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Star Wars Prequels Media Movies

Rick McCallum Answers "Why No Star Wars DVD?" 132

Posted by Hemos from the you-can't-always-get-what-you-want dept.
Anonymous Coward writes "Producer Rick McCallum answers the question, "So many fans want Episode I and then the Classic Trilogy on DVD. It doesn't make sense to us that you aren't going to release at least Episode I. What's going on?" at the official Star Wars site. " The answer is fairly predictable-Lucas hopes to do "something special" and doesn't have the time right now. I like the use of the word "exploit" in the answer - kinda what the VHS - DVD switch feels like.
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Rick McCallum Answers "Why no Star Wars DVD?" More

Rick McCallum Answers "Why no Star Wars DVD?"

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  • Lucas is just being slashdot friendly. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    He knew in advance about the DeCSS lawsuits, and was supporting us in the boycott of DVDs.

    Why don't you people appreciate it when you are being helped?

  • Why can't he just be honest? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    This excuse just sounds like a lot of bunk to me. Here's my reasoning.

    What is the best movie that George Lucas ever made?

    Answer: American Graffiti.

    Is it available on DVD?

    Answer: Yes.

    I guess he didn't feel the need to do anything special for that one.

    It's ok for him to hold back on a DVD release. It's his film and his choice. But I wish he'd be honest and say why he's doing it.

  • DVD and HDTV relationship (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Since HDTV is being introduced quite soon (in theory),
    and since DVD as it is currently configured does not approach the picture quality offered by HDTV (and is not properly configured to play movies true widescreen and not letterboxed),
    and since I still don't think there is a final standard on how to attach cable, vcrs or DVD players to HDTV TVs,:

    Does it make sense to spend large amounts of money on a DVD collection that in 5 years will be qualitatively superceded?

    I'm personally holding off till the whole HDTV issue is resolved.

  • Their afraid (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I personaly believe this is Lucasfilm trying to wait-and-see what happens with all the recent DVD encription hack stuff. All they have to do is send a letter, email or call George (or even teleconfrence, he isn't in some remote 3rd world country) to get his opinion on what to do regarding a DVD version, so its very obvious they have another reason to delay the DVD.
    And, strictly speaking, the only real reasons to see what happens with the encription thing, or to drive up demand. Or they are having problems converting the digital format used in the theatres to DVD (unlikely, as they can just go to high res analog then through standard DVD encoder systems, and that doesnt explain why they arnt releasing the trilogy on the format).

    If they are holding out cuz of encription, give it up I say. sure dupe factories may spring up, but their easy to squash, and users wont be sending DVD-class data through the net anytime soon, even with DSL and cable (would take many days for a whole DVD (4.7 Gigs), as the movies are already highly encripted, plus, having more than a few movies would strain harddrive capacities)

  • No, there's no conspiracy here, it's just the sheer greed of a man who's already got sh*tloads of money and wants more, more, more...

    the fact that shit movie [geocities.com] was released shows how much contempt lucas has for his fans. that movie was pathetic. i can't believe i waited 20 years to see that shit! it's even more insulting that you can't even find the original versions without that annoying stupid eyecandy!!! what self-indulgent arrogant ass he is! personally, i don't see what the fuss is over this. this movie should be buried along with all the kiddie crap he ruined the other movies with.

    "The lie, Mr. Mulder, is most convincingly hidden between two truths."

  • I consider it entirely plausible that Lucas just wants to give the titles a good treatment. I'd love to hear commentaries, interviews, making-of specials, multi-angle views of the original and re-released special editions...

    Let him take his time!

    Of course, if they come out and all we get is some bare-bones bullshit like that rip-off Stanley Kubrick Collection...KILL HIM.

    --

  • Can't remember where I heard this from, so no guarantee on the authenticity of this information.

    I heard an interview with some computer graphics guru (in Vancouver? I'm fuzzy on this) who has been working for Lucasfilm lately. If memory serves me correctly, he said he was working on Obi-Wan Kenobi's death scene in Episode 4 for a future re-re-release of the classic trilogy. Guess that could count as "something special" for George...

    But, like I say, I'm fuzzy on where I heard this. Anyone else hear this, or am I just suffering from sleep-deprivation-induced delusions?
    ________________________

  • Lucas will release SW on DVD, but only after
    he re-edits it with more special effects and
    crap like that (even more so than the special
    editions). Fans will never see the originals
    on DVD, and from now on in Film History, Greedo
    shoots first, and misses.
  • It just amazes me how many people on here and elsewhere bitch and whine and complain about Lucas holding off on the DVD releases until he has time. It is 100% the right thing to do not only for him but for the consumer. Consumer, in this case, being the very person who is whining and bitching.

    "He's doing it for the money."

    False. If he were doing it *just* for the money he would release something now to get people to buy the cheap, get-it-out-the-door, at-least-it-is-DVD, shut-up-and-buy-it-luser copies only to purchase the later, better, boxed set with all the features put into it.

    He's not.

    People are actually whining that he isn't taking advantage of their willingness to buy cheap products only to be "forced" to buy something better later on.

    "It's about control. He wants to control the product."

    Bingo. It is also about how Lucas has proven that he tries to do the best he can in the game they've made. But here he has a choice. Make the last two movies and get them out, THEN work on a complete DVD set with a lot of features that the fans would demand so he has to do it once OR pause production on the films (which the fans won't like) to put out mediocre DVDs (which the fans won't like) then get back to the movies, get them out, then work on the DVDs the way he wants them to be and release them, at which time the fans will complain that he is taking advantage of them.

    Screw that. Screw the fanboys who are whining that they don't have their DVDs now. Shut up because he's doing you a favor. Sure that boxed set might be $200CDN ($140 US, approx.) but rest assured that just like the last few boxed sets they will be available individually as well.

    However, for those of us who do appreciate quality let me tell you what we might get. Instead of spending $20 for each of the 6 movies ($120 right there) and then turn around and buy the boxed set for, say, $150 ($270 so far) in a few years we spend $150 once. When it does come out chances are that he might do what the people who made Stargate did, put both the theatrical and Director's Cut (in this case, SE) on the same disc. That means, unlike the VCR tapes, we have the choice of which of the originals we want to see. Meanwhile we'll also most likely get a LOT of "making of" material, a few commentary tracks, etc.

