The longer they wait, the bigger a deal it will be when they finally do restore and release the original versions.
I just hope they do it while there is still some support for physical media and don’t wait until we can’t actually own our movies anymore. That’s the nightmare scenario regarding the OOT as far as I’m concerned.
They used the original posters for the disc art on '04 dvd’s.
I think we’re making a mountain out of a molehill here.
The giveaway, to me, is that they’re clearly reusing the title design for TFA. I just can’t see the marketing team at Lucasfilm being that unoriginal. Giving each movie of the ST its own distinctive promotional title design, just like with the OT films, is almost expected at this point. Even the prequels had different Roman numerals to go with their otherwise repetitive poster titles. There was also the alternate ESB-style logo for AotC, and RotS’ title was so consciously riffing on the original title of ROTJ they had merch with that design ready to go from day one.
If it’s not next year - and I’m not holding my breath* - I fully expect 2020 for an official announcement of some kind, even if it’s just them saying “here’s why we still haven’t restored the theatrical versions.” The elephant in the room will have outgrown the room by that point.
It’s bad enough that the 2004 Lowry master is still the official version that’s being trotted out, just with the additional 2011 updates. Like Zombie said in his article on SSW, they can’t even get the SE right.
2020 will be a significant year for the OT for a number of reasons.
Since the ST will most likely be done by then, the folks at Lucasfilm will be scrambling to keep the well from drying up. That only means a better chance of them finally rolling out what they’ve been keeping in their back pocket for all these years.
By that point the new 4K UHD blu-Ray format will have reached a much wider market and the time will have come to remaster these films yet again. I can’t see the OOT ever being considered the “canon” version of these films, but I could see Kathleen Kennedy bringing George in to consult on a “final” version of I-VI. Maybe she could also get his blessing about finally remastering the original versions as well.**
Most notably of all, the distribution rights to all of the films (except ANH) will fully revert to Lucasfilm in 2020. There are two possibilities here. Either Fox will try to make a deal with Disney to get a snazzy new blu-Ray collection on the store shelves by 2019 or Disney will just continue to sit on it until they get the rights back in 2020. Disney would still need to make a deal with Fox over ANH, but it will be a formality by that point.
I also can’t help but wonder what the plans are for the 3D version of the OT. We know they’ve already converted the PT, so I see the OT following suit at some point. I really wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what the footage from RMW’s demo reel was all about. Maybe Lucasfilm just needed a fresh scan of the negatives as a starting point for the conversion job.
ETA: Add me to the list of people who actually want the theatrical cuts of the prequels.
*Seriously, how bad of a sign is it that we’ve heard nothing on the subject from Lucasfilm in the almost four years since they were bought by Disney? If the blu-Ray release of TFA has come and gone without an update on the status of the OOT, I’m not expecting the 40th anniversary to bring any updates either.
**I wouldn’t completely dismiss these rumors that people at Fox feel uncomfortable about putting out a remastered OOT while George is still alive.
I think I’ll get up slightly earlier than usual tomorrow and take the time (for once) to make myself a decent breakfast, probably during one of the commercial breaks. Hopefully they’ll get around to showing the trailer by 8, as that’s when I have to leave in order to get to work by 9.
I’ve been assuming we’ll get a teaser with Captain America: Civil War next month, but I’m not really basing that on any actual information.
This was officially confirmed several weeks ago if I’m not mistaken.
re: the wipes
Which ones are they and were they not salvageable from the lpp print?
I agree that Driver comes across as grounded and appreciative. Judging from interviews, people seem to really enjoy working with him. I’ve only seen him in one thing (This Is Where I Leave You). He was very good in that.
Fixed, although I haven’t actually seen the movie for myself.
Bob Iger said there will not be a Disney logo at the front of the movie.
I hope it’s just the Lucasfilm logo with no sound and nothing else.
Everything else will undoubtedly be the same, though. There’s no good reason it wouldn’t be.
I just happened to be in Paris (capital of the Federation) visiting my sister the week JJ’s Star Trek reboot came out in France and Belgium a couple days before anywhere else. We were lucky enough to go see it opening day “VO” with very small and non-distracting subs. It was on film with a white screen, which I’ve heard the Europeans prefer over the silver variety.
3D has really thrown a wrench into the way we see movies these days.
Are you saying child actors are cheaper than adult actors? 😄
Peter Suschitzky’s cinematography in TESB is one tough act to follow.
Alan Hume actually walked out because he didn’t like how GL was treating Marquand. Alec Mills took over for the last month of production.
I’d genuinely like to know more about these.
GL wanted to use multiple cameras for more coverage to work with in the editing room, while Marquand wanted to use only one or two.
I might have an opportunity to see it in 70mm in January, (I presume it will stick around longer than that) but a lot has to fall into place the next few weeks.
Would love for it to be my first viewing, but I think spoilers will be impossible to avoid by then. 😉
They will probably keep playing the 70mm version until late March when Batman v Superman is released. Some of that was also shot in actual 65mm IMAX.
Oh, and I feel the exact same way re: first screening.
I just found out I won’t be able to see it 70mm opening weekend unless I feel like getting five hours of sleep on Sunday night.
Okay, that’s not so bad, but even just having to wait that entire weekend to avoid spoilers will feel like an eternity.
At this point it’s looking like I’ll be seeing the earliest 2D Thursday night screening at the closest place showing it to where we live (an AMC). It’s not until 10, since this isn’t one of the theaters that’s showing it on half a dozen screens and they’re only showing 3D at 7.
It works out perfectly though since my sister and I have an event to attend earlier that night and we can go from there. I’ll probably leave early and get to the theater in time to grab good seats since they’re not doing reserved seating. I’m wondering how much of a window I should give myself. I almost want to get there two hours early just to be sure.
