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Director's Cuts?

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There's one thing I don't understand with all the changes that Lucas makes to the films. In nearly every film I can think of, it is the director who has a great deal of influence as to what version will be released on home video and such. Yet ESB and ROTJ were directed by people other than Lucas, and they seem to have no say in what version is made available to the public, even though they had a great deal of input into how the movies would be made. Where are the directors in all of this?

P.S. - I wish I had one of those right hand man monkey-lizards like Jabba had. It'd be awesome having a wierd creature to laugh at all your jokes when you're around others. Not to mention it'd be oogling women as well.
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Well, to say the truth, I belive George Lucas has legal rights over both movies. Richard Marquand is dead. Irvin Keshner couldn't care less, and I'm sure he approved it all. So...

BTW welcome chaoz95.
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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I think it's crazy that a man could put a portion of his life into a movie, and not care how it was tinkered with afterwards. I mean, he cared enough to add to the commentary track on the dvd. Most directors hate the idea of messing around with their film after they are finished, and I can't imagine that a movie that good could be done by a man who was only interested in a paycheck, or just doing it to pass the time.
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He hired the director's, just like any movie in Hollywood. That means the studio (Lucas) owns the movie and can do whatever he likes with it.

One day I will write, direct and produce movies. Not like hollywood's capitalistic system.
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I think Irvin Kirshener knew exactly what he was getting himself into when he signed on to direct Empire, he knew it was George's baby, and it's a credit to Irvin that it turned out as well as it did, I guess it's also a credit to it's director that Empire is the film least tampered with in the special editions.
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Does anyone know why Kershner didn't direct ROTJ??? He is fantastic!
"I love you..."

"I know..."
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I'm not exactly sure... I think he didn't want to direct a Star Wars movie again.
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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This Rick McCallum guy who Lucas has producing the new movies is a no talent ass clown. Why doesn't he have someone like Spielberg or Zemekis in the seat?!?
"I love you..."

"I know..."
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More importantly, why do McCallum and Lucas seem to inflate at the same rate? Look at McCallum like 5-10 years ago and see how much he's increased in size. Then look at Lucas in the late 80's to 90's and look at him now.

Creepy.
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Originally posted by: jeffreyschmid
This Rick McCallum guy who Lucas has producing the new movies is a no talent ass clown. Why doesn't he have someone like Spielberg or Zemekis in the seat?!?


He needs to have Spielberg directing. Spielberg even wanted to direct, but Lucas wanted to retain the "glory" for himself. Had Spielberg directed Episode I, I bet (a) we'd have gotten Haley Joel Osment as Anakin, (b) Qui-Gon's character would have been cut and melded into Obi-Wan's character, as he should have been, and (c) Jar Jar and the Gungans would have been something entirely different. I'm not sure what, but it would have been different, and most likely, would have been better.

We then would have had Leo as Anakin in Ep II. Notice that Spielberg has worked with both of these potential Anakins since they were turned down by Lucas, and he's gotten some of the most amazing performances out of them. And did anybody have trouble seeing Leo as a 17 year old in Catch Me If You Can? No. But this was Lucas' reason for not using him in Episode II.

When it comes to directing, George Lucas is a brilliant executive producer.
I am fluent in over six million forms of procrastination.
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But I don't think Dicaprio could be any better than Christensen, and quite frankly it wouldn't feel right.

Vader was LEO!

No.
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<This Rick McCallum guy who Lucas has producing the new movies is a no talent ass clown. Why doesn't he have someone like Spielberg or Zemekis in the seat?!?>

That's why Lucas has him as producer. Speilberg or Zemekis would give artistic input. Lucas doesn't want other people's input. After renting and watching the fourth disk with the documentary, I think Lucas believes if he had someone like McCallum, he would have been able to do more of what he wanted to do for A New Hope. McCallum may have no talent for making movies, but he will do the dirty work and say the dirty words to get the job that Lucas wants done. McCallum is there so Lucas doesn't have to get his hands dirty and can look like the good guy.

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How very true. All GL wants to work with now is yes men, and the men who can protect his reputation.

Princess Leia: I happen to like nice men.
Han Solo: I'm a nice man.

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One has to wonder what said directors REALLY think about Lucas...
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Originally posted by: ADigitalMan

We then would have had Leo as Anakin in Ep II.


Leo is too short. Remember Vader is a tall guy
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Originally posted by: Warbler
Leo is too short. Remember Vader is a tall guy


A tall guy who is mostly bionic. He could have been Jake Lloyd in that suit and been made the correct height through bionics. The height issue is too easily overcome by the very nature of Darth Vader. He's practically cyborg.
I am fluent in over six million forms of procrastination.
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So his legs and arms are not his?

