OFFICIAL: Library of Congress had original prints replaced with 1997 SE — Page 6

TV's Frink said:

This whole "if we didn't have SW we'd have something else just as good" idea is like saying "I wish I never met my ex-wife even though she gave me two great kids I love dearly, because I could have just met another woman that would have given me two different kids that would have been just as great."

In other words, it's a really stupid idea.

Agreed. But! This whole discussion makes me want to watch Back to the Future (and that certainly isn't a bad thing). In fact it also makes me feel like picking up that Delorean and bring the original prints... well... back to the future! :D

So apparently, according to this Brian Kidd fellow at HTF, the LoC *DOES* have two prints of the original version of SW in storage. No mention of whether those two prints are the copyright depository prints, or two entirely different ones...

Its the copyright ones.

Fun fact: apparently, they were moved to storage and their status was changed to protected in order to save them because of savestarwars.com. The people at LoC are SW fans and are trying to do their best with what they have to work with, it seems.

georgec said:

You have to give Lucas credit for sticking to his guns amidst all the demand from SW fans, critics, and even the NFR/LoC. That man has conviction.

That man is nuts...

zombie84 said:

Its the copyright ones.

Fun fact: apparently, they were moved to storage and their status was changed to protected in order to save them because of savestarwars.com. The people at LoC are SW fans and are trying to do their best with what they have to work with, it seems.

That is great news indeed, glad that your efforts have made some impact. I assume they protected ESB and ROTJ too? (Even though ESB is apparently extremely faded...)

Back to the Future (and that certainly isn't a bad thing). In fact it also makes me feel like picking up that Delorean and bring the original prints... well... back to the future! :D

There would be a danger there though.

George Lucas could pack up his CGI computers and HD camera, steal the Time Machine, and give the CGI computers  and HD camera  to his Younger self to use in 1977.

TServo2049 said:

zombie84 said:

Its the copyright ones.

Fun fact: apparently, they were moved to storage and their status was changed to protected in order to save them because of savestarwars.com. The people at LoC are SW fans and are trying to do their best with what they have to work with, it seems.

That is great news indeed, glad that your efforts have made some impact. I assume they protected ESB and ROTJ too? (Even though ESB is apparently extremely faded...)

At first I was worried when I read page 1 of this thread, but after reading page 6, I'm glad there's 2 prints of Star Wars 77 still there with LoC. They want ot preserve the 1997 SE, that's fine, but NEVER replace the original '77 version with it. It's and outrage and an insult.

Akwat Kbrana said:

georgec said:

You have to give Lucas credit for sticking to his guns amidst all the demand from SW fans, critics, and even the NFR/LoC. That man has conviction.

Except that in this case, there's no clear line between "conviction" and "megalomania." And personally, I've never found megalomania particularly creditworthy.

Sadly, megalomania has been running human society since the egyptians...

^The Sumerians get no respect.

zombie wrote: Fun fact: apparently, they were moved to storage and their status was changed to protected in order to save them because of savestarwars.com.

Only you are privy to all the behind the scenes conversations, but generally the LoC has been improving their facilities and much of the material they preserve is getting a new home in the last few years.  For instance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Audio-Visual_Conservation_Center

The National Audiovisual Conservation Center, also known as the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation, is the Library of Congress's new audiovisual archive located inside Mount Pony in Culpeper, Virginia.  (opened fall 2008)

 

The underground vaults (some set to temperatures below freezing) contain nearly 90 miles (140 km) of shelving, not including 124 nitrate film vaults:^[6] the largest nitrate film storage complex in the Western hemisphere.

(lots of good links to articles about the facilities and what they accomplish in the links part of the wiki entry)

This should go over well with this crowd, even if it's almost 20 years old:

http://www.cinemaweb.com/access/pre_stmt.htm

"Preservation Without Access is Pointless"

Statement by

The Committee For Film Preservation and Public Access

before

The National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress
Los Angeles, California
February 12, 1993

 

We believe that all films have historical significance and should be preserved, and we support the use of Federal funds for this effort. However, we also believe that with the use of public funds comes the responsibility to make the films available to the public. Upon expiration of copyright, those films whose preservation, cataloguing or storage has been supported in any way by public funds must become available without restriction.

Here's a nice list of film/media preservation links: http://www.hollywoodvaults.com/resources/#resources2

I'm going to keep posting these links until someone reads them:

Library of Congress Copyright Deposit records for all the Star Wars films.

(tells you what they have, when they were procured and other relevant things)

1977 - Star Wars
http://lccn.loc.gov/96512247

1980 - Empire Strikes Back
http://lccn.loc.gov/96512208

1983 - Return of the Jedi
http://lccn.loc.gov/96501520

1997 - Star Wars A New Hope Special Edition
http://lccn.loc.gov/97510343

1997 - Empire Strikes Back Special Edition
http://lccn.loc.gov/98502262

1997 - Return of the Jedi Special Edition
http://lccn.loc.gov/2006642053

1999 - The Phantom Menace

http://lccn.loc.gov/99468631

2002 - Attack of the Clones
http://lccn.loc.gov/2002636427

2005 - Revenge of the Sith
http://lccn.loc.gov/2005644161

Ransom for the OUT?

DuracellEnergizer said:

^The Sumerians get no respect.

There is no Dana, only Zuul.