    So you people whining and bitching about what he is doing, ask yourself which you REALLY want to pay for? $120 in throw-away discs over the next 2-3 years, a delay in the movie production schedule only to spend another $150 or so later on, or spend $150 in 2-3 years and get a quality product?

    Me, I'm willing to wait. Hell, say it is 3 years away for a release of the boxed set that is only ~$4.25/month to tuck aside to cover it.
  • If he's still the Lucas we all love to hate, then he wouldn't be waiting to release the DVD's. What he would do is release TPM and the original versions of the trilogy on DVD and say that it was the last time that the original trilogy and TPM would be released on DVD. 5 months later the Special Edition Trilogy and a SE TPM would be released on DVD and a notice that it is the last time the SE movies would be available separately on DVD. A few years pass, and when Episode II and III are complete, they are only available in a 6 DVD set of all the movies.

    "I can only show you Linux... you're the one who has to read the man pages."

  • looks like we're sitting here with our collective thumbs up our butts again. We're never going to see DVD's of Star Wars. Not that I'm very concerned about Episode I; I thought the script had Mac-truck sized holes in it. But who doesn't want a DVD of Empire, with AT-AT's blasting huge holes in your screen while the floor shakes in full 5.1 digital audio? *sigh* We can dream can't we?
    --
  • With all of the legal manipulations going on with the DVD-CCA, DeCSS, etc.; and all of the complaining and calling for DVD boycotts; why are you whining here about not being able to get a StarWars DVD???

    I'm simply disgusted at the lack of consistency in /. content recently. Directly below this story is another story about the 16yr old cracker of the DVD CSS.

    Make up your mind /. - I personally refuse to buy any DVD until the DVD-CCA no longer exists, and I'm free to watch them on whatever OS I please.

  • Well there's no conspiracy at work here, I assure you.

    'These are not the discs you're looking for.'

    Lay off the jedi mind tricks, Rick.
  • Besides, if Lucas waits for as long as he's talking (we're talking around 6 years from now) to issue everything on DVD... who knows? The Next Big Thing might be out by then - a DVD-Killer.

    All this "he's just a greedy bastard who only cares about money" is crap. He went through a lot to get control over the whole franchise, back in the day, because he didn't want anyone else mucking it up - he had a vision (maybe that's a bit of an extreme term here, but you get the point) for the story/stories, and didn't want the studios goofing it up. Cut the man some slack.
  • Wow. A voice of sanity! What are you doing on SlashDot?

    :-)

    P.S. Moderators - this is a joke. Not a flame, not a troll, but a joke. I'll say it again, only slowly this time.... j....o....k....e....

    --
  • Most DVD's nowadays have Anamorphic picture transfers on them which are designed to fit onto the 16:9 ration widescreen televisions. Having seen DVD movies on this format, I can say that it looks pretty darned nice. Not as nice as HDTV, but pretty darned nice all the same...



    --
  • I don't own a TV. Won't buy one untill wide-screen is more widely available, and media is available to properly fit the screen. If DVD can't do this, then screw DVD. Well, I might buy a regular TV to play Dreamcast on when my roommate moves out.
  • Somewhere around $140-$150.

    Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.

  • I agree the idea of knowing the ending can add to the tragedy, and doesn't necessarily ruin a movie at all. How many people watch plays or musicals over and over, but know them by heart? The ending of PM isn't the big deal.

    The problem is this: I'm sitting in a theater opening night for the show. (For reference, I'm not the biggest SW fan out there. I don't own any videos, but would buy 4, 5, and 6 on DVD when I get one.) Waiting in the line and then later in the theater was a blast. People got up front (as we had a good three hours until 12:01) and started doing SW trivia for gummybears. It was an amazing mood that was only ruined by the movie itself...

    I know expectations were high, but I don't think anyone took Lucas on his word when he said PM was made for 10 year old boys. The only 10 year old kid in the place was the only one laughing at Jar Jar's fart jokes. Myself, I was cringing, thinking "OMG, I can't believe they made SW into this!" Much of the rest of the movie was very cool, but between JJ Binks himself, and Anakins' inability to realistically deliver a line, much less form a bond with the princess, I'm not concerned anymore about knowing the ending. Any sort of realism is already lost for me. The special effects are great, but I'm not worried about either the VHS or DVD version of PM, as it won't be a part of my collection. Just needed to get that off my chest, so no need to start flaming. thanks.
  • Just get on with it Lucas. Put them on DVD's, and then when you have time, put out a collector's edition of the DVD's with ADDED NEW FEATURES and a price of +$40 per disc.




  • Well, I for one won't be too surprised if the DVD edition doesn't show up until after Episode 3. But then, I could be mistaken, as I doubt they would abandon the transfer to DVD completely.

    Of course, I rather enjoy having a DVD player, the quality is better and I find it more convenient than trying to hook up a VCR through my tv card. Plus, there are plenty of other movies to rent while waiting for Lucas to come to his senses.
  • Not sure if this was already posted, but my comments window is blown out of preportion by the small screen I am on.

    But I believe that it would be benificial to Lucas to release the new episodes on DVD when he finishes the last 2, He could offer 6 cd collector sets, or the separate ones at the same time with out having to worry about starting up production again when they are all completed
  • "A "film geek" would not have gone from 1977 to 1999 without having directed a single movie"

    I've read in articles that George Lucas views film making as a collaborative process, which is why he focuses on producing. Directing is just one part of the process. Producing lets him get involved on many levels, and his ego doesn't demand that his name be at the top of the movie poster.
  • I do hope you mean 18GB...

    -----------------------

  • Gee...this guy is making it sound like the special features are going to blow everything away. Maybe even better than the movie. :-)

    HELLO?! A good movie doesn't need special features to be sold. I have yet to hear of a DVD that sold like crazy just because of the special features. And here I was thinking that I wanted to watch a movie. :-)
  • Well...

    If we take what Rick said at face value then I would rather wait. I would rather an Episode I DVD with amazing extras and cool commentary by George Lucas then a rushed DVD which basically got the go-ahead from Lucas but no input from him and the people involved in the making of the movie...

    Josh
  • I believe he said he wants to "exploit the medium" meaning they plan to do something special with the DVD version (ie extra "features") as has been said all along.
  • No, there's one thing Lucas cares about even more than money. Control. He wants absolute control over his creations. That's why there are so many commerical tie-ins to the movies -- they help fund the next movie to be made,
    freeing Lucas from having to rely on the studios' funding and thus free from studio control.

    I think this stems from his early days in the film industry. Just as any person has a 401k or a couple of mutual funds to help them later in life to be able to live comfortably so does lucas. In this case he is a film geek and likes to produce films. Because of this when a film is made it is usually a big affair and costs a great deal.

    He does this because early on when he did films and such he was under a large number of constraints. Suppose you grew up in an Amish community and had to follow all the rules and such. Would you like it very much? I guess not. He's just preventing what he had to go through in the past from happening again.

    Given that, it seems reasonable that Lucas really IS just waiting for the DVDs until HE can do them himself, and he doesn't have time right now. If it were just a question of money, he'd shill it out and get them on the market
    quickly, because they'll likely be the best-selling DVDs ever made.

    Does this mean that he will simply create a new movie or just do a really nice official dress up for the DVD? I am really doubting that DVD is the best possibly format. Is there anything going down the pike in the near future that can hold more data theoretically or produce better quality? Somehow even in 10 years DVD may be replaced with something else.
  • This reminds me of a slightly off-topic, but interesting story... When I was in college (Athens, GA), I worked at Waldensoftware. We had a regular customer who did some pretty good graphics work. He flew out to interview with ILM and told us a bit about it. He said when he was there, they were working on "some dinosaur movie, after which, they are starting the next Star Wars". This was around 1993 (give or take, I can't recall). If that were true, I guess it would be possible that the Vancouver guy is already working on Episode 4, but it could be years before we see it.
  • If you own a DVD player then you are cutting your own throat if you buy the tape.

    Clearly their thinking is that everyone will buy the tape, and then a year or two latter they can sell the movie again on DVD.

    The only way to influence Lucasfilm is for DVD owners to NOT buy the VHS tape.

  • Of course, maybe this is why Yoda resists letting him into the club at first?

    What bother's me is we never hear what Yoda wants to do with the boy. Give him back to slavery? Put him in 'protective custody'? Just let him wonder the streets of Coriscant? With the Sith making thier reapearance simply forgeting about someone like that would be deadly.
  • Everybody knows Lucas is a cheap bastard with no intent on the happiness of his customers. All he cares about is the billions of dollars he makes. When the Star Wars TPM comes out on DVD if you want it you will have to buy it in a huge Star Wars collectible set. This is bound to cost upwards of $200 CAN, just another billion in Lucas' pocket.
  • Can I get the ORIGINAL trilogy without the extra digital crap Lucas added a couple of years ago? I think the delay is because he's busy adding time-traveling Jar Jar Binks to Return of the Jedi, apparently a thousand Ewoks aren't cute enough for him.
  • A few months ago, I read an article where Rick McCallum was being interviewed. He stated that things they are looking to do with the DVD. They include view the movie without special effects (so you'd see the blue screen and all), different angles, how the special effects were made, etc...

    To me, if they are planning on adding really special features to the DVDs, it's worth the 5 or so year wait. Lucas wants to release one definitive DVD set. Once the DVD set is released, there will no longer be any new Star Wars movies or any modifications to the existing ones.
  • At least George Lucas hasn't decided that he doesn't want the films on that format, but rather wants to add content.

  • Well there's no conspiracy at work here, I assure you.

    No, there's no conspiracy here, it's just the sheer greed of a man who's already got sh*tloads of money and wants more, more, more :) We'll have to wait for each episode to come out on VHS first, then the box set, maybe even a director's cut boxed set if we're lucky before we even get a hint of the DVDs and the amazing features that they'll contain (hopefully a shoot Jar-Jar game :)).

  • I for one will not buy the VHS version of TPM. and by the time Lucas decides to getting around to releasing TPM on DVD, i may not be interested in buying it in that format either.
  • Thus the original title of the first movie will be resurrected: Jar Wars: A New Hopelessly One-Dimensional Character. This title was dropped for the aforementioned reasons, but is eminently suited to the gen PI special edition.
  • I don't think that's what they mean. Now, it may be that they are trying to mislead us by claiming that they want to "do extras" on the DVD, but if they're on the up and up, I could see that it would take some time.

    I just watched all the "White Rabbit" scenes from The Matrix and that's pretty much an "extra" in the sense that they're trying to convey. Behind the scenes special effects need editing, too. If this is truly the reason for the delay, I say they can take their time.

  • Well there?s no conspiracy at work here, I assure you.

    Well, i, for one, am sure that there?s absolutely no ?conspiracy? here at all! I?ve been an ardent fan of ?Star Wars? since the first time i saw it. It?s my favorite movie! I can?t think of anything better than ?Star Wars?, except fnord maybe MS Front Page.

    use Microsoft it is good


    "Cogito ergo es... I think, therefore you is." -The King of the Moon's Head,
  • i hate it when stuff like this happens:
    (spaces and stuff inserted for the Purposes of Explanating Something that Probably don't need it...)

    ...type type type...

    & lt fnord & gt use Microsoft it is good & lt/fnord& gt...

    dum dee dah ... "preview!"

    all that & lt & gt stuff becomes "&lt" and "&gt" in the comment field...but i don't look at that, i just see that it looks ok in the preview itself...

    click "submit" and abracadabra! my cutesy little "&lt fnord &gt" goes poof like the do-nothing html that it is...

    The Moral of the Story? "if yer playing about with phony HTML up in this [expletive deleted -ed.], click 'back' before ya click 'submit'... folks submit far too often and easily these days anyhow..."

    score Gremlins and ?Conspirators? : 1
    Eric Cartman from the Evil Dimension : 0

    *waaaah!*

    PS. yeah, i do in fact know that "Explanate" is not a word :)


    "Cogito ergo es... I think, therefore you is." -The King of the Moon's Head,
  • In all likelihood, we'll see the widescreen edition come out a year after the Pan-and-scan version too. He did this with the last release of
    the original version of the trilogy. And dammit, it worked on me.
  • Does anyone want to sell me episodes 4-6, the pirated version? I'm all for "supporting the artists," but I've already got the "remastered" versions on VHS.

