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4K restoration on Star Wars — Page 199

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 (Edited)

SilverWook said:

Third revision:

Dear Disney and Lucasfilm,

Today is the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, the film that started it all. Yet, where is that film? No, not the special editon, the original 1977 film. The one we grew up with. The one we saw more times than any other film before or since. The film that changed our lives forever.

Whether young or old, whether we saw it in a theater or on home video, it prompted a desire in some of us to make movies or tell stories of our own. George Lucas lit a spark that remains within us today.

One thing we all share are the memories of where and with whom we saw Star Wars, and even of shooting down imaginary TIE fighters out the back window of the car on the way home. For others, it was a brightly shining light in the middle of a turbulent childhood. If Luke and his friends could triumph over their trials, maybe we could too.

All these years later, we would love to revisit the Original Trilogy that we remember, to recapture those memories of a long time ago, in a movie theater or living room far far away. Those of us with families want to be able to show our kids exactly what we saw when we were their age and relive it with them. It should be such a simple thing to do.

Only it isn’t.

We’re limited in our choices to outdated video formats that are increasingly difficult to obtain and inch closer to extinction each year. And the now out of print bonus DVDs from 2006, which utilize ancient video transfers from 1993, are hardly better, if one can find them at all.

None of us ever imagined as kids that these historic versions might fade from memory, ultimately, disappearing from the collective consciousness altogether. To the point where CGI scenes created in 1997 are now mistaken for the innovative groundbreaking FX technology of the 1970’s. Film history is being obscured, if not rewritten. We live in an era in which even “bad” movies are respected enough to be meticulously restored and made publically available. Shouldn’t a movie as loved and as culturally significant as Star Wars deserve the same treatment in it’s original form?

We don’t bemoan the Special Edition’s existence. It simply isn’t the version of the trilogy we fell in love with. The Original Original Trilogy, or OOT, deserves to be seen in the absolute best quality afforded by modern cinema and 21st-century home video formats so that it can be loved again by all.

There is room for all versions of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of The Jedi to coexist. And we want to give you our money for them; we really do! Please give us that opportunity. At least give us hope that we will be able to do so soon. Some of us aren’t getting any younger! That is all we ask.

Sincerely yours,
The Staff and Members of Originaltrilogy.com

I like it! I think it’s almost there.

Here’s my take:

Dear Disney and Lucasfilm,

Today is the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, the film that started it all. Yet, where is that film? No, not the Special Edition, the original 1977 film. The one that the world fell in love with; the film that changed movies, and our lives, forever.

Whether young or old, whether we saw it in a theater or on home video, it prompted a desire in some of us to make movies or tell stories of our own. George Lucas lit a spark that remains within us today.

One thing we all share are the memories of where and with whom we saw Star Wars, whether it was shooting down imaginary TIE fighters out the back window of the car on the way home, or whether it was a bright light in the middle of a turbulent childhood. If Luke and his friends could triumph over their trials, maybe we could too.

All these years later, we would love to revisit the Original Trilogy that we remember, to recapture those memories of a long time ago, in a movie theater or living room far far away. Those of us with families want to be able to show our kids exactly what we saw when we were their age and relive it with them. It should be such a simple thing to do.

Only it isn’t.

We’re limited in our choices to outdated video formats that are increasingly difficult to obtain and inch closer to extinction each year. The last time the originals were available for purchase was on the now out-of-print bonus DVDs from 2006, which themselves were a product of video transfers from 1993!

None of us could have imagined that these historic versions might fade from memory. It has gotten to the point where digital effects created in 1997 are frequently mistaken for the groundbreaking model work of the 1970’s. In a very real sense, film history is being erased. We live in an era in which even “bad” movies are respected enough to be meticulously restored and made publicly available. Shouldn’t a movie as beloved and as culturally significant as Star Wars get the same treatment?

We believe that both the Original Unaltered Trilogy and George Lucas’s Special Editions deserve to be seen in the absolute best quality afforded by modern cinema and 21st-century home video formats, so that both versions can be loved again by all.

There is room for all versions of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of The Jedi to coexist. And we want to give you our money for them! Please give us that opportunity. At least give us hope that we will be able to do so soon. Some of us aren’t getting any younger! That is all we ask.

