Originally posted by: Jumpman
CO,
But we've been enjoying the films on VHS and Laserdisc for over twenty years now...in it's original state. Is Lucas REQUIRED to continue that just because DVD is the NEW thing?
On top of that, and we'll obviously agree to disagree here, but in his mind, the Original Trilogy made it's debut on DVD in 2004...with the cleanup he deemed neccessary...eventhough we all know it was a rush job and it's not entirely finished. Still, his movies, his way, and will always be his way when he's no longer with us, will be Original Trilogy in its Special Edition form, in the future and forever. There's no way of getting around that any longer.
And personally, the market for the theatrical versions is a niche market anyway. I don't really think the masses see the difference any longer, if you go buy DVD sales of the 2004 set. It's only the film community and certain types in the media who've been at Lucas for years that actually really, truly care about this situation.
CO,
But we've been enjoying the films on VHS and Laserdisc for over twenty years now...in it's original state. Is Lucas REQUIRED to continue that just because DVD is the NEW thing?
On top of that, and we'll obviously agree to disagree here, but in his mind, the Original Trilogy made it's debut on DVD in 2004...with the cleanup he deemed neccessary...eventhough we all know it was a rush job and it's not entirely finished. Still, his movies, his way, and will always be his way when he's no longer with us, will be Original Trilogy in its Special Edition form, in the future and forever. There's no way of getting around that any longer.
And personally, the market for the theatrical versions is a niche market anyway. I don't really think the masses see the difference any longer, if you go buy DVD sales of the 2004 set. It's only the film community and certain types in the media who've been at Lucas for years that actually really, truly care about this situation.
As for a niche market, that is only the vocal ones. I will always say that most OT fans PREFER the O-OT to the SE, but not everyone is on the internet everyday like myself and others here, cause some people arent' that passionate. Just look at the numbers from Videoscan on the O-OT release:
They all finished in the top 10 of sales, ANH #5, ESB #6, and ROTJ #7, and that is a set of movies that are non-anamorphic, which if you look at the DVDs that came out in 2006, 99% of them are Anamorphic Great Quality. That means that a supbar, average, grainy looking release of SW still sold in the top 10!
Cleanup and Remastering are different than Added Effects and Scenes. EVERY DVD that is of an old movie is remastered and cleaned up: The Godfather, Indiana Jones, Citizen Kane, and even Wizard of Oz. So the O-OT deserved that much respect as the other movies, but the SE in 2004 is different not cause of the clean up and remastering job, but the added effects from 97 and from '04 that make this set different. Just look at E.T, same transfer, two versions, everyone is happy.
If you and Lucas want to hold firm that the 2004 Versions are what the OT is now and say the O-OT is a thing of the past, why did it finish in the top 10 of DVD sales when it isn't even great quality? PEOPLE PREFER IT, there just isn't millions of idiots like me who post on a SW board everyday, and that is the difference. Every friend I know bought this release in Sept, and they also bought the 2004 release too thinking that was the only version that was ever going to be released, but now they prefer to watch inferior quality of the O-OT over superior quality of the SE, so that may tell you about that niche audience may be bigger then you think.