MattMahdi

Oops. 

SKot said:

Looking at the official Blu-ray release of the Holiday Special cartoon, the subtitles definitely spell it "Captain Kazan".  But they also call the ship the "RS Reekvange", rather than "RS Revenge".

Reekvange?  Really?  Was it an error, did they know something we don't, or did they decide to change it because "Revenge" sounds more like a name for a Star Destroyer than it does a Rebel Cruiser?

I just watched those opening bits... and I can just about hear "Reekvange". I don't think that's what he's saying, because there wasn't any reason to get that convoluted back in 1978, but there is precedent.

Remember in 1983 when Emperor Palpatine went on about Luke's friends on the "Century Moon"? Every time I watch that I have to remind myself that he's saying "Sentry".

WALLPAPER

We've all wanted SWHS wallpaper, right? Actually I'd never dreamed until I encountered it on Pinterest. But this site:

http://erikasartzone.wordpress.com/tag/holiday-special/

has a widescreen wallpaper that's quite nice. Available as 1280x800 or 1680x1050.

SKot said:

UPDATE: Looking at the official Blu-ray release of the Holiday Special cartoon, the subtitles definitely spell it "Captain Kazan".  But they also call the ship the "RS Reekvange", rather than "RS Revenge".

So the Blu-rays give with one hand and take with the other.

I don't own the set -- I've owned the films too many times! -- so I never dreamed that it would be subtitled. Many thanks,

SKot, is there any reference that gives the spelling of Captain Kazan? I'd assumed that it was in the script, but apparently not.

YES. Although there is much duplication between it and the Rowman supplement discs.

Only the unreleased scenes.

I don't think I've seen mention of this. Just came across it (via Google) and it's the experience one person had at the Paley Center when the SWHS was screened at Christmas. His assignment was to cover the screening for "The People vs. George Lucas".

He hadn't seen it before.

And he wasn't impressed.

Most of the video is his brief reports in a washroom stall -- to avoid security who would disallow his video camera -- but it is interesting. And a few brief seconds did go into "The People vs. George Lucas."

Where I originally found it:

http://redcowentertainment.com/2012/03/doug-burgdorff-at-the-paley-center-screening-of-the-star-wars-holiday-special/

Direct link:

http://vimeo.com/39153018

It's a bit under 8 minutes.

Found it when I searched for star wars holiday special documentary, hoping to see a sign of something that Bruce Vilanch mentioned in an interview. Some people were shooting a documentary... that apparently went nowhere. (The interview was on "Feast of Fun" in July 2010.)

(And why did I have to jump through hoops to get this posted without the lovely markup code?!)

SKot said:

MattMahdi said:

I just came across this at theForce.net:

SW Holiday Special Commentary

Posted By Joshua on December 21, 2000

Moviebabble has a Fan Commentary to download and play as you watch the 1978 Holiday Special. If you do not know their site it has downloadable commentary from fans much like the official running commentary that comes with DVD.

Unfortunately, the Moviebabble site has apparently been claim-jumped.

I think I did hear this, and if it's the one I remember, it was pretty lame and not really worth saving.  The RiffTrax one is really the best bet for commentary so far.

--SKot

Date-wise this CAN'T be the one I asked about long ago: it's dated 2007. But I did come across it last night and it's interesting. Not great, but interesting. One viewer is well-researched (with the exception of mis-remembering Harrison Ford's appearance on Conan O'Brien) and the others are understandably stunned and horrified.

http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=1526355&song=Geeklabel+DVD+Commentary+003%3A+Star+Wars+Holiday+Special

The track is by Kingfish & the Vicar.

Just came across the following, a five-minute excerpt of a commentary on the Holiday Special:

http://vimeo.com/33626859

Offered as a curiosity only. The other commentaries (MMM, Rifftrax) seem much more lively.

Far funnier:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vefT-vXnhRo

How the Holiday Special could, and perhaps *should*, have ended.

My back yard is out of control, some of the grass three feet high and much more of it matted down at ground level. I let it go too long, and it'll be at least two more days' weed-eating to get it under control.

Which of course got me thinking about Star Wars -- and specifically the newspaper comic strips from back in 1979. 

Narration: "Gliding sinuously through the miles-thick vegetation forming the surface of Kazhyyyk, the beast of burden plunges downward."

and

Han: "Chewie says the best orga root is on the eighth level... which is as far down as anyone dares to go!"

When was Kashyyyk's structure established? Was it designed for the Special, or was writer / artist Russ Manning extrapolating from what he saw onscreen?

Blu-ray is unlikely at best. (Unless Lucasfilm loses its mind and releases it.)

I know that it's been on Usenet. If you have a good provider, then a DVD was posted to a.b.sw almost 600 days ago.

I don't know if I've asked this before. Memory grows weak, and I've been working on this for quite a long time.

Would any of you creative types be willing and able to create a cover for a collection of videos I've gathered from around the 'net? It's a compilation that doesn't include the SWHS at all, but a variety of things related to it.