Sincerely yours,
The Staff and Members of Originaltrilogy.com

You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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rpvee said:

I agree with those who have said the letter should focus less on the impact the films had on viewers during their original runs, and more on the legacy of the films themselves. Those award winning elements, such as the sound and visual effects, have been tampered with or erased. Crucial parts of American cinematic history have been replaced with more modern technologies with no acknowledgement of what came before (not to mention, I saw a great post somewhere that pointed out how the CGI used to replace the practical effects has dated far worse than the original effects did). And I do think citing Lucas’ words about preserving films is important here.

How about something like this? Rough, but at least an idea…

"Dear Lucasfilm and Disney,

In March, 1988, a visionary film director stood before the United States Congress with a plea. This man had overseen the creation of a series of films that in just five short years, had become legendary installments in American cinematic history. He had seen his vision fulfilled, had made his fortune, and could have used his influence in many ways, yet he chose to use that power before Congress to speak on the importance of preserving the history his own trilogy had become a part of.

“Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder,” this director claimed. “It will soon be possible to create a new ‘original’ negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires. The copyright holders, so far, have not been completely diligent in preserving the original negatives of films they control.” His name was George Lucas, and his own contribution to the legacy of American cinema was known as the Star Wars trilogy.

Despite Lucas’ words, that legendary trilogy has indeed been altered in our own modern day, with the original versions of those films unavailable for purchase, and unrecognized by the very studio that produced them. Digital effects from the late 1990’s, that grow weaker in appearance with every passing year, have replaced the Academy Award winning practical effects that thrilled audiences worldwide from 1977 to 1983 (and still could today). The experiences that were had in theaters during those original theatrical releases inspired generations of people, sparked the imaginations of children who would go on to become today’s great filmmakers, and provided a true sense of wonder and escapism from whatever troubles plagued those who sought refuge for a couple glorious hours in a galaxy far, far away.

We fans of the original, unaltered Star Wars trilogy (affectionately called the “OUT” for short) do not expect, or necessarily want, the digitally enhanced “Special Edition” versions of the trilogy to be removed from official canon, as the ever expanding Star Wars universe depends on elements found in those versions, and vice-versa. What we do want, however, is for the “OUT” to receive a proper and thorough restoration to the highest standards possible with today’s technology. Furthermore, we would like this restoration to be released to honor such important entries in the great chronology of developments in American cinema, and to rekindle the tremendous amounts of nostalgia that would come with such a release for so many who would gladly purchase it.

To forever pretend that the only available versions of the Star Wars trilogy are the only worthy representations of the films’ contributions to film making history, with their digital enhancements, is a true injustice to the groundbreaking innovations made in 1977, 1980, and 1983. We hope that you realize this, and right this creative wrong by acknowledging and honoring these legendary parts of American culture.

Thank you, and with much respect,

The members of OriginalTrilogy.com, and Star Wars fans worldwide"

Thoughts?

Anyone? 😕

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As I said before, invoking Lucas is a double edged sword, as his words have been used before, and he’s not on the best terms with Disney after the “white slavers” comment.

Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:

As I said before, invoking Lucas is a double edged sword, as his words have been used before, and he’s not on the best terms with Disney after the “white slavers” comment.

Wasn’t he given some kind of Disney legends honor thing after that? And he’s been at the movie premiers and Celebration. I think they’re okay now.

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crissrudd4554 said:

JawsTDS said:

crissrudd4554 said:

It’s been pointed out on numerous occasions that it appears that the general public does not care one way or another about the changes. This may be true but I honestly don’t understand how this affects the chances of a future OUT release.

If they don’t care about the changes, then what’s the point of even reverting them? That costs money.

An OUT restoration is gonna sell better than a mere restored version of the same print of the SEs. It’s already a general consensus that people are fine with the BDs as is. If Disney/Lucasfilm intends to keep the market open to those films they’re gonna have to do more than simply restore the same SE.

This is why I’m convinced we’ll see an official OOT restoration when the time comes for a UHD release at the absolute latest. Not as many fans will pay for the SE yet again just so they can watch it at a higher resolution and with HDR. Lucasfilm will need to incentivize it a little, and what better time to do an all-versions set than the 4k release?

