I’m going to have to chime in and say i agree with Rodney Rise of Skywalker is the best of the trilogy, that is the thing with opinions everyone has one.
I liked how Leia, Han and Luke were redeemed, and i liked how it was the most Lucas like of the entire trilogy.
Another strange thing i noticed is the Japan Laserdiscs for Star Wars from 1983, and 1984 pan and scan first issue have red labels. But Return of the Jedi 1986 has a blue one.
I’m waiting for a new HD master of Adventures of Robin Hood. We are stuck with the one which was prepared for HD-DVD. I guess i will be waiting a long time. I doubt WB will ever do a new scan for 4K.
Cgi is only as good as the artisans, the time and budget. The Star Wars sequels have much better cgi due to a much higher budget and advances made since episode I by ILM. Lucas was self funding his movies and pushing forward technology that was not quite where he needed it to be for the prequels.The stuff they were trying to do was impossible like having photorealistic cgi characters like Jar Jar, or the other creatures and aliens in the picture. It all came off as kind of an animated movie. Lucas did call it his Disney movie, Phantom Menace.
Can we say once and for all that what Reliance did was not a restoration but rather destruction by digital video noise reduction. I would not classify what they did as a restoration. They removed more than scratches or grain added in the process of print duplication. They went well beyond grain management and even further than Lowry. The rumor is the process was automated, the dnr pass. It was not reel by reel.
With Disney seeing these as archival i doubt they will ever do restorations worth a damn.
So it looks like the Hawley film is canceled and Star Trek TMP 4K is on hold. Or at least i heard that was so on Burnett Network livestream.
When are they going to get their act together at Paramount.
They’ve been sitting on the 4K release of Wrath of Khan for years and there is no release on physical media.
Meanwhile CBS is determined to air Discovery season 3 by the end of the year, and to start production on Strange New Worlds and Picard Season 2.
Despite the merger, a single cohesive Star Trek continuity is not on the cards, nor does it look like Paramount’s film division and CBS streaming arm want there to be one.
Since my last post i see djmasturbeat did a custom blu ray of the original pre Disney dub in high quality LPCM, but included the Disney dub from 1998 in the same low bitrate as the DVD, and 5.1. That custom blu ray was produced 7 years ago and i have no idea if it was ever widely shared.
What bitrate would the stereo PCM track be in on the 1998 laserdisc?
I’m unsure on the current rules on custom blu ray releases with commercially available video but combined with commercially unavailable or out of print audio. So i will cease to talk about such things.
It is not just despecialized, 4K77 and 4K83 are being sold too. I guess the profit motive is too much for them to consider they are putting the fanedit and preservation community in jeopardy.
A fanedit of the Mandalorian was also being sold but at least those listings have been taken down.
Lucas original intention was just to fix the Landspeeder shot, remove matte lines. Restore the picture and prepare a multi track audio mix for modern digital 5.1 systems.
If he had done only those things along with recomped effects and redone wipes and dissolves would fans still have been bothered? I mean if he had not used it as a testing ground for cartoon cgi to prep the prequels.
Added Dinosaurs and silly slapstick like the falling Jawa, or didn’t have Greedo shoot first.
I don’t think the new cgi X-wings scene works at all, much worse than the original model shots. The worst part the same pilot is in all the X-wings, and i think it was Jon Knoll inserting himself into the movie.
Interesting i have the polydor releases for the entire trilogy. I never knew there was a red label release overseas. Star Wars is on 2 cds just like the double vinyl album, Empire on one and is cut. Jedi the same as the LP one disc.
I thought they might try to limit the lightning flashes and photo sensitive issues for home video, but from what i can tell the scene where Kylo goes to visit Palpatine is the same as in theaters.
Do you still like the Star Wars radio drama? I remember buying the limited edition CD set from Highbridge.
Mark Hamill was excellent in the two radio plays he did. Including Empire Strikes Back.Return of the Jedi was a disappointment, less expanded and no Mark Hamill.
I’m surprised with all the fanedits there is no radio drama inspired edit like a serialized number of episodes.
Yeah there is a ton of stuff Lucas based the movie on. Even those old EC Comics by Al Williamson had some influence. And of course the King Comics Flash Gordon Al did along with Roy Krenkel.
It was a no brainer when Lucas asked Al Williamson to do the Star Wars Newspaper strips. They both were fans of old movies, movie serials and comics from the old days when they were in newspapers. Both were die hard Alex Raymond fans.
trekcore had some screencaps of Deep Space Nine on DVD. I have held off on buying the complete series because i was waiting for it in HD.
I guess i will be adding the DVD set next just out of a curiosity over the video quality. The BBC America Broadcast was horrible for the first two seasons, the DVD has to be better than that.
I no longer have my tapes but i taped each episode as it aired, and that was what the BBC broadcast looked like. Low quality resolution probably no more than 240 lines like a VHS tape.
Only recently have the prices come down on the blu ray sets for example that i could even remotely endeavor to collect them, or the complete DVD collections. Paramount has always inflated the prices for Star Trek going back to the old Columbia House days. I still have some of those tapes.
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.