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Davis

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Join date
24-Apr-2005
Last activity
18-Dec-2012
Posts
214

Post History

Post
#220513
Topic
Watched ROTS on HBO, UGGGH!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/220513/action/topic#220513
Time
I think Phantom Menace was the best prequel as well. Qui-Gon was the best character out of any of the prequels, the pacing was a lot better, and the saber fight at the end was spectacular. I don't know, it just has the adventurous, Star Wars feel a lot more than the other ones.

Oh yeah, and most of it was filmed on location or on set. That may have something to do with it.

The whole prequel thing just makes me really sad, because there are a million different directions the PT could have gone in that would have been so much better than what we got. I still think that the love story should've happened on the side while still advancing the plot, like Empire and Temple of Doom. The female lead is along for the ride. There was absolutely no reason to waste half of AOTC just going to Naboo and riding giant ticks in the grass. That's lousy filmmaking. The dialogue just topped it off as sheer crap.


Post
#219548
Topic
1977 70mm soundtrack recording (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/219548/action/topic#219548
Time
Wow, man this is one of the holy grails of Star Wars. The only sound mix that was missing, the 70mm! I never thought I'd get to hear this at all, let alone in stereo. I agree with everyone amazed at the power of the track, even with the low quality. Just listen to the bass "thud" every time a lightsaber ignites! Also, the chasm scene is interesting- in the 70mm, you can barely hear Leia's line, "For luck". The effects and the music pretty much drown it out.

Anyway, really neat stuff! Thanks so much, David. And I really don't want to impose on you after uploading such a wonderful, coveted item, but I'm with the others wondering if you could send the WAV files to someone in the OT.com community? There are a LOT of great people here.
Post
#213665
Topic
Try to take it easy with the Lucas bashing.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/213665/action/topic#213665
Time
I just think it's wonderfully ironic (and interesting) to see everyone going, "That's it, I'm through with Star Wars" and "You've just lost another friend", and "My love for Star Wars has ended."

Why did everyone love Star Wars when Lucas repeatedly claimed they would NOT be available on DVD, and now AFTER an announcement that it WILL see the light of day again, everyone's through with SW. It's kinda weird. This is a big step in the right direction, because what Lucas has effectively done is turned the sticking point from not wanting the originals to see the light of day to not wanting to restore them because it'll cost too much money.

We can argue THAT point a lot easier. I mean look, if he releases them on DVD and that doesn't interfere with his "creative vision", why would releasing them in higher quality be any different? The future's looking bright for me; I never thought he'd release the originals in my lifetime, and here he is doing just that- regardless of the quality.

And don't bash Lynn or John Singh either. I read posts at the HTF saying that they're kind of on our side (from Bill Hunt, who has met them both).
Post
#212390
Topic
HOLD ON a second...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212390/action/topic#212390
Time
Found this info at HTF and wanted to post it here:


In the September 1993 issue of Widescreen Review, THX Technical Supervisor Dave Schnuelle describes the process of making the Definitive Collection Laserdiscs. Here are some comments from the interview:

"In this case, for all three films, we used interpositive elements that had been made directly from the camera negative. Other film transfers might be done from internegatives made from the interpositive, or from low-contrast prints, but we preferred the IP's for these transfers, because that's the earliest generation usable"

"One small difference from the original films is that in letterbox transfers we prefer to put any subtitles in the black border beneath the actual picture area. Thus we didn't use the same interpositive as the theatrical one, because that one contains subtitling already. In tracking down the elements, we found that the only ones in the vault were ones with subtitles- these clearly weren't the first generation off the camera neg because they had to have the subtitles burned in. So a massive search was undertaken and the first generation IP's were found in a special vault having only opticals in Los Angeles."

"A Mark IIIC with a 4:2:2 digital output [telecine] was used."

"[We used] a noise reduction and dirt concealment device made by Digital Vision, a company in Sweden. Their DVNR-1000 is a very powerful noise reducer for reducing film grain. Especially on the two earlier movies the film grain was very high."


I think that may shed a little more light on this...
Post
#212148
Topic
HOLD ON a second...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212148/action/topic#212148
Time
I take it back; I have more questions.


there was a pan and scan transfer done. It was released to VHS in 1995 when the "Faces" Laser Discs came out.

This 1995 fullscreen VHS transfer is very interesting to me. Was it done in 1993 along with the widescreen one (and just not released for a couple years?) Or was it a new transfer from the same print?

