logo Sign In

Star Wars - The Edits and DVDr releases thread — Page 3

Author
Time
My TR47 Jedi does not repeat the scene, but I know that Empire always had the few seconds of black before the Leia/ Han scene in the Falcon. It's during the laserdisc side change.
Author
Time
The initial list that started this thread doesn't include the 5-star SE DVDr's, or the 7 DVDr version of the "Definitive Collection" LDs.

But here's a question about versions and missing scenes. I swear I remember from my childhood a scene of a blockade runner style ship taking off from inside a cave on Hoth after Han tells the transport to leave because he can't get to it with Leia. Anyone else share this memory?
Author
Time
Originally posted by: dx3
The initial list that started this thread doesn't include the 5-star SE DVDr's, or the 7 DVDr version of the "Definitive Collection" LDs.


PLEASE feel free to write reviews for them and I will post them in the next update!!

Please include stuff like Audio,Subtitles and errors


“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK

Author
Time
Originally posted by: Rikter
Originally posted by: dx3
The initial list that started this thread doesn't include the 5-star SE DVDr's, or the 7 DVDr version of the "Definitive Collection" LDs.


PLEASE feel free to write reviews for them and I will post them in the next update!!

Please include stuff like Audio,Subtitles and errors




I don't actually have acess to the 5-star, though I would like to find them to have the original versions of the special editions (sheesh). Prillaman's reviews just seem to indicate it to be the best of the SE boots.

I haven't watched all of the 7 DVDr version, but I have seen the special features disc, all of Star Wars and the first disk of Empire. The short review - people have said that the contrast on this set is wrong (too high) and I would agree. There is a lot of movement in the screen, and the picture quality really doesn't look very good if you are close to the TV. From standard viewing distance, it looks fine, probably comparable to the VHS or a little better (though I actually wouldn't feel comfortable saying better without doing a direct comparison). They do have audio commentary (on the menu screen you can basically choose to just play the movie, or play it with commentary). There are some flaws in the first disk of Empire - there is an occassional line in the lower black bar, at least on the set I have seen. If I get a chance, I'll try to come up with actual details for you.

I have some camera phone shots of the discs and packaging of this set ... I could email them if you want to see them.
Author
Time
Originally posted by: RowMan
My TR47 Jedi does not repeat the scene, but I know that Empire always had the few seconds of black before the Leia/ Han scene in the Falcon. It's during the laserdisc side change.



Rowman - could I get a copy of your Jedi disc?

PM me please


Also..........


Does anyone here have the 5-Star Set + IF so can I get a screen capture of the menus so I can compare my SE set with them.

ME THINKS my set may be a DVD9 to DVD5 conversion.....





“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK

Author
Time
Rik,

PM'ed you. I can get you a copy of my TR47 Jedi.

I also have the DVD-9 Five Star SE set. I don't have the ability to screen capture, but the menus on all three movies are generally the same. A swirling star-field with the John Williams theme playing in the background. The transfer is pretty good. A 2002 review can be found here...

http://www.pulpfilm.com/reviews/swbootlegs.html

On eBay someone tried to sell me a DVD-9 to DVD-5 conversion. I sent them back because they didn't make clear that they were copies. The discs even had the DVD XCOPY "back-up" warning at the beginning. Jedi was the poorest looking of the conversions because he kept all of the audio tracks (including the fake DTS and 5.1) and the 30 documentary at the end. I told the seller that the three films would probably look a lot better if he got rid of all those extra things because there would be much less disc info to compress.
Author
Time
Originally posted by: Rikter
Does anyone here have the 5-Star Set + IF so can I get a screen capture of the menus so I can compare my SE set with them.

ME THINKS my set may be a DVD9 to DVD5 conversion.....

They're just like RowMan described. Here's a pic.

http://home.austin.rr.com/obiwanspicoli/5starmenu.jpg
Greedo shoots first? Not in my DVD player.
Author
Time
Thanks for the pic!

Mine is NOT the same DVD9 to DVD5 - I think that they are LOOK DVD's - as they came with the same style DVD cover, start with the same dolby digital trailer and have the same subtitles - this set has been around almost as long as the Second LOOK (no burned in subs) set also.

Here's a picture of the menu -

http://home.comcast.net/~newmexicoufo/menu_SE.jpg

“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK

Author
Time
Where did the rumor of Kevin Smith being the author of the "MagnoliaFan" edits originate, and how? Is there anything supporting this idea, or is it just a wild guess? (And are they named "MagnoliaFan" because KS is the suspected creator, or is that name the reason why he is the suspect?) Seriously, I wonder if there is any shred of a proof or clue that KS did these, since I really doubt he'd risk colossal fines and possible imprisonment...
Author
Time
The rumor started back in 1999 with the FIRST PHANTOM Edit 1.1 - My friend and I both saw a post on some newsgroup when the Edit first surfaced - One of the sources of the KS rumor, another source, more and yet again more and NOT related to Kevin Smith AT ALL - the Phantom Editor even put up his own site I found the link here back in 2001

- there was later some talk on the old Phantom Menace Yahoo and AOL Chats that someone was gonna edit the new DVD of the Phantom Edit - THIS is where I heard about the MagnoliaFan87 Edits then a few days later I found the Phantom Edit Forum and more talk about this Magnoliafan - Episode I: Balance of the Force - Edit - BACK to the AOL chats some said it was Kevin Smith (again) that did it.