So, I’ll be seeing this at the same time as you west coast 7pm people.
Peter Suschitzky’s cinematography in TESB is one tough act to follow.
Alan Hume actually walked out because he didn’t like how GL was treating Marquand. Alec Mills took over for the last month of production.
Also, the film stock used for the movie is what resulted in a blue tint over everything.
The Arriflex thing is probably down to economy. They were shooting in England for large stretches of the movie so maybe it made more sense to rent European.
At the end of the day it makes a difference what format you shoot in.
As digital as the movie looks, it would look even more like that if they’d gone with Alexa.
When JJ made his first two movies, the best alternative to film was RED. It’s a much different story now just a few years later, but the best digital camera is obviously still not good enough for him and numerous other filmmakers.
We should be thankful that they’re at least finishing it at 4K. I think they might even be rendering the vfx at that res but I might be jumping the gun there.
I’ll be curious to see what percentage of the finished movie is comprised of entirely cgi-free in-camera shots.
Does anyone know of any 35mm showings like, anywhere? I haven’t heard anything.
It’s a moot point since TFA was finished as a DI just like 99% of all movies made these days, so you’re not really gaining anything from 35mm projection although some would argue there’s still “a certain something” to seeing it that way. Christopher Nolan is an ultra-rare holdout/exception, hence the “see it on film two days early” release for Interstellar.
If your theater has 4K projection (all of the Regals and AMCs do now), you’re seeing TFA at its full level of detail.
To answer your question, I’m not aware of Disney striking 35mm prints for TFA. Someone mentioned they might’ve stopped distributing on 35mm except for overseas. The film-only dollar theater in my college town just closed within the last several months because they couldn’t pay the rent. They were one of the couple hundred in the U.S. to show Interstellar on film. Meanwhile, I’m pretty sure the two (count 'em) theaters here in the DC area that were showing it on film can also do 4K, so Disney wouldn’t bother spending more money for less qc.
For the theaters out there still limping on without digital projection, this might serve as a harsh lesson.
They are 720p.
Okay, then the person who was telling me something to the contrary about the first and possibly second movie didn’t know what he was talking about. No biggie.
I am curious though why they aren’t full 1080.
Does Harmy just prefer to avoid copyright entanglements or is there some technical reason?
Didn’t Harmy say in his recent YouTube video that he expects to be done fairly soon with ROTJ? He said he’s waiting on 35mm print scans for the relevant shots in the movie.
Also, this is as good a place to ask this. Are all of the most recent versions of the De-EDs stuck at 720p or are the first and/or second movies now in 1080? I feel like I’ve heard conflicting stories on this.
A friend of mine was a year and a half old in May of 1980 when his parents brought him to see Empire.
I told him how jealous I was that he got to see it on the big screen during its original run, even though he doesn’t remember it at all.
It’s too bad Disney cheaped out and didn’t strike more 15/70 prints.
Yeah sure I get that it’s expensive but come the f*** on, this movie is gonna make all the money in the world and they’d still turn a major profit off those theaters.
Dark Knight Rises was, I’m fairly certain, the only time a movie was playing at all three of the Smithsonian’s 15/70 locations simultaneously, and TFA will easily outgross it. I guess it’s apples and oranges since there won’t be nearly as much native IMAX footage in this film. That was probably Disney’s line of thinking.
I do find it odd, though, how there aren’t any full-sized IMAX locations in New York or Chicago that are playing this.
Haven’t made up my mind yet.
Thursday night 70mm screenings at Air & Space DC sold out before I even knew they were showing it there. As of now the only available opening weekend showtimes are 2:30 in the afternoon on Friday and Sunday. I might have a new job soon, which would likely rule out Friday (damn). Interview is tomorrow, so I’ll know soon.
One of my friends here was saying he wants to see it opening weekend but not opening night.
Meanwhile, the group Mrebo and I became acquainted with at a recent screening of Harmy’s ROTJ said they’ll be getting together to go see TFA as well, so I’ll have to look into that.
If no one I know wants to see it Thursday night I might just cave and go see it with my sister or something. All the opinion pieces and reviews are gonna start showing up and I hate having to avoid those things. I spoiled Interstellar for myself by not excercising self-control and simply waiting until I saw it several days after it opened. If I couldn’t do it for Interstellar, I’m not so sure I’ll be able to for Episode VII.
There are still plenty of 2D, non-reserved seating Thursday night showtimes near me that aren’t sold out. Well, not yet.
I’m also waiting to see if The Avalon, which is technically the closest movie theater to where I live, will be showing the movie at all. They haven’t posted their daily schedule past this coming week, so I might just stop by and ask.
Ah, decisions decisions.
To the comment earlier about Jakku being surprisingly close to the core:
I noticed it’s about halfway there from Endor. Maybe the Rebels just kept fighting the Imperials straight back to the core worlds and Jakku was the sight of a decisive battle along the way?
I instantly recognized her as “that chick from Ghostbusters.”
Also, I’m glad someone finally bumped this thread.
Rattatak from the Tartakovsky clone wars is apparently canonical as well, unless they went there / it was mentioned in TCW or the NuEU and this isn’t noteworthy.
The movie is officially finished.
http://www.slashfilm.com/new-the-force-awakens-tv-spots-show-maz-kanata-more/#more-326272
Considering all the various formats this will be presented in, it makes sense they’re finishing it nearly a month ahead of time. I’ve heard the IMAX dmr process takes a couple weeks.
I was watching that video the other day. Interesting stuff.
Of course I’m now blanking on what the official reason given back in late 2012 was to do three movies instead of two. I want to say the reasoning was simply “why the hell not do three instead of just two?”
At least, that’s how I recall it.