Star Wars Blu-rays in the Works

[canofhumdingers]

There’s also several fan made projects of the original unaltered trilogy that rival good studio Blu-rays in quality (and beat the pants off the official Star Wars blus) if you know where to look. Heck, there’s now Star Wars ‘77 and very soon to be Return of the Jedi in full 4K sourced entirely from 35mm film prints scanned on professional equipment. Empire Strikes Back is still a little further on the horizon (due to quality film elements being harder to find since it’s all on rapidly fading Eastman stock), but it is slowly be given the 4K treatment too.

So yeah, it’s not “easy” to obtain. But if you do some legwork, the entire original theatrical trilogy is out there, and now (or soon, in the case of ESB) in amazingly high quality that’s as close as you’ll likely ever get to seeing it in the theater on its original release.

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

Didn't Disney say something about wanting to release the original unaltered prints on BD down the line? I could have sworn I read that some where.

[XvGojira]

Didn't Disney say something about wanting to release the original unaltered prints on BD down the line? I could have sworn I read that some where.

Now that they own Fox (who still had some ties with the first Star Wars) now they can loot Fox's movie vaults for copies of the original print or something.

[O.Supreme]

Thanks for the responses. But, all quality and sources aside, there basically is no reason then for someone to claim they cannot see the original trilogy in it's original form though correct? I just want to squash that myth.

[canofhumdingers]

Thanks for the responses. But, all quality and sources aside, there basically is no reason then for someone to claim they cannot see the original trilogy in it's original form though correct? I just want to squash that myth.

That is correct. The issue is finding the unaltered Original Trilogy. Any official versions are out of print and must be obtained on the second hand market. And these official copies are of poor quality and most are on outdated media formats like laserdisc and VHS. The only somewhat modern version (DVDs sourced from the laserdisc video master) go for exhorbitant prices on the secondary market and still look like crap.

The other option is obtaining one of the fan preservations which requires knowledge that they exist and the determination to track them down and learn how to view them (a technological ladder to climb for some, to be sure).

Neither of these are particularly viable options for the casual layman. So from many people's perspective, they are effectively impossible to see. Even though that's not the literal truth.

[jellydonut25]

yeah, humdingers nailed it. It might not be LITERALLY true that it's impossible, but the average person won't go through the effort...especially as PCs and even laptops are becoming less common as people switch over to tablets and don't have the ability to track down and download and play one of these fan restorations.

It's not IMPOSSIBLE, but there will definitely be an entire generation of Star Wars fans that never sees them unless there winds up being an official release.

[klen7]

The other option is obtaining one of the fan preservations which requires knowledge that they exist and the determination to track them down and learn how to view them (a technological ladder to climb for some, to be sure).

I've literally had two different Star Wars fans ask me (a casual fan that " knows about computers") how to get the fan restoration... i have no idea, i could probably figure it out, but since it's legally dicey I don't touch it.

[O.Supreme]

^ Perfect. Thanks. I guess just because I do own the DVD's that came out 10 years ago, I assume that since something is always with ME it's always available. Which, as has been explained very well is *complicated*. For me personally I'd find a way to get them, if I didn't own these already, but that's just me. I went to great lengths to track down some rare variants of Toho films, and am still working on it. I guess it's just that when anyone someone says that a Film cant be seen, I take that as a challenge. Unless of course it's something like the Japanese King Kong films from the 1930's that truly are lost to time, at least for now.

Still the Toho films we all enjoy are pretty obscure next to Star Wars, arguably one of the most popular film franchises of all time, and to have it's original three films be *difficult* at best to obtain legally, seems odd. Also I don't ever see the day I wont at least have a laptop, or a device that plays physical media of some type.

[Dr Kain]

While I think this whole situation is a farce, since there was no reason to make the theatrical versions so obscure, I do think people over react towards the other versions. Like I don't agree with every change made, especially the Vader no scream in RotJ, but there are some solid additions and corrections made to them, such as the stuff dealing with Cloud City in ESB.

Nevertheless, since we can get 3 different versions of Blade Runner, Army of Darkness, and Touch of Evil on Blu-Ray, there is no reason why we shouldn't have the same with Star Wars.

[Gwangi]

While I think this whole situation is a farce, since there was no reason to make the theatrical versions so obscure, I do think people over react towards the other versions. Like I don't agree with every change made, especially the Vader no scream in RotJ, but there are some solid additions and corrections made to them, such as the stuff dealing with Cloud City in ESB.