They could do an unaltered release on regular blu in the meantime, maybe even package it with a new transfer of the SE from the RMW 4k master instead of recycling the 2011 discs (which still use the 2004 master) yet again. But I feel like they’re not going to do that because they know many who’d buy it probably wouldn’t buy it again in a few years on 4k. Plus they’d have to share more of the profits with Fox whereas I-VI probably won’t hit 4k until 2020 at the earliest anyway. Better to wait and use the OOT to incentivize a UHD release.

They could still put it out on regular blu the same day, for those people who really don’t plan on ever upgrading beyond regular blu. Kind of like how the Blade Runner set was released on both dvd and the hd formats on the same day in 2007. Ditto for Close Encounters that same year with dvd and blu-ray.

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Fang zei I think you are right about incentive to buy again on UHD 4K HDR whatever it will be…

I think your short version SilverWook is outstanding love the Brazil reference.

JawsTDS is right about removing emotional involvement but I can imagine even in the coldest executive boardroom concerning any movie it is hard to remove emotion from how you feel about a film.

The bottom line is it is something important that needs to be done, it is now a matter of how and when not so much if.

BTW Fang my spell check calls you Fang Zeitgeist

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My “2 cents” :

SilverWook said:

Third revision:

Dear Disney and Lucasfilm,

Wouldn’t “Dear Disney, dear Lucasfilm” be better? To me an even better version would be
"Dear Lucasfilm, dear Disney" or maybe even “Dear Mr. Iger, Dear Ms. Kennedy” or something like that.

Today is the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, the film that started it all. Yet, where is that film? No, not the special editon, the original 1977 film. The one we grew up with. The one we saw more times than any other film before or since. The film that changed our lives forever.

I personally don’t like “Yet, where is that film?”. I would personally recommend it with something like “Yet, why can’t we watch the film at home?” or something similar. The first sentence sounds like you’re curious about the film, it sounds like you’re suggesting they’re not treating their property correctly which is not something a “boss” of a multi million dollar company like to read.

Whether young or old, whether we saw it in a theater or on home video, it prompted a desire in some of us to make movies or tell stories of our own. George Lucas lit a spark that remains within us today.

One thing we all share are the memories of where and with whom we saw Star Wars, and even of shooting down imaginary TIE fighters out the back window of the car on the way home. For others, it was a brightly shining light in the middle of a turbulent childhood. If Luke and his friends could triumph over their trials, maybe we could too.

All these years later, we would love to revisit the Original Trilogy that we remember, to recapture those memories of a long time ago, in a movie theater or living room far far away. Those of us with families want to be able to show our kids exactly what we saw when we were their age and relive it with them. It should be such a simple thing to do.

Now this is a bit confusing. In the previous paragraph(s) you talk about the 1977 movie, but now you jump to the original trilogy without any connection.

Only it isn’t.

We’re limited in our choices to outdated video formats that are increasingly difficult to obtain and inch closer to extinction each year. And the now out of print bonus DVDs from 2006, which utilize ancient video transfers from 1993, are hardly better, if one can find them at all.

“Ancient video transfers” sounds very “snobby”. What about something like “dated video transfers”, or “transfers which were already dated”?

None of us ever imagined as kids that these historic versions might fade from memory, ultimately, disappearing from the collective consciousness altogether. To the point where CGI scenes created in 1997 are now mistaken for the innovative groundbreaking FX technology of the 1970’s. Film history is being obscured, if not rewritten. We live in an era in which even “bad” movies are respected enough to be meticulously restored and made publically available. Shouldn’t a movie as loved and as culturally significant as Star Wars deserve the same treatment in it’s original form?

I don’t remember who are you targeting it to, but if I can recommend don’t use “FX” or similar “jargon”.

Also “publically” is a word that my spellchecker does not recognize. In American English it is supposed to be “publicly” (at least according to my spellcheck plugin).

We don’t bemoan the Special Edition’s existence. It simply isn’t the version of the trilogy we fell in love with. The Original Original Trilogy, or OOT, deserves to be seen in the absolute best quality afforded by modern cinema and 21st-century home video formats so that it can be loved again by all.

