Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda

Sounds like there are now two 16mm prints of ESB that could be used to put together a "PSB"?!  Truth is, I had not ever really considered doing ESB... PG was a LOT of work.  Although, now that some time has passed, I would be open to it.

In the nooks and crannies of my time, I've been finishing up the Swedish print. I'm not putting nearly as much work into it as I did for the PG.  Then I really want to do the rest of the cartridges (Puggo's Puppies).  Then OK, if you twist my arm, I'd be willing to do a PSB.  If the prints are as good as y'all say, it would be a pleasure.

Of course, I can only remind everyone that I'm limited to standard DVD resolution, and it's a workprinter transfer.  I imagine it would be a bit of a challenge to find someone willing to do a careful multi-pass wetgate of a Lucas film!

I don't remember reading the comic book.  At 17 I wasn't into comics. But of course, maybe I did and my memory is faulty in that regard too.

Baronlando said:

Maybe you're thinking of Star Trek III? (There's an automated female P.A. voice saying "space doors are closed" etc. when they steal the ship.)

Haha! That's a very clever thought. But no, it must be a faulty memory. What's strange is that I remember waiting for that moment, and then being very surprised, and specifically thinking that they must have been unable to find the original voice, and so they stuck something in. Now that seems very silly, but I still can't explain it.

SilverWook said:

Are you sure you didn't see the Biggs scene in the 1978 documentary?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-6dgYidsaY

I don't think so, because in the documentary you hear and see very little of it. My memory includes the entire scene and all of the dialogue.  If it really was never in any theatrical version, I must have seen it in an out-take somewhere else.  But honestly I can't imagine where.

hairy_hen said:

The grappling hook thing is ridiculous.

I believe that people "remember" the missed grappling hook because every other motion picture with a similar scene includes a miss or two. The brain fills in what we expected to see.  It's a common movie scene. I was sure I saw it too (I was 17 at the time and saw SW four or five times in 1977, in two different theaters), but now I'm convinced that my brain simply filled in what it expected - since I hadn't read the book it couldn't have come from there.

I much prefer "close the blast doors" in, because back in 1977 it was the one scene that drew audible laughs from the theater every time.

The one scene that I swear to god that I saw somewhere in 1977, was when Biggs and Luke met right before the battle (which was partially restored in the SE). I had never read any of the novelizations, but when I saw the SE I knew the dialogue about his father was missing.

I don't remember anything about garbage mattes. That isn't the sort of stuff I would have paid any attention to.

Stop in 1977?  Absolutely not.

Zombie, I sent you a PM.

captainsolo said:

I doubt anyone would ever go back and actually release the original mixes, let alone all of them and the 70mm.

I personally believe that after GL dies, a real restoration will be done including all of the sound mixes. It's a no-brainer.

zombie84 said:

That was kind of my thinking too. We tried to ask "nicely" and "politely". But we have to be more aggressive and really underline how this is an afront to history, and ethics, not to mention the personal enjoyment of all those millions who gave Lucas the power to do this. We should stop pulling the punches, because we're being dishonest to the truth and letting Lucas get away with too much.

That depends on who is the intended audience for the site. If it is intended to inform people who don't know about the issues, then they won't even know that anyone has already been asking "nicely".

A lot of people on OT.com think that this is an issue that everyone out there knows about, and that people are on one side or the other. My guess, is that at least 99% of people out there don't even know about this issue. I personally have never encountered a single person amongst my co-workers, friends, or acquaintances who knew anything about the controversies surrounding the SW OT.  I even have a friend who works for Skywalker Sound, and when I asked his opinion, he honestly didn't even know what I was talking about.  Never mind your average person on the street.

I don't think the issue is about being nice or not. It's about being clear, concise and to the point. Do that, and I can assure you it cannot possibly sound "nice".

If I get a spare hour, I might give editing it a shot...

The "look" is great, and a site like this is desperately needed.

Having said that, I would try and solicit some help (from members of this board and others) in wordsmithing the body of material on the main page. It should be as clear, concise, and professional as possible if it is to have any impact on people who aren't already familiar with the topic. As it is, I think someone previously unfamiliar with the issue would find it rambling, uncompelling, and more than a bit confusing. It's easy to get us excited, as we already know what you're saying. But put yourself in someone else's shoes and imagine what the average person would think upon encountering the site out of curiosity. I think they would probably not hang around very long, and might leave with the wrong impression about the effort and the people who feel strongly about it.

Verbiage such as "powers that be", "fanboy delusions of entitlement", "ethically speaking belongs to society", "deliberate suppression", "the world will not accept this" may resonate powerfully with some of us on OT.com. But to most others it probably would sound a bit crazy, and could even be used as fodder along those lines. They also serve to distract, rather than educate.

It isn't easy to write material that both grabs and informs casual readers, because it has to be thorough without being lengthy, intelligent without being confusing, correct without being dry, and strong without appearing juvenile. It could take months to get it just right, but it would help the page have a lot more impact, in my opinion. Please understand I'm not trying to offend - as I am thrilled that you are putting this together. I just would like to see it become a respected and referenced source that helps get the word out, rather than being one more avenue for TFN's portrayal of us as crazy obsessives.

My memory from seeing SW in theaters in 1977 was that the interior of the Death Star was blue.

none said:

http://www.landoistheman.com/

The re-edit a couple of videos down, with Luke the inept one, is genius!

ratpack1961 said:

I missed the information on the Swedish print, is it another 16 mm print or a "gasp" full 35 mm?  Can someone fill me in?

It's a 16mm print with mono mix and Swedish subtitles. There are some brief clips taken from it that can be seen in the "making of" documentary on the Puggo Grande.  I've already captured the frames of the Swedish print, and turning it into a DVD is my next project.  But what will I call it? "Stor Mops" isn't bad.

That may be the find of the decade!

When people posted comments about my Puggo Grande, saying it was great to see SW in its original form, I always was quick to say NO, it's true original form was not a scratchy old print with faded colors. It's original form was a pristine beautiful big screen experience with vibrant realistic colors and glorious sound. This thread is making me very happy, knowing that it is still possible.  I wish I too could have been in Britain for this screening, to see SW in its original form again for the first time in over 30 years.

I don't know what's more amazing... the movie, or the fact that I actually watched the whole thing!

Moth3r said:

"Close the blast doors" was missing in the first 1977 run as well - it didn't appear until the mono mix, which was finished some time after the Dolby mixes.  The 1981 print you saw probably had the original 1977 Dolby Stereo sound mix.  

I saw SW three times in June 1977, and it had the "close the blast doors" line.  That means I saw it in mono?

Too bad the marquee said "A New Hope".

Jar Jar in a love scene.

Actually, I prefer Star Wars for its superior script, acting, editing, and more realistic places. Obiwan and Yoda are equally awesome.

bkev said:

I'd bet the Swedish print would look pretty good with a few color filters on it, assuming there are ones strong enough to take out that pink.

If you have the PG, take a look at the PSA extra.  It was originally as pink as the Swedish version, so it should give you an idea of how it would probably turn out given the tools at my disposal. I don't fear the pink.

mfastx said:

The ideal scene to me would be Hayden with an "older" haircut (not some pretty boy haircut), and actually LOOK at Obi Wan while actually being part of the scene. 

The ideal scene would be to restore the film to its original 1983 form.  Changing classic movies at all is just wrong.

bkev said:

It kinda made me curious to see the Swedish print, though... haha.

The last thing I did before shipping the prints back was to capture the Swedish print in its entirety.  So sometime over the summer I plan to release that as well.  Any ideas for a name?  "Puggo Svensk"?  "Puggo Mops"?  or simply "Puggo Swedish Edition" probably makes the most sense.

One thing struck me the other day.  Often, supporters of the PT say, correctly, that when SW came out in 1977 it too got its share of negative press as. The argument goes, that the OT too faced similar criticism as the PT, and that some critics bemoaned weak script and acting, just like we do for the PT. All of this is true.

However, there is one very big difference. It didn't take long for general view of the original SW 1977 film to change radically. Less than one year, in fact. It ended up being nominated for six academy awards (including best picture and best supporting actor), and winning six of them. It quickly became heralded rather universally as a classic, important film. That is, it recovered from its initial criticisms very, very quickly, certainly within a year or two.

By contrast, it has been 11 YEARS since the Phantom Menace came out, and its reputation only continues to worsen. By any objective measure, as far as its status as a major motion picture is concerned, it has already lost the test of time.

People of all ages - even people who don't like SW - can reel off a half dozen icons, or quotes from SW... it not only revised movie-making, it impacted our culture. But even saga fans are hard-pressed to recall a single memorable line from any of the prequels (except in jest some of the bad ones). Not a single icon, or even so much as a tiny remnant of the PT can be found anywhere in our lives.

I would like to add that I still enjoy TPM.  I even watch it now and then. The lightsaber duel and accompanying music is thrilling. But I'm perplexed as to how anyone with objective reasoning skills could put it in the same class as SW, ESB, or even ROTJ.

Hmm, now that I think of it, Puggo has had a backstory for a couple of years now (as described on my/his website).  Maybe he should waddle into the fray?