Asaki said:

I've seen one on YouTube of someone modelling the all-white prototype, if that's what you mean. I think that was for the movies, though, and not the special.

none, thank you for the link.

I've never seen this, and it's fascinating. I believe it, but at the same time it could almost be a private joke by Ben Burtt and Duwayne Dunham, to see just how gullible we all are.

It probably WAS from after the Holiday Special, but it's still definitely at the level (as Burtt says) of prototype.

Thank you both!

My memory fades, and 615 posts are a lot to look through when I'm going to ask the question anyway.

Once upon a time *someone* mentioned a video that had once been on the official site of someone modeling the Boba Fett costume, possibly as reference for the SWHS animators.

Did anyone ever manage to find that video?

Bummer. But it is absolutely best to do something you're pleased and proud of. For me, there's nothing worse than knowing I could have done better but didn't. Peace,

straightedge said:

A rip of the french version is available on a french torrent site if anybody is still interested.

Stang. No access to torrents.

I don't suppose anyone is willing to repost it elsewhere?

The quality is not that bad, and I'm wondering if it's not just a US broadcast with the french audio added.

Weird. But fascinating.

Amazing that it would air so much later in some countries, especially the repeat airings in Australia. I would have thought Lucas would have more control / clout than to allow that to happen.

I just found the French version on YouTube -- it's a weird transfer, because it looks like it's a video recording of a television broadcast, filmed at an angle. Weirder still, it's the WMAR broadcast. About 3:45 into the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f61JazO98DA

Do I have that correct? Did that version actually broadcast in France, or is this something else?

And does anyone know of a clearer source for the French broadcast?

Also, is the following an actual broadcast that was dubbed in Spanish?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQX6Xu3gKbE

Lastly, for now, I'm assuming that these subtitles are after the fact. Am I correct?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6oGpCHDyH8

The subtitles seem to be much clearer than the video, which makes me doubt them to be the broadcast you've listed. But I'd be happy to be wrong.

Thanks!

On YouTube it's pretty easy to find a Spanish broadcast of the Holiday Special. There's also what seems to be the KCMO broadcast with Spanish subtitles overlaid; the subtitles look pretty sharp and have to be added after the fact.

Are there other languages floating around out there? I've searched but without luck. I'm especially interested in different broadcasts of the cartoon.

Mahjong123 said:

2) At the opening of the "PBS Special" in the show, the opening credits are EXACTLY IDENTICAL as the SWHS. 

4) The Character Rory Flanagan, portrayed by Damian McGinty, played an elf named "Itchy". If this wasn't an intentional reference, I'd be very surprised.

The Itchy reference COMPLETELY slipped by me.

And you're right. In its presentation it does have the necessary feel. I guess I was expecting more, given all the hype. "Chewbacca appears! A magnificent, must-see, completely authorized and extraordinary event!" translated to "Chewbacca appears for ten seconds in a dream sequence". My expectations were too high and focused on the wrong thing.

Mahjong123 said:

Definitely enjoyed watching Glee last night with their heavy SWHS basis... with all the people they target, could be some added pressure to GL to release it... you never know! Must have been based on a KCCI copy... easy to tell when you've seen it as often as I!

The first time through I just skimmed the episode.

Then, figuring I *must* have missed something, I watched it start to finish: nope, nothing.

The only thing I didn't see was closing credits, my tivo didn't capture them. Just ended with a crane shot moving away from the foursome bell-ringing.

I need two volunteers, maybe three. If you're interested then reply via PM.

What I have is a disc of Holiday Special miscellanea. I've been gathering material for years, archiving various videos, and now I'm trying to organize it. And I think I have a reasonable beta version.

The disc itself will be released later. Right now I need quality control and an outside viewpoint.

If you'd be willing to give it a serious critique, to analyze and then nitpick anything that seems out of place, then send me a PM. 

Thanks,

Moth3r said:

If you need any more info I suggest you start a new thread in the How-To's and Technical Discussions forum.

I thought I might have to, but I'll experiment with your suggestion first.

At the very least you and pittrek have given me some guidance on what I do (and don't) want to look for. Thanks!

Video Collector said:

"VCD version" from eBay about ten years ago. No station identifier that I could find.

That's a beauty. Makes me wish I still had my old VHS copy... got it from someone on the Internet back around 1996.

OFF TOPIC...

This isn't the appropriate group to pose the specific question, except that it's the group I'd like eventually to share with. I've been compiling the bits and pieces for years now, pulling from a variety of web sites and videos, and I keep planning to create a disk of SWHS bonus material.

What holds me back is that a few of the sources are widescreen. The Special was 4:3, and so is most of what's out there that refers to it, which means that this will be a 4:3 disc. But the several DVD programs I've experimented with take those widescreen images and stretch them vertically. Harrison Ford and Conan O'Brien look more than a little strange.

Are there simple ways to reframe the widescreen video as letterboxed 4:3 video?