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New Blu Ray Special Editions

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I don't really have a problem with the existence of the special editions, other than the fact that they are the only versions that Lucas will restore.  But a thought crossed my mind given the pending blu ray releases.

What if Lucas were to keep all his special edition changes, but go back and redo the visual effects so that they look more realistic.  The biggest issue I have with the special editions is that you can tell what has been added very easily.  But I really think that if Jabba, the Dewbacks, the Jabbas palace dancers, and the sarlacc looked more realistic like Gollum, then they'd be much easier to digest.  

I'm still hoping a praying for the theatrical versions like everybody else, but I still think there is a place for the special editions and I'd really like to see them perfected as well.

What do you guys think?

"George, we hate you for making more Star Wars movies.  Please make more Star Wars movies."

-The Internet

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Honestly, I think perfecting them is not possible. The special edition stuff isn't jarring solely because the texture mapping or whatever isn't up to snuff by 2011 levels. The movie is just this scrappy, medium-budget thing from the 70s and that's a really big part of its personality. Your brain will always register this flash of weirdness if some amazing, perfect creature suddenly appears in that kind of a movie.

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the CG additions Adywan's SW revisited seemed to blend in a lot better than they did in the 2004 dvds, so I can imagine that a 'perfected' SE is certainly very possible.

I'll honestly be surprised if we don't see at least a few further changes in the blu-ray release.

 

 

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I think that if George had used traditional effects for the majority of his additions (like an animatronic sarlacc beak, for example ) then they would be much easier to stomach. I for one wouldn't mind if he went this route for any further SEs.

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Here's an idea, what if he added all the effects Ray Harryhausen style.  He has claimed that his original idea for doing Jabba in A New Hope was with a stop motion creature.  It would still look new but at least it would be up to 70s special effects standards.

And I certainly don't have a problem with him using new digital effects for the composite like when he cleaned up the matte lines and transparent frames in the Hoth Battle and Rancor pit.

"George, we hate you for making more Star Wars movies.  Please make more Star Wars movies."

-The Internet

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If it has anything to do with the 04 debacle (which it probably will) then there is no hope for this set. Best case scenario if the OOT is not released is to do a new scan of the 97SE and simply release that. It will have proper restored colors, a highly detailed image (added scenes were done in 2K), good sound mix, and none of the awful 04 edits. And it wouldn't cost anything except for a new scan.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
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captainsolo said:

And it wouldn't cost anything except for a new scan.

Too bad it costs so much that poor George can't afford it.

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.

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Yep. He can't even afford a scan of his personal three strip technicolor print he had the 97's based on.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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You fans are so unreasonable. You think Lucasfilm can just spend money on such extravagances?

 

 

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^ Brilliant! It is posts like Baronlando's that really show how ridiculous and absurd this whole situation is. :)

We want you to be aware that we have no plans—now or in the future—to restore the earlier versions. 

Sincerely, Lynne Hale publicity@lucasfilm.com

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Hilarious!

I'll never understand why GL hates his originals so much. 

The way I see it, with all the versions available on the interwebz (namely Adywan's SE's and Dark Jedi's GOUT's) why do we still yearn for an official version?  We're clearly never going to get it, so be happy with what you have.  It's probably better than anything Lucas would give us anyway.


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RedFive said:

The way I see it, with all the versions available on the interwebz (namely Adywan's SE's and Dark Jedi's GOUT's) why do we still yearn for an official version? 

Because SW-fans and cineasts yearn to finally be able to enjoy these films restored to their former glory like every other movie, and Lucasfilm is the company that can make it happen if the madman just greenlight it. Old SW and film fans like myself have lived in a kind of a twisted nightmare for 13 years where the films we loved suddenly got taken away, for those of us that remember and know how beautiful these films can look, dark_jedi's improved GOUT-set are in no way a substitute for that, no matter how much g-force improved it, it's still a polished lousy Laserdisc transfer. That's why.

RedFive said:

We're clearly never going to get it, so be happy with what you have.  It's probably better than anything Lucas would give us anyway.

On this site we're clearly not happy about it.

We want you to be aware that we have no plans—now or in the future—to restore the earlier versions. 

Sincerely, Lynne Hale publicity@lucasfilm.com

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And the general public is not going to download and burn D_J's discs. Future generations, boxed sets of classic movies, they all will ONLY have the 2004 version. We are a small group, the originals deserve more than just us.

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I guess that's all true. 

What about the 2006 DVD's?  I haven't actually seen them, and I understand the quality is pretty lame, but isn't it the OOT nonetheless? 


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RedFive said:


I guess that's all true. 

What about the 2006 DVD's?  I haven't actually seen them, and I understand the quality is pretty lame, but isn't it the OOT nonetheless? 
Yes, but let's say you bought Fox's 75th Anniversary DVD Set to get all of the best movies they've made. Guess which version of Star Wars that actually is?

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RedFive said:

What about the 2006 DVD's?  I haven't actually seen them, and I understand the quality is pretty lame, but isn't it the OOT nonetheless? 

Those 2006 bonus discs is what is called "GOUT - Georges' Original Unaltered Trilogy" around these parts. Made from an 18 years old Laserdisc master. Cheap pornos are treated better on video than one of the most popular and influental films ever made.

We want you to be aware that we have no plans—now or in the future—to restore the earlier versions. 

Sincerely, Lynne Hale publicity@lucasfilm.com

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doubleofive said:

RedFive said:


I guess that's all true. 

What about the 2006 DVD's?  I haven't actually seen them, and I understand the quality is pretty lame, but isn't it the OOT nonetheless? 
Yes, but let's say you bought Fox's 75th Anniversary DVD Set to get all of the best movies they've made. Guess which version of Star Wars that actually is?

That's just terrible.  Even more so than putting "Night at the Museum" in there - what the hell?

It is Fox after all...

msycamore said:

RedFive said:

What about the 2006 DVD's?  I haven't actually seen them, and I understand the quality is pretty lame, but isn't it the OOT nonetheless? 

Those 2006 bonus discs is what is called "GOUT - Georges' Original Unaltered Trilogy" around these parts. Made from an 18 years old Laserdisc master. Cheap pornos are treated better on video than one of the most popular and influental films ever made.

Hahaha.  What do you think his reasoning is for this?  Does he actually believe that his new versions that much better?  Is he just a stubborn old man with a giant ego who won't admit his mistakes?  Is he saving the cleaned-up remastered GOUT for... I don't even know what at this point, just trying to keep people buying different editions?


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What do you think his reasoning is for this?  Does he actually believe that his new versions that much better?  Is he just a stubborn old man with a giant ego who won't admit his mistakes?  Is he saving the cleaned-up remastered GOUT for... I don't even know what at this point, just trying to keep people buying different editions?

All of the above.