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What is meant by 'Special Edition'?

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The original original films will be released with the Special Editions.

By that, does LucasFilm mean the 1997 theatrical re-releases or the newest 2004 DVD versions?

The 1997 films were, at the time, called the Special Edition, but I see many people on the web implying that the 'main' discs of the new DVD sets will contain the 2004 films, which confuses me.

Thanks,
-FSW
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You are correct that only the 1997 edition was ever subtitled or advertised as the Special Edition. In 2000, Lucasfilm rereleased the Special Edition on VHS as simply the "Star Wars Trilogy." However, the 2004 edition is colloquially (and occasionally officially) referred to as the Special Edition, too. You can speculate all you want about why they're so coy over which version is which, but I don't think you'll ever reach a firm answer.
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Generally speaking, a special edition is anything past the 1997 version. But now, the definitive "Special Edition" would probably be the 2004 spec. ed., seeing as how Lucas uses it for everything now.
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To answer you question, it has been stated that the versions released in '04, '05, and soon to be '06 will all be the 2004 versions. You can bet that the '97 releases will never see the light of day again past '00.

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Originally posted by: Scruffy
You are correct that only the 1997 edition was ever subtitled or advertised as the Special Edition. In 2000, Lucasfilm rereleased the Special Edition on VHS as simply the "Star Wars Trilogy." However, the 2004 edition is colloquially (and occasionally officially) referred to as the Special Edition, too. You can speculate all you want about why they're so coy over which version is which, but I don't think you'll ever reach a firm answer.


Lucasfilm's recent offical response to the fans displeased with the non-anamporphic transfer referenced it as the Special Edition. Perhaps it has stopped being subtitled as such because of Lucas's desire to make it into the only version.

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Yeah I thought it was really sneaky of them to make no mention on the 2004 boxed set, that they were the Special Editions (or this week's version of the Special Editions, anyway).

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Originally posted by: Mielr
Yeah I thought it was really sneaky of them to make no mention on the 2004 boxed set, that they were the Special Editions (or this week's version of the Special Editions, anyway).


What, you mean you wanted a high-quality choice between both versions? Like the DVDs of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Alien, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Aliens, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Alien 3, Vanishing Point, Alien Resurrection, The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, E.T. The Extraterrestrial, Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, Brazil, Braindead, and The Leopard, to name a few DVDs? Is that what you mean?

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I can remember scrutinising the bottom of the box-set in 2004 checking the copyright dates and protection dates to get some clue as to what versions were included. Because I saw no mention of 1977, 1980 or 1983 I didn't buy it.

I still haven't bought, or even seen, any later edits of episodes 4-6 than the 1997 SEs and I will not until a satisfactory release of the OOT is included.

So there!
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Originally posted by: Mike O
Originally posted by: Mielr
Yeah I thought it was really sneaky of them to make no mention on the 2004 boxed set, that they were the Special Editions (or this week's version of the Special Editions, anyway).


What, you mean you wanted a high-quality choice between both versions? Like the DVDs of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Alien, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Aliens, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Alien 3, Vanishing Point, Alien Resurrection, The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, E.T. The Extraterrestrial, Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, Brazil, Braindead, and The Leopard, to name a few DVDs? Is that what you mean?
To be fair, The Abyss and Brazil are both non-anamorphic LD transfers, like what we're getting with the new SW discs. Brazil will, however, be released in September with a new transfer. Fox has yet to get off their asses and put out a better edition of the Abyss though. They've been peddling and rereleasing the same non-anamorphic disc for the past few years. The only edition of Blade Runner available on DVD is the director's cut in a lousy LD transfer. This should be rectified next year though.
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My Brazil DVD is anamorphic (PAL). And about the upcoming Blade Runner release, will that be the original version too?

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The set that will be released sometime next year will not only include Ridley Scott's new director cut, but also the original DC, the American theatrical cut, and the International theatrical cut as well.
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Originally posted by: ShiftyEyes
The set that will be released sometime next year will not only include Ridley Scott's new director cut, but also the original DC, the American theatrical cut, and the International theatrical cut as well.


Damn! I wonder how much that will run for.

I like Bladerunner, but I never liked it enough to pay $40 bucks for four different versions.
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I like Bladerunner, but I never liked it enough to pay $40 bucks for four different versions.

True, but you do have the choice.

To be fair, The Abyss and Brazil are both non-anamorphic LD transfers, like what we're getting with the new SW discs. Brazil will, however, be released in September with a new transfer. Fox has yet to get off their asses and put out a better edition of the Abyss though. They've been peddling and rereleasing the same non-anamorphic disc for the past few years. The only edition of Blade Runner available on DVD is the director's cut in a lousy LD transfer. This should be rectified next year though.


Cameron has not done what Lucas had done and tried to deny its existance, however. You are right. Thank you for correcting me. Hopefully, we'll see an anamorphic version of The Abyss (and the OOT) soon enough.

“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.”

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