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As part of my little saga collection detailed in the other thread, I have been trying to assemble the oldest version of Star Wars I know of. I had assumed until recently (and finding this topic - http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Print-variations-in-77-Star-Wars/id/14705) that the print had remained largely untouched. However, I have identified 5 distinct differences between the Premier prints and the General release run. One is the best known - the audio. The Premier featured either Dolby Stereo on 35 mm or 6 track (4.1 or 4.2 surround) on 70 mm while the general release featured the same Dolby Stereo and a more updated mono mix. Then I came across the credits and realized that only the oldest sources had it so it must be from the initial run. That is where I was until recently.
I have been collecting versions and found that I had all the resources to pull the other shots from such sources. Due to various limitations, I had already decided to use the GOUT for my master (The Theatrical SE version and the TPM and AOTC Theatrical version can only be presented in SE without the changed scenes standing out too much - but they can be enhanced to look a bit better in 720p) so learning that at least two LD preservations that I have included the alternate scenes meant that I could easily edit them in. First I had to make sure I had found all of them. Still not entirely sure, but when I play them side by side, only those three stood out.
All three shots are effects shots. The first, when the Falcon is being chased and shot at by the Star Destroyer while escaping Tatooine, has an identical alignment - but the effects are done differently. Same stars, same ship composites, same laser blasts, but different explosions. The second is the matte painting of the Massasi temple on Yavin IV. It is aligned differently and the edge of the matte painting that makes the bottom of the door looks different - plus it has a blue line running through it toward the end of the shot. The third is the best known (when the white specs of the rebel ships are taking off from Yavin IV and the clouds are slightly different) and is also aligned different (the ships take off in different frames). So nothing terribly major, but still clearly different.
Now, knowing when the sound mixes were done and comparing the extant prints and what sound mix they have coupled with the above changes to the film give the following timline:
Premier, May 25, 1977 - Episodeless opening crawl, alternate 3 effects shots and end credits. Preserved in Puggo Grand and Moth3r’s bootleg (both original prints feature the familiar Beru voice from the stereo track and no tractor beam line).
Regular run and foreign runs - Episodeless opening crawl, redone 3 effects shots and end credits - mono soundtrack - IB Technicolor prints. Preserved in the 35 mm Kodak and IB Tech prints and Puggo Kreig. Basis for video of the GOUT (except the opening crawl and was replaced and has been restored from a different source).
1981 re-release - Episode IV opening crawl, and still the redone 3 effects shots and end credits. Interpositive struck from this negative in the mid 80’s used for the 1993 Definitive Edition LD and Faces LD, which were the basis for the GOUT except for the opening crawl (likely scanned during the making of Empire of Dreams where a short clip of it is used).
Other prints - Prints are expensive and good quality prints, internegatives, and interpositives would be reused. Virtually all of the US, UK, and Japanese home video editions contain the 3 original effects shots with the updated end credits and all but the earliest containing the Episode IV opening crawl. That is also how we have the 35 mm version of the Episode IV 1981 opening crawl - because it was tacked on to an existing film. There were far more of the regular run prints made which is likely why all of them so far that have come into OT member hands have the redone effects shots and end credits. The home video releases also make sense because the interpositive(s) used in the initial run would not have been used again and would be in good shape to copy for home video.
1997 SE - When we get to this one, we can confirm that since the mid 80’s those 3 updated effects shots are the ones in the O-neg and were used for the 97 SE and the 2003 scan that has been used for the DVD and BR.
I can also confirm after comparing so many different prints, that the US ANH GOUT is missing a frame. It is missing the last frame of reel 5. That frame is there in the BR, DVD, 97 SE, UK GOUT, and the JSC. Not sure why it is missing in the US GOUT, but all the LD release synced to it have to be extended by one frame to line up with the UK GOUT. So that is what I am using since, even it is just one frame, I would rather use the complete one. That said, the GOUT has its flaws, but I found a way to patch some of the most egregious (I may have missed a few, but that will have to wait until my next release sometime in the future as part of my Saga collection).
The video is assembled from the UK GOUT, JSC LD preservation (thanks to althor1138), with the opening crawl replaced with Williarob’s work in progress (it fits better than the crawl found with the GOUT) and a recreated end credits timed to PuggoGrand (and one tiny piece of PuggoGrand itself).
The audio is the original 1977 Dolby Stereo. I will be including a 4.1 (really 5.1, but the two rear channels will be identical like 4.1 with 2 surround speakers) extracted from the stereo with an LFE track encoded in Dolby Digital (ac3). As this is really a draft of something I am going to work on for a later, more complete release, the compression will be higher so the file size is smaller.
I hope to upload it no later than tomorrow so anyone who wishes can enjoy this somewhat flawed presentation of what Star Wars looked like on premier day.