Fang Zei

MalàStrana said:

Fang Zei said:
The new films are trying very consciously to recapture that OT feel. A release of the OOT by the time Ep9 hits theaters would only make sense.

Really ? Last time i’ve checked there was a CGI Falcon and a CGI main character in TFA. I’m not really convinced by the “OT feel” that would prove Disney’s gonna release the OOT. Mainstream audience watch the bluray and don’t complain about these versions.

What will they come up with to sell the 4k UHD release?

Well, the answer is in the question: the 4k UHD release will contain… 4k picture quality and awesome sound. This is enough to sell it.

Now the fact is that the original prints are still somewhere in Lucasfilm’s vault. Otherwise they can’t make a 4k release (ie a 8k restoration). Or else they can use the 1997 SE prints (it was released in theaters, I guess the definition of the print is higher than 2k, right ?), and then they would need to “refresh” every CGI special effect (Paramount did it with ST-TNG, Disney has the money to do so). But at this point, they will also need to change the colors to match Lucas canon version, so… hum… not sure the OOT would be given as a “bonus”, but at least there is a slight chance that the 1997 version ends up being in an anniversary boxset… which would still be a gift for DE edition since they are way closer to the original versions than the 2004/2011 releases are…

As a matter of fact, Disney once released a very shitty version of “Beauty and the beast” as well as an extended version of “Lion King”. But the original (and far better) versions have been released in bluray; the extended cut of “Lion King” is even nowhere to be seen in bluray I think (but a few minor alterations are still present if I remember correctly). Disney is not exactly “snow white” for its own video releases (“Song of the South” anyone ? Bad movie but I love the animated parts, still they don’t want to release it… like Lazy Lucas does not want to release the OOT in a proper way…), so I woulnd’t exactly count on their alleged “cinephilia” or “OT respect” to actually deliver the original cuts…

Difficult to see, the future is…

I beg to differ.

Maybe I’m underestimating how much demand there would be for a 4k disc release of the altered version, but I seriously doubt there would be anywhere near as much enthusiasm this time around as there was with the blu-rays, nevermind the dvds.

If they have to do a fresh scan of the film elements in order to produce a 4k version (and they do), then they might as well spend the time and money restoring the original versions - and maybe also the '97 versions - as well.

A 4k uhd release of Force Awakens is an inevitability. Maybe we’ll see that one on the format first like we did with TPM on dvd. Hell, I could see things mirroring the dvd releases to a T and them putting out the original three (complete with the other versions) on 4k before Ep9 hits theaters.

Disney - or at the very least Lucasfilm - can’t pretend they don’t know what we want. The People vs George Lucas documentary couldn’t have spelled it out any clearer: Close Encounters did it, Blade Runner did it. Why the hell can’t Star Wars?

To humor the OP, I think it’s just too big of a deal for it not to finally happen at some point within the next few years. There are just too many factors pointing to another release on the horizon (insert Egon photo here).

Even the SE is in lousy condition and needs a fresh remaster, whether that ends up being the RMW job or something else.

The new films are trying very consciously to recapture that OT feel. A release of the OOT by the time Ep9 hits theaters would only make sense.

Next year is the 40th anniversary. Even if it’s not happening by then, they can’t expect to let it pass without saying something on the issue.

Fox’s countdown clock to 2020, when they completely lose the rights to five of the six films, is steadily ticking away. I don’t know about the rumour that people at Fox don’t feel comfortable being involved in an OOT release while Lucas is still alive. That just seems stupid even if it is true. Even if Disney sits on it until after 2020, they still have the problem of Fox owning ANH forever.

But here’s the big thing to consider:

Lucasfilm has milked the releases on these various formats to death without ever including the actual films people wanted in the first place. Well, they released it in 2006, in the shoddiest possible quality that you could still technically call dvd.

The '04 release had a documentary and that was about it. Then the bd had deleted scenes. What will they come up with to sell the 4k UHD release? I really don’t think there’s anything left at this point besides including properly remastered transfers of the original versions.

Am I remembering correctly, or was the U.S. release of RotJ SE pushed back a week at the last second?

I want to say the trailers all said March 7th but by the time of the tv spots it was March 14th.

Density said:

moviefreakedmind said:

CHEWBAKAspelledwrong said:

Unless they’re planning a wider, home media release of the '97 (which I doubt)

This will never happen. I’d bet my entire savings that it will never happen, ever. Even if it does, I’m not out anything because I’d probably die of shock.

