Greetings All,
I wanted to give some life to this thread for a couple of reasons, and I don't want to talk just about Blu Rays, but all forms in which the Star Wars Films have been released to home media. Here is a start:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_War ... o_releases.
I was watching some YouTube video the other day, and it dawned on me...The Special Editions that came out in 1997 are now
20 years old.
Many fans have grown up seeing ONLY these versions, and I was somehow oblivious to the fact that the original versions were becoming so scarce. Now this thread is NOT to crap on the Special Editions, or Prequels, or anything else, but just to highlight many of the different releases, perhaps show off our collections, educate fans on which are the *best*, or favorite sources etc... and to highlight the major changes over the years, because it seems professionals and fans alike are getting confused (I saw a video on screen junkies where they believed Gungans were in the Special Edition before Episode I came out, and that is factually wrong...) .
The first thing I would like to do is list the MAJOR CHANGES that have been made over the years. While it's true, here have been almost onstant fiddling with music and audio mixes, sound effects etc... I want to focus on the most dramatic changes and when they occurred. I believe I can norrow it down to 4...
1.
1981 Star Wars theatrical re-release the title "Episode IV A NEW HOPE" is added to the opening crawl, and would be on all subsequent home and theatrical releases except the 1993 Laserdisc and 2006/08 DVD release.
2.
1997 Star Wars Special Edition -The Original Trilogy is re-released in Jan/Feb/March of 1997 theatrically, with new digital effects, deleted scenes etc... and are subsequently released on VHS (in both standard and Widescreen) VHS box sets later that same year.
3.
2004 Star Wars Original Trilogy DVD Release For the first time, the Original Trilogy is released on DVD. This set contains *enhancements* to some of the digital effects and sound/music from the 1997 Special Editions
4.
2011 Star Wars Complete Saga on Blu Ray For the first time, all 6 films are released on Blu ray, however Episode I features some enhancements from the 3D re-release (such as CG Yoda), and the Original Trilogy received additional cut scenes and minor digital effects upgrades and audio changes.
So, did I miss any major changes? Im mostly documenting all this, because as time goes on, I'm sure my memory will start to get sketchy as well
. For me personally, here is my media Library of SW films:
This came out in 1990, and I remember getting it in 92/93. I still have it, and am glad that I do. It was the first time all 3 films were sold in a set, and is dubiously absent from Wookiepedia's media page 9although it does have the altered episode IV opening crawl).
The First Release of the Special Editions in August 1997. I got the "widescreen" versions because that was a big deal back then
. There is a charm to the unfinished look especially of Jabba in ANH, and especially since they again changed it later in 2004.
-I've had a few different versions of the SW films on DVD over the years, but these are the ones I have currently. I consider them to be the best available because The Original Trilogy has both the Special Edition with enhancements from 2004, and the ORIGINAL Theatrical release, as well as the Prequels. For me, THIS is the whole package and it doesn't get any better.
Now I know the films have been released on Blu Ray at least twice, but I have refrained, simply because of the lack of an original Theatrical Edition. Sure I know bootlegs and super-fan edits are out there, but I'll wait for the genuine Article. Additionally I've never seen any of these films on Blu Ray so I'm not sure how good they look, or if the additional content would really stand out. Still it's hard to believe its been almost 10 years now since the original theatrical editions have been released on DVD. I had no idea they were so scarce, but now , more than ever, am glad that I do have them.
If ever the Complete Saga (or even all 9 films when the new Trilogy is done) are released say....on 4K, or whatever the newest format is, I'd buy them IF, and only if, they contain the Original Theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy as additional content.
There are no more good TV Shows, only ones that haven't disappointed me yet.