Dear IMDB.com staff,
I am writing to you concerning the multiple versions of the original Star Wars trilogy: the original theatrical version, the 1997 Special Edition, and the 2004 Special Edition. I believe that the '97 and '04 special editions are sufficiently different to warrant separate ratings to the original theatrical version, if not only to highlight the differences between them. As you are no doubt aware, there are many schools of thought among Star Wars fans, particularly when it comes down to which versions (or indeed, even which trilogy) they prefer. A fan of the original theatrical version may utterly despise the special editions and vice versa, and this can make things difficult with regards to reader ratings and comments on your website (am I scoring this film according to my view of the original version or the special edition?). As it stands now, it is impossible to tell which versions are the preferred ones amongst the viewing public. Indeed, a great portion of the viewing public is largely unaware of the changes that have been made to these films over the past decade; changes that in some instances are merely cosmetic, but in many instances affect the continuity, characterisations, and even meaning of the entire Star Wars story (the "Han Shoots First" debate springs to mind).
Why is this important? This coming September, Lucasfilm and Fox will be re-releasing the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD. The 2004 DVD release was a disappointment to many Star Wars fans across the galaxy, who were expecting a quality DVD transfer of the original theatrical versions, as the title was not designated "Special Edition". This was not the case, and we have since learned that George Lucas now considers the 2004 special editions to be the definitive version, and has been quoted as effectively denying the existence of the original theatrical versions. As you can expect, this has angered many Star Wars fans, who are yet to see their definitive version (and indeed, the original, unaltered version) transferred and restored faithfully to a modern, quality digital format like DVD. Many lesser films have recieved this treatment, while films such as Superman and E.T. have been restored faithfully alongside their special edition brethren within the same DVD sets. But I digress.
The September 2006 DVD set will reportedly consist of the 2004 Special Edition versions, with the original theatrical versions included as bonus material. This is great news for fans of the original versions, but at the same time, this treatment does not give these films their proper due. The original theatrical Star Wars trilogy will be a direct transfer from the 1995 Laserdisc masters (as in, not restored and remastered from the original prints) and will not be presented in anamorphic display - an industry standard for important DVD releases such as this. No doubt this DVD set will again be designated as the Star Wars Trology, with no indication that the special editions will once again be the core of the release, and yet the inclusion of the "original, unaltered trilogy" will be used as its major selling point, if Lucasfilm's press releases are to be believed. After all, what Star Wars fan wouldn't already own the 2004 DVD set?
So on one hand, we have George Lucas dismissing and effectively denying the existence of the original theatrical versions, and on the other, we have Lucasfilm using the original, unaltered trilogy as a major incentive for Star Wars fans to purchase three DVDs which they already own, with the major incentive as "Bonus Material". To add credence to his now "definitive vision", George Lucas has gone on record on a number of occasions to claim that there is no demand for the original theatrical versions of Star Wars, and that the fans only want to see the 2004 special edition versions. This has created a catch-22 situation for many Star Wars fans, who would love to demonstrate the overwhelming demand for the original versions, but are unable to, as the core of the release is still the special edition versions (George Lucas could simply claim that people purchased them for the special editions). On top of that, most of these fans already own the 2004 DVD set, and do not wish to purchase them again *just* to get the original versions as bonus materials from Laserdisc masters. What there *is* demand for, is a separate release of the original theatrical versions of the Star Wars trilogy on DVD, restored and remastered from the original prints, and presented in anamorphic widescreen (basically, given the treatment that any great film deserves and has been given). And so, while fans may be unable to demonstrate this demand with their wallets, it would be great if they could at least do it with a separate star-rating on a website, namely one as widely-read as IMDB.com. If you could accomodate this request, you would be doing both Star Wars fans and consumers a great service.
Thank you very much for your time,
The Red Baron