    But I don't have a VCR.

    I sit here and wonder, "What the hell was I thinking?"

    Anyway, I don't have a VCR, so if they aren't out on DVD then I can't watch 'em. I dunno if I am serious about buying pirated copies, but the fact that there is NO WAY to send feedback to LucasFilm pisses me off. Really what I want to do is go to the Skywalker Ranch and piss on the mailbox. Sigh.

  • Wasn't that what Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said about Western culture invading Russia?

    Anyway, we all know that right now Star Wars basically sucks, and is simply a money making machine.

    George Lucas will come out with a DVD edition of every Star Wars movie everytime his business needs more $$$.

    Rumor has it that there will be a remake of Return Of The Jedi on DVD that will show the Ewoks having their way with an unconscious Princess Leia on the Moon of Endor. They will be on sale at 7-Eleven will for $9.99, and will come with a special certificate of authenticity with a hologram of Jar Jar Binks.

  • Sorry, but with what is being done to DeCSS, I can't help being exploited.

    I don't care if Lucas releases Star Wars: TPM or not on DVD. I'm staying away from a product that essentially enslaves me to a particular region/particular players.

    To the DVD control association, my finger. Oh yeah - don't come after me - I'm not mirroring DeCSS. I'm just being rude. :-P

  • I've recently gotten into the DVD biz, and found this site [dvdtalk.com] that has some fantastic coupons for various sites. Just click on the DVD bargains forum, and surf a little. Currently, with the use of this site, I am averaging about $12-$13 a CD! I managed to get the Matrix for $10! --dan
  • from my understanding of the whole story, it is basically the rise, fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. For those of us who want to know what turns this basically good kid to a Dark Lord (I personally think it has to do with his mother dying in an attempt to free the slaves on Tatooine (remember his dream)(nah, that's too linear and obvious...right?) PM filled enough background to say "OK, here's how he met Obi-Wan, here's how he met Luke and Leia's mother, here's why he's being trained as a Jedi (let's face it, if one had the potential to become a Dark Lord and kill the Jedi, don't you think that it would have sent off some vibes to warn someone???)." Really, I am not all that upset over the whole DVD thing (esp. with current events), and yes, I will be one of the millions of fools who do get the proposed boxed DVD set in 2006 (hey, I got boxed VHS set with the little book about a year and a half before the special editions came out, so I've been there and done that).
  • If you had total control of a franchise like Star Wars(TM), you could do pretty much what you damn well wanted to do. At least Lucas is giving us the first three episodes (and don't flame me on how PM sucked...it was the first part to a story that we already know how it ends...no movie would have satisfied everyone).
  • The difference being you can buy a CD in Europe and play it here in the States, but not with a DVD...could a more altruistic reason be the unfair sale and distribution of regional DVDs (not likely, but hey, maybe ole George is actually conducting a rebel attack of sorts on the whole DVD empire?)
  • I'm with baharir on this one. I don't understand why Lucas doesn't handle DVD like he did VHS.

    Here's how it works: You release the first DVD as the 'first time on DVD!' Then a year later, remaster it for no real reason and release it as the 'see it again for the first time' version. Six months after that, add some new footage. Release this as a 'Special Edition.' A year after that, drag your feet in moving to the next new medium and do one final DVD release as the 'see it for the first time for the last time' version.

    'Now your journey to the dark side is complete.'
  • Why? Because I don't buy VHS anything anymore. It's an obsolete, inferior format, and will only become moreso as HDTV brings TV's to a level that takes full advantage of DVD capability. Don't believe me? Watch "The Matrix" on VHS. Then watch it on DVD. The difference is clear. Honestly, I'd rather he release plain-jane DVD's now, and release special ones later. I could live with that, just to have the movie in the superior format. Waiting, though... that hurts. Not so much because of Ep. I... I want Eps. IV-VI! I don't think he's waiting because of money. He could release a plain Star Wars release now and make plenty of money on it, then make more with a special release later. I think the reasons stated here are pretty believable. That doesn't mean I agree with them, though. Guess I'll go spend the money to buy Macross Plus on DVD instead.
  • Should that be "Get a life -or- get a laserdisc player?" I personally will just wait for him to release it in DVD and skip VHS.
  • Believe me I don't care too much when Star Wars comes out on DVD since I don't intend to rush to buy them.

    The reason? Because the DVDs that will almost certainly appear to drum up interest in Episode 2 and will reappear at regular intervals for years afterwards. There's no hurry to snap them up because they'll be issued ad nauseum for as long as Fox can screw the money from the unwashed masses. Previous campaigns suggest that Fox may play on consumer fears (in a Disneyesque sort of way) that they should be bought now or "they'll be gone forever". It's hogwash of course designed to drum up hysterical panic purchasing.

    Besides, I question what the quality of the first DVD releases will be like. Remember Titanic? Rumours abounded that James Cameron was crafting an 18Mb work of love, director's commentary special edition and so on but in the end it turned out to be a non-anamorphic featureless piece of trash (nice sound though). So Fox knows that they can release any old crap at inflated prices and people will buy it.

    I would be surprised if the Star Wars DVDs were any different.

    So I can happily wait. Maybe things won't happen anything like this, but I don't hold out much hope.

  • Certainly some studios (Disney / Buena Vista) have burned consumers in the past by releasing a movie-only disc closely followed by a special edition thus conning fans into purchasing both. However, there is no reason Lucas couldn't release all four movies now and announce that special editions would be forthcoming in five or six years. People who want a disc now would be happy, people who want a special edition later would be happy, and Lucas would get to cash in twice! Sigh. As if he hadn't alienated enough of his fans with Episode I...
  • "Number of films directed" or "years between films" means absolutely nothing.

    The obvious (American) example is Terrance Malick: he's directed 3 films in, oh, 30 years or so (Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line).

    All three are great American films (although Days of Heaven is one of the greatest).

    I could also point to, say, Welles or Von Stoheim to make a similar point.

    Next...
  • *chuckle*

    It always astonishes me why people say stuff like that -- "Quite possibly the worst movie I have ever seen" -- and then just sorta leave it at that.