Again, not sure who should read this “open letter” but I would avoid nerdy terms like “original original trilogy”. What about something like “The original trilogy deserves to be seen in the original unaltered form and in the absolute best quality afforded by modern cinema and 21st century home video formats…”

There is room for all versions of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of The Jedi to coexist. And we want to give you our money for them; we really do! Please give us that opportunity. At least give us hope that we will be able to do so soon. Some of us aren’t getting any younger! That is all we ask.

I’m not sure if it’s worth to give here some examples of movies with multiple versions on one disc, or not.

Sincerely yours,
The Staff and Members of Originaltrilogy.com

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The short version is looking better to me all the time. 😉

Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

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 (Edited)

pittrek said:

My “2 cents” :

SilverWook said:

Third revision:

Dear Disney and Lucasfilm,

Wouldn’t “Dear Disney, dear Lucasfilm” be better? To me an even better version would be
"Dear Lucasfilm, dear Disney" or maybe even “Dear Mr. Iger, Dear Ms. Kennedy” or something like that.

Today is the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, the film that started it all. Yet, where is that film? No, not the special editon, the original 1977 film. The one we grew up with. The one we saw more times than any other film before or since. The film that changed our lives forever.

I personally don’t like “Yet, where is that film?”. I would personally recommend it with something like “Yet, why can’t we watch the film at home?” or something similar. The first sentence sounds like you’re curious about the film, it sounds like you’re suggesting they’re not treating their property correctly which is not something a “boss” of a multi million dollar company like to read.

Whether young or old, whether we saw it in a theater or on home video, it prompted a desire in some of us to make movies or tell stories of our own. George Lucas lit a spark that remains within us today.

One thing we all share are the memories of where and with whom we saw Star Wars, and even of shooting down imaginary TIE fighters out the back window of the car on the way home. For others, it was a brightly shining light in the middle of a turbulent childhood. If Luke and his friends could triumph over their trials, maybe we could too.

All these years later, we would love to revisit the Original Trilogy that we remember, to recapture those memories of a long time ago, in a movie theater or living room far far away. Those of us with families want to be able to show our kids exactly what we saw when we were their age and relive it with them. It should be such a simple thing to do.

Now this is a bit confusing. In the previous paragraph(s) you talk about the 1977 movie, but now you jump to the original trilogy without any connection.

Only it isn’t.

We’re limited in our choices to outdated video formats that are increasingly difficult to obtain and inch closer to extinction each year. And the now out of print bonus DVDs from 2006, which utilize ancient video transfers from 1993, are hardly better, if one can find them at all.

“Ancient video transfers” sounds very “snobby”. What about something like “dated video transfers”, or “transfers which were already dated”?

None of us ever imagined as kids that these historic versions might fade from memory, ultimately, disappearing from the collective consciousness altogether. To the point where CGI scenes created in 1997 are now mistaken for the innovative groundbreaking FX technology of the 1970’s. Film history is being obscured, if not rewritten. We live in an era in which even “bad” movies are respected enough to be meticulously restored and made publically available. Shouldn’t a movie as loved and as culturally significant as Star Wars deserve the same treatment in it’s original form?

I don’t remember who are you targeting it to, but if I can recommend don’t use “FX” or similar “jargon”.

Also “publically” is a word that my spellchecker does not recognize. In American English it is supposed to be “publicly” (at least according to my spellcheck plugin).

We don’t bemoan the Special Edition’s existence. It simply isn’t the version of the trilogy we fell in love with. The Original Original Trilogy, or OOT, deserves to be seen in the absolute best quality afforded by modern cinema and 21st-century home video formats so that it can be loved again by all.

Again, not sure who should read this “open letter” but I would avoid nerdy terms like “original original trilogy”. What about something like “The original trilogy deserves to be seen in the original unaltered form and in the absolute best quality afforded by modern cinema and 21st century home video formats…”

There is room for all versions of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of The Jedi to coexist. And we want to give you our money for them; we really do! Please give us that opportunity. At least give us hope that we will be able to do so soon. Some of us aren’t getting any younger! That is all we ask.

I’m not sure if it’s worth to give here some examples of movies with multiple versions on one disc, or not.

Sincerely yours,
The Staff and Members of Originaltrilogy.com

I agree with most of your suggestions, in fact they are implemented in my previous post 😉

SilverWook said:

The short version is looking better to me all the time. 😉

Why not both?

