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Special Edition on DVD (1997 versions)

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With all the talk of Lucas further editing the Trilogy, there might be a demand for the "classic" Special Editions on DVD. Where are versions of this available, and what kind of quality can we expect from them? If they all suck, maybe TR7, or whoever did the anamorphics can make a set from the Special Edition LD boxset.
What do you mean there's no ice? I gotta drink this coffee hot?!
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There is a great dual-layered set of the SEs called "The Five Star Collection" available for $25 to $35. DON'T get it on eBay. You'll most likely pay too much.

It's been reviewed here...

http://www.prillaman.net/starwarsdvdreview-bootleg2.html

...and here...

http://www.pulpfilm.com/reviews/swbootlegs.html

I have sources for them, but will not post links because they also sell other bootlegs. PM me for info.
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Is there really that much demand for them?

If there's the originals, and the new DVD version...

the '97 SE is just a half-assed DVD version.

I'd go one way or the other.

My stance on revising fan edits.

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BUt some of us actually like the SE's

“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK

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yeah I pulled out my vhs copy of ROTJ special Edition and the tracking on it is fucked, and i can't fix it, which is a shame as I've probably only watched it once or twice, so i guess eventually I will want to replace it with a disc, but I'm in no hurry to get probably the worst version of the lesser movie in the trilogy.
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Kind of funny this topic should come up... I've been thinking about this for a while...

Why would someone want to own the Special Editions on DVD? Very possibly for the exact same reason many of us want to see the Original Trilogy on DVD. Because it's what they grew up with.

I was born in 1972, and Star Wars was actually the first movie I saw in a movie theater. Suffice it to say that, like many of the people on this board, the movie affected me greatly! I would assume that for a child born twenty years after I was, the Special Edition may very well have been his/her first introduction to the Star Wars movie, and hopefully the same would be true as well.

Think about it from THAT child's point of view... the movie he/she grew up watching is now being altered, and maybe some of those changes aren't what he/she had hoped for. So why shouldn't that person be entitled (just as WE feel entitled) to have a copy of the movie we grew up with?

Maybe I'm completely off in my thinking here (and I realize I'm treading on very dangerous ground just by bringing it up!), but... what if in the original trilogy Greedo HAD shot first? And then in the Special Editions the scene had been changed so that Han Solo shot first? Wouldn't the outrage simply be reversed? Instead of the argument that "the scene destroyed Solo's rebel image," now be one of, "Solo would never shoot first! He was a carefree guy who would rather avoid conflict than start it!" Wouldn't that be the argument?

So I don't know... I think that the biggest argument against changing a movie in the first place is that it tends to alienate those who grew up watching/living/experiencing the original. And so it's not that the changes were incorrect, or bad, or even ruinous to the film, the real problem in the changes is simply that they were made in the first place.

People fear change, and tend to want what they know... what was originally presented to them. And for many people the Special Editions ARE the original.

So why would someone want to own the Special Editions? I think it makes perfect sense.
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I have this same version on a single layer set from the Philippines. It is taken from the same master source as the 5 star version, but is actually slightly cleaner looking. It is otherwise the same as the 5 star set (including menus, etc) except lacks the fake DTS track, and keeps the 5.1 and 2.0 tracks from the LD set. The best thing about is it can be copied 1:1 onto DVDR without any quality loss. I was reluctant to make copies of it for people, partially because I don't like the SE version much, and the fact SE bootlegs are kind of a taboo topic around here, but if anyone is REALLY desperate for copies, email or PM me. This is what the originals look like:


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^ some nice looking artwork there - havn't seen that type before. Intriguing...


I suppose getting the 1997SE's will depend on how much of a SW completist we all are...

A little patience goes a long way on this old-school Rebel base. If you are having issues finding what you are looking for, these will be of some help…

Welcome to the OriginalTrilogy.com | Introduce yourself in here | Useful info within : About : Help : Site Rules : Fan Project Rules : Announcements
‘How do I do this?’ on the OriginalTrilogy.com; some info & answers + FAQs - includes info on how to search for projects and threads on the OT•com

A Project Index for Star Wars Preservations (Harmy’s Despecialized & 4K77/80/83 etc) : A Project Index for Star Wars Fan Edits (adywan & Hal 9000 etc)

… and take your time to look around this site before posting - to get a feel for this place. Don’t just lazily make yet another thread asking for projects.

