Baronlando

The CNN guy seems to think that everyone has nostalgia for Star Wars as a kid and will keep supporting it out of obligation. But the funny thing is, I don't think Lucas is even operating on that principle anymore. He's assuming that there's a new generation of kids that will support it and the old fans aren't really necessary now and hey, maybe it's true.

Either way, LFL is counting on the kids. (And their parents, who like to tell you how wrong everyone is about the new stuff because their 6 year old loves it. Dear Everybody, nobody gives a shit about your kids except you).

So, Fox is putting out a 75th anniversary chronological box set of the studio's key movies. With the 2004 version of Star Wars in the 1977 slot.

Man, at this point I'd be happy with a straight HD transfer of whatever the best available source is, whatever the hell shape it's in. I sat in on a 35mm telecine session at a lab last year, they cost 400 bucks an hour. Plus an extra few hundred or so for prep and clean. You could get something pretty great for about 8 grand.

Is that where it originated? I guess that makes sense. It's a really hacky bit of bad dork writing.  Ironically, the more defensive and douchey prequel-zealots like to use it now.

Alexrd said:

As for the OUT, he may think it's too expensive considering how much profit will it make. It could not cover the price of restoration.

I guess he says that, but I'm sure he knows the math of it is pure bullshit.

Alexrd said:

There is no reason to think that you have to pay for the PT to see the OT. The conversion is already being made, and it was announced already that all six films will be converted.

not necessarily

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/10/star-wars-3d-george-lucas-titanic-james-cameron.html

Hmm. Earlier this year, Michael Bay said he was against Transformers 3 getting a 3D treatment, and doing a conversion properly would cost 30 million bucks. So, with advertising, Phantom Menace has to make like, 70+million just to break even? Or is it possible Lucas has some kind of sweetheart deal with the 3D companies involved?

Bingowings said:

I'd watch PT+SE3D out of interest but not until George restores the OUT2D.

I'm really trying not to dwell on the fact that the cost of converting 3 FUCKING MINUTES of Episode I would cover a great blu-ray of Star Wars '77.

This will be like 1997 all over again! Except way more embarrassing to be seen at!

I wonder how much episode I would have to make to be considered a success by LFL. I know it feels like Star Wars is still a big deal if you're inside the bubble, but I'm not sure anyone else really cares. The cartoon is a relative success, but on the other hand it can't beat reruns of Jersey Shore.

A full year between each one? By the time they get to Jedi, the Menace 3D might be totally outdated. (And Lucas will be well into his 70s, pacing around his compound still struggling with his ideal Sy Snootles, like a real wacko)

Maybe this is old news but here it is anyway:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/growingupstarwars/pool/

zombie84 said:

l. But you don't want to handle the negative unnecessarily, so for a crappy bonus video that low quality to begin with my money is on some kind of theatrical print or original IP. What I am curious is when this was done.

I believe they said that was separate from the documnentary efforts for 2004. Supposedly, Jim Ward (or someone on his behalf), actually did look for something decent to use in 2006 and found that crawl, whatever it is. And then somebody made the decision to just stop there.

(one more aside about the Saturday Night Fever thing, just to note that movie has somehow been quietly released over and over without any multimillion dollar lowry-style restoration, something which is supposedly impossible according to LFL, for a 1977 blockbuster with multiple releases and versions)

I remember that quote, but it's kind of bullshitty, I'm not sure he believes it. It was during the hype in 2005 for III. It was just more of the new lucasfilm's constant, calculated carnival barking, to convince people who hated the last two to see this one anyway. Outside of that promotional 2005 context, Lucasfilm will tell you everything in every movie is crucial and thuper-important.

zombie84 said:

-1977 IP. My impression was that these are worn to bits, and the start of the film tends to be more worn due to handling. But could be a possibility.

This one is intriguing. They've always implied they were hopelessly trashed, a victim of success. But why would they be any worse off than other hit movies of the era? Ultimately, Grease and Saturday Night Fever, etc. played just as wide and it's not like Fox was using monkeys to handle it.

I've heard people insist, with total confidence, that every shot in the special edition is new and that's because in the original they just held the ships up with wires, like an Ed Wood movie. And then you have a whole other breed who don't know that anything has been done to it, and still think it looks crude next to the new ones.

I was thinking more in terms of the fact that it's something they wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel for, because other restorations have used them (Spartacus did, since the negative was useless, and it yielded really great results, good enough to create a new source for 70mm prints. And those seps weren't even done right apparently)

Wouldn't the separation masters be the thing they would be least able to screw up? (plus, what good are they if not to be used in exactly this situation)

Pretty interesting. It's too bad all I see in the theater is the light from all the fucking iphones and blackberrys anyway, makes things very academic. As for Star Wars, if episode II and III have such a low "ceiling", how viable are they really for a big 3D release? I mean, by the time they get to that, the standards will be pretty high and the tickets will be 20 bucks. In other words, it's going to cost 100 bucks to take your kids and slog through Attack of the Clones again, how will they make it worthwhile?

I like Kenobi, P.I. in episode 2. If it wasn't chopped into those little one minute scenes and getting constantly interrupted by that other stuff it could have lots of atmosphere, mystery and 70s paranoia, like the star wars version of Chinatown.

SHOW ME ALL THE BLUEPRINTS SHOW ME ALL THE BLUEPRINTS SHOW ME ALL THE BLUEPRINTS

Yeah, for what it's worth it took the bits a few days to sort it out. scroll down to 6/28

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa181.html

I'm getting it with firefox too, but it's fine on Safari. The same thing happened to the digitalbits recently.

No, no, the II was just to throw people off the master plan!

So...Dennis Muren talking about the importance of the history of this movie and the old methods and knowledge, it's like LFL is just making fun of us at this point.

I'm no sound expert, is there a consensus on which mix is the overall best? In other words, if they restored the movie and HAD to use an existing mix (the 85, the 93 or even the 97 or the 04 cut to fit the original version, similar to the theatrical version of Superman) which would it be?