Having only just found out about this when us europeans are just being told that these will also be available, I do have some comment on the press release that I read on this very site. It is indeed very insightful into how the american mega-corporations choose to conduct their bussiness.
People don't seem to realise that they are being misled by the PR-departments. Not their fault since PR gets played like a fiddle anyway....
Do we really want to accept that the trilogy that has probably grossed more worldwide than anything ever will never be released in the way that it was meant to be enjoyed. People talk about the artistic rights of George Lucas, which in my humble opinion he wavered when he decided to release Episode I, but he has to accept that it is no longer his vision but a part of our cultural heritage.
Everywhere you go there's always somebody who, in any situation, can make at least a quick reference to Star Wars. I grew up as the generation that only got to see it on tv or video, now we got our moment with the Special Editions.
If only he had stopped there. Would Rembrandt have changed the "Nachtwacht" just because he could make more money by repainting it every few years??? I don't think so... Artistic vision is not to be found in the creator, but in the beholder. It was generally accepted that most artists were only recognized after their deaths, GL shows now what a chaos would have ensued if this had not been so....
In closing, I will leave you a forbidding feeling that sometime in the not too distant future, Lucasfilm ltd. will release an ultimate edition box set comprising of all six movies including the original versions we all loved on their very own discs. Probably even accompanied by an extra disc for a least each trilogy or maybe even one per movie.....
As long as I have my VCR I can enjoy the movie that means something to the arts.....
Paul ( an Englishman from Holland)