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John William's Opinion on the Special Editions

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CB: These films are classics. Why tinker with them now?

JW: Well, this is a very interesting question. If the Star Wars Trilogy is a kind of classic, why would we want to tamper with it? I'm not particularly in favor of coloring all the old early films in black and white and might come down on the side of saying, leave things alone. That's one side of the argument.

The other side of it is true for music also. For example, every time Brahms went to hear one of his symphonies played, he would go in the audience and listen to the symphony, and the next day he would go to the Bibliotheque in Vienna, get the original score out and make changes—he never could leave it alone. Some sage said that a work of art is never finished, it's only abandoned. That's really true of all of us; it's like one of our children. You never finish trying to groom it; the child could be 60 years old, and you're still saying, "Well you look better if you dress this way."

So I think George is well within the predictable and understandable and probably correct area of an artist's prerogative to continue to try to want to improve what he's done. He complained that he didn't have the animatics 20 years ago and he wants to do it now. So I think on the one hand don't tamper with it, and on the other an artist can, should and, I think, must be excused for wanting to continue to improve his or her work. That's the two answers.

The third answer could be for those traditionalists who want the original the way it is—it's there. They don't have to go; they can listen to the Brahms without his latest edition. So they can see the original version and they can also see the new, updated George Lucas wish-list for his work.



I thought the most interesting quote was, "I'm not particularly in favor of coloring all the old early films in black and white and might come down on the side of saying, leave things alone." Along with his rationalization of Lucas' behavior by saying that people have both versions to watch. Obviously this interview was done before Luacs starting suppressing the OOT.

The whole interview's here: http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/features/williams.asp

Thoughts?
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And I wonder what Lucas would have done is Williams had refused to score any additional music for the Special Editions in '97 or '04. Or did he purposely write Jedi Rocks as a mockery or joke thinking they'll really hate it?
There's good in the Original Trilogy, and it's worth fighting for.
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
http://www.myspace.com/harlock415
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Originally posted by: Harlock415
And I wonder what Lucas would have done is Williams had refused to score any additional music for the Special Editions in '97 or '04. Or did he purposely write Jedi Rocks as a mockery or joke thinking they'll really hate it?


John williams did not compose "Jedi Rocks", Jerry Hay did. Thank god for that, as William's Star Wars scores remain untarnished.

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I never knew that.

What about the different music for the ending of ROTJ?
There's good in the Original Trilogy, and it's worth fighting for.
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
http://www.myspace.com/harlock415
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What about the different music for the ending of ROTJ?

No, he did wind up writing new music for that. He could have refused, but I think he's a real professional and he does these things without giving Lucas his opinion on them. This goes for the prequels as well.
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John Williams' music for the PT is the ONLY redeaming quality of that whole trilogy. I'm glad that he did it because if it didn't I don't know what type of venom I might have spewed towards the PT.

I've been hearing more and more (either that or I am more aware of other directors/producers/artists comments) about how Lucas should just leave things well enough alone. Some of it is blatent statments in the press, other times it is tongue in cheek comments. Why, just yesterday I was listening to the commentary on "Back ot the Future, part II" and producer Bob What's-his-face made a comment that they could have gone back and corrected a couple of goofs and flaws in the picture but elected not to because "I don't believe in that sort of thing, and neither does Robert Zemeckis." When I heard him say that I was all like, "Hell yeah!" Rock on original film glitches and matte lines! Woo!
"I am altering the movies. Pray I don't alter them any further." -Darth Lucas
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Heh, I've used that point in my arguments here several times. Back to the Future is my hero, and those DVDs are perfect! Even when the sequels were misframed, it was still better than the Star Wars DVDs. And Universal had the balls to admit it was a mistake and provide free replacements. I'm having a hard time respecting 20th Century Fox over Universal, not that Fox has any control over Star Wars, but it seems the products Universal ties themselves to work out a lot better. Universal replaces BTTF discs while Lucasfilm claims "creative decisions." Fox cancels Firefly, and Universal picks up Serenity. I like Universal!

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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There are disks that are messed up? My trilogy DVD set has a few pauses between one chapter and the next, but that has only happened like 2 or 3 times in the same place. Some DVDs are glitchy others aren't. I just ignore it.

I may be a die hard Star Wars fan, but until George gets his head out of his ass and gives us an OOT DVD set, BTTF will always be my favorite Trilogy.
"I am altering the movies. Pray I don't alter them any further." -Darth Lucas
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The widescreen BTTF2&3 discs had very serious and highly publicized framing errors. You see, the BTTF movies were shot in an open matte ratio. Rather than being filmed in a 1.88:1 ratio, they were filmed in Academy (and TV) standard 1.33:1 with the top and bottom cropped for theatrical release. The sequels were framed incorrectly in the first DVD shipments in 2002 and 2003, misframing actors and occasionally cutting out important information. Universal then offered a number to call. If you provided them with your address, they'd ship you prepaid postage envelopes to send back the two discs and then send you the corrected ones. Everything was free of charge and handled really well. Lucas could learn from that. I must admit it's one of the few times I've ever seen a major corporation admit they were wrong.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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And that is why I love them. *waves little heart flag*

Hmm...I don't think that my DVDs are screwed up. I bought mine second hand from Amazon.com (saved me a pretty penny), so I don't think that I got a screwed up version.