SO it seems it's just "Internet" hype/rumors - but who really knows BESIDES all the real Editors themselves, respectively.

Dude I'm such a geek

- Word

“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK

Author
Time
Yeah, I heard the same rumours back then, but it really is unlikely considering how busy he's supposed to be working professionally, and how much he likes Ep 1 and 2 as they are (at least publically).

The bootleg thread is getting really unwieldy so for those who may be interested, I'm gonna repost my review of the Holiday Special along with my review of the 1975 Auditions.

*

THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL Review: The DVD has selectable menus presenting the Special, the Star Wars episode of the Muppets Show and vintage Kenner toy commercials.

For a 1978 broadcast taped off television, it looks pretty good. Obviously I mean 'good' by 5th generation VHS standards. The picture is blurry, and colours are washed out and smeared, but the video is very smooth with only some distortion, and drop out is at a minimum. The sound is kinda harsh and hollow, but quite 'listenable' and you can jump ahead with chapter stops. Really, I still have tapes from the 80s that don't hold up as well. As for the show itself, anyone familiar with that era's sketch variety shows will be familiar with the structure. The special opens with a live action plot about Chewie's family on Kyshykk waiting for him to arrive so they can celebrate Life Day together. Eventually, Chewie and Han do show up, but not before the imperials and a roster of comedy players including (Golden Girl's) Bea Arthur, Art Karney, (Mel Brook's alum) Harvey Korman, and others get mixed up in their 'wacky' shenanigan's. Needless to say, their antics are embarrassingly bad. I actually like most of the performers, but it’s all very slow and boring, especially the first 15 minutes when nothing happens. Interspersed throughout are bizarre 70's sci-fi dance and musical sequences, with trippy lava-lamp visuals. Aside from an appearance by one of my fav bands, Jefferson Starship the best part by far is the Nelvana cartoon sequence that introduces Boba Fett. Fans of Droids will especially love this. I've never seen this before and was surprised as Boba is already a cool badass character. This is well worth watching, too bad it’s so short. The Leia sing-a-long is a hoot too.

Included on the disc is the Muppet Show episode with Luke and the droids. I'm a huge Muppets fan and I love this episode. There is a sharp visual and audio buzz near the middle, but otherwise it looks and sounds pretty good. Like 1st gen VHS.

The real bonus is the vintage Kenner commercials and these are awesome. I haven't seen these since I was a kid and they bring back a lot of memories. I even still have a few of them! Sure, they're real dark and poor quality, but where else can you see them? Overall, just great stuff.

I got all this for the cost of the disc and shipping, and Rikter even threw in a couple of cool bonuses. Thanks a lot! You are a true fan and anyone in the Star Wars community would appreciate your efforts to preserve all this great memorabilia for Star Wars history!

*

STAR WARS: THE 1975 AUDITIONS Review:

The DVD runs an hour and a half with 20 chapter stops and has a menu with play function. First, let’s just realize that this is gonna look bad. Bearing in mind this is something like 5th generation VHS however, and you can see that Rikter has done a respectable job of remastering it, offering black and white video that is fairly smooth, if blurry and fluctuating, but more importantly where most of the actors are still recognizable.

These are audition tapes, not a movie, so the camera almost never moves and the whole thing is all just close ups or 2 shots. But no one is watching this for sheer entertainment value. Instead the material is fascinating all by itself. Obviously an early screenplay of the film was used with familiar dialogue peppered with strange names, Organa Major instead of Alderaan for example. The real thrill is watching such different performers in these famous roles. The potential there was phenomenal. Who knows how different Star Wars might have been?

I’ll admit I don’t recognize most of these faces, but there were a few pleasant surprises. One of the best is Kurt Russell. He reads for both Han and Luke and with several different actors. Considering the number of times he was used, I’m sure Lucas was really considering him for a role. He’s fun to watch and plays well against others. I’m a huge Russell fan, and although I love Harrison of course, Russell would have made for a cool Han as well.

Another surprise was none other than the Greatest American Hero himself, William Katt. He was in a couple of auditions and I think he also read with Kurt Russell. He would have been a pretty different Luke, although they both share goofy blonde locks. I love TGAH so I’m glad he eventually found the right vehicle for himself, although he and Russell were pretty decent together.

They were a lot of actresses that tried out for Princess Leia. Some were okay, some were terrible, but a few stood out. As a Laverne and Shirley fan it was interesting to see Cindy Williams read for the part. Although she’s cute and I like her a lot, I don’t think she would have fit the role very well. Like many of the other actors who probably didn’t get all the weird sci-fi dialogue, she didn’t project the space setting well, although to be fair even Carrie Fisher was a little different in her read.

