STAR WARS DVD Producer Van Ling answers the tough questions! + More STAR WARS OT DVD’s in 2007?
Posted by mediamelt on September 23, 2004 05:41 PM | [ 1 ]
The Washington Post recently published an interesting online Q & A between Star Wars OT DVD producer Van Ling and an angry mob of Star Wars fans. Here’s some of the highlights:
Bethesda, Md.: Why make the changes in the films. Can’t you just leave the masterpeices the way they are?
Van Ling: It’s George Lucas’ position that he is making the versions of the films that he always wanted to make, and that as the original artist, he has that right. Personally, I respect his right to do that but would love to see the films as I originally fell in love with them, “flaws” and all.
Sound like Ling wants the original cuts released? Throughout the session he was repeatedly asked about Lucas’ decision to ignore history…
Falls Church, Va.: I understand that George Lucas meant to have all the “new” features in the original trilogy, but couldn’t there have been an option on the DVD for us purists to watch the ORIGINAL? I hate the new one with a passion.
Van Ling: George is doing the versions he feels are the ones he wants out there; you don’t have to like them, but you have to respect his right to do them. As a student of filmmaking, though, I would love to see the original versions available as well, since you can learn a lot about storytelling from why things were done a certain way and how things change.
Or this beauty…
Greenbelt, Md.: How badly did Lucas mangle these films for the DVD? I realize that the toys are the main profit area for him, but movies should be about more than merchandising placement (which is the problem with the lousy prequels).
Will there be a release of the original films on DVD at some point, or should we continue to buy pirated versions?
Van Ling: Talk about loaded questions! You’ll have to decide for yourself how you feel about what George has done to the films. As far as I understand, there are no plans to release the “original” versions of the films, which George considers to be unfinished versions. And no one should be buying pirated versions anyway, since these original versions are commercially available as legitimate product, just not on DVD.
That last comment reminds me of those anti-piracy terrorism commercials the MPAA ran a few years back. You remember… the ones where they tried to establish a link with buying a bootleg DVD and handing Osama a 5’er. Just remember: Every day Lucas keeps the original cuts off the market is a day the terrorists go on living!
Another hot topic was the rumored audio related issues on the Episode IV disc…
Alexandria, Va.: I understand from the DVD specialty site, Digital Bits, that there are some disturbing audio glitches that the studio is explaining as “intentional.” The glitches in Episode IV include a swapping of the left and right rear channels; the trumpet fanfare that used to play right after Red Leader says: “This is it!” and just as the X-wings start diving towards the Death Star’s surface has been dialed back in volume so that it’s almost inaudible; and audio quality that varies wildly e.g. - as Tarkin says the line: “You would prefer another target, a military target? Then name the system.” The sound element seems damaged.
Are you aware of these points, and if so, are you aware of efforts to correct the problem?
Van Ling: I’m not involved in the original audio or picture for the films at all, but I understand that Ben Burtt and the creative folks at Lucasfilm have addressed that concern in a statement. The presentation of the films has varied for years, with certain lines being changed or dropped or levels changing, and they certainly have the ability to do what they want, so I have to trust that what you see on the DVD is what they intended, even if you may disagree with their choices.
Ouch! I haven’t purchased the set, nor am I going to, so I have no idea what they are talking about. Sounds like Lucas really messed things up and won’t own up to it.
Ling (who, to be fair, seems like a genuinely nice guy) also talked about how he became a DVD producer, what it was like to work on a dream project like Star Wars, why certain extras were not included, and what might be in the future for Star Wars as far as DVD is concerned…
Washington, D.C.: Are you aware of any plans to release an “uber” collection of all 6 episodes in the future? Would such a collection be the place where fans can expect to find deleted scenes and other archival stuff not included in this release?
Van Ling: I would definitely expect something like that, probably around 2007. But I still think this current set is worth getting as well, since the content will be different for any future sets.
Of course, the 2007 date is pure speculation on Ling’s part and should be taken as such. Still, he is the DVD’s producer, and he makes mention of that date three times throughout the Q & A, so we may be seeing Star Wars: Specialer(er) Edition on the trilogy’s 30th anniversary.
Oh joy…
• Check out the rest of poor Van’s skewering here!
http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/04/entertainment_ling092104.htm
Mod Edit: the link to the above interview unfortunately no longer works. It can, however, be seen via the Internet Archive’s WayBack Machine, here:-