mverta said:

kentforbes said:

I'm hoping that the stormtrooper's line "Close the blast doors!" during the Death Star hallway chase will be restored. They shout it just before Han and Chewy jump through the closing doors. It sets up the next line - "Open the blast doors!" and makes them look like such bumbling idiots. Why it was ever removed I have no idea.

The line was an unfortunate addition to the original stereo and surround mixes, as the dramatic purpose of stormtroopers isn't to be bumbling idiots. If they're bumbling idiots, the audience has no reason to fear for the good guys being chased by them, there is no tension in the pursuit, and nothing at stake. Filmmaking 101. Just as the CG additions of slapstick comedy at the start of the Mos Eisely sequence instantly undoes Obi-Wan's warning of how dangerous and villainous the town is, undermining the bad guys undermines the heroes, and destroys the drama. You keep the stormtroopers a threat, and let the audience just be grateful for every missed shot. It's only during the car ride home that it occurs to viewers that stormtroopers can't hit the broad side of a barn... unless you've tipped them off that they're idiots...

Like most changes in the mono mix, it is the result of over-thinking, and tweaking well past the often superlative first instincts. I'm glad the mono mix has remained essentially ignored for the past 30+ years.

_Mike

Hmmm... I must agree that the CG slapstick at Mos Eisley undermines the danger of the scene. You make a good point sir. Having the Stormtrooper who's checking the doors in Mos Eisley say "It's locked, move on to the next one" still makes them look like bumbling idiots though....