George saying the reaction to cgi was ridiculous, everything on film is fake.
Does not answer the point how much better used universe looked in the original trilogy and verisimilitude over shiny cgi in the prequel.
I feel like he started to do this quite a bit to the point its almost downright dishonest, like over Greedo shooting first, how Jabba was always going to be a Slug Gangster in Star Wars, how Vader was always the father and Leia the sister. How the original is an oxymoron. And now it looks bad because it’s a laserdisc.
I feel as though he mythologized more as time went on and the further away he got from Return of the Jedi’s release, he just started making things up. And even after selling to Disney making stuff up about how the Saga was always the Saga of the Son, and the Father and the grandchildren.
From the interview he gave in From Star Wars to Jedi to the one in the Definitive collection bonus and Leonard Maltin interview he had a long-time to create this idea of having it all mapped out.
I don’t think it’s all elaborate conspiracy to withhold the originals, or some evil plot. But he does like to tell tales.
The pre 77 stuff and 77 stuff George Lucas seems to be on the level it’s when he decided to make Vader Luke’s father, Lucas started mythologizing the Star Wars origins.
Of the prerelease and post release interview material Charley Lippincott took those are the most revealing and truthful about the film.