They certainly won’t do a standalone release of the 97, but I don’t think it’s out of the question at all that it’s included as part of a Blade Runner-esque box of all cuts of the OT.

That’s certainly been my preferred scenario for a while now. I know most people would be overjoyed enough to finally have a properly restored OOT, but the ‘97 version provides the proper historical context for Lucas’ revising of the films in the first place and would be conspicuously absent in a “definitive” collection.

They still show the '97 prints at the AFI Silver from time to time, although I don’t pay super close attention to the schedule. A couple years back they were showing ANH as part of an Alec Guinness series and RotJ as part of a collection of 80’s movies they would change up every summer (they finally moved on to the 90’s this year, maybe they’ll show a print of TPM at some point😆).

Handman said:

I read the title of this topic and thought I was transported back to 1960.

I’m glad I wasn’t the only person to notice this.

The 2011 blu-rays were first announced more than a year beforehand at the 2010 Celebration, and next year is the 40th anniversary after all.

Stranger things have happened.

Wazzles said:

darklordoftech said:

GOUT is literally what we would have gotten if DVDs existed in 1995, so in terms of offical releases, I’d go with that.

It’s what we would have gotten in like 1998 had it been released, save for the Lego Star Wars demo.

It’s what we would’ve gotten had Lucas refused to spend even a single dime remastering the OOT, just as he refused in 2006.

There are/were plenty of official dvd releases from those first couple years that were not remastered from their laserdisc source and hence stuck at 4:3 letterbox.

Off the top of my head: Conan the Destroyer (since remastered in a hd and available on blu), True Lies and The Abyss (still stuck at that very same quality on home video, if you could believe it), Goodfellas (remastered in hd in 2004 and again recently in 4K), The Doors (remastered the very same week the GOUT hit shelves, ironically enough), Dune (remastered), Star Trek 5-7 (remastered).

The first dvd release of Titanic is a rather unique example of a new release non-catalogue title that, for whatever reason, wasn’t encoded for 16:9 displays. Maybe Paramount just hadn’t gotten the memo that anamorphic video was something this new dvd format could do. It didn’t stop it from being the first dvd to sell a million copies. Barely anyone had a 16:9 tv back in 1998. Heck, a lot of people still didn’t in 2006.

Thanks for all the info/advice, Neverar! I think we’ll be in Dingle for at least a day, so that sounds like an excellent idea. Our trip is basically Dublin, Cork, Kenmare, Dingle, Tralee (briefly), Galway and then back to Dublin.

On Friday I’m leaving for a ten-day trip to Ireland with my Mom, Sister and Aunt. We’re going to be staying near several of the filming locations for Episode VIII, although I was quite disappointed to discover that the boat trips over to Skellig Michael are all booked up until the end of August (and this was a month ago). I guess that’s what happens when the highest grossing movie of all time that just came out six months ago and is also a Star Wars movie ends with a scene shot there. Oh well, visiting the Episode VIII locations a whole year-and-a-half before it hits theaters will feel less tourist-ey.

Dingle, where they recreated Skellig Michael, is on our itinerary, as is Cork where they wrapped in Ireland. I’m gonna try to save all of the spy photos of the set constructions on my phone so I can find the exact spots.

The one place I probably won’t get to visit is Donegal as it’s all the way up at the northern most point of the island and nowhere near where we’ll be staying.

moviefreakedmind said:

Lasz said:

one can hope but the fact that it says “a new hope” and not “Star Wars” may give some indication…

It will never be advertised as simply “Star Wars” ever again, regardless of which version. Even if they use the original poster art they’ll still mention that it’s ANH.

On a somewhat related note, I wonder how a hypothetical official release would “avoid the awkwardness.”

The GOUT did it by releasing the movies individually on dvd for the first time and then going “oh, and they just happen to also include the unaltered versions.”

We’re already past that point on blu-ray (the steelbooks), so I’m thinking Lucasfilm/Disney/Fox will simply wait until it’s time to release I-VI on 4k ultra hd blu-ray (I’m sure they’d put out regular blu-ray versions as well). Then they can call them “ultimate editions” or something to that effect, and be all like “oh, and they just happen to also include the unaltered versions,” even though they know damn well it’s the only reason most people would buy it. Maybe if we’re lucky we can get the theatrical prequels and the '97 versions thrown in as well.

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.

joefavs said:

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?

Anchorhead said:

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.

John Doom said:

Are you saying child actors are cheaper than adult actors? 😄

Fang Zei said:

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.

SilverWook said:

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.

Wazzles said:

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.