Han talking to Jabba as he's preparing to take off in the Millenium Falcon.

Want to hate that scene even more?

Notice the part where Han circles Jabba while proposing a deal. Originally, that was fine since Jabba was a fat guy who looked like the rancor handler. But now that they were pasting a big slug with a long tail over the guy, Han couldn't really walk around hom anymore. Unadjusted, Han would be walking right through the animation.

Their solution? Make it look like Han is stepping on Jabba's tail by cutting him from the background and moving him up a bit then down a bit as he circles Jabba. They even make Jabba comically cringe when Han "steps" on his tail. This looks about as real as when a kid bounces a doll along the ground to make it "walk".

Re:Special editions only :-(

[glesga_kiss]

As another poster has mentioned, this has already been done. There are multiple unofficial digital version of the movies. The ones I have are:

Original triology, SE on German DVD with 5.1 German audio and 5.1 upmixed (from 2.0) English. The original English 2.0 soundtrack is also available. Verdict: Very good, but all text is in German, including scrolling start. English 5.1 isn't real 5.1 unfortunately, but the German is.

Original trilogy, SE on DivX. Sound is prologic, one disk per movie. Verdict: A keeper until the offical DVDs are out.

The Phantom Menace Phantom Edit. A rip of the VHS version, minus as much Anakin and Jar-Jar bullshit as possible. Verdict: Worth checking out. Available in mpeg2, DivX and VCD. I kept the mpeg4 version I found on e2k.

The Phantom Menace Peoples Edition. A DVD rip including several deleted scenes. Verdict: Worth a look, educational purposes.

Finally, a someone I know made proper DVDs from his own LD-cap, supposedly very good but I never got to see it.

Fuck Lucas. Like the RIAA, he has learned that missing a business opertunity costs. We want DVD, you don't give. We go elsewhere and your products are forever tainted. Combined with the poorish recent movies, Lucas has almost succeeded in making Star Wars suck.

Re:what's the difference?

[dar]

That was humor you twit.

Re:Special editions only :-(

[RockClimbingFool]

You just span it across two dvd-r's using your pirated version of dvd x copy. It produces exact copies and you get extra karma for using boot legged software to do it!!!

Re:what's the difference?

[Radius9]

Nitpicky, I know, but it was one of my favorite lines in Empire. Right after Luke jumps/falls off the platform, Vader turns around and as he passes one of the Empire's goons, he snaps "Prepare my ship.". I always liked that line because he sounds so angry when he says it. And in the Special Editions, they changed the line. I don't know why, but they did. Pisses me off every time I see it. I don't care nearly as much about the other scenes, but I always liked that line.

Re:what's the difference?

[Clock Nova]

The line was "Bring my shuttle." He says it in such a way that you can really feel his frustration. The new lines show no emotion, and give no insight into his character. They were just a way to introduce a new scene.

Re:They'll have more releases

[IPFreely]

The original request was to replace the actor who played the Emperor in Empire Strikes Back. That was Clive Revill [imdb.com]. You are probably pointing back to Ian because he played the emperor in Return of the Jedi. Just a little mix up there.

Re:what's the difference?

[Earlybird]

IMDb's "alternate versions" section is your friend: Star Wars [imdb.com], The Empire Strikes Back [imdb.com], Return of the Jedi [imdb.com].

Re:Not a democracy?

[Fishstick]

>What is this about Han shooting first?

In the original release, Greedo corners Solo, levels a gun across the table and threatens to turn him into Jabba unless he hands over the money.

Solo distracts him while unholstering his blaster under the table and then blasts poor dumb unsuspecting Greedo in the nuts.

Guess Lucas felt this was unsportsman-like, to blast a guy under the table instead of in a fair gunfight (ala Gary Cooper).

So Lucas changed it in the "Special Edition". Greedo pulls off a shot, misses (how can you miss at point blank range?) and _then_ Solo blasts him in the nuts.

Much more honorable. Han is going to be a major Alliance general and hero. Can't have him shooting first under a table - not Kosher. Bit of revisionist history, actually. Solo was presumably a smuggler scumbag before meeting up with Luke and Ben. I'm sure blasting Greedo from under the table is not the worst thing he did before getting the hots for Leia and joining her rebellion.

Firefly is the answer ...

[MS_leases_my_soul]

FireFly is the answer. You have a kick-ass writer/director who is more than willing and able and actors who have already put in some amazing acting. You have a plotline that grabs you by the gut and pulls you along for a ride.