    Aren't you at all curious (I'm sure you're not, but I'm curious why you express no curiosity) about why some people consider it one of the best films of the 1990's?

    Ah well. Nevermind. It's a complex film. It's not for everyone.

  • Very clever. Touche'.

    But with certain films -- and Malick's films are good examples -- the critical response of the reviewer to the film usually says more about the reviewer than it does the film. (In the case of 'The Thin Red Line' the comparisons are usually between it and Saving Private Ryan -- and those one like one despise the other.)

    I hold Ebert in high regard, but I'm mystified by some of his "great films." Likewise, I can't figure out why he thinks a film like 'A Taste of Cherry' is such a long, boring film. [It's long but fascinating: made even more so because of its context]

    But of course: everyone is entitled to their opinions.

    Sure, I'm curious about why people don't like something, but I'm more curious about why people who don't like something aren't at all curious why people *do* like something -- especially when the original critic holds something in such high esteem.

    Having taught English for years, I've become numb to the "I think it sucks" comments. They mean nothing, and, as I say, usually -- but not always -- say more about the critic than about the text.

    (Just as, in the same way, I'm suspicious when people say 'Citizen Kane' is *the* great American film. It's a good -- most certainly a great film -- but if you think it's the greatest, then you surely don't know American film -- or, worse yet, think it so for the wrong reasons. And, yes, I said "wrong reasons".)




  • With a properly produced DVD, you are technology-proof for many years. Here's why.

    On an anamorphic widescreen disc, the maximum resolution is 480 lines. Throw in a progressive scan DVD player, and you now have a 16x9 enchanced 480P image, which happens to be one of the DTV formats. Having personally seen such a setup, I can attest to the fact that it is absolutely stunning. While not an HDTV image, it certainly does a good job keeping up.

    The biggest reason is that the idea that HD-DVD will be commonplace in 5 years is false. Technologically, yes, I imagine it will be possible. But look at the issue at hand. Luca$ won't even allow his movies on a 480 line DVD. Do you expect he's going to allow what is essentially a perfect High Def master of his movies in the hand of Joe Sixpack? Absolutely not. Dash in a bit of the DeCSS situation, and you now have the recipe for delay.

    Aside from the MPAA/DVDCCA issues, DVD is a good investment for now and the future.

  • Just a quick question. Where did you see a reference in my post to 480P as an HDTV image? DTV stands for Digital Television, and 480P is definately a Digital Television format. As for your definition of HDTV, that is also incorrect. An HDTV needs to support at minimum 720P or 1080i. 16x9 support is NOT required as a part of the HDTV standard, although any set-top box will deal with the letterboxing issues associated with downconversion.

  • I don't think that you quite understand exactly how you are being exploited.

    When Episode One is released, everyone will buy it. George Lucas realizes this, and he knows that if he only releases his product in VHS, everyone will buy it in that format. Then, when the product is released again, in DVD format, everyone with a DVD player, who most likely already owns the VHS version, will line up to pay for another copy.

    The blood-sucking that this man does amazes me.
  • Rumor has it, at least in the Star Wars circles i frequent, that the reason Lucas is waiting to release TPM on DVD is because he wants to release the whole new trilogy, as a set, on DVD.

    Lucasfilms is going ahead and releasing it on VHS for those of us who *can't* wait what, four, six years for all the movies. This way, he makes everyone sort of happy at least. The impatient people get their movie quickly, and those who want to wait for all the DVD goodies get *good* stuff, not just some slapped-together disk.

  • This is like releasing music on tape and not CD.
  • This way, many people will buy the video tape, because they want to own the movie, and will then buy it again, because they want to own the DVD. Thus we get two sales per customer.

    Hey, I've got the music in LP and CD, so clearly this strategy works.

  • *chortle*

    It always astonishes me why people say stuff like that --"It's a complex film. It's not for everyone."-- and then just sorta leave it at that.

    Aren't you at all curious (I'm sure you're not, but I'm curious why you express no curiosity) about why some people consider it one of the worst films of the 1990's?

    Ah well. Nevermind. It's a horrible film. It's not for anyone.

  • If by reviewer you mean an "average joe" then I certainly agree. You definitely can learn things about people based on what movies they like.

    I am about 95%accurate at judging if I will like a movie or not (and how much I will like it) from watching the preview. That translates to me not paying much attention to what reviewers have to say. Which leads me into the answer to your question.

    The simple answer is that I don't value the critic's opinion anyways, so I don't care that he liked/disliked a movie that I felt differently about. Now, if I value the person's opinion then I am most likely going to try to look at the movie from another angle. While many people turn to critics to get an idea of how good a movie is, when its all said and done they don't really care what the critic thought about the film. They only care what their own opinion is. Most simply want someone to tell them to see or not to see a film. That way they can blame someone else when they go see a bad flick. I always wondered why critics don't revistit films that they loved that most people hate. I have a feeling that many of their egos wouldn't care for that.

    As for The Thin Red Line, I did not care for it. It's been a while but here's what I remember I thought about it. I found the cameo's distracting and in some cases very poorly acted. I never felt any urgency, it felt like summer camp most of the time. This was *the* bloodiest battle of the war, but they seemed to spend most of their time sitting around. None of the characters really gave me a reason to care about them. I enjoyed Nolte and Penn's perfomances, but I wouldn't say that I liked their characters. The battle scenes were weak, especially compared to SPR. The photography was generally quite good. I felt that the inner monologues tended to not stay in character, they all seemed to echo the main characters thoughts and not their own. Well, that's all I remember off hand.

