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Post #400412

Author
zombie84
Parent topic
Star Wars Colortiming & Cinematography (was What changes was done to STAR WARS in '93?)
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/400412/action/topic#400412
Date created
1-Mar-2010, 9:25 PM

You can see there that the Japanese version is perhaps a tad too bright, but that the levels are more accurate. You can tell because of the luminance. In the second R2 shot on the DE, the image has been dialed down electronically, you can tell because the sun-exposed rocks are really dim and dull, whereas the Japanese version has them at (more or less) what they would have exposed as. The Japanese version is also normal color, whereas the DE has been tinted (you can tell because R2 is red, whereas he looks as he would under normal sun in the Japanese version). Same with the other shots, the DE's hot-spots are dulled down, whereas in the Japanese they are as they would photograph, even if the image is perhaps a bit overbrightened. Again, the Japanese version is neutral in color, whereas the DE has been tweaked, perhaps to better match the shots (the last Luke shot has lighting mis-match in the Japanese version).

Now, the argument here could be made that the Japanese version was based off a foreign print that didn't have the correct coloring in the first place, or that the telecine was done by a foreign company that didn't have access to how it ought to have looked, which the DE corrects. But I'm not sure how much merit that has. I have a 1984 VHS sitting on my shelf beside me, but no VHS player. Since this version pre-dates the 1985 IP that was used for every home video release since, it might be very useful, if only I could run it.