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Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace original theatrical cut in HD, and Star Wars Empire and Jedi Respecialized '97. (* unfinished project *)

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 (Edited)

As idiotic as it may sound, I was thinking we could work out an HD cut of the Original theatrical version of Episode I. It could always work as a side project. If anybody’s willing to devote some time to it. We could use HDTV broadcasts of the 2004 DVD Special Edition or upscales to restore the original puppet Yoda scenes, and cut all the added sequences. And I saw the Respecialized '97 Edition of the original Star Wars done by Harmy, and I figured we could still do Empire and Jedi. If we have enough time in 1080p maybe, seeing how most of the changes are still untouched. I don’t know, maybe I’m just going crazy. And it might seem too demanding, but I think it’s worth a go. Tell me if I’m being too demanding.

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With “we”, do you mean “others”?

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Basically, here is the problem. There are scenes in each of those versions that are not available in HD. All three exist as SE broadcast captures and on LD. Most of each made it thorugh the the DVD and Blu-ray releases unchanged, but several scenes needed to complete the HD versions are missing. Some scenes that were later updated in the DVD or Blu-ray releases could be pulled form the 35mm scans of the theatrical versions, but some scenes were updated in 97 and then changed again for the DVD/Blu-ray version and to make an accurate version you would have to upscale the SD source. That does not yield acceptable results. Especially if you are after a full 1080p version. And not only are those scenes lower quality, but they are also cropped differently (with loss of image on all sides) meaning you either have to crop the entire movie to match or do something to compensate. I also would like to see these, but until someone has their hands on 35 mm prints of these versions and is willing to scan the scenes that are unique to those versions, this cannot be done in 1080p.

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yotsuya said:

Basically, here is the problem. There are scenes in each of those versions that are not available in HD. All three exist as SE broadcast captures and on LD. Most of each made it thorugh the the DVD and Blu-ray releases unchanged, but several scenes needed to complete the HD versions are missing. Some scenes that were later updated in the DVD or Blu-ray releases could be pulled form the 35mm scans of the theatrical versions, but some scenes were updated in 97 and then changed again for the DVD/Blu-ray version and to make an accurate version you would have to upscale the SD source. That does not yield acceptable results. Especially if you are after a full 1080p version. And not only are those scenes lower quality, but they are also cropped differently (with loss of image on all sides) meaning you either have to crop the entire movie to match or do something to compensate. I also would like to see these, but until someone has their hands on 35 mm prints of these versions and is willing to scan the scenes that are unique to those versions, this cannot be done in 1080p.

That’s really only the case with Jedi and TPM. Everything needed for Empire is available, all that’s needed is someone to do it.

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If I remember, Harmy is planning on finishing the Respecialized trilogy, but is waiting until after v3.0 of Despecialized is done so as to redo ANH and do the others in 1080p.

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yotsuya said:

Basically, here is the problem. There are scenes in each of those versions that are not available in HD. All three exist as SE broadcast captures and on LD. Most of each made it thorugh the the DVD and Blu-ray releases unchanged, but several scenes needed to complete the HD versions are missing. Some scenes that were later updated in the DVD or Blu-ray releases could be pulled form the 35mm scans of the theatrical versions, but some scenes were updated in 97 and then changed again for the DVD/Blu-ray version and to make an accurate version you would have to upscale the SD source. That does not yield acceptable results. Especially if you are after a full 1080p version. And not only are those scenes lower quality, but they are also cropped differently (with loss of image on all sides) meaning you either have to crop the entire movie to match or do something to compensate. I also would like to see these, but until someone has their hands on 35 mm prints of these versions and is willing to scan the scenes that are unique to those versions, this cannot be done in 1080p.

I think that only applies to Jedi though. Empire could be done (I wouldn’t mind seeing it in 720p). As far as TPM, a channel I know aired an HD broadcast of the 2004 DVD release, or maybe an upscale wouldn’t be a bad idea if anybody’s willing to do it. The only other changes in TPM are added moments in the pod race and a slight alteration of Watto’s subtitles. Thank you for informing though. Meanwhile, I’ll take a look at the changes made in the '97 SEs and see what could be done, if not I guess it’s not possible.