    I've always heard that Citizen Kane was great because of the way the story was told. Personaly I feel that Star Wars is the greatest movie of all time, for the simple reason that no other film has had such a profound effect on such a large audience for as long as it has. Of course it all depends on how you define "great", Star Wars isn't even my favorite "Star Wars" movie and there are many movies I enjoy more, but that does not deminish its greatness to me. [ramble off]

  • OK enough is enough! Yes Lucas has this annoying tendency to milk his fans for every penny. However on the flip side, after reading the article, it sounds like Lucasfilm is planning a nice release of the prequels and the trilogy. I think he wants to do something along the linesof what we see on The Matrix DVD, or on the Tomorrow Never Dies, or the Bubble Gum Crisis DVDs. Knowing Lucas he probably is going to make the DVDs worth owning. I have this sneeky suspicion that when they are released everyone here won't stop raving about how cool they are. So quit whining and be patient.
  • I like what Lucas is doing with it. Knowing that anikin ends up as vader adds an element of tragedy to Episode I which, I think, would otherwise have been missing. At the risk of over glorifying Lucas, the effect reminds me of Greek drama, where you (usualy) know the ending in advance and can admire the irony of how the characters play out their own doom.
  • where can i get DeCSS and if you have it could you send it to me by mal ir send me an link to it. Hack the panet...
  • I can't believe all you slash-dotter's think DVD's are the Holy Grail. Obviously you know nothing about the format and video. I'll start out defining a simple term for you... Compression. It is a bad word. It's noticeable... everytime I watch a DVD I feel like I'm watching the latest Sorenson compressed Quicktime Movie. Also, to make all those extras fit on DVD's production houses crank up the compression during the credits and slower paced spots in the movie and it is really obvious. Did you guys ever notice this. One more new term HDTV. Imagine your 17" Monitor that's hooked up to your computer being displayed on your wall with a four foot wide HDTV. Now that compression has been downgraded from Sorenson to crappy codecs from Uncle Bill's Windoze Media Player. Yeah. In other words save your cash. There's enough space on a DVD for about 20 minutes of HDTV content. Wait for the 'next' medium. As for Lucas... cast your own vote.
  • Close but no cigar. There is a major difference between NTSC, DTV, and HDTV. Due to the amazingly crisp picture viewing distances will change. What used to be a 32 inch is now minimally a 64 if not large. Ask any HD Rep. The smallest TV they will make is a 32. In other words following Japan's lead we'll all be getting very large projection HDTV's. Since we sit so far away. When you figure this into the equation... pretty good doesn't cut it. DVD looks terrible on a HDTV.
  • To make my point I'll start off with the most technologically advance DVD available. "A BUG'S LIFE" this is the only Digital to Digital transfer. So basically the picture quality is lossless, lint free, etc. The quality of this is as good as it gets. But when there is camera movement the compression of the grass is noticeable. Also, you can see color banding... not pure gradients. Yes, a lot can fit on the disc, but when they release dual version like Austin Powers, which features 16x9 and Pan n Scan on the other side where do put all the extras included. If you get a chance watch the credits where they feature the photo shoot. You can notice it subtly... watch it on a computer monitor and it is terrible. It looks like you're looking through blinds.

    As for me... I first worked with HDTV in 1992, my college prof. shot sporting events in the late 80's on HDTV Cameras (with TAPE). So I'm pretty familiar with what it can and can't do As for the American's we'll all be switching whether we like or not. The FCC has decided.

  • Everybody knows Lucas is a cheap bastard with no intent on the happiness of his customers. All he cares about is the billions of dollars he makes. When the Star Wars TPM comes out on DVD if you want it you will have to buy it in a huge Star Wars collectible set. This is bound to cost upwards of $200 CAN, just another billion in Lucas' pocket.

    Let's face it, Lucas is a control freak. I have a feeling that even if he did release a stripped-down version of the DVD now, he'd come back in four years and release a chock-full-of-stuff version later.

    And then people would complain about THAT, saying he did it for more money ;)

    But Lucas is a control freak, and you know what? I'm happy! Yay! I want the best quality! I can wait. Patience is a virtue. yada yada.

    :)

    -me.
  • Ok, lets look at this logically. Star Wars was groundbreaking, true enough. Empire was good, and Jedi was entertaining. That is where the talent stopped. Lucas spent 3 years making Episode 1, and it was no better than a VanDamme movie made in 3 months. Why was Star Wars ground breaking, because the effects were new/great, and the story was cool. Episode 1 had an incredibly dull story, coupled with trite dialog. So, enough already people. Lucas brought us to a new level with Star Wars, unfortunately he has not grown anymore, while the rest of the industry has, ie SPR, The Matrix. So let Lucas waste the next 3 years working on his next disappointing project, and forget about Star Wars. Enjoy the incredible selection of quality films available on DVD, films which took 1/3 of the time to make, and are way above Lucas' quality in terms of plot, interest, and acting.
  • Ok, i read somthing about this about 3 days ago, and thought that the story of "Release on DVD when lucas has time to do 'special' things with this movie" was total BS and cover for the fact that if he were moronic enough to go out and release his latest baby, it would be ripped by anybody who was reasonably bright enough to go grab DeCSS while it was easy to find (and still is, in two minutes searching on yahoo, i found at least 3 sites with working copies of DeCSS on angelfire)(no i won't email you the addy or zip file with it). If you *really* want a digital copy of TPM, talk to the guy who fixes computers in the back room of your local small-time computer store, and ask for a copy. I can't tell you if that will work in your part of the world, but I'll just tell you that my DVD of TPM has Indian subtitles. Hadlock's point boiled down: If you release a movie that is directed mostly to the technology/sci-fi part of society, it *will* be ripped. Lucas is waiting for the ripping problems to go away first. Note: Just so i don't get flamed too much, if you decide to go ask bob the computer repair man for a copy of TPM, please send a $100 check to LucasFilm or some such. We do have copyrights in this world. Respect them (to an extent).

  • Patience Will KILLLLLL You! (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward

    "I like the use of the word "exploit" in the answer - kinda what the VHS - DVD switch feels like."

    I like to use the phrase 'consumer driven obssessive dork' when people whine about not being able to buy some entertainment now, RIGHT NOW! OH GOD I NEED IT NOW! If I don't have the DVD version RIGHT NOW MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE AND IT WILL BE ALL LUCAS'S FAULT!!! AHHHHH, Killing spree!!! Killing spree!!!

    Seriously, if you want, no NEEEEEEED to own it, and you want, no NEEEEEEED to have the DVD version. Get a freaking clue already! Exploit my ass.

  • I agree fully with you... George Lucas is pretty much in a no win situation right now. He can either release the DVD's as just movies, to make some people happy and get slammed in the reviews which will state "it was obviously rushed out the door. There's no interactivity features like you can find on other DVD's", and then slammed by the people he tried to make happy when he issues the real DVD's which also include other features. Then Slashdot will complain that he's hosing them not once but twice for the DVD's.

