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Howdy everybody. For those of you who have been following this project, you won’t need to wait much longer for version 3. For those of you just tuning in, let me give you the run down.
This, ladies and gentleman, is a (somewhat) shot by shot regrade of the 2020 bluray of A New Hope with the goal to be as close in spirit as the 1997 Special Edition Theatrical Cut. Sources for accomplishing the accuracy of this cut are minimal and unreliable at best. While this project may not be the definitive project (that will likely be 4K97IV or 4K77 v2), it’s a pretty close approximation of what it could have looked like for a home release on DVD or Blu Ray. How close you may ask? Here’s how.
Based on word of mouth from audiences and George Lucas himself, the theatrical cut of A New Hope Special Edition had a color timing that used an old Technicolor film print as a color reference. While enthusiasts have stated the 97 cut has it’s differences from the old print, such as being slightly cooler in color temperature, the similarities outweigh them.
With that information in mind, I decided to scrap what I made up until version two of my regrade and color match the blu ray to the most accurate source currently available, 4K77. Specifically, Sanjuro’s color grade of 4K77. I went with his grade as the main source for two reason. One was because his color grade is noticeably colder than the main color grade done by Williarob, a detail that is relevant to the 97 cut. The other reason is because Williarob’s grade is meant to resemble what the film looked like in theaters, whereas Sanjuro’s grade is a retooled “what if” color grade of the Technicolor print if it was set for home release. In other words, it doesn’t have the super high contrast look most 35mm scans tend to have and the colors are more neutral.
I’m also treating this regrade as a semi reconstruction/full reconstruction of the special edition alterations exclusive to the 97 cut. Because certain alterations did NOT look to good for 1997 cgi, I have used updated versions of them, such as the updated Jabba from the 2004/2011 cut. Of course, not all of the alterations bug me so small things like the extended detention block hallway are still in. For those who perhaps like seeing the changes exclusive to the 97 cut, I am offering an alternate version that accommodates them. Here’s a list of what each version has:
Semi-Authentic:
-Updated Jabba
-Extended Detention Block Hallway
-Updated Lightsabers
Full-Authentic:
-Film grain is applied to 2020 blu ray footage
-Original 97 Jabba
-Detention Block hallway is restored to original length
-Original Lightsaber effects during Obi Wan vs Vader duel
On the audio side of things, I’ll be including all kinds of goodies.
Audio Tracks (Semi Authentic):
-My Dolby TrueHD mixdown of the 1997 Cinema DTS Audio
-Schorman’s synced 2011 DTS track
-Schorman’s synced 2020 7.1 track
Audio Tracks (Full Authentic):
-My Dolby TrueHD mixdown of the 1997 Cinema DTS Audio
-1997 Laserdisc AC3 5.1 track
-1997 Laserdisc Stereo PCM track
More info will be updated as time goes on. Listed below are some samples.
Section of the Death Star Attack: https://youtu.be/5Wnvj2kCZjg
Death Star Meeting Room: https://youtu.be/KnOhJHBC2jI
Jabba Conversation: https://youtu.be/a4dJL7it0MI
Original Post as of Version 2:
Howdy. This is the first big project I’ve contributed here, so patience is appreciated.
This is a 1997 Special Edition Regrade of A New Hope. I debated calling it a recreation, but I can’t in good confidence say it’s 100% accurate. However, I can say it’s an “approximate” recreation of what it looked like going off scans that are available of the 1997 version. I say this because I mainly used footage from the 2020 Disney 1080p Blu Ray bundled in the UHD release, which from what I understand has a color timing very similar to the 1997 release.
By default, the 2020 Blu ray is too de-saturated and the overall picture is too dim. Certainly a better effort than the 2004/2011 releases, but it’s strange how a dim picture is a reoccurring problem. In terms of the alterations I made, I gave the footage a 20-30% saturation boost and increased the exposure. To capture even more of the 1997 spirit, I included the 1997 DTS Soundmix.
Sources:
-2020 Disney 1080p Blu Ray
-Poita’s 1997 35MM Scans for color reference
-DrDre’s Technicolor Color References
-Harmy’s Respecialized 97 for audio source and shot replacement for the rocks in front of R2 and the 97 timing of the Han and Greedo shootout.
With version 2 finished, I’m going to be taking a break from ANH for awhile and move onto the other movies. I will likely make a version 3 with more adjustments if I spot something off or if enough people offer some constructive criticism. Same as always, PM me if you are interested in viewing it.
