A new edit of Empire Strikes Back (Released)

Sorry for the lame title of this thread. I’ve been toying around with the idea of doing my “perfect edit” of The Empire Strikes Back in anticipation of ESBR. There’s a few things that just drive me nuts about the 1997 version. Here’s what I want to do:

1. Remove shot of Wampa writhing in pain with its arm cut off
2. Restore Vader’s original line of “Bring my Shuttle” when leaving Bespin
3. Removing additional shot of Vader walking to the shuttle
4. Removing Vader’s shuttle arriving at Super Star Destroyer scene (I would deleted the shuttle flying to the Super Star Destroyer scene too, but the music cut is too jarring, unfortunately).
5. Keeping the new Emperor scene from 2004.
6. Removing Luke’s falling scream, yet again.

Here’s the elements I have:

1. Adywan’s 14 gig color-corrected version
2. Wookiegroomer’s 40 gig color-corrected version (for new Emperor scene)
   3)Adigitalman’s Edit of Episode V (with Bring my shuttle line-will need to re-encode at 640k Dolby)

I have the following software available for use:
TsMuxer, Sony Vegas, DVD Lab Pro, Sound Forge 9

I’ve done some basic editing at DVD level before but don’t have a clue on where to begin for HD editing. Unfortunately I don’t have any knowledge or time to properly learn Sony Vegas so I’m hoping someone can briefly, if possible, walk me through this.

Essentially, the work itself shouldn’t be too difficult. I think TSmuxer will let me cut segments out of the M2Ts files although I’m not quite sure how to do it. I just want to cut out the few shots, re-encode the DVD audio for the Bring my Shuttle line to 640k and replace the audio in that scene to what it was before, and then finally–rejoin the files.

Does anyone have some ideas on the easiest way to go about doing this? I plan to post this to Usenet once completed! 😃

I would use adigitalman's solution for the emperor - new emperor, old dialogue - achieved by careful editing of the audio.

Really don't see why people are so attached to the old emperor.  Looks like what it is.  A girl in half a chimp mask.  And Clive Revill's line delivery is uninspiring - to say the least. 

It was an absolutely awful element of the original and quite right it was changed to match ROTJ and everything else.  Just a shame Lucasfilm messed up the dialogue.

Great idea for an edit, Funcha!

Oh well, I don't wanna derail this thread.  We'll have to agree to disagree!  :-) 

I just wanna propose ADM's solution for the emperor.  If you can revamp how Ian looks to make him look even better I'm with you!

Don't worry, my friend, you didn't!  :-)

If Funcha is feeling brave, he could add some more AT ATs to the Hoth battle and make the rebels heavy laser gun emplacements do more damage.  They always seem a little too ineffective to me.

Chewtobacca:

Really don't see why people are so attached to the old emperor.  Looks like what it is.  A girl in half a chimp mask.

Or rather, an old woman with chimp eyes composited over hers.

Darth Venal said:

Chewtobacca:

Really don't see why people are so attached to the old emperor.  Looks like what it is.  A girl in half a chimp mask.

Or rather, an old woman with chimp eyes composited over hers.

I know that.  It's called hyperbole.

I took it more as a dysphemism/malphemism. Funny how plain text can be read different ways.

By the way, regarding Empire, I'm sure those of you as old as me may remember all the gossip in the genre magazines after Empire and before Jedi about who the "other" hope that Yoda spoke of was. Well, I still have some of those magazines and it seems quite incredible, in hindsight, that none of them suggested Leia. I mean, when you look at the movie now, it seems plain as day that Vader is Luke's father once they have communicated through the Force, but even more obvious is that Leia is the "other". Luke calls out to her in the Force and she hears it. That shot of Leia hearing him is quite amazing, I think, but I really do wonder why nobody seemed to think she was the one!

Any of you remember this speculation? I think if we'd had the internet back then, we'd have had it all thrashed out well before Jedi was released.

Darth Venal said:

I took it more as a dysphemism/malphemism. Funny how plain text can be read different ways.

Ah!  That too.  You're right: it is funny how you can read things in different ways.  In either case there was no need to correct it?

About the "other", I don't believe George Lucas knew who the other was at the time.  I take Kaminski's view of the development of Star Wars as being essentially the correct one.

You're right: the shot of Leia is amazing.  I don't suppose this edit intends to do much in this area though.

Really, you think he didn't know what he had planned for that story thread? I think it's pretty darn obvious that he did. I don't think for one second, once he knew that he was going to get to do the trilogy, that it was all done on the fly. I think the end of TESB is crystal clear, in hindsight, with regards to both Leia being the other and Vader being dad.

I agree that this edit won't touch it; indeed, why would any edit want to? There's absolutely nothing wrong with the structure or plot in Empire. It's testament to how strong a film it is that there is so little to change. Updating special effects is no indication of the film being flawed, rather it's just an indication of the technical capabilities of the time. Effects aside, I don't think Empire needs touching.

Just don't get me started on Jedi!

PM sent.

Hey there was no need for the PM, you didn't annoy me! Does my post read as annoyed? Well, it wasn't meant to and I'm not, so peace and love, peace and love.

Well, I wasn't joking about Jedi, I think that movie is deeply flawed, and no amount of fan editing is going to fix it.

Finally, after several starts and stops I think this project is nearing completion. Small problem though.... the adigitalman edit of Empire I need for the restored "Bring my Shuttle line" is incomplete. The torrent stalled and I was able to yank part of the audio, but not the music cues I need to make a seamless transition. Anyone have, or know how I can track the Adigitalman edit down online? Any help would be greatly appreciated!