What did you like.......about the '97 Special Editions? — Page 2

I agree with everyone who mentioned the celebration. The music is more fitting (by a hair), and it still has Sebastian Shaw. However, a YouTube user mentioned to me the idea that using that music without the CG planets would have been ideal. (Perhaps even enough-so for someone's edit?) Just a thought...

msycamore said:

The two musical transitions to the Imperial fleet in The Empire Strikes Back as John Williams intended was nice to hear restored.

Oh yeah, and the one when Slave I escapes.

Bingowings said:

LexX said: Wedge & Luke scene was nice.

Sorry if I've missed something but which scene are you referring to?

During the celebration where they shake hands, if I remember correctly.

Yub Nub is a terrible song. It really completely devalues the somber but hopeful ending of ROTJ for me. It's way too campy. Maybe it would work in another situation, but the SE music is far superior for conveying a bittersweet victory with a lot of work ahead for the Rebels.

Generally, the best changes in the SE are ones you don't really notice as much. Cleanup work and the like. I also liked the dewbacks and such, though they were too noisy (LOOK OVER HERE I'M NEW). The droids and rontos were too much. The lead-in to the cantina wasn't bad. I liked most of the stuff in ESB. Cloud City really lends itself to the more open style, though it was sometimes subconsciously distracting (which is my general complaint for most of the SE changes).

I honestly can't remember many of the ROTJ ones off the top of my head.

Star Wars:

Everything except Greedo.  I'm indifferent towards the Jabba scene.

Empire Strikes Back:

Everything except "Alert my Star Destroyer to prepare for my arrival" and the scream.

Return of the Jedi:

Jedi Rocks if fine except for the over the top CG characters.  The rest of the expanded band with actors in suits and puppets are OK.  I greatly prefer the new ending music as well. 

LexX said:

msycamore said:

The two musical transitions to the Imperial fleet in The Empire Strikes Back as John Williams intended was nice to hear restored.

Oh yeah, and the one when Slave I escapes.

In this case I actually prefer the lack of music like it was presented in the original film, but I can understand why some people prefer to have that sequence scored, I think it works in both ways just like the previously mentioned transitional cues. They went for a less is more approach with the original Boba Fett-departure which IMO makes the scene much more powerful.

msycamore said:

The two musical transitions to the Imperial fleet in The Empire Strikes Back as John Williams intended was nice to hear restored.

Do not forget the music when Boba fett takes off.

fishmanlee said:

Do not forget the music when Boba fett takes off.

I didn't, I just mentioned what I did like about the SE film. The music itself is great of course but IMO the scene worked even better without it.

I also liked the added rope on Han's legs hanging from the skiff in ROTJ, before it was a little unbelievable, LOL.

I liked seeing the films on the big screen for the first time.

The full wide theatrical release of all three films.

The good remixed 5.1 sound.

The YCM labs full on physical restoration of all three films from o-negs and color timing ANH  to the Tech IB print.

The trailers.

ANH:Some of the Mos Eisley extension, the DS dogfight looked nice in the new shots, the Praxis rings were interesting sort of, the Jabba scene was an interesting alternate bit, the extended Falcon leaving Tatooine and the added elements from the mono mix to make a close to definitive mix.

ESB: I hate the added ROTJ shot of Vader's shuttle arriving. Ruins the pacing, is completely unnecessary and is from freaking ROTJ!! "Alert my Star Destroyer..." is not anywhere near as effective or good as "Bring my shuttle.", the scream isn't terrible, but any discerning ear can tell it's Palpy's death scream, the visible Wampa works.

ROTJ: Definitely the ending music, Yub Nub never fit well to me. I don't have many problems on this one, but Jedi Rocks is way too overdone.

The little things are done well and are very seamless but can be completely different from the original film. The redone shots with CGI are not the original models and live SFX that composed the original films. It really bothers me that people tend to view the SEs and deriatives as the actual films and that the CGI has replaced the original workmanship.

And I like the SE. That said, what I have noticed is what some claimed in 97: that overall the SE trilogy had a flat and very grainy look to it, that it had none of the sharpness of the original issues and that the sound mix seemed flat and with little to no punch in the high and low ends. According to some of these quotes, the originals had been screened here and there (even in 70mm) up to 1993. So they weren't basing their opinions on distant memories but rather recent ones. Maybe an actual well done transfer can reveal the limitations of the 97's but judging from memory and the available editions, ANH is softer, grainier, and soundwise centered in the midrange.

Theatrically it looked brilliant. The broadcast versions look closer to my theatrical memories. The LDs are great for the format, but don't really stack up to the theatrical presentation.

It seems that every version of Star Wars must be viewed on a copy of a master of an IP, which causes untold amounts of problems. I think that the image issues on the 97s might have been behind the beginnings of the image tweaks that occurred on the 04 master since they were derived from the 97 restoration.

To LFL: Just freaking take a 35mm print of each 97 SE and run it through a Spirit Datacine or any telecine for that matter at 2K (because you're really too cheap). Fix any tears, splices, hairs etc. and release with the optical Dolby 5.1 and DTS 5.1. It'll be 2.35, anamorphic, 1080p, DTS-HD MA, Dolby HD. Perfect simple Blu-ray. Was that too hard? No color problems, no bad sound mix, no further changes necessary, no outside fees, cheap and easy to do, and George will still have his SE out there. Then you can do the same with the OOT. It will cost next to nothing-you can do it in house! Criterion does this stuff everyday.

Teh DTS was da best!

Seriously, isn't there a whole sub forum for this:

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/forum.cfm/Theatrical-Cuts-vs-Special-Editions/forum/4/

Actually Luke screams in one of the pre release empire strikes back trailers so Lucas or was that Kersh had considered it long before the special edition.

In the trailer it sounds like Hamill though and not the emperor actor Ian M.

This is the vivadli four seasons trailer i don't think is on the 2004 bonus disc, or even in the definitive laserdisc set.  Its not even on the editdroid.

Very low quality versions on youtube and t'bone star wars site.

The Aluminum Falcon said:

Baronlando said:

skyjedi2005 said:

Actually Luke screams in one of the pre release empire strikes back trailers

He does, but pretty sure it's in a different scene.

As far as the Vivaldi trailer, he screams twice: once when he falls out of the grey chute after jumping off and another time when he is hurled out the window before the "I Am Your Father" confrontation in the Cloud City shaft. Someone recreated it on Youtube here, and someone else uploaded the original on Youtube here, from a faded film print, judging by the looks of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtqnCc_forQ

same trailer in German.  I believe from a German vhs tape.

aaaah. I've fallen down into a chute which was totally surprising, but my yell totally wasn't...