Asaki wrote: So it seems like everyone has been expecting much more from LoC than they are actually able/willing to do.
The LoC is doing what they were asked, to save the films to the best of their ability. The copyright deposit copies have an uncertain future. When copyright expires they maybe used to preserve. But copyright has to expire before that conversation begins in earnest.
They are under copyright control now, which explains the limited access. The LoC has probably set a very high standard for viewing/researching as the medium is known to degrade through use. (copyright deposit copies from this period of time, late 70s early 80s, tended to be prints which were used in theaters)
Bingowings wrote:
The British Library has to by law be given a copy of any publication with an ISBN number.
Something similar should happen here.
It has and all the films reside in multiple versions in the LoC. That's the LoC Copyright Deposit copies. (the hearing impaired ones are Copyright Desposits) Here are their specs:
1977 - Star Wars
http://lccn.loc.gov/965122471980 - Empire Strikes Back
http://lccn.loc.gov/965122081983 - Return of the Jedi
http://lccn.loc.gov/965015201997 - Star Wars A New Hope Special Edition
http://lccn.loc.gov/975103431997 - Empire Strikes Back Special Edition
http://lccn.loc.gov/985022621997 - Return of the Jedi Special Edition
http://lccn.loc.gov/20066420531999 - The Phantom Menace
http://lccn.loc.gov/99468631
2002 - Attack of the Clones
http://lccn.loc.gov/20026364272005 - Revenge of the Sith
http://lccn.loc.gov/2005644161
The second part of this story is the National Film Registry which is under the umbrella of the LoC. Since most Copyright Desposit copies were given after significant theater use, the NFR went an additional step by asking for newly created prints. The NFR requested SW in 1989 when the NFR was created. As the title of the article implies (replaced), I think Lucasfilm might have given a 1977 print then, and when SE work began they asked to borrow it. Then when given back, the SE print was slipped in. (don't have anything to confirm this)
Why would it take 10 years for Lucasfilm to give a print in the first place, that doesn't make sense. If Lucasfilm did wait 10 years, the story would have beeen that Lucasfilm doesn't believe in the NFR, and would have expected that story to already have been told. But weirder shit has happened. Hopefully the new article will drag out some people who are in the know, and more facts will emerge.
georgec wrote: I wonder what Katie Lucas' twitter looks like right now...
You should start a thread for your talk about her account. She is very far removed from this topic and will mostly likely never speak about it.