Either way, there's no excuse for them not having it if they have the LD widescreen tapes.
Post
#212141
Topic
HOLD ON a second...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212141/action/topic#212141
Time
Originally posted by: Windexed
Perhaps the "full screen" refers specifically to the 2004 version disc, and each unaltered disc is a letterboxed version by default since it is only considered a "bonus" feature and/or Lucasfilm is cheaping out, ect.


Actually, looks like they are cheaping out. I just did a disheartening search on Amazon...


Amazon: Full-screen

Turns out that since these are "bonus features", the fullscreen marking on the packaging doesn't apply to them. Shoot- I thought I had something there. I like their word choice there- the "enhanced" versions. Idiots.

And instead of using the extra disc space for PCM, deleted scenes, or *gasp* an anamorphic transfer, they're taking up disc space with a lego trailer and an x-box game demo. Did they put it on the SE discs? No, this junk is going on the OOT discs. I can't stand it; you guys'll have to continue this discussion without me.
Post
#212133
Topic
HOLD ON a second...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212133/action/topic#212133
Time
Wasn't the Faces set THX-ed from the print struck for the 1993 DE masters?

Well I was under the impression that the '93 LD's got THX remastering, but somehow, the '95 set turned out to be better (with no split lightsabers and so on), even though it was supposedly the same transfer. I don't know. The thing is, the fact that they put out high quality copies of the OOT in both widescreen and fullscreen in the nineties (remastered in EXACTLY the same way between the editions) seems to prove that they restored prints BEFORE they made lower quality widescreen and fullscreen masters.

Either way, they've GOT to have a very high quality master from which they made the '95 fullscreen VHS release, whether it was digital, an actual restored film print, or what. To say that the "exhaustive search" has only turned up low quality widescreen master tapes from '93, and not the MUCH HIGHER QUALITY source that HAS to have been used for the fullscreen release is just stupid.

I don't know the whole history, so I'd love if someone more knowledgeable clarified.

Post
#212120
Topic
HOLD ON a second...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212120/action/topic#212120
Time

The main feature is the 2004 version and the bonus is the original version. I can't think of a single instance where the widescreen/fullframe nature of a DVD has applied to bonus features like deleted scenes and whatnot. So, while you make a very good point, Davis, this might be their way of thinking. But really, in this instance, I'm playing devil's advocate and hoping you're right.


Gee, I hope that isn't the case. But now I want to finish my line of thought....

You bring up the fullscreen THX VHS tapes; we're talking about the 1995 VHS edition. We know that this fullscreen edition was of the highest quality and richest colors yet. We also know that they didn't just clean up one of the old VHS fullscreen transfers, because they made DIFFERENT pan-scan decisions. We also know that the fullscreen VHS tapes were not made by blowing up the LD masters- the image is too detailed for that (I own the VHS).

Isn't this hard proof that Lucasfilm actually restored a FILM PRINT of the OOT in the nineties, and used this for both the widescreen and fullscreen releases? What happened to this print? And if they scrapped this but somehow still have the LD/VHS widescreen master tapes, wouldn't it make sense that they have the fullscreen master tapes as well? Were these scrapped? I've now thoroughly confused myself.
Post
#212101
Topic
HOLD ON a second...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212101/action/topic#212101
Time
My line of thought may be completely off, but...

1. This release is going to be in widescreen and fullscreen
2. The original Star Wars trilogy in fullscreen was never released on LD with THX mastering, right?
3. Wouldn't they have to do a new transfer of the OUT to get a decent looking fullscreen DVD? If they just cropped and blew up from the already sup-par laserdisc masters, then the final result would be beyond bad, it wouldn't be sellable.


???
Post
#212094
Topic
You know, we kind of asked for this...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212094/action/topic#212094
Time
There's no reason to buy this (if it's not anamorphic), if you have the LD's or a couple of the bootlegs out there. It's made from the same source, only nice and compressed. And even the audio is a giant step backwards.

Way to go, Lucas. We've waited for this release for 9 years. This is the reason some people bought DVD players in the first place. And when it finally comes out, it's from.... the laserdisc master.

*hangs head and gives up*
Post
#210950
Topic
Make your voices heard! (again) - re the 2006 GOUT DVD being in letterbox format
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/210950/action/topic#210950
Time
I didn't think he would actually go this low. He's releasing them on DVD; why use a deliberately low-quality format? If I want to watch the nonanamorphic versions, I've got VHS. There's less color bleeding and it'll look a little better, blah blah blah-

THEY'RE USING THE LASERDISC MASTERS.

I'll be writing a letter.