towne32 said:

When comparing SW restoration to the love and attention *some* other major films get, much time has been spent discussing the limitations of restoring the original film. The negatives and elements are obviously in a sorry state. But as far as ESB and Jedi go, is there any reason they can't perform restoration as good as, for instance, Jaws? There is no such thing as flawless, and as stated above, there will always be complaints. They'll have to make decisions that can never please everybody. But a professional quality release should actually be possible for those two, right?

Yes, the reason is this guy:

Yes, it really is that simple. And it goes for all his films. Why this have been and continues to be so hard to grasp for some people I will never understand. It's not like all the films directed by George Lucas are somehow impossible to restore, it's the director and producer who is impossible. It's not just a coincidence that his feature-length directorial debut THX 1138 (just like his other films) last saw a home video release in the early nineties.