Nevertheless, since we can get 3 different versions of Blade Runner, Army of Darkness, and Touch of Evil on Blu-Ray, there is no reason why we shouldn't have the same with Star Wars.

The only improvement i saw in all three re-releases (apart from fixing matte lines) was removing that blot at the bottom of Luke's speeder as he is entering Mos Eisley. Otherwise, none of the new candy Lucas brought was ultimately necessary.

Lucas did state that the "enhanced" versions were now the official editions. With Disney now buying 20th Century's film lot, things could change, but it will probably be a long time before anything happens.

[lhb412]

The only improvement i saw in all three re-releases (apart from fixing matte lines) was removing that blot at the bottom of Luke's speeder as he is entering Mos Eisley. Otherwise, none of the new candy Lucas brought was ultimately necessary.

I liked two insertions in the special edition: Luke meeting up with Biggs before the big battle (edited, I guess, for time and pacing back in the day - but it's a nice little emotional breather moment that pays off during the trench run) and the shots of the Wampa suit in Empire (which were only unused in the original version because the original Wampa suit ended up looking too terrible to use).

[Heiseigodzilla425]

[I've literally had two different Star Wars fans ask me (a casual fan that " knows about computers") how to get the fan restoration... i have no idea, i could probably figure it out, but since it's legally dicey I don't touch it.

While I agree that downloading these can be legally dicey, I think its worth pointing out that LucasFilm (to my knowledge) has not gone after the numerous fan groups that are making these restorations and making them freely available online, nor have I heard of any fans getting in any trouble for acquiring these restorations. I haven't heard of Harmy or Team Negative One getting any C&Ds or anything, and there are plenty of "trailers" for these projects on YouTube, as well as comparison videos between the various cuts, that LucasFilm hasn't removed (yet). I do recall a lot of Star Wars related videos being taken offline after Disney bought LucasFilm, but the amount of Star Wars related content still available, as well as the flow of newly generated content, is staggering to me.

If Disney/LucasFilm ever decides to release the theatrical OT films on Blu-ray, then I think they'll start that process by issuing C&Ds to these restoration groups and trying to take these things offline. Until then, I think its safe to say that we shouldn't expect any sort of official release (though I do hope that Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox will make official releases possible).

[jellydonut25]

^ Perfect. Thanks. I guess just because I do own the DVD's that came out 10 years ago, I assume that since something is always with ME it's always available. Which, as has been explained very well is *complicated*. For me personally I'd find a way to get them, if I didn't own these already, but that's just me. I went to great lengths to track down some rare variants of Toho films, and am still working on it. I guess it's just that when anyone someone says that a Film cant be seen, I take that as a challenge. Unless of course it's something like the Japanese King Kong films from the 1930's that truly are lost to time, at least for now.

Still the Toho films we all enjoy are pretty obscure next to Star Wars, arguably one of the most popular film franchises of all time, and to have it's original three films be *difficult* at best to obtain legally, seems odd. Also I don't ever see the day I wont at least have a laptop, or a device that plays physical media of some type.

Physical media, yeah...I'm talking about people's ability to go through the internet and download a large video file and have the codecs to play it, etc.
That is becoming increasingly rare as people just transition to streaming services and tablets and phones and gaming systems as their only "computers"

[canofhumdingers]

For anyone curious:

phpBB [media]

phpBB [media]

And their YouTube Channel. There’s lots of neat stuff on there if you’re interested in the process of film preservation, the history of changes to Star Wars films over the years, or other film related topics.

[O.Supreme]

Love it. Thanks so much.

[Dr Kain]

While I think this whole situation is a farce, since there was no reason to make the theatrical versions so obscure, I do think people over react towards the other versions. Like I don't agree with every change made, especially the Vader no scream in RotJ, but there are some solid additions and corrections made to them, such as the stuff dealing with Cloud City in ESB.

Nevertheless, since we can get 3 different versions of Blade Runner, Army of Darkness, and Touch of Evil on Blu-Ray, there is no reason why we shouldn't have the same with Star Wars.

The only improvement i saw in all three re-releases (apart from fixing matte lines) was removing that blot at the bottom of Luke's speeder as he is entering Mos Eisley. Otherwise, none of the new candy Lucas brought was ultimately necessary.

Lucas did state that the "enhanced" versions were now the official editions. With Disney now buying 20th Century's film lot, things could change, but it will probably be a long time before anything happens.