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Are the Special Editions now fair game for open discussion on bootlegging?

Has GL declard them no longer in existance etc?

A little patience goes a long way on this old-school Rebel base. If you are having issues finding what you are looking for, these will be of some help…

Welcome to the OriginalTrilogy.com | Introduce yourself in here | Useful info within : About : Help : Site Rules : Fan Project Rules : Announcements
‘How do I do this?’ on the OriginalTrilogy.com; some info & answers + FAQs - includes info on how to search for projects and threads on the OT•com

A Project Index for Star Wars Preservations (Harmy’s Despecialized & 4K77/80/83 etc) : A Project Index for Star Wars Fan Edits (adywan & Hal 9000 etc)

… and take your time to look around this site before posting - to get a feel for this place. Don’t just lazily make yet another thread asking for projects.

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Originally posted by: TR47
I have this same version on a single layer set from the Philippines. It is taken from the same master source as the 5 star version, but is actually slightly cleaner looking. It is otherwise the same as the 5 star set (including menus, etc) except lacks the fake DTS track, and keeps the 5.1 and 2.0 tracks from the LD set. The best thing about is it can be copied 1:1 onto DVDR without any quality loss. I was reluctant to make copies of it for people, partially because I don't like the SE version much, and the fact SE bootlegs are kind of a taboo topic around here, but if anyone is REALLY desperate for copies, email or PM me. This is what the originals look like:




This is seemingly the same set that I have....

BUT mine have these menus which are different fron the 5-Star sets menus WEIRD but they are the SAME coverart and disc art!

I]Star Wars: Special Edition - LOOK DVD5 DTS Version
- DVD versions can be found on eBay



The DTS track has audio delays but the Dolby track is fine




“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK

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No, that set is referred to as the "D5 DTS" version, which has the same front cover art as the "LOOK" OT version, but with a DTS band/logo at the top. The back covers are also different looking. It is not the same set but is actually a good transfer, although the DTS is absolute crap (like any Malaysian bootleg, they insist upon putting a fake DTS track on it). I have seen every single OT and SE bootleg from east Asia-so if you need more info on a particular "release", let me know.
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Originally posted by: TR47
I have this same version on a single layer set from the Philippines. It is taken from the same master source as the 5 star version, but is actually slightly cleaner looking. It is otherwise the same as the 5 star set (including menus, etc) except lacks the fake DTS track, and keeps the 5.1 and 2.0 tracks from the LD set. The best thing about is it can be copied 1:1 onto DVDR without any quality loss. I was reluctant to make copies of it for people, partially because I don't like the SE version much, and the fact SE bootlegs are kind of a taboo topic around here, but if anyone is REALLY desperate for copies, email or PM me. This is what the originals look like:





Not to try an start anything, but I have owned both that version and the 5 Star release. On my setup, the 5 Star Release had much better color rendition. I did get both versions right when they came out, so perhaps they went back and corrected the version pictured above. I agree that they are sourced from either the 5 Star release or the same master, as they have identical menus, and a minor flaw in the exact same spot (when they go into the Cantina in ANH, you're supposed to see an alien head pop up from the bottom of the screen, in both the 5 Star and the version above they are missing a fraction of a second, as the head is already viewable when the Cantina scene starts - so they were obviously from a shared source. Compare this with the "DTS D5/Look" dvd and it has that fraction of a second intact. I personally prefer the older DTS D5/Look release, as the gamma is correct (turned up slightly too high on the 5 Star Release; making the only way to achieve good black level by chaning the settings on your tv). I did a few mini reviews of these a while back: Link to Reviews.

In the end it doesnt matter, as I would recommend the TR47 over either of these releases.
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i already got the LD of the SE purely for comparison sake...
almost mint condition too!
"Never. I'll never turn to the darkside. You've failed your highness. I am a jedi, like my father before me."
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Originally posted by: TR47
No, that set is referred to as the "D5 DTS" version, which has the same front cover art as the "LOOK" OT version, but with a DTS band/logo at the top. The back covers are also different looking. It is not the same set but is actually a good transfer, although the DTS is absolute crap (like any Malaysian bootleg, they insist upon putting a fake DTS track on it). I have seen every single OT and SE bootleg from east Asia-so if you need more info on a particular "release", let me know.


Hey thanks MAN!!

Now I know

“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK