From the editor that brought you Deleted Magic …
Star Wars: Classic Edition.
It’s the original version of Star Wars, not the way it was, but the way you remember it.
My source was the 2004 DVD, and the original TR47 (Cowclops) transfer.
I wanted to create an Original Trilogy Star Wars disc that would look as good as the 2004 DVD, and have a new sound mix taken from the 93 laserdisc mix, with elements of the mono mix mixed in.
In short, my own ideal version of the original Star Wars - the only version I need. I think some of you might agree with that.
The disc is presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, with Dolby Digital sound.
The 2004 DVD image has been slightly color corrected to be brighter overall.
All Special Edition elements have been removed, even Biggs. If you want to see Biggs or Jabba, you’d best pop in our supplemental disc - I think it’s called Deleted Magic. =)
The opening crawl does not say “A New Hope” - it is a reconstruction done earlier for Deleted Magic. The opening shot has been restored to its former pre-2004 glory by Shadowman, also from Deleted Magic.
There are a couple of VERY MINOR fixes from the 2004 DVD that I have let stay in. Only a very sharp-eyed viewer will notice them.
Original Trilogy shots have been edited in from the old TR47 (Cowclops) transfer, from the 1993 Definitive Collection laserdisc.
In normal cases, the shot has simply been dropped in in the appropriate place, and is not jarring.
In other cases, Special Edition material has been literally painted out of the frame, combining the laserdisc image and the 2004 DVD image in the same frame. This results in a sharper image overall. Rontos and CGI Dewbacks were removed in Mos Eisley, Luke’s Binary Sunset was restored to its original shape, and wipes/dissolves were carefully created so that 1977 elements could wipe to 2004 ones. Using a tiny dissolve to add some extra footage of Han talking, the Greedo scene was restored to its original timing.
The 1993 laserdisc mix is the source of the soundtrack, apart from several lines of dialogue which have been taken instead from the 1977 mono mix … a 1985 (?) PAL TV airing of the film in the UK was used for these. The sound is quite clear but has a slight tape hiss on it which you’ll notice if listening closely. In some cases, the lines used are so quick that you won’t be able to notice that tape hiss at all.
From mono mix:
- All Beru lines
- Stormtrooper: “It’s secure, move on to the next one.”
- C3PO: “The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations …”
- Stormtrooper: “Close the blast doors!”
- Luke: “Blast it, Wedge, where are you?”
The mono mix was considered definitive at the time, so I thought it was appropriate to include the most notable changes from it, the final mix ever done back in 1977.
I had to do a new sound mix specifically for this version, because for whatever reason, the frame count is not exactly the same as in TR47’s - it should be, as the timing is the same, but it isn’t. Something about the 2004 DVD versus the 1993 laserdisc - I had to make some really minor trims and extensions in the sound (2 frames here, 2 frames there) to keep it in sync throughout.
These JPEG screenshots are slightly compressed, doesn’t quite do this nice transfer justice. I have one very minor regret about this transfer - I had to edit it in Final Cut Pro as 16:9 miniDV … if you know miniDV, you know that the color encoding in that otherwise lossless format is slightly poor, resulting in a blockiness around pure reds and pure blues. This can’t be seen on a TV screen usually, only on a computer. You can see this on the Binary Sunset screenshot at bottom.
Opening logos are from Empire of Dreams.
Menus and opening animations were created especially for this disc by me - I’ve used them to lead into a slightly altered version of some of the the menus from the official DVDs, which I thought was appropriate for this disc considering.
The disc opens with a montage of characters against Stars, covered by a big Star Wars logo which recedes into the distance and says “Classic Edition.”
The edit is now done. I am encoding the edit to M2V for DVD use now - the next step is to burn a test disc and see how my edits look on a TV. I have to fiddle with the menus a bit, and then - done.
This was done for my own personal amusement. It should be done this week-ish and start floating around in the usual way.
Enjoy, folks.
My email remains: *****.
Ocpmovie Star Wars DVD release list:
1 - Deleted Magic
2 - Return of the Ewok and Other Little Films
3 - Special Edition Hype
4 - Star Wars Classic Edition
If anyone does a custom cover for this, I would recommend using Poster D - the Carnival type poster. It’s my favorite. Wish I had a good scan of it actually. It should continue off from the Style D poster to look like the back is wrapped in brown paper, a la Fight Club.
Cheers.