But this is pretty screwed up though:
http://www.adangio.com/galleryImg/large/movie182.jpg

As far as I know, this isn't true. One - Robert Z. and Producer Bob said that "Sorry folks, there's no part 4." And 2 - the Delorian was destroyed. Of course Hollywood can usually do whatever the hell they want. It's just that none of the original cast or crew is gonna do it. And poor Michael J. Fox and his Parkinsons Disease would make it very hard to do a forth movie.
So would I go see it? Doubtful.
"I am altering the movies. Pray I don't alter them any further." -Darth Lucas
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I can't see the picture you posted, so I'm not sure what you're talking about. I remember hearing a rumor recently that Universal's new direct-to-home video line (the one that made that new useless sequel to American Pie) wanted to do a BTTF4. And I really hope they don't. Is that what you're talking about?

And there's a way to find out if your discs are screwed up or not. First, I'm assuming you have them in widescreen, otherwise there's nothing to worry about, as the fullscreen in this case is the full picture. Along the bottom edge of the discs are the copyright information. If you have the fixed versions, 2 and 3 will have a "V2" written at the end of that copyright info. Here's what you should look for:

"C 2002 Universal Studios. 10 universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608. All Rights Reserved. V2" If the V2 (for Version 2, obviously) isn't there, then you have the misframed versions.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Really? I see it fine even when I am not logged in. Anyone else having this problem?

If the V2 isn't there, do you still think that they would send me an envelope and give me the new version (even though it is 4 years later?)
"I am altering the movies. Pray I don't alter them any further." -Darth Lucas
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I really couldn't tell you. They used to have a phone line set up especially for that purpose, but I don't still have it.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Just got mine from Amazon and BTTF II has the v2 on it but not BTTF III.
There's good in the Original Trilogy, and it's worth fighting for.
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
http://www.myspace.com/harlock415
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Originally posted by: Davis
The third answer could be for those traditionalists who want the original the way it is—it's there.


Where?!
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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Originally posted by: ricarleite
Originally posted by: Davis
The third answer could be for those traditionalists who want the original the way it is—it's there.


Where?!


I belive he's referring to the laserdiscs and VHS.

Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, this is the war room!

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Originally posted by: Harlock415
Just got mine from Amazon and BTTF II has the v2 on it but not BTTF III.


Hmm, that's weird. Is it a used set?

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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New set.

I looked up some information on the mistake on other sites. So I put disc in my DVD ROm drive and checked the file date of the TS_VIDEO files. It's the newer ones.
There's good in the Original Trilogy, and it's worth fighting for.
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
http://www.myspace.com/harlock415
Author
Time
Originally posted by: bad_karma24
Originally posted by: ricarleite
Originally posted by: Davis
The third answer could be for those traditionalists who want the original the way it is—it's there.


Where?!


I belive he's referring to the laserdiscs and VHS.


Oh, yes, right, so let me get my vinyl long play hi-fi stereo to listen to the long lost Tron soundtrack, which is available on its original form only in a Long Play vinyl disc. I mean, everyone has one of these at home, right? Along with the 8mm film camera, and the black and white TV set, a typewriter, a beeper...
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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Actually, I have my family portrait engraved on the stone wall of my house. Gonna be a bitch to take the pictures with me when I move to a new cave next summer.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Originally posted by: ricarleite
Originally posted by: bad_karma24
Originally posted by: ricarleite
Originally posted by: Davis
The third answer could be for those traditionalists who want the original the way it is—it's there.


Where?!


I belive he's referring to the laserdiscs and VHS.


Oh, yes, right, so let me get my vinyl long play hi-fi stereo to listen to the long lost Tron soundtrack, which is available on its original form only in a Long Play vinyl disc. I mean, everyone has one of these at home, right? Along with the 8mm film camera, and the black and white TV set, a typewriter, a beeper...


I have a turntable still. And i just used it the other day to listen to Williams' Dracula 1979 score.
There's good in the Original Trilogy, and it's worth fighting for.
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
http://www.myspace.com/harlock415
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Originally posted by: Harlock415
Originally posted by: ricarleite
Originally posted by: bad_karma24
Originally posted by: ricarleite
Originally posted by: Davis
The third answer could be for those traditionalists who want the original the way it is—it's there.


Where?!


I belive he's referring to the laserdiscs and VHS.


Oh, yes, right, so let me get my vinyl long play hi-fi stereo to listen to the long lost Tron soundtrack, which is available on its original form only in a Long Play vinyl disc. I mean, everyone has one of these at home, right? Along with the 8mm film camera, and the black and white TV set, a typewriter, a beeper...


I have a turntable still. And i just used it the other day to listen to Williams' Dracula 1979 score.


For me there is nothing like listening to The Beatles on their original release albums. CDs just don't cut it.

And in any case, most people still have a VHS player, and we're practically swimming in laserdisc transfers (Honestly, is there any reason that we need so many?)

Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, this is the war room!

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How is the Tron vinyl album different from the CD?
Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

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Originally posted by: SilverWook
How is the Tron vinyl album different from the CD?


The vinyl is made from the original masters, which were subsequentually lost due to unproper conditioning, even though Wendy Carlos has spoken about this issue a number of times. The CD is assembled from other tapes. Some pieces are different and I belive some music not heard during the movie is not at the CD.
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering