logo Sign In

Good comparison website

Author
Date
Author
Time
 (Edited)
Post link

I absolutely love these pages - they give a good detailed comparison of the theatrical, speical edition and dvd version of the original trilogy. A good way to see how much better the dvd transfer is as well.

SW: http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-wars-the-changes-part-one.html

ESB: http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-wars-the-changes-part-two.html

ROTJ: http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-wars-the-changes-part-three.html

Prequels: http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-wars-the-changes-part-four.html

 

 

Mod Edit: Unfortunately, the dvdactive.com site is no more - though the original articles linked above can now be found via the Internet Arhive’s WayBack Machine…

SW: http://web.archive.org/web/20120118205139/dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-wars-the-changes-part-one.html

ESB: http://web.archive.org/web/20181215223317/http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-wars-the-changes-part-two.html

ROTJ: http://web.archive.org/web/20181215223709/http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-wars-the-changes-part-three.html

Prequels: http://web.archive.org/web/20170708120829/http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-wars-the-changes-part-four.html

Author
Time
Post link
Those articles were quite good. Most people only really notice the main changes, including me so I found myself enlightened. While I find some of the changes unnecessary, some really don't warrant the complaints they get, mainly because alot of them don't really fundamentally alter the story all that much anyways. Examples being different or additional readings in the films, although one reading we can all agree lacked the characteristic punch was Temura Morrison's reading for Boba Fett....I know you tried Temura but god damn....you just did a terrible job.

The funniest thing for me though was the fact that I learned something about the 1997 Special Editions, which I have only seen once. The awful scream as Luke falls after his duel with Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. That high pitched sissy wail or whatever you want to call it was so awful, Lucas removed it from subsequent releases. I actually laughed when I listened to the clip.

Anyways this is definately worth reading for any Star Wars purist.
http://img416.imageshack.us/img416/7823/starwarssuppersmallerxx5.jpg
Author
Time
Post link
Wow. Didn't notice most of those little changes. They really did a hell of job cleaning that up.... Too bad they didn't just end it at that.
Author
Time
Post link
They'll fix up the originals too, proaby soon enough. If the SEs can be fixed, then so can the OOT.

“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.”

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

Author
Time
Post link
Yes, I noticed that too. The matte lines are still there. What goes through Lucas's mind, I have to wonder?

“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.”

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

Author
Time
Post link
Well one things for certain, the 2004 edition really isn't the definitive version of Star Wars. With the bad job they did with the Lightsabers, the fact you can still see squares around the tie fighters in ANH and You can see through the cockit of it the Snow Speeder in ESB, you would think they would if wanting to improve upon these films actually make an effort to make these few minor things better....I mean hell they went so far to make fully aware in the one scene in Empire, that in that close up shot of Han he is infact NOT wearing a jacket. How can they catch certain things and totally ignore other more telling things that need changing.
http://img416.imageshack.us/img416/7823/starwarssuppersmallerxx5.jpg
Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: garethxxgod
How can they catch certain things and totally ignore other more telling things that need changing.


Either, they don't really care about these films or don't actually watch them.
or
They are still looking for more 'fixes' to make so they can sell more discs.

I watched the ANH disc on a HiDef 70" set and the flaws were SO obvious. I about punched something when I still could see the extension cord on Ben's lightsaber. Would it be too hard for these guys to do a little research? I mean, there have got to be hundreds of websites out there that point out all the bloopers and gaffes.
Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: garethxxgod
Well one things for certain, the 2004 edition really isn't the definitive version of Star Wars. With the bad job they did with the Lightsabers, the fact you can still see squares around the tie fighters in ANH and You can see through the cockit of it the Snow Speeder in ESB, you would think they would if wanting to improve upon these films actually make an effort to make these few minor things better....I mean hell they went so far to make fully aware in the one scene in Empire, that in that close up shot of Han he is infact NOT wearing a jacket. How can they catch certain things and totally ignore other more telling things that need changing.


Yes, if they want the SEs to be the "definitve" versions, they should make them the definitive versions.

“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.”

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: Star Wars Fanatic
One improvement he seemed to miss was the changes to the Rancor...


Do you mean I missed it, or Lucas? There aren't any changes to the Rancor per se, it's just been cleaned up. It's still the same puppet they used in the 80s (not CGI as some have suggested).

Thanks for the comments anyway. I'm planning to update them a bit when I get hold of the new original trilogy discs, as they should at least be a little better than the boots that are flying about. If anyone can help me get my hands on a copy of the DVB transfers of the '97 SEs I'd be grateful. I'd like to update the size of all of the images, but can't do it unless I have access to a better quality version of the '97 release. The boots I have are non-anamorphic and very blurry...
"Whatever! I digitally put Jabba the Hutt back into the original Star Wars movie! I'll do what I want!"
Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: Star Wars Fanatic
One improvement he seemed to miss was the changes to the Rancor...
Originally posted by: Mike O
Yes, I noticed that too. The matte lines are still there. What goes through Lucas's mind, I have to wonder?

LOL! That's a riot- I noticed the Rancor matte lines as well. The funniest thing is that the Rancor scene from the OOT was used as an example in the MTV special as to what scenes needed cleaning up and updating. I remember noticing the matte lines in the SE and thinking- WTF?? (which is amazing considering that I was still reeling from the horror that is 'jedi rocks'!)

You can STILL see through the cockpit in ESB? I thought they fixed that. They made such a big deal out of it.

That's a very interesting site, BTW. I've only seen one other site that shows the subtle "censoring" of the laser blast impacts on their intended victims. I have to say I prefer the Jabba from the 1997 SE, to the one on the 2004 DVD- he looks horrible! (IMO) I also prefer the colors of the binary sunset from the OOT than from the '97 or '04 versions.

There will never again be a "definitive" version of these films as long as GL is alive. As computer effects improve, the films will be updated every 5 or 10 years. Enough is enough already.

Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: Mentasm
There aren't any changes to the Rancor per se, it's just been cleaned up. It's still the same puppet they used in the 80s (not CGI as some have suggested).


There is at least one altered shot in that sequence. (Albeit a minor one.)

When the Rancor raises Luke to its mouth, Luke and the Rancor's hand have been repositioned to be lower in the frame. My only guess as to why would be to minimize the obviousness of the foam Rancor hand.
Author
Time
Post link
Originally posted by: Star Wars Fanatic
I absolutely love this page:

http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-wars-the-changes-part-one.html

Gives a good detailed comparison of the theatrical, speical edition and dvd versionf of the original trilogy. A good way to see how much better the dvd transfer is as well. There are also articles on The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi.




The bloke who did all the comparisons is/was a poster on here too

Crackin article - and a lot of work went into it - fair play to the lad



ANH Changes

ESB Changes...

ROTJ Changes

A little patience goes a long way on this old-school Rebel base. If you are having issues finding what you are looking for, these will be of some help…

Welcome to the OriginalTrilogy.com | Introduce yourself in here | Useful info within : About : Help : Site Rules : Fan Project Rules : Announcements
‘How do I do this?’ on the OriginalTrilogy.com; some info & answers + FAQs - includes info on how to search for projects and threads on the OT•com

A Project Index for Star Wars Preservations (Harmy’s Despecialized & 4K77/80/83 etc) : A Project Index for Star Wars Fan Edits (adywan & Hal 9000 etc)

… and take your time to look around this site before posting - to get a feel for this place. Don’t just lazily make yet another thread asking for projects.

Author
Time
Post link
"You can STILL see through the cockpit in ESB? I thought they fixed that. They made such a big deal out of it."

IIRC, I believe they improved it, but couldn't remove the effect altogether.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

Author
Time
Post link
I'm don't have a huge knowledge on the subject of effects, but if they wanted to fix the transparencies in the cockpit, couldn't they have simply used digital paint? How did they do that anyway, to the point where it's almost fixed but not completely?

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.

Author
Time
Post link
I don't know- I was always under the impression that they re-composited all of the FX shots using the original film elements, but they should have been able to totally fix the cockpit transparency, if that was the case.

Author
Time
Post link
^^^exactly. If they can paint on the walls of cloud city...i mean, show the outside of the cty.....yeah......then they should have just painted that little bit darker.

Hey look, a bear!

Author
Time
Post link
The text on the revised Jawa sandcrawler shot is amusing, as the "technological" improvement involved was simply reshooting the original miniature from a different angle.
Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

Author
Time
Post link
The official site has a feature on the changes as well. There is a bit of bias and quite a lot of aggravating things if you read between the lines, but I learned a bunch of new things.
click here
Author
Time
Post link
That official site slideshow is really funny as it makes the incorrect color-correction on the 2004 dvds painfully obvious. There are numerous shots that are clearly too blue, but i think number 113 is a wonderful example. notice that, in the 1977 shot, the schematic is white. In the 2004 version, it's blue as can be! I just can't understand the droves of people out there who either fail to see this problem or just don't care (i won't even speak of those who might *gasp* prefer it...!! ugh!)
Author
Time
Post link
In general they seem a lot darker two. I know more contrast and less brightness take away from Georges shitty lighting ideas of 77, but it looks too dark...or something. I liked it before for the most part, tho it looks a little more professional now I guess.

Hey look, a bear!

Author
Time
Post link
Personally, I liked the lighting in SW. I've read stories about how GL would go around, moving lights around, and Gil Taylor (the cinematographer) would get pissed and say to George that if there was a lighting effect he wanted, he should tell him and HE would do it, because as cinematographer, that was his job. I believe he won an Academy Award for his efforts.

The '04 DVDs do have a lot more contrast and saturation, but I don't think that has much effect on the original lighting.

Author
Time
Post link
I liked the lighting in ESB best because Kirshner knew how to make something look naturally lit. Every single interior shot in ANH (well...cantina aside I guess) is so brightly and perfectly flushed with lights. Even the trash compactor is lit as well as the hallways on the Death Star. I know someone posted a link to an ESB appreciation page that points these things out so well. The most realistically lit and convincing shots in SW are the outdoor ones....because even GL can't control the sun.......yet.

Hey look, a bear!