Anchorhead said:
Monolithium said:
If the GOUT ever comes out on Blu-ray, I hope each disc has this warning before the films:
Warning: This film does not reflect the CREATOR'S Original Vision and should be viewed as a WORKPRINT ONLY.
Yeah, but which Original Vision? - 1974, 1977, 1981, 1984, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2014....
;-)
You know, this is a really good point with regards to "original vision" arguments. Which "original" vision are people talking about? His original vision when he first started it? It was called Flash Gordon, and it eventually was released in 1980 from another director. Or how about his vision when he first wrote a story called The Star Wars? In that case, it's an outer space remake of Hidden Fortress. Or how about his first screenplay? That would be a combination of the two previous remakes, with Han as a green alien with gills, Luke Skywalker a 60-year old General, and Princess Leia a 14 year old girl, with a human General Darth Vader and an Emperor Cos Dashit. Or do they mean some arbitrary other screenplay down the line--perhaps the second or third drafts from 1975? Or do they mean his "original vision" at the time of the start of photography--well, that was released in 1977, faithful to the screenplay and with Lucas having final cut. Actually, scratch that, he re-wrote during filming--the "original vision" version would have to change the last name of Luke to Starkiller and have Ben Kenobi survive, thus necessitating removing his ghost from the sequels and explaining where he went after Episode IV. He'd have to overdub all mentions of "Skywalker" in the prequels and sequels as well, since that wasn't his original vision. And hmm, doesn't Vader have his helmet off in a conference scene in the shooting script, guess he wasn't all scared up from lava at that time, have to re-film ROTS' ending.
Ironically, the "vision" that 1997 and 2004 (and 2011/etc.) Special Editions represent are not "original" in any sort of pre-release sense. It's actually the complete opposite of original. If you want to see the film Lucas originally envisioned, you can't, because it was never made. If you want to see the film Lucas originally made, go watch the GOUT. This nonesense about an "original vision" Special Edition is total double-speak.