Greetings folks!
My name is Charles and I've been skulk...uh, I mean, perusing around this site for maybe a couple years now. I've been a Star Wars fan since I was a kid, before I'd even seen the movies (I fell in love with the vintage poster facsimiles I saw in puzzle and game catalogs to which my parents were subscribed). After fantasizing about the movies for a good while, I actually saw them, in all their 1997 Special Edition, full-screen, VHS glory, on a 20-inch, one-speaker, Sony Trinitron.
I was thirteen and Blockbuster was still the rage. It was the late 90s and Star Wars was back. The Phantom Menace trailer came out around that time. I was in heaven.
Several years, three prequels, and three special editions later, I developed into a “moderate purist.” As oxymoronic as that may sound, it makes a sort of sense. Let me explain. I like the restoration work and subtle touchups (e.g., matte line clean-up) of the SPs. Also, frankly, I like the 97 editions’ updates, with two exceptions; Jabba’s cameo in Star Wars (okay, fine, A New Hope) and, sin of sins, Greedo shooting first.
However, I completely agree that the original theatrical versions should receive the same pure restoration that Lawrence of Arabia, Gone with the Wind, and The Wizard of Oz (to name just a few) received. Warner Brothers, in particular, have been fabulous with their restorations.
So, my favorite fan restorations and preservations are (predictably) the GOUT DVD restoration for A New Hope (forgot authors’ name, forgive me) and Lee Thorogood’s preservation of the 97 editions of ESB and RotJ.
Those have actually become my favorite versions of the OT.
So, moderate in what I enjoy, and purist in what I demand for others. Disney, restore the theatricals!
Now, for the prequels. Call me a blasphemer, but I like them. Granted, the Phantom Editor is my hero. But I still enjoy watching the entire six movies chronologically (I-VI). And yes, I’m still in the Stone Age as my only fanedits of the prequels are the Phantom Editor’s, which means I don’t have an edited version of Revenge of the Sith.
(Disclaimer: I own, legally, all the retail versions on DVD. To boot, I have the OT 95 and 97 on VHS. All are widescreen.)
If you’ve read this far, I commend you. I just wanted to introduce myself, say ‘hi,’ and officially join the Restoration/Preservation/Editing community as an observing, consuming layman. By the way, you folks who actually do the projects are, in my opinion, artists. Thank you so much for your hard work!
Plug: GOUT folks and Lee Thorogood are true Jedi.
Now, on to Star Wars books and video games. Haha, just kidding. But, yeah, love those too.
Cheers!