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Wazzles said:

yotsuya said:

Basically, here is the problem. There are scenes in each of those versions that are not available in HD. All three exist as SE broadcast captures and on LD. Most of each made it thorugh the the DVD and Blu-ray releases unchanged, but several scenes needed to complete the HD versions are missing. Some scenes that were later updated in the DVD or Blu-ray releases could be pulled form the 35mm scans of the theatrical versions, but some scenes were updated in 97 and then changed again for the DVD/Blu-ray version and to make an accurate version you would have to upscale the SD source. That does not yield acceptable results. Especially if you are after a full 1080p version. And not only are those scenes lower quality, but they are also cropped differently (with loss of image on all sides) meaning you either have to crop the entire movie to match or do something to compensate. I also would like to see these, but until someone has their hands on 35 mm prints of these versions and is willing to scan the scenes that are unique to those versions, this cannot be done in 1080p.

That’s really only the case with Jedi and TPM. Everything needed for Empire is available, all that’s needed is someone to do it.

Empire could be achieved solely through editing. I’ll check out some of the changes in Jedi and compare the '97 SE with the 2011 Blu-Ray release.

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Darth Lucas said:

If I remember, Harmy is planning on finishing the Respecialized trilogy, but is waiting until after v3.0 of Despecialized is done so as to redo ANH and do the others in 1080p.

Really? If so I guess that’ll take a while because work on Empire 2.5 has been stalled due to complaints stating faded backgrounds, Harmy had to get another well preserved print to fix that. And each version takes about a year. So yeah, I guess it’s unlikely to see it soon…

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In TPM there is a shot of the crowd and a shot of Sebulba at the start of the race that were cut for the DVD. Also, the transitions during the brief extended speeder trip after they reach Coruscant are different. Both these areas don’t exist in HD. The earliest HD broadcast is of the DVD version where these changed were first made.

In A New Hope, the speeder entering Mos Eisley, the Greedo shooting scene, and Jabba the Hutt were all changed for the DVD.

You may be right about Empire.

In Jedi, the only section I can think of is the end Celebration where they added Naboo and changed Coruscant.

All the other changes between the 97 SE versions and the DVD/Blu-ray can be pulled from the 35 mm scans.

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The crowd shot and the Sebulba shot are available in HD, thanks to the “Digital Movie Collection”. TPM is missing the theatrical version of the sky taxi transition scene, the establishing night shot of Theed, without the bridge, and the shot of Orn Free Ta’s human aides.

If I had some gum, I’d chew a hole into the sun…

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yotsuya said:

In TPM there is a shot of the crowd and a shot of Sebulba at the start of the race that were cut for the DVD. Also, the transitions during the brief extended speeder trip after they reach Coruscant are different. Both these areas don’t exist in HD. The earliest HD broadcast is of the DVD version where these changed were first made.

In A New Hope, the speeder entering Mos Eisley, the Greedo shooting scene, and Jabba the Hutt were all changed for the DVD.

You may be right about Empire.

In Jedi, the only section I can think of is the end Celebration where they added Naboo and changed Coruscant.

All the other changes between the 97 SE versions and the DVD/Blu-ray can be pulled from the 35 mm scans.

TeamBlu is about to release their scans of the 1997 SE of the original trilogy. Harmy used theirs as a source for his Respecialized Edition of ANH. Maybe we’ll see what turns out with Empire. If somebody is able to crop out some shots and possesses good editing skills (not me), it seems possible. We can use the Blu-Ray as a primary source, and as far as I know, not much editing is required, but just to replace some shots and reinsert the old visual effects. Would be a lot better if we can have access to You-Too’s (sorry if I spelled his username wrong) colour corrected version, I presume is in 1080p. And last but not least a high quality rip of the theatrical Audio Track and laserdisc mixes. Shouldn’t be that hard. At least compared to the effort put into the Despecialized and '97 Respecialized Edition. Sorry if I’m trying to be too much of a smartass.

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schorman13 said:

The crowd shot and the Sebulba shot are available in HD, thanks to the “Digital Movie Collection”. TPM is missing the theatrical version of the sky taxi transition scene, the establishing night shot of Theed, without the bridge, and the shot of Orn Free Ta’s human aides.

I’m assuming these are only acquirable through 35mm scans. If so, can we get a high quality audio track too?!

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RashadShehadeh said:
TeamBlu is about to release their scans of the 1997 SE of the original trilogy.

Have they posted a new update or are you just guessing? I’m honestly curious, I’ve been very excited about it.

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Wazzles said:

RashadShehadeh said:
TeamBlu is about to release their scans of the 1997 SE of the original trilogy.

Have they posted a new update or are you just guessing? I’m honestly curious, I’ve been very excited about it.

Features are there, but it says coming soon. So, I’m guessing not. But I figured it would be a good source. Can you notify me on this thread when it does?

