Are we sure he's not suggesting that we'll only get a decent OOT release after Lucas passes away?
You know of the rebellion against the Empire?
He mentioned slitting his wrists which kind of rules out that possible misreading.
I know this may be from out in left field, but perhaps the OT has been already preserved. Maybe not to everyone's high standards, but perhaps Lucas has preserved the originals to his satisfaction.
What I'm getting at, maybe there is a possibility that Lucas has the originals preserved and has sent those materials to be locked up somewhere never to be revealed until after his death. That way he can preserve history, but also preserve his belief that the existing SE's are the definitive versions at least while he's still alive and able to control it.
Maybe...just maybe.
Erikstormtrooper said:
Are we sure he's not suggesting that we'll only get a decent OOT release after Lucas passes away?
Personally - I think that's when we'll see the 1977 Theatrical Version of Star Wars properly released. Right now, however, it's too far off to worry about.
If he leaves instructions not to do it, why would his estate go against that? They won't be hurting for money in our lifetime. (semi-related: he says he's arranged it so that no one else can make sequels.)
Baronlando said:
(semi-related: he says he's arranged it so that no one else can make sequels.)
As long as Lucas is included in "no one else", that's fine with me.
You know of the rebellion against the Empire?
Even if Lucas put in writing that it could never be seen again, eventually this would get challenged. You could argue it be legally protected under cultural heritage laws, it's just that these aren't extended to motion pictures under current legislation. It's a matter of time before that happens, whether in ten years or forty years. No one has put the motion before congress because there has been no need, because every other copyright holder has been 110% forthcoming about releasing original versions, pretty much with few exceptions (like maybe theatrical Lawrence of Arabia, but this is just laziness/little demand, rather than deliberate suppression).
Lawrence is different though. That was Lean's original vision, and what he shot and intended or at least as close as they could get with surviving footage. The studio excised that material.
As for star wars they were completely finished films. Anything taken out was done so at Lucas suggestion, or the editors take and Lucas was fine with it. The studio never took out scenes he intended to be in the film, and he never intended for greedo to shoot or use 90's CGI back in 1977.
Just like Lucas original vision for THX and Graffiti were the original home video cuts with the restored excised footage the studio forced to be taken out.
Star Wars was never taken away from Lucas and recut.
Alan Ladd JR, allowed Lucas final cut approval. Through the years there has been an on and off argument over whether final cut approval was in Lucas original contract, but the point still stands he delivered a finished film on May 25, 1977 not a rough cut as he has rewritten history to say.
The funny thing is Lucas also promised Kersh final cut and then took the film away from him and recut it until he came to his senses,lol. According to once upon a galaxy.
He did the very thing the studios did that so incensed him as a creative artist and auteur. I wonder if he has ever looked the definition of hypocrite up the dictionary.
I mean it is as hilarious as his statement on film preservation of other peoples films, and then he denies his fans the oot and makes sure it rots in a cold storage vault someplace.
“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.
The thing that gets me recently is that "Star Wars" won the Academy Award for Editing in 1977, but no one will be able to see that edit again thanks to Lucas. In fact let's break down how many Oscars are negated by the SE:
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (stands)
Best Costume Design (stands)
Best Film Editing (re-edited, negated)
Best Effects, Visual Effects (enhanced, negated)
Best Music, Original Score (stands)
Best Sound (enhanced, redone, negated)
Special Achievement for Sound Effects (enhanced, redone, negated)
So, three out of seven actually might reflect the movie in its current form, IMO.
Star Wars Revisited Wordpress
Star Wars Visual Comparisons WordPress
I apologize for the suicidal comments I have have made. And no, I do not plan to kill myself over a movie.
But what makes me so upset is watching the originals rot and not being able to do anything to stop. You know it's inevitable that Lucas will allow these films to be disintegrated and I'm pissed. IMO it is an atrocity that the medium of film will not recover from.
This video pretty much confirms Lucas has every single stitch of film for star wars, even if it was conformed to the special edition.
http://www.starwars.com/video/view/000323.html
And it is from his own website so his the negative is no longer in existence or is destroyed is not the whole truth.