    Of course, he's not doing that, and just waiting so he can release them once and only once and he still gets slammed.

    Just as everyone gives Rob a break for not releasing his code on a timely basis, people should give George Lucas the same break. After all, if he released them now, you'd just have to buy them again when he really did release them as he originally envisioned them being.
  • In this case he is a film geek and likes to produce films.

    Ahh... this old explanation. Look at this page [imdb.com] on the IMDB. Now look at the number of films he's directed versus the number of films he's produced. A "film geek" would not have gone from 1977 to 1999 without having directed a single movie. Sure, he wrote some stuff (along with other people), but that's being a writer, not a film geek. And sure, he's produced a lot of stuff, but that's being a business man who likes movies, not a film geek.

    Compare his record to Steven Spielberg [imdb.com], a true film geek. He's _directed_ no less than 18 films in the same period Lucas made 0.

    Lucas is a business man, not a filmmaker.
  • >let's face it, if one had the potential to become a Dark Lord and kill the Jedi, don't you think that it would have sent off some vibes to warn someone???

    Of course, maybe this is why Yoda resists letting him into the club at first? He senses something not quite right with the kid, can't put his finger on it, and comes up with some other excuse to deny Leeson's request to take him on as apprentice.

    Of course, you can always come up with some plausible explanation for this kind of this. That's what keeps the SW newsgroups full of this kind of crap.

    (barely on-topic, better moderate it down just to be safe ) :-)
  • I'm not too anxious to get TPM on DVD yet, but the Star Wars classic trilogy (or even all six) on DVD all at once would be a nice thing to have.

    Especially if Lucas actually does want to release a good set...The Shining in the Kubrick Collection is terrible; it has mono sound and no letterbox format. :( If Lucas puts the trilogy on DVD with the option to view it in letterbox (widescreen) or in pan-and-scan (edited), I'd be happy. If Lucas adds the option to view the Special Edition changes or to turn them off, I'd be VERY happy. I'll wait for them to come out.

    Besides, we want II and III to be good. Then again, I suppose there's no guanrantee they will be with Lucas's full attention...

  • To all,

    I have heard a lot of comments (on previous /. news) along the lines of a boycott on VHS SW:E1. While this might get the attention of the mainstream, I just do not belive it will get us what we want. SW is all about hype. The movies (VHS) will sell like hotcakes. George will make additional millions, and we will be SWless. If the guy can take the time to produce a VHS version, he can certianly burn it to disk. The "Special Features" box (you know the one I'm talking about) will read:

    Dolby 5.1
    Spanish Subtitles
    Chapter Selection


    I for one will buy the VHS version ASAP. I will then buy the DVD version IF it has enough special features to justify the purchace. If it does not, I will wait till VHS is obsolete before I get the DVD.

    Thoes of you who will boycott want it on DVD now. But, would it be worse to buy the VHS now and then a Directors Cut DVD in a few years, or buy the DVD now and then buy the Directors Cut DVD AGIAN in a few years.



  • f you had total control of a franchise like Star Wars(TM), you could do pretty much what you damn well wanted to do. At least Lucas is giving us the first three episodes (and don't flame me on how PM sucked...it was the first part
    to a story that we already know how it ends...no movie would have satisfied everyone).

    Tell me why did people go for that? Seems that it really would spoil the end and just cheapen the movie. Suppose you know that every fairy tail ends with people "living happily ever after" (yeah right); dosn't this in some way cheapen the fairy tail? I would have been quite entrigued if for example you don't implicetly know that Darth Vader is really this Anakin person. In fact from that movie only you can imply that in fact he will be quite the model of good and truth. At any rate his approach is flawed because basic human logic and memory can cheapen the whole thing. I guess the only thing that really makes it is the fact that it uses a lot of computin' thingees
  • Everybody knows Lucas is a cheap bastard with no intent on the happiness of his customers. All he cares about is the billions of dollars he makes. When the Star Wars TPM comes out on DVD if you want it you will have to buy it
    in a huge Star Wars collectible set. This is bound to cost upwards of $200 CAN, just another billion in Lucas' pocket.

    A couple of things:

    1. Exactly how much is $200 CAN in USD at the current exchange rate I might have a better understanding of the kinf of cash you are talking about.

    2. Possibly however not everyone actually hates to buy all that stuff or to buy all that gear. I suppose that if you bought one and then kept it in good condition you might be able to sell it as antique or maybe you just like crazy SW crap. I mean if you are the type of person who has a Darth Maul double edged light sabre then this would be your pot of gold.
  • I would rather he didn't quickly throw just the movie with a little bit of this that and the trailer stuck on the DVD with it. I would be forced to buy it because it is Star Wars, and then I would be pissed off because I have nothing more than I would get on a videotape basically. His idea of waiting till he can do something special might not be a money grabbing scheme as much as he realizes how special star wars is to all of us. Maybe he doesn't want to release crap with the Star Wars movie on it. Of course if he waits a year or two and then releases the DVD with nothing special on it then we will have reason to be pissed. But I guess we will have to just wait and see.

  • The delay just gives the pirates more time to pillage the DVD market.... SW:TPM is already on sale in DVD form in Hong Kong and places East (I've seen a copy that a friend brought back with her from her last jaunt out that way).

    Then again, Lucas probably isn't too badly concerned with profits lost to piracy; they'll be minimal due to how slowly the DVDs will trickle in to the US, and what few losses he'll incur will be dwarfed by the extra profits gained by releasing to VHS first -- impatient consumers will quickly gobble up the tapes, then repurchase the film when the official DVD is finally released.

    So I have to ask the question: who is really the pirate here?

    -- WhiskeyJack

  • You hit the nail on the head. I got into a small discussion with a Sony Rep who was doing a demo at a large advertising agency who produces HDTV spots for Monday Night Football. In front of a large crowd I said. 'Now where does this put DVD?' He replied it will look great on this. I said yeah, better than on our current TV's? He said, much better. Then I said as good as these images were watching off of TAPE. He stuttered and said not quite. I had him where I wanted him and said. I've read that current DVDs allow for about 20 minutes of HDTV Data on a disc. He said yes, but there are several new technologies that will allow us to store more. So we will continue to use DVD. I replied back 'with the same old players and discs?' He said no. Now who's complaining about Lucas taking you guys to the cleaners?

