The Aluminum Falcon

Back when comics were only 12 cents...

Though I don't like the idea of just getting rid of the ESB title, I actually am pretty accepting of the idea of replacing the Star Wars logo with a blue-colored Empire Strikes Back logo, just like the one EyeShotFirst pointed out that Chainsaw Ash made. In fact, I think it would be interesting to have the whole crawl in blue, as suggested here by DoubleoFive in the thread for Chainsaw Ash's Star Wars: The Trilogy edit. Then, as suggested, ROTJ could be red. If you choose to do the prequels, TPM could be purple, AOTC could be green, and ROTS could be orange.

I love that dialogue Pagz. I like how villainous and manipulating the viceroy comes across as. One of the main issues was that none of the evil characters in TPM were that hateable. This looks like it's rectifying that error. I also love the Naboo=Alderaan idea. Oh and one more thing I think the viceroy should say "It will be done my lord." It helps establish an OT connection that this is the Emperor.

doubleofive said:

Still, having everyone who commented is a bit much. It took me days to compile the ESBR list and even longer to get real names. And that cutoff date was almost two years ago!

I say we scrap the ESBR credits, save for the "contributors" or whatever, because if we're going to do all of the names, I should open enrollment again...

Wait. I'm just curious. When exactly was the cutoff date? I'm just asking since I only joined in November of last year.

Note that I didn't make this photo...

That's good news, DJ. Can't wait til this eventually hits the net.

Stereo Love by Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina

Okay; Bloodnose, I just checked the rapidshare links again and all of them work except .part14.rar (guess JDownloader was wrong earlier). This will probably be faster than the Pirate Bay torrent with one seed if you could find the missing rar part. Try asking around; someone probably can get you the missing rar part. Can anyone please upload it?

Lee, I love your 1997 SE laserdisc transfers. Received them a few weeks ago and forgot to review. These are the versions of Star Wars I grew up with so your preservation is a very nice treat. I love the 5.1 surround audio. It sounds so much better than the 2004 DVDs. Anyway, the video quality is superb especially for a laserdisc. I seriously doubt (perhaps with the exception of having an X0 or X9) that you could capture in better video quality. I think the menus are great too. All in all, this is a worthy set and THE BEST '97 laserdisc preservation. Although, forgive me for asking this as it may have already been asked, but are you going to preserve the '97 supplemental disc with all the interviews about the making of the Special Edition? This may be only with the NTSC set, though.

I think Harmy's right. The ground just looks like it was artificially sharpened for the SE and the higher resolution also makes it look different. A blur should make it look more like the original. However, the SE CGI buildings seem to be the bigger issue.

I just sent you a link to a torrent, Bloodnose. Check your PMs.

On the subject of Return of the Jedi, I have no issue with the 1997 version's coloring which is a vast improvement over the GOUT's decidedly bland and washed-out colors. However, in my opinion, ROTJ suffers the worst from the 2004 color timing, from the awful lightsabers that went through each other to the sterile, unmajestic, and annoying feel of the too-blue color timing. Even before I found out about the whole color timing fiasco and the original unaltered trilogy, I couldn't bring myself to watch the DVD of ROTJ and would always turn to the 1997 SE VHS, my only other alternative at the time. On a seperate note, I've always disliked the SE of ROTJ. ROTJ was the first theatrical version I watched, and I've always thought that the SE changes ruined it. From the Sarlac to the unnecessary celebrations, I simply didn't like the Special Edition, so before Harmy's edition, I always watched the GOUT. When I eventually watched Harmy's magnificent reconstruction, I was overjoyed since his color timing made everything feel so right, majestic, and epic. ROTJ was now the movie I wanted it to be, with no trade offs of bland color, bad SE changes, or horrible color timing.

Puggo, I also agree with you about the '97 editions having fairly accurate color timing when in theaters. I actually think that the '97 SE color shown in the G'Kar, Reivax, and Flunk release is actually what was intended for Star Wars to look like. Star Wars always struck me as a colorful saga and definitely not the washed out, bland films that the GOUT makes them look like. Your Puggo Grande shows this with it's pretty vivid colors, which were probably more vivid when the print you were working from was first made. In fact, I'm surprised no one has tried a theatrical version reconstruction with the GOUT combined with the G'Kar, Reivax, and Flunk releases (with their awesome colors).

I just sent you a PM, Bloodnose with Rapidshare links for the SW Purist Edition. Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to check if all these links are active still. Hope this helps. :)

EDIT: Shoot! JDownloader says these no longer work. Sorry, Bloodnose. :(

ChainsawAsh said:

How about axing the member names in the credits (of all future "Revisited" projects, ANH:RHD, ESB:R, and beyond included) and including them in special "additional credits" section on the DVD instead?

Now that's a good idea! As much as people, including myself, would like to have their name in the edit, your idea is much more logical. You can have as many pages in the menu as needed of the originaltrilogy members who contributed somehow. That way there would be no need to extend the credit music to accommodate the extra credits.

I found some Star Wars matte paintings here, though I'm not sure if the resolution is high enough. Adywan (with his ESB theatrical reconstruction) and Jambe Davdar (think there was some mattes in his documentaries) can probably help you.

EDIT: Found two versions of the same matte painting here and here. Hope these help.

That's probably for the best, Adywan. The list will probably grow too long if everyone who comments is included.

I never noticed that ImperialFighter. If Adywan doesn't know, it's a good thing you brought it up. Also, I was wondering, and forgive me if this has been mentioned before but, Adywan, are you going to show the rebel fleet jumping to lightspeed just before the credits or not? Lastly, with the theatrical ESB bootleg being released, would you consider, color timing the Revisited edit to match this? Though I'm not sure if video degradation might cause inaccurate colors...

Nice list, none! Thanks for taking the time to compare and analyze it. This recording should prove interesting than I initially thought it would be. I actually laughed myself as I read about the audience laughs during the "I Care" line and "No" line. It seems that one just has to sync this with Moth3r's widescreen bootleg, turn down the lights, then get ready for a 1977 theatrical experience. At least, that's what I'm going to do. :)

EDIT: none, your initial post seems to have an error. The sharereactor link under the Phantom Menace is identical to the one under Attack of the Clones. See here:

True; it is a partly Despecialized Edition. I guess that there is no real need to replace that shot. I admit that I let myself get carried away with the idea of a pure theatrical reconstruction, and, for that Harmy I apologize. I am really looking forward to this, as it will become my definitive version of Star Wars. Additionally, after thinking it over and looking at the GOUT again, I think your decision to not replace what is not obvious CGI is the wisest, as the GOUT quality is just so bad. However, I am glad that you are open to the possibility of using DJ's V3 if it is good enough. No hard feelings?

Personally, I think it should be replaced with the GOUT because it is completely different from the original shot. Though it is not obviously CGI, it still is a brand new change that varies greatly from the original. I do question why they didn't make the shot like this back in 1977, as it does look like it can be accomplished even with the technology back then. If you are concerned about quality, I would suggest using the LFL Pwnage or DJ's V3 when it comes out. Anyway, these are just my thoughts, and it is your project.

Watched the clip Harmy and it's excellent work as always. However you are using the original shot of the sandcrawler right? At the very end of the clip, your version has the Special Edition version of it.

Great to hear the good news, msycamore! At last, we have accurate subtitles for ROTJ. Also, thank you Fritz for sharing these treasures with us. They should prove a great asset in the future. Like Dark Jedi, can't wait to see them myself!

Fantastic work once again Harmy! Though I don't think that the changes to the sand are 'OBVIOUS CG' work, Jaitea. To my eyes, it could pass off as a color alteration combined with some artificial sharpening. In all, it looks pretty minor and easy to ignore; however, this is just my opinion.

Yep, I remember hearing about that subplot among others, including how the Emperor was supposed to be Anakin's father in the sense that he was the one to influence the midichlorians to create Anakin. It seems that ROTS was originally supposed to be a more intricate (though not necessarily better) story until Lucas decided to cut out things like the start of the Rebellion and leave in that long fight between Yoda and Palpatine.

Though I hate the Jedi becoming creepy priest like figures in the prequel trilogy, I think that Luke doesn't really need a love interest. There probably should have been more emphasis on the love triangle angle in ESB; for example, the scene between Luke and Leia on Hoth in the hallway where they kiss should have been kept in. However, I don't think a new character needed to be introduced in Episode VI just to be a love interest for Luke. It would have felt too on the spot and weird.

With all the new releases coming out, it constantly changes for me. However, please note that I really don't watch the prequel trilogy often no matter what version. Here's my current list.

1. Star Wars/A New Hope: Tie between Lee Thorogood's 1997 laserdisc preservation and Moth3r's widescreen bootleg telecine. I grew up with the 1997 version and (despite it's shortcomings) it's got a special place in my heart. Though I prefer the original theatrical version, call me crazy but I like the color timing of the 1997 (not 2004) edition. Guess it always looked right to my eyes since that's the first I saw of Star Wars. On the other hand, Moth3r's widescreen telecine is Star Wars in its purest form. Whenever I watch the telecine, I can imagine being a person in the 1970's excited by the spectacle of Star Wars.
2. Empire Strikes Back: Adywan's AVCHD. I'm somewhat neutral about the 1997 changes to Empire, which didn't feel nearly as much as the ones made to ANH and ROTJ, so I simply like the highest quality version. I also love the color timing and look of the lightsabers.
3. Return of the Jedi: Harmy's 1983 Theatrical Reconstruction. Unlike the other two Special Editions, I simply thought the ROTJ SE was god-awful. I also loathed the color timing of the DVD and can't stand the lightsabers. Harmy's reconstruction has brilliant lightsabers, and the color timing just makes everything feel so... right. Note that I'm watching the NTSC DVD5 version with Hairy Hen's 5.1 mix muxed in to replace the inferior 2.0 audio track.
4. Phantom Menace: L8wtr's Shadow of the Sith fan edit. It's much more streamlined and fun than the official cuts. Though if I had to pick a non fan-edit, it would be Adywan's AVCHD since it is the best quality.
5. Attack of the Clones: The Phantom Editor's Attack of the Phantom fan edit because it made the love story less cringe-worthy and more believable. As for a non fan-edit, I would choose the DVD since it's the only one I know of, as there hasn't been a reconstruction of the IMAX Cut yet.
6. Revenge of the Sith: Stankpac's Revenge of the Sith fan edit because it cuts the Yoda battle and makes many alterations that improve the movie. If I had to pick a non fan-edit, it would be the official DVD; though I may like Adywan's theatrical version if I could get my hands on it.

So there you have it, those are my favorite versions. Although to be honest, I expect that by the end of the year, my favorites will change. I'll definitely love Spence's ROTJ edit which looks like a vast improvement of story. I also probably may start preferring ESB: Revisited or Harmy's improved De-specialized editions (if they come out this year).