Long time lurker, first time poster, and a big fan of the original version of the trilogy. I am 26, have a huge vintage Kenner collection, and love ESB. I was very very sore at Lucas for shelving the theatrical cuts of Star Wars. I hated the prequels, but was content to ignore it all until I heard about his refusal to preserve the classic Oscar-winning versions of the trilogy. Well, I have something I think many of you might be interested in. Rikter, TR47, and others... LISTEN UP.
I have owned a laserdisc player since the 1995. The Star Wars DC LD set was my first set, and I bought it because I heard the "One Last Time" crap. For a sixteen-year old to plunk $250.00 bucks without even owning an LD player was a big deal. I watched them over the years, basking in their widescreen, PCM glory. Then the Phantom Menace appeared and everyone went prequel-crazy - either loving it or hating it. At the time, there was a classic trilogy vacuum as all focus was on Episode I. Well, I hated it, and virtually disavowed Star Wars. BUT... one day in late '99 I am sitting at my computer at Syracuse U., looking around on Ebay for that elusive vintage Kenner AT-AT toy, and what do I find - a complete set of the Star Wars "Faces" LDs, MINT in the shrinkwrap - never touched by human hands, and for the whopping buy-it-now price of $49.99 FOR ALL THREE.
For the briefest of moments, I had no idea why I was throwing money down on them. I already had the uber-set, but opened LDs don't last forever... I guess it was paramoia that forced my hand. I bought them and stowed them alongside my DC set, and they sat in the shrinkwrap...I hand carried them back to Atlanta...then hand carried them to Los Angeles....then back to Atlanta... all the time they remained MINT in the shrinkwrap, never opened, never shipped independently. At this very moment, they are still sealed, and I would kill for someone talented to make the ultimate DVD-set of them with the anamorphic process to the video (because I have a 47" WS TV) and the uncompressed PCM audio.
These discs are PERFECT. I have been saving them for over five years in case Lucas pulled this stunt. Well, I was right - he did it. But I have these LDs to offer the fan community to make the ultimate OT set. TR47, yours are BANG UP, I love them. But there are concerns that well... one bootleg version is missing dialogue and another version is missing welding footage. This version, as Rikter said, has it all, and these specific copies have never been played, never touched. They would be the cleanest transfers possible.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks,
nohandluke