JadedSkywalker

You’ve got me interested in seeing the movie again. I’m going to dig out my laserdisc. I have not watched it since 2005 or so.
I have softened on the prequels quite a bit in the last 15 years. Most of my dislike for them in the beginning i will admit it was because of the originals being suppressed. And believing that they watered down the brand.
I look at what Lucas was trying to do versus the execution of the finished movie.
There are interesting themes in the prequels, bogged down by inconsistent acting and some bad cgi.

Reading the screenplays and watching the behind the scenes stuff and reading about the making of the films at least gives you some idea what Lucas was trying to do. Must have been a daunting task, the scope he had for the prequels in his head and on paper was impressive. Much more expansive than the OT, more worlds and more world building. But to realize that on screen and on a budget required sacrifices. And as easy as it is to write something it is much more hard to realize it, and cgi can only do so much.

I have a profound amount of respect for Lucas as an artist no matter what i think of him suppressing his own much loved films. It was a great sadness to me when he finally retired and sold Star Wars, that he gave up creative endeavors such as directing movies or producing and writing them.

The OT was Luke’s story. The prequel was Anakin’s story and the sequel is Ray’s story.

I grew up with the Luke Skywalker trilogy so that is my favorite of the 3 trilogies. And the one i most often rewatch. The Maclunky edition left me cold, but seeing 4K83 warmed my heart. Even the odd moments of the film that don’t work like Harrison being bored and Mark Hamill not believing in the material, don’t ruin the film for me. Real world production issues should not intrude on the story, on the myth.

There are things i can complain about like the unconvincing scene with Harrison and Billy Dee with a Matte of the Millennium Falcon in the background and a tiny set that looks nothing like an expansive rebel hanger.
I wish the set was bigger and the Falcon was the full size location model they shot in the deleted scene of the sandstorm sequence. The film may be 3 times more expensive than Star Wars but it looks cheap, not sure if it was because they did not shoot on Panavision for the third film or the film stock they used, it has almost but not quite the feel of a tv movie. Down to the chosen director Richard Marquand.

In between watching the Not so original release with the 1981 crawl, i would listen to the radio drama and play the double LP of the movie. I even read the novelization and comic book to the point of wearing them out. I also at an even younger age had only the Story of Star Wars Album when there was no video release. To the point when i saw the film and on video cassette i had not seen it in the cinema, i noticed Beru’s lines were a different recording. I wonder if anybody just saw the Ken Films extracts and only finally saw the film on video, like i had only listened to the film on a Story Album.

Are there covers with John Alvin’s art for Star Wars and Return of the Jedi.
The images that appeared on the Japanese Laserdisc.

Which of the films for episodes 1-6 have extended cuts?

I am looking for all of those. I know of ADM edits for the prequel trilogy, and i know of 2 recently done expanded cuts of episode III and IV by Bobson Dugnutt.

What i’m really looking for is extended cuts of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. And i wonder if they exist even in a rough workprint form.

I have seen film cels on Ebay. But they are faded and look like they are from a 35mm trailer possibly. Unless it is from a flat print. I think for the Ewok Adventure.
I wish someone had scanned that print instead of cutting it up.

The scene where you can tell Obi Wan and Qui Gon already knew who the Queen was when she reveals herself to Boss Nass. I also like the scene where Palpatine says he will watch Anakin’s career with great interest, and he is right there at Qui Gon’s funeral. Right there for the Parade that is reminiscent of the end of Star Wars.

What is a good external writer for BD and DVD. I mean something that you don’t need a high end pc to run.

Something that will also work as a way to watch movies as well.

I added Spirited Away Gkids blu ray to my collection.
As for CED i have star wars and empire and return of the jedi, with no way to play them. Just like for no reason whatsoever i have Pal Laserdiscs of Star Wars and Return of the Jedi and the Star Wars trilogy, and no Pal player. Just because i like to collect things. I’m looking for the VHD copies of the films as well. And also i have no player.
I also added a factory sealed copy of My Neighbor Totoro on Laserdisc from Nikaku anime shop. At 30 dollars it was too much to pass up. No English language options but i don’t care, i have another copy that does have a dub.

Is there a link somewhere of just the documentary bonus material. I only want Classic Creatures and From Star Wars to jedi in HD.

I mean a direct download not on usenet or bitorrent.

Thank You for this. It is wonderful. Great image fidelity and the color is fantastic.

I bought the DVD for 30 dollars ages ago the official release. So why do the Laserdiscs go for so much.
They cannot possibly be so rare that they are worth a hundred dollars.
I think the price is being inflated due to Disney owning Lucasfilm. You used to be able to buy the Laserdiscs for 25 dollars like 15 years ago.
I like the films but i don’t a hundred dollars a piece like them.

Phantom Menace a Tie between Anakin’s theme and the Duel of the Fates.
Attack of the Clones Across the Stars
Revenge of the Sith Battle of the Heroes, reprise of Throne room and end titles
Star Wars Chasm Crossfire, and Binary Sunset and Throne Room and End titles.
Empire Han and Leia’s Theme, the battle in the snow, Yoda’s theme, the asteroid field theme.
ROTJ The Return of the Jedi, Luke and Leia, the chorus when Luke and Vader duel.
Force Awakens Jedi Steps and Binary Sunset, Scherzo for X-wings.

Honestly the scores for star wars 1977 and empire strikes back 1980 are two of the best ever recorded for a film. There really are no bad songs or themes. I played the albums back to back so many times on vinyl.

I also probably played my arista records set the anthology a hundred times.