There are also more of the famous snippets of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher as seen on ET in the auditions as well, but how much you enjoy the rest of the disc depends on how curious you are and perhaps how many of the other actors and actresses you recognize. Either way, this disc is a significant piece of SW history, and a definite must have for any serious SW collection, but as entertainment it’s strictly for the hardcore.

-------

So if you're curious about these Star Wars oddities, maybe this'll help you decide if you wanna watch them or not. Thanks for making these available to the fans, Rik!

The original Star Wars trilogy: Our cultural history deserves to be preserved and should be available to the public like all great works of art!
Author
Time
Cool, quite tempting... Unfortunally it would cost me a fortune to ship these things to where I live, and I'm a little bit unsure when buying DVDr, not sure it would work on my DVD set (works fine on my computer, but I want to watch it on my TV).
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
Author
Time
Originally posted by: ricarleite
Cool, quite tempting... Unfortunally it would cost me a fortune to ship these things to where I live, and I'm a little bit unsure when buying DVDr, not sure it would work on my DVD set (works fine on my computer, but I want to watch it on my TV).


ricarleite,

Where are you located? - I will send you a DVDr free of any charges (via airmail) to see if you can play them on you DVD player

Email me your info!


sweyland -

Thanks for the awesome reviews!!

“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK

Author
Time
I'm in Brazil. But don't worry Rikter, I'll give it a second thought, and count all the coins inside my little pig safe after I break it with my trusty hammer, and if I have enough money to convert it to dollars (R$3.00 ~= US$1.00), then I'll be sure to send you an e-mail. But do you have any idea how much it would cost me, in US dollars?
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
Author
Time
I live in the US and have sent many DVDs overseas via USPS Global Priority Mail in a flat rate envelope for only $10. A lot of discs can fit in that envelope without cases. Three can fit with cases.
Author
Time
Originally posted by: MagnoliaFan
FYI, there is a letterboxed dvd of the "Pre A New Hope" version of Star Wars in existance...
Oh, and thanks for the praise...

Whoa!
The original Star Wars trilogy: Our cultural history deserves to be preserved and should be available to the public like all great works of art!
Author
Time
Originally posted by: MagnoliaFan
FYI, there is a letterboxed dvd of the "Pre A New Hope" version of Star Wars in existance...
Oh, and thanks for the praise...

What is the source of this DVD? I have the pre ANH Star Wars on VHS.

Greedo shoots first? Not in my DVD player.
Author
Time
The audio mix comes straight from the bootleg vhs.
The video has been replaced shot for shot with the lbx laserdisc and the alternate crawl was recreated in After Effects. Also Greedo's subtitles were recreated as a subtitle track. It's similar to how the dvd remastered Phantom Re-Edit was done.

For that, the audio was from vhs, the video was a dvd rip, and the subtitles were transcribed as a seperate sub track.
In that case, though, two shots had to be replaced, as no dvd source existed for them, but a before and after vhs to dvd comparison was left to show how minimal the changes were.

http://twitter.com/TheMagnoliaFan

http://www.youtube.com/user/magnoliafan78

Author
Time
MagnoliaFan - WOW, That's SO cool that you joined the forum!!

Any chance we can get this DVD of the PRE-A New Hope??

RiK

“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK

Author
Time
MF - Very clever, as there are no visual differences aside from the opening crawl. That's a great way to preserve the mono sound mix. It must have been difficult to get everything synced up. I'd love to see it.
Greedo shoots first? Not in my DVD player.
Author
Time
A pre-ANH DVD?!

Me wantsssss itsss. Prescioussss
Author
Time
I, too, am interested.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
Author
Time
To correct what is said about the Pre ANH SW.
The "Now's our chance, go!" shots are not reversed in it, in the original vhs, nor the dvd.
Also incorrect from the compendium, there is a visual change.
The scene with Tarkin, Vader and the imperials discussing the stolen Death Star plans ends abruptly without the line "We will then crush the rebellion with one swift stroke"
Also some shots vary in length from the later releases by anywhere from a few frames to a second or two.

As far as everyone's requests for the Pre ANH dvd go, I don't really have time to be making copies to mail to everyone, but I am working on setting someone up with one, who can share with the rest of the class.

http://twitter.com/TheMagnoliaFan

http://www.youtube.com/user/magnoliafan78

Author
Time
Regarding the Tarkin scene- that appears, at least to me, to be an error that occured at the time of capture. Like the camera was abruptly turned off and then turned back on. It's a really bad cut between scenes. Tarkin is still on the last consonant of the word "operational" when the scene cuts.

BTW, MF, I tried to respond to your PM but I don't think your PMs are turned on. Send me an email - obiwanspicoli at austin dot rr dot com.

Scott
Greedo shoots first? Not in my DVD player.