You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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NeverarGreat said:

I agree with most of your suggestions, in fact they are implemented in my previous post 😉

Yeah, I reacted immediately after reading Silverwook’s comment without reading your response first 😃

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Just an idea, but do we think it’s worth telling them exactly what we would want to see included in an ideal release?

What I’m picturing would mirror the Blade Runner set rather closely, with the final version (plus a few “final” surprises if that rumor about Han shooting first again has any weight) on disc one and the unaltered version on disc three. For ANH, the '81 crawl should be branched in as an option on the unaltered disc.

The middle disc could be the '97 version (timed to how it actually looked in '97) with the '04 and '11 edits branched in. The '04/'11 changes are few and far enough between that I feel like they could be easily branched if the disc is primarily the '97 version. It would provide interesting historical context like the three different versions of the Krayt dragon call, Boba Fett’s voice, different Emperor hologram and cgi Jabba, and Luke’s scream in ESB.

I’d settle for just the '97 version’s inclusion without '04 and '11 but I really do think '97 should be there. It’s the version that started this whole debate in the first place and it was shown in theaters in a major re-release.

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Fang Zei said:

Just an idea, but do we think it’s worth telling them exactly what we would want to see included in an ideal release?

What I’m picturing would mirror the Blade Runner set rather closely, with the final version (plus a few “final” surprises if that rumor about Han shooting first again has any weight) on disc one and the unaltered version on disc three. For ANH, the '81 crawl should be branched in as an option on the unaltered disc.

The middle disc could be the '97 version (timed to how it actually looked in '97) with the '04 and '11 edits branched in. The '04/'11 changes are few and far enough between that I feel like they could be easily branched if the disc is primarily the '97 version. It would provide interesting historical context like the three different versions of the Krayt dragon call, Boba Fett’s voice, different Emperor hologram and cgi Jabba, and Luke’s scream in ESB.

I’d settle for just the '97 version’s inclusion without '04 and '11 but I really do think '97 should be there. It’s the version that started this whole debate in the first place and it was shown in theaters in a major re-release.

Disc 1 - 1977/1981 versions via seamless branching + trailers and TV spots
Disc 2 - 1997 SE + 1997 trailers and TV spots, plus all 1997 TV specials/promos
Disc 3 - 2004/2011 versions via seamless branching
Disc 4 - deleted and alternate scenes, Making of, Holiday special, maybe a new docu?

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I think disc 2 should be 1997 / 2004 / 2011.

Who is honestly going to miss the way 2004 and 2011 looks?

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pittrek said:

Fang Zei said:

Just an idea, but do we think it’s worth telling them exactly what we would want to see included in an ideal release?

What I’m picturing would mirror the Blade Runner set rather closely, with the final version (plus a few “final” surprises if that rumor about Han shooting first again has any weight) on disc one and the unaltered version on disc three. For ANH, the '81 crawl should be branched in as an option on the unaltered disc.

The middle disc could be the '97 version (timed to how it actually looked in '97) with the '04 and '11 edits branched in. The '04/'11 changes are few and far enough between that I feel like they could be easily branched if the disc is primarily the '97 version. It would provide interesting historical context like the three different versions of the Krayt dragon call, Boba Fett’s voice, different Emperor hologram and cgi Jabba, and Luke’s scream in ESB.

I’d settle for just the '97 version’s inclusion without '04 and '11 but I really do think '97 should be there. It’s the version that started this whole debate in the first place and it was shown in theaters in a major re-release.

Disc 1 - 1977/1981 versions via seamless branching + trailers and TV spots
Disc 2 - 1997 SE + 1997 trailers and TV spots, plus all 1997 TV specials/promos
Disc 3 - 2004/2011 versions via seamless branching
Disc 4 - deleted and alternate scenes, Making of, Holiday special, maybe a new docu?

Disc 5 - The ‘lost cut’ work print, to truly mirror the BLADE RUNNER set.

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SilverWook said:

The short version is looking better to me all the time. 😉

Editing by committee is fun, no? 😉

Actually when I saw your short version, I thought, that is what the tweet needs to be, then link to this site, with the long letter as the new landing page.