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 (Edited)

RashadShehadeh said:

yotsuya said:

In TPM there is a shot of the crowd and a shot of Sebulba at the start of the race that were cut for the DVD. Also, the transitions during the brief extended speeder trip after they reach Coruscant are different. Both these areas don’t exist in HD. The earliest HD broadcast is of the DVD version where these changed were first made.

In A New Hope, the speeder entering Mos Eisley, the Greedo shooting scene, and Jabba the Hutt were all changed for the DVD.

You may be right about Empire.

In Jedi, the only section I can think of is the end Celebration where they added Naboo and changed Coruscant.

All the other changes between the 97 SE versions and the DVD/Blu-ray can be pulled from the 35 mm scans.

TeamBlu is about to release their scans of the 1997 SE of the original trilogy. Harmy used theirs as a source for his Respecialized Edition of ANH. Maybe we’ll see what turns out with Empire. If somebody is able to crop out some shots and possesses good editing skills (not me), it seems possible. We can use the Blu-Ray as a primary source, and as far as I know, not much editing is required, but just to replace some shots and reinsert the old visual effects. Would be a lot better if we can have access to You-Too’s (sorry if I spelled his username wrong) colour corrected version, I presume is in 1080p. And last but not least a high quality rip of the theatrical Audio Track and laserdisc mixes. Shouldn’t be that hard. At least compared to the effort put into the Despecialized and '97 Respecialized Edition. Sorry if I’m trying to be too much of a smartass.

Audio is already completed for the SE trilogy, LD ac3, LD pcm, and theatrical DTS.

RashadShehadeh said:

schorman13 said:

The crowd shot and the Sebulba shot are available in HD, thanks to the “Digital Movie Collection”. TPM is missing the theatrical version of the sky taxi transition scene, the establishing night shot of Theed, without the bridge, and the shot of Orn Free Ta’s human aides.

I’m assuming these are only acquirable through 35mm scans. If so, can we get a high quality audio track too?!

There was someone here about a year ago that claimed to have an HDTV recording of the Theatrical version from Austrian TV on his DVR. He was looking in to getting it off his machine, but he/she stopped posting pretty soon afterward.

Also, I have audio done for the LD ac3 and LD PCM. I could get the DTS track done in an evening, if the time ever comes for it.

If I had some gum, I’d chew a hole into the sun…

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The only missing element is a scan of some 35mm prints. Williarob has Reel 1 of Star Wars scanned, but I don’t think anything else is scanned.

she/her
mwah

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Does he even have any more 97age than that?

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

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Molly said:

Does he even have any more 97age than that?

I believe that’s the only one he has.

she/her
mwah

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clutchins said:

The only missing element is a scan of some 35mm prints. Williarob has Reel 1 of Star Wars scanned, but I don’t think anything else is scanned.

TeamBlu has, apparently they plan to release it soon… the entire OT…
Harmy used theirs for his Respecialized Edition…

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Harmy used upscaled laserdiscs from Team Blu. We don’t yet have a time frame for any new Blu releases so I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.

she/her
mwah

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clutchins said:

Harmy used upscaled laserdiscs from Team Blu. We don’t yet have a time frame for any new Blu releases so I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.

Well, I did take a look at the changes in Empire, and the changes in between the 1997 and 2011 SE were only corrections, involving audio, colour palettes…
Using the Despecialized Edition and colour corrected version of the Blu-Ray, (maybe the DVD too), the 1997 Special Edition is achievable. The audio tracks are available. If there are any changes your took notice of, can you send 'em?

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I believe everything in ANH and ROTJ would be on reels 3 and 7 respectively. There is no need to worry about the audio as the DTS theatrical audio has been archived for all four of these.

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yotsuya said:

I believe everything in ANH and ROTJ would be on reels 3 and 7 respectively. There is no need to worry about the audio as the DTS theatrical audio has been archived for all four of these.

I was just told. The audio should cover a remarkable part of the rectifications done in between the 1997 SE and 2011 SE. Although we would need the color corrected version of the Blu-ray to get started. The cropped cockpit shots in the Falcon can be taken from the Despecialized Edition.

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yotsuya said:

I believe everything in ANH and ROTJ would be on reels 3 and 7 respectively. There is no need to worry about the audio as the DTS theatrical audio has been archived for all four of these.

http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/The-Phantom-Menace-Theatrical-Version-NTSC-DVD-ADYWAN-NOW-AVAILABLE/id/10615/page/1
Adywan apparently has attempted to do so a while ago. If his version is truly an accurate recreation of the theatrical version we can use it as source. Or contact to see if he has any new resources that can be utilised.