  • Why is this news? (Score:3)

    by Robotech_Master ( 14247 ) on Tuesday January 25, 2000 @07:53AM (#1338555) Homepage Journal
    This is the exact same thing, almost word for word, that the Lucasfilm folks have been saying for months, including the last time this story popped up on Slashdot. Nothing has changed. Are our memories so short that we need these constant "reminders"?

  • I blame society... (Score:3)

    by Rombuu ( 22914 ) on Tuesday January 25, 2000 @06:45AM (#1338556)
    Don't you people know what patients are? Why back in my day we didn't have these DVDs and VCRs, if you wanted to watch a movie again you waited for it to be re-released in the theatres... I'm telling you ever since these "talkies" came out the cinema has been going downhill anyway....

  • The Truth Unveiled (II) (Score:3)

    by Maul ( 83993 ) on Tuesday January 25, 2000 @06:30AM (#1338557) Journal
    More from my 1337 sources...

    Well, Lucas is still hard at work writing Episode II: Jar Jar's revenge. When asked by a reporter, Lucas explained his approach to the movie.

    "I've been working on making sure that there will be a lot of hype around the movie," said Lucas, "I'm expecting to do a lot with Mace Windu this time. He's a badass Mofo. Also, Sideous' new apprentice will be 10 times as cool as Darth Maul, not to mention Boba Fett and the entire army of Darth Maul clones!" Lucas smiled a bit and then continued, "That hype will get them into the theater, of course, but I'll be sure to piss them off when they realize that half of the movie is just more of Jar Jar Binks acting like an idiot! I can't wait to see the faces on all those people who payed for a ticket to see some action, and instead got Jar Jar!"

    When asked about the Original Trilogy on DVD, George Lucas explained his actions to hold back. "Well, we're still waiting for the generation PI players to come out so we can implement some radical changes to the series. First and foremost, I plan on releasing the super-special edition of the first trilogy. This way I can add Jar Jar to those movies as well. Then I can implement my DIVX enhanced type PI features in those DVDs as well, and force people to shell out five bucks per viewing to eliminate Jar Jar entirely from those movies. This is where I wanted to go originally back in 1977, but the technology didn't allow me to do such a thing. Now, thanks to the technology that the generation PI DVD players will provide, I can suck even more money out of these geeks!"

    (Due to recent instances of 1337 hax0rz doing evil things with DVD encryption, the status on the release of the PI generation of DVD players is currently in the air. Until then, Lucas will release at least three more different "versions" of the original trilogy and TPM on VHS, which he expects you all to buy.

    "You ever have that feeling where you're not sure if you're dreaming or awake?"

  • It would be nice.... (Score:3)

    by Denor ( 89982 ) <denor@yahoo.com> on Tuesday January 25, 2000 @08:04AM (#1338558) Homepage
    "Why no Star Wars DVD?"

    I think it would be a truly wonderful thing if the answer to that question was: "Because the DVD consortium is unfairly restricting the use of that format". But, unfortunately, that's not what they said. A lot of the posters here feel it's a trick for money, and that could well be the truth. However, Maybe our small case can be heard. It's probably unlikely, or even impossible, for Lucas to go against the will of the MPAA, but it would be nice for a public figure in the movie industry to let people know what they think. I would love to be able to buy a DVD with a clear conscience. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

  • Be charitable towards Lucasarts (Score:3)

    by luckykaa ( 134517 ) on Tuesday January 25, 2000 @06:35AM (#1338559)
    Personally I think that everyones making far too much noise about this.

    The excuse is that George Lucas wants to spend time on it himself. Any really greedy corporation would just churn out a generic DVD with virtually no features, and then release a "Special Edition" at twice the price after a year, then release a special Boxed set with "Special George Lucas Edition" extra features after Episode 3.

    It is conceivable that George Lucas genuinly doesn't want to release a half baked product.

    Finally, please remember that as he is the creator of Star Wars, he deserves the right to release it as and when he wants. Even if you disagree with it. No-one is forcing you to buy the video.

  • Were you exploited by color TV? (Score:4)

    by Alan Shutko ( 5101 ) on Tuesday January 25, 2000 @06:19AM (#1338560) Homepage
    I can't imagine anyone feeling exploited by DVDs. Here's why:

    * Nobody's forcing you to buy them. I don't know of many movies these days being released on DVD only. They're all DVD and VHS. (Excluding a few old ones like Cannibal Women and the Avocado Jungle of Death, which you would be hard pressed to find at all, if not for DVD.) VHS will be around for a long time, and if it's all you want, stick with it.

    * The image and sound difference is amazing. Watch the same movie in VHS and then DVD. You'll be shocked at what came out of your TV.

    * DVDs have lots of cool things you don't find on VHS tapes, and they're still pretty cheap. (I've been buying them for ~$20, and I haven't been scouting for deals.)

    As it is, if I'm being exploited, EXPLOIT ME MORE!!!

  • Hmm. Sounds familiar. (Score:4)

    by skip277 ( 24541 ) on Tuesday January 25, 2000 @06:44AM (#1338561) Homepage
    The answer is fairly predictable-Lucas hopes to do "something special" and doesn't have the time right now

    Does this sound familiar to anyone (*cough* Slash source *cough*). Maybe Lucas should open source the work on the Star Wars DVD's.

    Skippy

  • just like the Beatles on compact disc in 1987 (Score:4)

    by budcub ( 92165 ) on Tuesday January 25, 2000 @09:01AM (#1338562) Homepage
    This is just like in the mid-late 80's when everyone wanted to get Beatles albums on compact disc but Capital Records was holding out on the release. In 1987 there was a big media hype about the 20 year anniversary of the summer of love, and that's when they started releasing the later beatles records on disc.

    We all want to see Star Wars on DVD, and of course we all want it to be a good transfer, but I don't buy George Lucas explanation. He isn't a Zen master who must wave his hands over the equipment to give a good transfer. If they can make truely excellent DVD transfers of other movies they can do the same thing with Star Wars.

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