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dahmage said:

SilverWook said:

The short version is looking better to me all the time. 😉

Editing by committee is fun, no? 😉

Actually when I saw your short version, I thought, that is what the tweet needs to be, then link to this site, with the long letter as the new landing page.

I like that idea. Great Success!

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Ronster said:

I think disc 2 should be 1997 / 2004 / 2011.

Who is honestly going to miss the way 2004 and 2011 looks?

This is exactly what I was going to say in my post.

The 04/11 color timing doesn’t need to be preserved. We already know they did a fresh 4k scan of the o-neg, with is conformed to the '97 version already. They might as well include it. But the 97/04/11 preference thread got me thinking that some people might end up preferring '04 or '11 over all other versions, and since there really weren’t too many changes done specifically for 04 and 11 it shouldn’t be too complicated to branch the changes in. However, I say that knowing there are some very subtle differences they might miss. For example, which version did they digitally fix Piett and the other officer’s insignia so it was on the correct side in the flipped shot toward the end of ESB? Because I honestly couldn’t tell you now if that was 97 or 04. That’s why including the 97 version takes priority for me over branching in 04 and 11. I’d rather have them include 97 exactly as it was and lose 04/11 than have them screw something up trying to include the different versions.

Of course, I say all of this knowing full well there is little chance they will even include 97. That story about Han shooting first again may be complete BS,* so the 2011 version might really be the final version. They could have easily ported over those changes when they went back and rescanned the 97-conformed o-neg for this newer 4k master we’ve been hearing about. If we get the unaltereds on blu/UHD, it will probably have the original version and the final versions on separate discs and that’s it. They probably won’t bother branching in the '81 crawl on the unaltered disc for ANH either, and that wouldn’t be a deal breaker. The original version of the crawl from those first four years when Star Wars took the world by storm obviously takes preference over the one that says “Episode IV: A New Hope.”

*Still, I’m really, really curious just what exactly Devin Faraci’s unnamed source inside Lucasfilm saw to lead to such a rumor. It really wouldn’t surprise me if it turned out to be true. I’d say it’s still considered the most egregious change that’s been made to these movies. Even George seems to realize this if his wearing the “Han Shot First” shirt on the set of Crystal Skull means anything at all. Also, wasn’t that shot further tweaked in both 04 and 11? Maybe he finally gave up on it. I can’t see him reversing many other changes, not that he hasn’t done it before (Luke’s scream in ESB). But I could see him fixing some vfx mistakes that still linger in the 2011 version. Some pretty blatant errors still persist in the Endor space battle, and you can see through the Falcon as it pulls away from the Rebel cruiser at the end of ESB.

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 (Edited)

Fang Zei said:

Just an idea, but do we think it’s worth telling them exactly what we would want to see included in an ideal release?

Personally, I don’t think so. It’s one thing to ask that LucasFilm/Disney/Fox preserve the OUT. However, it’s another thing to have them release it with all the other cuts. Our main goal is to have the OUT preserved, not to dictate how its released. Stick to one goal.

SilverWook said:

I’m also considering a Terry Gilliam version. Short and to the point.

Dear Disney and Lucasfilm,

Will you ever release the original Star Wars trilogy in their original theatrical versions on Blu Ray? Yes or no? Please don’t leave us hanging. Thanks!

Sincerely,
The staff and members of Originaltrilogy.com

I’m honestly more in favor of this one. It’s short, sweet, and to the bloody point.

“That said, there is nothing wrong with mocking prequel lovers and belittling their bad taste.” - Alderaan, 2017

MGGA (Make GOUT Great Again):
http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Return-of-the-GOUT-Preservation-and-Restoration/id/55707

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Slavicuss said:

pittrek said:

Fang Zei said:

Just an idea, but do we think it’s worth telling them exactly what we would want to see included in an ideal release?

What I’m picturing would mirror the Blade Runner set rather closely, with the final version (plus a few “final” surprises if that rumor about Han shooting first again has any weight) on disc one and the unaltered version on disc three. For ANH, the '81 crawl should be branched in as an option on the unaltered disc.

The middle disc could be the '97 version (timed to how it actually looked in '97) with the '04 and '11 edits branched in. The '04/'11 changes are few and far enough between that I feel like they could be easily branched if the disc is primarily the '97 version. It would provide interesting historical context like the three different versions of the Krayt dragon call, Boba Fett’s voice, different Emperor hologram and cgi Jabba, and Luke’s scream in ESB.