OK and explain the voice, why dosen't Vader sound anything like Hayden and Shawn, why does he sound like JEJ while on suit? There was no NEED for a voice altering device on the suit...
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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Originally posted by: ricarleite
So his legs and arms are not his?

OK and explain the voice, why dosen't Vader sound anything like Hayden and Shawn, why does he sound like JEJ while on suit? There was no NEED for a voice altering device on the suit...


My thoughts on it was always that giving someone a more powerful voice gives them a more powerful presence. So altering his voice makes him seem more threatening and powerful.

-Darth Simon
Why Anakin really turned to the dark side:
"Anakin, You're father I am" - Yoda
"No. No. That's not true! That's impossible!" - Anakin

0100111001101001011011100110101001100001

*touchy people disclaimer*
some or all of the above comments are partially exaggerated to convey a point, none of the comments are meant as personal attacks on anyone mentioned or reference in the above post
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James Earl Jones IS Vader's voice. Noone else can come close. If Lucas doesn't bring him in to do the voice of Vader in ROTS he should be shot.
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Originally posted by: ricarleite
So his legs and arms are not his?

OK and explain the voice, why dosen't Vader sound anything like Hayden and Shawn, why does he sound like JEJ while on suit? There was no NEED for a voice altering device on the suit...


I think Vader needed a voice processor because speaking through all of that apparatus would have muffled his voice, just like it did to the actor David Prowse on the sets. When you're the commander of the imperial starfleet, it's pretty important that your orders be heard and understood by your underlings. Sounding badass is ancillary.

Plus, Shaw's Anakin didn't have all that strong a voice. Of course, he WAS dying. But when you hear JEJ's processed voice saying to take the mask off, then follow that wish Shaw's Anakin's weak voice, it backs up the case for the need for clarity through the helmet and breathscreen.
I am fluent in over six million forms of procrastination.
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<This Rick McCallum guy who Lucas has producing the new movies is a no talent ass clown. Why doesn't he have someone like Spielberg or Zemekis in the seat?!?>
<One has to wonder what said directors REALLY think about Lucas>

I don't know Speilberg's position. Since he changed E.T., I'm guessing he's not going to say anything about Lucas.
You can find out Zemeckis' views on changing your film for DVD releases on the Back to the Future DVD. One of the extras is Zemeckis and Bob Gale(his writing and producing partner) in an interview recorded for the DVD at a college. While Zemeckis doesn't reference Lucas, he is asked if they changed anything in the movie for the DVD with which they had a problem. Zemeckis said while he did notice things that he didn't like, like wires when Christopher Lloyd is hanging from the clock towers, he said changing movies is stupid and they are a product of a certain time which should not be changed.
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I don't agree with "director's cuts" myself, though, I will allow the exception, if it's clearly marked as an alternate, for a version with the effects fixed, but stuff like Greedo shooting first really sticks in my craw. (And Hayden pasted over Sebastian Shaw, even more so.)

A friend of mine, who is acquiring the hardware, and has shrink wrapped copies of the Faces laser, and wants to create yet another DVD set, said he didn't mind the 1997 SE, because it was clearly labelled as a modified version! (As the 2004 DVDs are NOT)

Moll.

"Right now the coffees are doing their final work." (Airi, Masked Rider Den-o episode 1)

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I will accept a Director's Cut if the director feels they have been screwed over by the studio interferance. Sometimes, the studio takes it out of the director's hands. I'll accept them as long as the other version is available to buy. However, I don't think I've ever seen a recent movie that has been improved. Apocalypse Now is a great exampple. Apocalypse Now is a masterpiece. Apocalypse Now Redux may now be the official version, but I think it is trashy and tries to explain an inexplicable war. I'll accept it because both versions are available on DVD.
I don't consider the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions to be Director's Cuts. I think they are a seperate class mainly because four+ hours in a movie theater is torturous(especially if there is no intermission) and not cost effective. Again, both versions are available on DVD.
In Lucas' case, the only studio interferance was that result of being overbudget and running past deadline. I guess he has the legal right to change them, but does he have the moral right? His changes are not changes because of studio interferance and most aren't because they didn't have the technology. My main problem with what Lucas is doing is not just that changes have been made to the masterpieces, but that the originals are no longer being produced and have not been put on the best technology available(DVD-for now). You can get them for places on the interenet, but they won't be there for too much longer.