Windows were added to the Cloud City building, which makes sense since it's called Cloud City. They would want to have a great view of the clouds. Also, the Ewoks blinking is a nice addition even if it is unneccessary. Oh, and the previously mentioned Biggs scene, which makes the final battle make sense. Never understood why that scene was removed to begin with.

As for Lucas' statement, I used to get what he meant until he kept chainging things like adding "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo" and making it impossible for R2D2 to hide in that one rock area in ANH now.

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if Disney did a Star Wars 1-9 box set in 2020 that included the theatrical versions as an exclusive.

Not only would I love to read the comments from the haters, but it would be funny to see how many of them that trash everything that isn't the OT do buy it.

[H-Man]

Something I hate about all the ‘97 and on versions is the inclusion of special effects that were completely impossible in 1977. It just really draws me out of the movies. Ironically that was Lucas’s goal with the special editions, however, to add shots/characters that he wanted originally but couldn’t accomplish because of the technology. And an added problem with that is that those original scenes as filmed didn’t take those alterations into account. E.g. the Mos Eisley approach scene was not composed to have a bunch of silly creatures in the background. But in ‘97 ILM added them in and cluttered the frame and took the focus off the speeder, which, while boring, is still the emphasis of that shot as it had been filmed. What Lucas should have done is rebuilt that shot up completely from scratch. But even then it would still draw me out of the movie for the reason I mentioned above.

[jellydonut25]

Not only would I love to read the comments from the haters, but it would be funny to see how many of them that trash everything that isn't the OT do buy it.

I'd consider it...and I right now wouldn't watch anything Star Wars other than the OT.

[XvGojira]

I want them to come out with a "Make Your Own Version Edition" Trilogy. After you put the disc in, it gives you all the different edits and you get to choose what and which edits are in "your" version. Want the Cloud City windows but not Luke screaming as he falls? Want the Sarlac bulb and the Ewoks singing yub nub at the end? There you go. It's the best of all worlds.

[jellydonut25]

I want them to come out with a "Make Your Own Version Edition" Trilogy. After you put the disc in, it gives you all the different edits and you get to choose what and which edits are in "your" version. Want the Cloud City windows but not Luke screaming as he falls? Want the Sarlac bulb and the Ewoks singing yub nub at the end? There you go. It's the best of all worlds.

"To hear Vader say "NOOOOOO!" press 1 now."

[william newell]

I want them to come out with a "Make Your Own Version Edition" Trilogy. After you put the disc in, it gives you all the different edits and you get to choose what and which edits are in "your" version. Want the Cloud City windows but not Luke screaming as he falls? Want the Sarlac bulb and the Ewoks singing yub nub at the end? There you go. It's the best of all worlds.

I've got a King Crimson concert DVD which lets you do that with the song, "21st Century Schizoid Man". You select which guitarist, drummer, etc., etc. you wish to hear. And that's just one of the really cool special features on this particular disc. And now, back to "Star Wars"...

[Dr Kain]

I'd consider it...and I right now wouldn't watch anything Star Wars other than the OT.

Sorry you're not interested in fun.

[Jinzo Ningen]

There's a HUGE difference between 'fun' and 'cash-grabbing garbage' - which is what 95% of SW has been since ESB, to be brutally honest..

[jellydonut25]

I'd consider it...and I right now wouldn't watch anything Star Wars other than the OT.

Sorry you're not interested in fun.

I don't like the prequels, and the new films have been consistently diminishing returns (I've legitimately enjoyed each one less than the previous, and The Last Jedi's "answers" to the open-ended moments of The Force Awakens kinda push that film down for me), and the TV shows have been good...but aren't for me. They have too many episodes and are way too episodic and not serialized enough.

I personally don't think anything in the franchise is worth watching aside from the OT.

[Dr Kain]

Frankly, I'm glad Rebels wasn't totally serialized. I've grown bored of serialized series because everyone is doing it now. That is one of the biggest flaws with all of the super hero shows these days. They're all so busy building the plot up for the season finale that they forget to be a show about super heroes rescuing people. Hell, even Doctor Who started to do it, which got a tad annoying. Sometimes I want to just see a nice adventure of the week type story. Not everything needs to build up to something bigger every time. It's one of the reasons "Fly" is one of my top favorite episodes of Breaking Bad. Don't get me wrong, Breaking Bad may be the second greatest TV show ever, but it was nice that there was an episode that was just "filler." Even Voltron Legendary Defender knows to have stand alone episodes from time to time.