“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.
I'm not an expert by any means but don't masters (or some intermediate step; I don't know the nomenclature) based upon the original negatives from the OT-period exist that could be used as the basis of at least a remastered DVD release? I could see the resolution not being up to snuff for a Blu-Ray release but I'd be satisfied with anamorphically encoded DVD's.
Lacking that, wasn't the negative for each film scanned during/prior to 1997 so that all the SE work could commence?
Even if the negatives really have been altered, I find it hard to believe that the originals don't exist on a hard drive or as dupe or master or whatever the terms are.
All I really want is each film as it was originally seen and heard in theaters; no fixes, corrections, "improvements" or modifications necessary.
skyjedi2005 said:
This video pretty much confirms Lucas has every single stitch of film for star wars, even if it was conformed to the special edition.
http://www.starwars.com/video/view/000323.html
And it is from his own website so his the negative is no longer in existence or is destroyed is not the whole truth.
Excellent find. The video does not lie. Thanks!
A couple of quotes from the video:
"I started out as an editor, so to me, you know, saving the film is what the whole process is about. And, uh, so I've saved all my films, I've saved all the negative, I've saved everything."
"This is a classic; you don't want anything happening to it."
Well he has everything in storage, just like he says in the dewback clip. Everything you would need for a Godfather-style project is right there. The "expense" and "effort" is just so very, very enormous, that's the problem. It's only Star Wars, not something major that passes through the labs in Burbank every day, like BUSTY COPS 2.
avoidz said
"This is a classic; you don't want anything happening to it."
I was going to post the same quote. Ironically, there IS nothing happening to it!
Baronlando said:
It's only Star Wars, not something major that passes through the labs in Burbank every day, like BUSTY COPS 2.
This is relevant to my interests. ;-)
I agree with everyone the original versions of the OOT need to be preserved. I never said I did'nt want them preserved. Sometimes I don't agree with everyone but on this issue I agree with everyone.
Erikstormtrooper said:
Are we sure he's not suggesting that we'll only get a decent OOT release after Lucas passes away?
If that's the case, I don't want it. I don't care how passionate I am about the films, I don't want a man to have to DIE for me to get them. In any case, I'm sure Lucas' will shall ensure they will be gone long after he is in any case.
“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.”
Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death
Probably in his last will and testament... just to piss off OOT fans.
Lucas knows the original versions are the golden goose. He has a history of denying Star Wars, only to later deliver. I think he's saving them for when he really needs the money.
You know of the rebellion against the Empire?
God, everything just sits there...in boxes. sigh.
They obviously decided to transfer deleted scenes for the Blu-so why not do it right and include every version? They obviously don't want to, and can make a second set later.
VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader
Mike O said:
Erikstormtrooper said:
Are we sure he's not suggesting that we'll only get a decent OOT release after Lucas passes away?
If that's the case, I don't want it. I don't care how passionate I am about the films, I don't want a man to have to DIE for me to get them. In any case, I'm sure Lucas' will shall ensure they will be gone long after he is in any case.
Let me chime in and say i don't want George to die either, as much as he has suppressed the oot, i have no doubt some oot fans would shed real tears if that happened.
And you know their would be a media circus, with fans of all kinds coming out in tribute.
Mr. Lucas deserves the finest praise for creating star wars and inspiring three generations of young people.
I don't hate the man, but i find his treatment of a set of beloved films absurd and frankly bizarre. You create something that many millions of people love and then say sorry you cannot watch that anymore.
You have to know just how envious sci fi and fantasy writers and artists are of George's creation, it was like lightning captured in a bottle. They fact he could not conjure it a second time, means he is an imperfect being like the rest of humanity, and all other artists who fail to top their first best works.
“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.
^enough about my love life already.
Well, I must say I definitely wouldn't shed any tears if Mr. Lucas died (and I have shed tears before when some artists I truly loved died). I don't hate Lucas, I just don't like him anymore and frankly if I was 100% sure it ment OOT will be restored, I might even be happy if he died.