It is far from a perfect film. But i always liked the duel of the fates and how the original edit worked. The original 35mm version. I hate the DVD and Blu ray cuts with added things that slow the pace of the film, and i really despise cgi Yoda in every version since 2011. I also think the original theatrical audio mix of the film was better than every version since. The only thing that came close was the Laserdisc.

Is there a thread somewhere over Matthew Wood’s remixes since 2004. every single one of his remixes not Ben Burtt’s are garbage. I cannot begin to describe just how awful the new sound mix on Star Wars was for the 2020 edit. The fidelity of dialog vs the music was terrible. It sounds muddy and flat.

I will say this was on the digital release in 1080P and not 4K with Atmos. Not sure if there it sounds better.

Did they force heal Luke’s X-wing?
I just had to suspend disbelief and not think about stuff like the ship being under water for 30 years. Or his door being made out of parts of the X-wing. The door Chewie tears off its hinges.
Or Anakin’s Saber magically being made whole again.

I still really enjoyed the movie.

I assume the Lossy 384kbps is the best we will ever get of the original Disney dub. Seeing as how no one has ripped the LPCM off of the laserdisc or the ac3 file which is probably comparable to the quality of the one on the original DVD from Disney.

There were video restorations done on these titles. But for the most part you won’t notice the grain management or DVNR except in a couple of places in the second issue of Nausicaa which could just as easily have been the softness of the print. Totoro on the other hand was very clearly given a Disney style restoration. The entire print looks too clean. And the only title they bothered to remaster is Nausicaa. Every other re-issue from Gkids if from the previous master from Buena Vista.

The difference in the two prints of Nausicaa is clear. The original blu ray came from an IP and the new 4K scan off the original negative. The new remaster has been painstakingly timed to the original cels and looks nothing like the original 35mm print, which the earlier blu ray does.

Why is every release since Lowry so soft looking, and a heavy use of DNR.

You would hope a fresh 4K scan that is as sharp as possibly without artificially sharpening the image or using digital video noise reduction techniques, would be the next step for a 4K UHD release.

But knowing Paramount and Lucasfilm it will be the 4K Imax restoration with the messed up colors. Since that is also the current 4K DCP most likely.

Edit:
Well i watched the blu ray version again as it aired on thanksgiving on Paramount Network. I have no idea how this version ever was passed off as releasable. First you have the problem with Satipos face morphing at the beginning of the film and no consistency in the color timing from reel to reel, sharpness or anything really.
Some scenes are heavily DVNR’ed some are okay, but far too many are overexposed and Indy has sunburn in almost the entire movie with an orange face. The colors are overly muddy looking in places and others too much brightened. I hope this is not the version that makes it to 4K and we get a new scan.

The 1990s reissue print looks closer to the blu ray. If not as orange in the skin tones.

I have seen film cels that look closer to the blu ray than the 35mm scan.

I wish i had them in hand and a scanner but i don’t.

Really makes me wonder what the color looked like in 1981 if there was a non faded Eastman print.

All the film copies i have seen for sale or film cels from the original release are red and pink.

I know this is a very old thread. But i believe Akira Criterion collection was off an IP and the Blu ray and 4K from the negative. One of the Japanese laserdiscs might even have come off of a print.
The 4K issue has been degrained to hell and back. The original blu ray looks better in some respects. Even with the edge enhancement and overscan issue which Funimation corrected on their release.

Its a choice but no way am i paying 90 dollars for a dodgy q-tec upscale.

I have the DVDs of this series somewhere as it is long out of print. I also have a fanedit episode II.V but seeing as how its on a burned disc i bet it no longer reads.
Trying to remember who did the edit was it ADM.
It was also on youtube but i think it since has been deleted.

There are black bars or borders all around the image if you try and watch it on a 16:9 HD set. You have to use the zoom button. Just like if you were hooking up your laserdisc player to your HDTV with rca cables. Not to mention it is the bad remix from 1993 with the smashing glass in the detention block when they shoot out the cameras. And a not very well defined image in postage stamp size at that. With the DVNR motion smearing which was never corrected. I assume that maybe at least the frames are progressive and not interlaced like the laserdisc, but i could be wrong.

All of Lucas films should be made available with original audio and in not messed with editions. That means no DNR and grain scrubbing, no new fake mixes and original audio.

Maybe we can finally get a decent release of Raiders of the Lost Ark as well. I mean we got a very good edition of Willow and Howard the Duck, but not Raiders or Star Wars. That kind of nuts.

I like Lucas enough as a director that i want the original versions of his films with good modern releases in 4K, blu ray and streaming. I don’t understand his reluctance to make them available. The theatrical release and directors cut of American Graffiti that came out after Star Wars, the same for THX 1138 should be available. Not talking about the bad DVD reedits. or the Signature collection laserdisc which also was altered. Star Wars should be available in its 1977 and 1981 edit, and 70mm and 35mm Empire should be made available and 1983 Jedi.

I had watched Return of the Pug. It was a version someone uploaded in MKV.

Years ago i had traded for the DVD of Puggo Grande, downloaded Puggo Strikes Back. But my go to version now is 4K77 and 4K83. I have nothing for Empire beyond my laserdisc, Puggo edition or gout DVD. I don’t have Harmy Despecialized, or The Grindhouse edition. I think i will wait to see 4K80. But the version i sat down and watched after seeing the new 4k edit, was the Puggo Strikes Back edition.
I know people will think it is absurd but my favorite version on Laserdisc was the CAV issue with analog sound from 1985 for Star Wars and Empire. And i always hated that there was no Jedi issued.