Star Wars 2006 GOUT DVDs - is it still worth buying them? — Page 2

They’re alright, but the best part is the menus on the bonus discs.

Johann-500 said:

If they are going for a low price then why not? An important part of Star Wars history, from the fans’ perspective.
It may not be high quality, but that too signifies a turning point for Lucasfilm, in beginning to release lazy and shoddy work, with little in the way of quality control.
It says something about Lucas himself too, fans rejecting his Special Edition and still wanted the originals, or both, and he put out this POS in response?
I’ll take this POS and stand it proudly on my shelf, next to Despecialized and 4K Tn1 releases. The official Special Edition releases hidden behind them.

I have a similar attitude to yours - and the 2006 GOUT DVD also take far more ‘pride of place’ on my DVD shelf than any of the ‘official’ Special Edition releases do.

From George’s interview with MTV re the 2006 GOUT DVD release:-

Until then, he [Lucas] says he’s curious to see what the reception will be for the upcoming limited-edition DVD release of the three original “Star Wars” films (see “Three Original ‘Star Wars’ Films (Finally) Coming To DVD — But Not For Long”). “It’s just the original versions, as they were,” Lucas said. “We didn’t do anything to it at all. But we’re not sure how many people want that.”

You might say quite a few, considering how many fans were angered by the digitized, expanded updates of episodes IV, V and VI. Lucas claims he’s not re-releasing the originals to appease fans, but rather to bate them. “Now we’ll find out whether they really wanted the original or whether they wanted the improved versions,” he said. “It’ll all come out in the end.”

 
The 2006 ‘bonus disc’ DVD release, utilising a source meant for a 1993 laserdisc release, riddled with quality issues, and substandard at the time of release in 2006, as acknowledged by Lucasfilm VP Jim Ward at the time…

“It is state of the art, as of 1993, and that’s not as good as state of the art 2006.” - an article from USA Today

 
…yet even today, the 2006 GOUT DVDs fetch a pretty penny, and are still sought after.

This is despite the set being coupled with the problem-stricken 2004 Special Edition versions on DVD, the first time Star Wars had ever been released on DVD… and done so in a botched, lacking in ‘quality control’, yet with a “deliberate creative decisions” attitude. A release many fans had already purchased just two years prior (and in essence had to ‘double-dip’ for, in 2006).

And fans are still asking for a modern, high quality release of the unaltered theatrical cuts, many years after even Lucasfilm acknowledged the “overwhelming demand” for these versions…

“the biggest question we’ve ever gotten from Star Wars fans is, ‘When are you going to release the originals?’”

the “overwhelming demand” for the unaltered theatrical version.

the "long awaited release of original theatrical incarnations of the classic Star Wars trilogy.”

“over the years a truly countless number of fans have told us they would love to see and own the original version that they remember experiencing in the theatres.”

…despite years of Lucasfilm staying silent on the issue and also ignoring the fans’ questions and queries as to why there is not such a release (disingenuous and selective claims, with exaggerated excuses over cost aside).

So when George said…“It’ll all come out in the end.” …it certainly did.

Lucas didn’t put his money where his mouth was, nor put much effort in at all with the release of the 2006 bonus disc DVDs - treating fans with utter contempt in the process - likely in an effort to try and make his Special Edition version look ‘better’ in comparison, quality-wise. Yet these 2006 GOUT DVD releases are still more sought after than any of the Special Edition DVD and blu ray releases and re-issues.
 

Right now I’m looking at US eBay… and the price of the 2006 unaltered classic cut of Empire Strikes Back on DVD… is more than the 2019 Special Edition of Empire Strikes Back on 4K/UHD. The same also applies for Star Wars (1977), and the same again for Return Of The Jedi.
 

The quality of the 2006 GOUT DVDs may be shite - and of a ‘1993 standard’ as stated by Lucasfilm VP Jim Ward (not even really that good to be honest - given the DVD issues) - yet they still sit ‘pride of place’ on that shelf. A victory for fans, if nothing else. 👍
 

I’d say so. I do have an attachment to them. At the time, I didn’t realize how significant they were or how valuable they’d become. I hadn’t heard George’s words, so I didn’t realize what a big deal it was for him to relent on this, however half-heartedly and passive aggressively he did it.

Once I became fed up with the further changes on the Blu-rays (and I noticed the glaring problems with the 04 versions), the GOUT became my default way to watch the films for many years. I just couldn’t go back to the late 90s CGI pasted onto a 70s film, so I just stuck with my GOUT copies, though the low quality probably caused me to watch the films less often. In hindsight, if I had known what George had said in that MTV interview, I would have watched those copies more enthusiastically. I know that George is a good, charitable, kind-hearted man, but he really comes off as smug and out of touch in that transcript.