MrJoker said:

As you can see, Oola still falls out!

fantasyislander said:

I will be starting my "Tribute To Slave Leia" thread real soon!

From a recent Associated Press interview with the man himself, George Lucas:

AP: Why did you rework the original trilogy into the special-edition versions in the late 1990s?

Lucas: To me, the special edition ones are the films I wanted to make. Anybody that makes films knows the film is never finished. It's abandoned or it's ripped out of your hands, and it's thrown into the marketplace, never finished. It's a very rare experience where you find a filmmaker who says, "That's exactly what I wanted. I got everything I needed. I made it just perfect. I'm going to put it out there." And even most artists, most painters, even composers would want to come back and redo their work now. They've got a new perspective on it, they've got more resources, they have better technology, and they can fix or finish the things that were never done. ... I wanted to actually finish the film the way it was meant to be when I was originally doing it. At the beginning, people went, "Don't you like it?" I said, "Well, the film only came out to be 25 or 30 percent of what I wanted it to be." They said, "What are you talking about?" So finally, I stopped saying that, but if you read any interviews for about an eight- or nine-year period there, it was all about how disappointed I was and how unhappy I was and what a dismal experience it was. You know, it's too bad you need to get kind of half a job done and never get to finish it. So this was my chance to finish it.

AP: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?

Lucas: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it. ... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore. It's like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be. I'm the one who has to take responsibility for it. I'm the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they're going to throw rocks at me, they're going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good, or at least something I think is not finished.

I think that just about sums it up.

HMV are doing a limited edition gold box set 30.000 only made. hmm maybe not so limited but the first time lucas enterprises has authorised such a thing, so thats that and it is the same price as the silver box, but will be worth some money in the future..

Lucas said:

I truly respect that.

damnedifido said:

The gold box set is full-screen instead of widescreen. Screw that!

OdysseyMiles said:

I do as well. Only problem is, folks DID fall in love with those films in that configuration, and remember them as such. I have NO problem whatsoever with him wanting the special editions to be considered the definitive films, but I DO think he should make the originals available (much like the Alien Quadrilogy box set did. THAT'S the way to do it, IMHO).

In the end, I think this is part of Lucas' marketing plan. He releases these, then later (perhaps when the 30th anniversary rolls around?) he releases another box set with the theatrical versions. He can then claim he is giving in to "fan demand". Now, some will bitch about this, but hey! Its supply and demand, right? Lucas isn't forcing anyone to buy his stuff. Personally, I plan on buying these, then later I'll get a friend to make a DVD copy off his laserdiscs! Lucas is getting my cash for these DVDs, and lord knows I've sent enough his way over the years!!!

JediMaster said:

is it?. where u c that/.hmm have 2 check that 1 out.....

damnedifido said:

Saw it on Amazon. Gold is Full Screen, Silver is Wide Screen!

This actually makes sense, since they did the same thing with the VHS release of the special editions.

I hope these changes are a joke.

I've been waiting since the invention of DVDs to have these great movies.

But if I find out these changes are for real... I seriously will not buy these. I'll do like Lucas said and go watch my VHS versions.

LovesexyIsThe1 said:

Well, best break out your VHS, because the changes are QUITE real.

LovesexyIsThe1 said:

OH COME ON

THAT COOLEST LOOKING DVD BOX EVER!

POOK said:

I agree! It looks pretty rockin', and most of the changes are actually good! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

To be honest, most of the new 'changes' (with the exception of the new Emperor sequence
in Empire, and Hayden's appearance in Jedi) are really just very minor tweaks. Most people
wouldn't even notice that there's been any changes.

IMO there's still plenty of stuff that could be improved with even more changes. The films still
tread a strange balancing act between new special effects and the old original ones, and to be
frank, there's a few old effects in there which could really do with replacing.

What I'd like to see Lucas do is really go the whole hog and replace ALL the old effects with
CGI replacements. But at the same time make the original cuts of the movies available too
(like the 3 disc E.T. special edition).

I've ordered my set through Amazon.com for $41.99. Looks like one of the best deals out there, and free shipping.

JediMaster said:

I dont know where you got that info from but its wrong, it is wide screen

JediMaster said:

amazon know jack shit, go on to HMV website

AND WHAT ABOUT..

The scene on Bespin when Vader says something to the effect of "Prepare my shuttle" after having dealt with Luke. When I heard this line it sounded like it had been delivered by some $2 Vader inpersonator you'd find at a movie premiere.

I hope they've corrected this error.

damnedifido said:

OK let me straighten this up...

damnedifido, you're obviously from the UK (which is why there's some confusion here).

Lucasfilm have followed the same color scheme as they did with the VHS release of the
Star Wars Trilogy for the it's worldwide release on DVD...

Silver Box = Widescreen

Gold Box = Full Screen (or crappy old pan & scan, as I like to call it)

Now the exception to this rule is the UK, where only the Widescreen edition is being released.
So there is no regular Gold/Full Screen edition in the UK.

However, HMV UK have negotiated a run 30,000 Gold boxes for their initial scale-out of
(widescreen) Star Wars Trilogy box sets (as an incentive to get customers to buy it from
them rather than anyone else). It's only the outer box that is gold, so the DVD cases inside
are still silver like they should be.

Hope that clears it up.

LovesexyIsThe1 said:

The changes are for real.
(I know, I've had a copy for a few days now)

Though as I said earlier, with the exception of the new Emperor scene in Empire and the
addition of Hayden as Anakin's ghost in Jedi, I doubt anybody would really notice that
there have been any extra changes since the VHS release.

Oh, and I might have been wrong about 'all' the lightsaber effects being updated. The bit in
A New Hope where Luke is fighting the remote still looks pretty flickery and old. It's more like
they've 'upped' the brightness on the lightsabers on most shots rather than completely
re-done them. But they've fixed all the 'lightsaber anomalies' in the Obi-Wan / Vader fight.

BorisFishpaw said:

Thanks Boris! You rock!!!

papaa said:

Hmmm, I've never felt this way (and, if I'm not mistaken, it is JEJ that says the line. I think I remember reading that they used a vocal out-take from ROTJ for that scene)

JediMaster said:

You're right, it was JEJ though I prefer the original line of Vader saying "Bring my shuttle!" where he sounds like he's really pissed off instead of the line in the special edition where he's more subdued.

Here's another review on AICN:

http://www.aintitcoolnews...i?id=18417

MrJoker said:

I thought so. I do prefer the original line as well, but only us geeks will even notice (hell, most of the changes will only be noticed by us!!!)

This ones for Fantasyislander (from the Film Threat link. quoted in the article):



and this bit:



and this:




and one more:


Damned Ewoks!!!

JediMaster said:

"The 'Celebration Scene' that closes Jedi now features a shot of Gungans dancing funkily on the rooftops of Naboo, one of them shouting, I shit you not, 'Weesa free!'"

MrJoker said:

Yes, I'm afraid this is true too.
(though actually it's not that bad... I didn't notice it the first time I watched it)

The main thing that struck me about this DVD release as a whole is the amazing picture
quality, and all the color balancing and correcting that's been done. All the colors are just so
much more vibrant, and the color balance in some of the process shots has been improved
tremendously.

I noticed it particularly on scenes like the Rancor bit. Where before there were a few noticable
matt lines and certain shots looked like Luke was in front of a large back-projection of the
Rancor. Now both Luke and the Rancor have the same depth of color and contrast, making
it all much more believable. A similar improvement is noticable on shots where you're looking
out of a spaceship's cockpit into the star field...the black of space seems, well, 'blacker'.

A good part of the reason that it IS a household word is because of the people like this guy who go on and on about how they hate Ewoks and have to keep reminding us.