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Link available via PM. Please note this is a combination edit of TPM (44 min) and AOTC (113 min) for a total runtime of 2 HRS and 37 minutes. Enjoy!
“A film is born three times: once when it is written, once again when it is shot and once more when it is edited.” -French filmmaker Robert Bresson
This film edit is an attempt at a re-birth through editing. I believe the problems with TPM and AOTC are primarily at the script level and the only way to fix them are with a rewrite. Doing that with available footage has been something I’ve tried to do for almost 15 years and the only way I was able to accomplish this was by combining TPM and AOTC. I originally experimented with a silent film approach, then I tried an episodic TV approach, before finally using ideas from both for this edit. Dialogue and footage have been moved/reused, reversed, flipped, and more. Nothing was off limits.
My goals for this edit were the following:
- Make Anakin more mature and likeable
- Build a believable relationship between Anakin and Padme
- Get rid of all dialogue, shots, that i could not stand while keeping the stuff I liked.
This is a personal edit that I primarily created for myself so I could finally enjoy TPM and AOTC. If others enjoy it or are inspired to try something similar, that would simply be icing on the cake.
EPISODE 1: A PRELUDE TO WAR: OPENING SCROLL
The TRADE FEDERATION has surrounded the peaceful planet of Naboo with a blockade of deadly warships. Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn has been sent to escort the Queen of Naboo and her entourage to the capital city, Coruscant.
The Queen’s starship sustained heavy damage while escaping the planet, and after landing on the desert planet of Tatooine, they must gamble on a pod race and a young slave boy named Anakin Skywalker to pay for repairs.
Meanwhile, ambassadors of the Supreme Chancellor have been dispatched to resolve the issue on Naboo…
MORE ABOUT THIS EDIT:
TPM and AOTC have been combined into one film. Here are the broad strokes:
- We get the scroll, elimination of the Ambassadors (not the Jedi), and then we jump right into the final lap of the pod race.
- Only Qui-Gon is traveling with the Queen. We meet Obi-Wan later on Coruscant for the first time.
- Get off Tatooine and get to Coruscant as quickly as possible while maintaining a well paced narrative.
- Eliminated the trade federation army and Gungan battle at the end. Now it is just an occupation of the city and a blockade in space
- In AOTC, there is only one assassination attempt on Padme. Two was redundant and unnecessary. Zam Wessell, our favorite changeling, is now responsible only for the explosion on the landing platform.
- AI upscales of most deleted scenes used to flesh out Anakin and Padme’s relationship.
- Majority of scenes have been edited in small ways or big ways. List of all edits and changes would be impossible at this point.
With the release of the Obi-Wan series edits, I started to rethink the prequels and wonder what possibilities this could present.
The New Prequel series?
Episode 1: A Prelude to War
Episode 2: Revenge of the Sith
Episode 3: Rogue One or Obi-Wan edit
Most of us have a pretty intimate relationship and working knowledge of these movies and major changes or cuts can pull us out of the film. But if we were viewing this edit, and only this edit, for the very first time, does it work? For THIS Star Wars fan, this is the Episode One I always wanted.
Thank you to:
- All fan editors on the OT forum. Your ideas, edits, and passion for Star Wars have not only inspired me, but have provided hours of enjoyment. Without you, this edit would never have been possible
- Phase3 for his help with the scroll.
- Varsek for help with isolating some dialogue
- Bryantmh for his Deleted scene upscales. While I further tweaked them with additional AI passes and color, without his original files, these upscales would not be nearly as good.
Blu-Ray ISO (16 mbps/no menus) and sample scenes coming soon… Depending on interest/demand, there may be a v2 prior to the high bitrate release.
