Originally posted by: DanielBif I put a quote of you saying that at the top will it make you happy?
To be honest, Daniel, I don't actually care that much. See, you can put up all the quotes you want; you can draw pictures illustrating your perceptions of hypocrisy and double-standard. You can compose soliloquies, you can do performance art pieces; it just doesn't matter. You'll never be able to disprove the intent of the author. It's not a matter that's subject to debate. You may struggle to understand the distinctions I've made, perhaps because you find the whole idea so philosophically repugnant, but in the end, this struggle is your own.
You see, were you ever fortunate enough to join me for a viewing of the Star Wars Legacy Edition, I suspect you'd have little argument. Without the website, you'd have no idea what I'd done. You can't see it. If you're tortured enough to have committed every error to memory, and notice, for example, that the frame no longer jumps on an R2-D2 edit, then you weren't watching the movie in the first place, you're not watching the story, you're not the true audience. And the audience is who this restoration, and every movie is for. Since the day I saw Star Wars at age 5, I have committed every day of my life to being an artist, and part of being a successful artist means remembering how to see your work like everyone else. When I go to movies, I don't watch for the effects, I don't listen for the sound design. I COULD... and perhpas on subsequent viewings, for experience's sake, I'll deconstruct them. But I can "turn off" 27 years of training, and simply enjoy the movie. That's really what this is all about. This restoration is for me, and it's a thing of beauty, I can tell you. But nobody said you had to like it, I suppose. I didn't ask. Here's a recommendation:
If you're philosophically opposed to the whole idea, and want to continue posting to that effect, please understand that I've really done as much explaining of my position as I care to. I'm sorry, but I don't have anything else to add.
If you want to address or inquire about specific things, you can expect a response. But I hope I haven't given the impression that the Legacy Edition is a "made-to-order" piece. I have few ambiguities about what needs addressing, and even fewer about how to address them.
In the end, something for all of us to remember: Star Wars is a piece of film, and art history, because of its ability to inspire. It has inspired change in art, commerce, society, and philosophy. Most anyone who takes the time to post on a board like this, does so because they, too are a fan. Sometimes, people have such pathetic existences that they have to troll message boards and get people riled up... it's better than the total isolation of their sad lives, and it's some form of social interaction they can actually control. These are the people who tell you they're cool with being assholes. They're not. They're sad and they're lonely, and if they're not going to get the positive attention they seek, then they're going to get attention for making people upset. Anything's better than lonliness.
We assume this isn't you, Daniel, but I think your subsequent posts will settle the matter, inasmuch as I've made my position, and my requests clear. It's your call.
_Mike