I warn everyone who has not seen Firefly yet -- if you get the DVDs and start watching them, you will go one half of the best ride of your life. It will be like getting on the world's greatest rollercoaster (with 10 loops!), making through the first 3 loops and having the rollercoaster stop in the middle of the ride. You will love what you get and be disgusted that there is not more.

Still, if people continue to buy the DVDs and word of mouth continues to spread, there is still the movie in the works and hope for SciFi or someone else to pick it up. Fox should be smart enough to put it into production again as long as they are getting paid.

Re:HDDVD

[0123456]

"High-end 11-megapixel digital cameras are generally considered to be slightly inferior to 35mm film."

Remember: 35mm _still_ frames go along the film, whereas 35mm _movie_ frames go across the film. Also, only a fraction of the frame is actually used in movies, due to the widescreen aspect ratio. That means a lot less pixels are required to get the same resolution.

A lot of 35mm movie effect shots are rendered at around 2048x1024-ish resolutions, so while 2 megapixels is a little low for the full 35mm movie resolution, it's not far off.

Re:Timing

[Dirtside]

It also could be an attempt to generate interest after the abysmal response to Episode II.

Episode II grossed over $600 million worldwide. Considering it was budgeted at about $120 million, I think Lucas probably has plenty of cash.

Re:what's the difference?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, now it's "alert my Star Destroyer to prepare for my arrival" I think. I'm guessing they changed it because they thought people would be too stupid to figure out how Darth Vader got to the Star Destroyer. Because apparently, we are all to stupid to figure that one out. This change is almost as dumb as Han shooting first in my opinion, but more subtle.

Re:Original rips?

[Anonymous Coward]

Usenet. It's posted to alt.binaries.starwars as the "Dr. Gonzo" or DrG versions. Just be sure to have a good binaries newsfeed, like the sort that easynews.com provides.

Re: [movie film resolution]

[genericacct]

It should probably be pointed out that there is cropping done as you describe to the original shot, but also some re-shaping done by lenses at both the shooting and projection ends, thanks to Panavision(TM). We've seen examples of the director watching prints in the editing room where there's a big ~4:3 ratio frame and a little white-line box where the end result is framed in widescreen. This area, I believe, is what is printed to the final film, which is re-distorted back to realistic perspective in a widescreen frame ratio (1:2.35?). So you're right, not all that is captured by the camera's film even ends up at the projectionist's booth.

Of course, I'm sure Panavision or a film professional like my dad could explain it better than I can.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:It's on LaserDisc

[Gizzmonic]

LaserDisc is not a digital technology. If you look closely at a CAV laserdisc, you can see the individual frames reflected off the light. It's basically a record player that reads frames (not to be confused with the CED. [cedmagic.com]

In the later years, they kludged some digital stuff into it to do digital sound (AC-3).

But the video itself is not digital. It's an old-ass technology...as a matter of fact, it was originally called 'DiscoVision'. That should give you a hint of its age.

On the other hand, it would be the perfect uncompressed, copy-protection free source for anyone trying to make the 'original' on DVD. They could even sub in the soundtrack from the AC-3 versions of the special edition. That gives me an idea!

(whistling)

[Civil_Disobedient]

These aren't the torrents you're looking for. Move along. Move along. [64.191.60.251]

The Digital Bits has more details...

[antdude]

"The release will be a 4-disc set, encompassing 3 movie discs and a 4th bonus disc of supplemental material. All three films will be digitally-remastered and THX-certified, and will be available in anamorphic widescreen video (there MAY also be a separate full frame edition, but this is still TBD). The audio for the films will be English Dolby Digital 5.1 (they may also be EX, although again this is still TBD), with subtitles in English, French and Spanish. The films will also be closed-captioned. Each film will include new audio commentary with creator George Lucas, along with various members of the cast and crew (the specific participants will be announced at a later date). The highlight of the bonus disc will be an all-new, feature-length documentary about the making of the films, which will include never-before-seen footage and other material. There may also be DVD-ROM weblinks to the official Star Wars website (TBD). There WILL be additional supplemental features, which will be announced at a later date. The films will only be available as a box set, the retail price for which has yet to be decided (despite reports to the contrary). I have officially confirmed that the films will be the 1997 Special Edition versions, as determined by Lucas himself. You should also know that, as with the Indiana Jones DVDs, the folks at Lowry Digital are once again involved in the remastering process. They're doing digital restoration and clean-up work on the new masters."

from http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents [thedigitalbits.com] (2/10/2004).

Re:what's the difference?

[fpp]

Nope. It was James Earl Jones.

http://www.starwars.com/community/askjc/ben/askj c2 0030410.html