I’d settle for just the '97 version’s inclusion without '04 and '11 but I really do think '97 should be there. It’s the version that started this whole debate in the first place and it was shown in theaters in a major re-release.

Disc 1 - 1977/1981 versions via seamless branching + trailers and TV spots
Disc 2 - 1997 SE + 1997 trailers and TV spots, plus all 1997 TV specials/promos
Disc 3 - 2004/2011 versions via seamless branching
Disc 4 - deleted and alternate scenes, Making of, Holiday special, maybe a new docu?

Disc 5 - The ‘lost cut’ work print, to truly mirror the BLADE RUNNER set.

Except in the example of Blade Runner the workprint actually was the first version shown to the public. Granted, it was only for test audiences before the wide release, but even then it’s more relevant to Blade Runner since its accidental discovery years later is what led to the director’s cut.

Fox didn’t meddle with Star Wars the way Perenchio and Yorkin did with Blade Runner. George hated the “lost cut” and fired his original editor. His only “enemy” was the technological limitations of the time, although he can’t really use that as an excuse for stuff like Greedo shooting first.

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The insignia change was done in '04. I don’t particularly see them doing a lot of branching options should they do a release. A release with the 2011 version on disc one and the theatrical on disc two would be fine enough for me though the 1997 version would be nice too but I don’t see it. There was only a few changes made in 2011 that honestly I just find it easier to say it’s the same as 2004 so including a branching option of the 2004 and 2011 versions I don’t think is necessary but that’s just me. I just wanna see the original restored regardless of which SE cut it’s put with.

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JawsTDS said:

Fang Zei said:

Just an idea, but do we think it’s worth telling them exactly what we would want to see included in an ideal release?

Personally, I don’t think so. It’s one thing to ask that LucasFilm/Disney/Fox preserve the OUT. However, it’s another thing to have them release it with all the other cuts. Our main goal is to have the OUT preserved, not to dictate how its released. Stick to one goal.

SilverWook said:

I’m also considering a Terry Gilliam version. Short and to the point.

Dear Disney and Lucasfilm,

Will you ever release the original Star Wars trilogy in their original theatrical versions on Blu Ray? Yes or no? Please don’t leave us hanging. Thanks!

Sincerely,
The staff and members of Originaltrilogy.com

I’m honestly more in favor of this one. It’s short, sweet, and to the bloody point.

True, and as I said in my next post I fully acknowledge that even the inclusion of the 97 version is unlikely and it will probably just be the most recent version on one disc (possibly with some final changes) and the unaltered on a second disc.

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crissrudd4554 said:

The insignia change was done in '04. I don’t particularly see them doing a lot of branching options should they do a release. A release with the 2011 version on disc one and the theatrical on disc two would be fine enough for me though the 1997 version would be nice too but I don’t see it. There was only a few changes made in 2011 that honestly I just find it easier to say it’s the same as 2004 so including a branching option of the 2004 and 2011 versions I don’t think is necessary but that’s just me. I just wanna see the original restored regardless of which SE cut it’s put with.

I guess there weren’t too many changes made specifically for 2011 that really stand out. Vader’s “noooooo” is the only thing that really comes to mind, all the other changes were subtle enough that you could mistake them for '04 changes if you didn’t know better (blinking Wicket, Jabba’s door and the dug, etc). On the other hand, if you ditch the '04 version you lose all the permutations of Ben’s krayt dragon call from 77/97 to 04 to 2011.

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I like the letter, but we should also send the letter to 20th Century Fox. They own ANH forever. It could be addressed to All three Companies. As such:

Disney Letter:
Dear,
Disney, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Fox…

Lucasfilm Letter:

Dear,
Lucasfilm, Disney, and 20th Century Fox…

Fox Letter:

Dear,
20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm, and Disney…

You get the idea, hope it helps.

One day we will have properly restored versions of the Original Unaltered Trilogy (OUT); or 1977, 1980, 1983 Theatrical released versions (Like 4K77,4K80 and 4K83); including Prequels. So that future generations can enjoy these historic films that changed cinema forever.

Yoda: Try not, do or do not, there is no try.