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TheDemonHunter

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Join date
11-Jul-2005
Last activity
24-Sep-2006
Posts
75

Post History

Post
#152110
Topic
Info Wanted: "The Story of Star Wars" Bonus DVD at Walmart: Is It Worth It?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/152110/action/topic#152110
Time
I haven't watched it yet, but imagine the look of terror on my face when I got into my car yesterday morning, looked at the DVD packaging and saw "The Story of Luke Skywalker" listed as one of the two features. I'm happy to hear it isn't nearly so extensive as my project-in-progress, but I was more than a bit concerned until I saw the running time of the DVD was only one hour. I almost let out my own cheesy Vader-esque "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" as the thought went through my mind.
Post
#152107
Topic
Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side (the TM edit) (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/152107/action/topic#152107
Time
Wow. Trooperman, I stand in awe of the work you've done to bring life to this project. I keep re-reading everything you've described in your changes and I really can't wait to see this one finished. The music is something that hasn't had the same thematic flow in the prequels as it did in the OT, and I'm very happy to hear you're going to such great lengths to provide continuity from one piece to the next.

Post
#151061
Topic
The Skywalker Legacy (working title) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/151061/action/topic#151061
Time
Been a while so I wanted to give an update on my progress or at least let everyone know I'm still alive and beating the footage into submission as best I can. I'm attacking the crawl next, and so I'm learning about how to use Adobe After Effects. This has been slow and tedious to look at, but an interesting process to learn. It should be pretty good when done, I think.

I've been working up more storyboard type layouts for the BigMigMaker, and I've been toying with ideas for some of the dialogue, mainly jotting down notes from memory while I'm at work. Progress may be pretty slow for the moment as things at my job have picked up quite a bit. I've spent most of the last couple weeks working 37 hours a day, nine days a week, so it's going to be slow until I start my vacation. I'm waiting on quality footage to be acquired from the ROTS DVD anyway, so I have to wait for that until Tuesday morning after work.

Beyond that, progress continues. Patience is the key.
Post
#148910
Topic
Updating the Thread Indexes
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/148910/action/topic#148910
Time
Originally posted by: THX
Shouldn't the Dark/Sega Special Collection link should be moved from "ongoing projects" to "completed"?
Perhaps RowMan's link should be moved to "other Star Wars DVDs of interest" alongside babyhum & Ocpmovie's extras stuff?
The Skywalker Legacy seems like a fan edit.


As the editor, I can safely say that Skywalker Legacy is indeed a fan edit. Thanks for adding me to the list!

Edited for typos -- TDH
Post
#148038
Topic
Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side (the TM edit) (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/148038/action/topic#148038
Time
Originally posted by: Commander Courage
3. I'm not sure about cutting the communication, because I do think Qui-Gon is an important character and needs to be somewhat more involved, if he has retained his identity. But that's a VERY interesting idea, showing the ghost of Qui-Gon at the end of the film, almost like the end of ROTJ. That would tie things up very, very nicely. So what we would have in my PT is: Qui-Gon dies. Then, he helps Anakin destroy the Control Ship (like Obi-Wan in original SW). Qui-Gon doesn't have any contact with Obi-Wan (until the very end, when Obi-Wan sees his master at the end of the film), but Qui-Gon continues to be in touch with Anakin, through dreams and whatnot. This would make sense because he did this immediately after dying in Ep. I. Then, Yoda does NOT make the casual comment about communing with Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon simply appears to Obi-Wan at the end, kind of de-emphasizing the "learning" part of becoming a ghost and still retaining some mystery. What do you guys think? I'm very happy with this particular solution.

I see where you're both going with this, and I remember in Lucas' commentary he talks about editing the ending several different ways until he decided the lightsaber duel worked best as the final ending. Of course, it SHOULDN'T be that way, but of course in the actual film it turned out to be TPM's best aspect. When you think about it, Anakin destroying the ship and shutting down the army is the appropriate finale, as it was the real focus of the final battle (and as Sluggo points out was the way it was in the script). Does this mean we lose "Always be mindul of your surroundings," because I really liked that. And if you're going to try to add Qui-Gon's spirit to Obi-Wan's last scene, you should at least experiment with him looking down on Anakin's immolation in silence. I do much prefer this downplayed explanation, but we can delve into that more next year around this time.


I'd have to agree with all of you here, if we're all on the same page with this. I really believe the PT did too much to take away the mystery of the Force by giving too many explanations (ie. midichlorians... *shudders, trying not to wretch*) and leaving it as you've described here would fit the mythos far better, IMHO. Using Qui-Gon in this way is sort of like giving another parallel to the OT, as Qui-Gon dies before giving Anakin his complete training and then he is trained by another, just as Luke loses Obi-Wan before much training can be done, only to have his training passed off to another (Yoda in this case). The continued edits would really would drive home not only the similarities of the two generations of Skywalkers, but also the differences, as we see Luke resist the Emperor where Anakin couldn't. They seem so much on the same path in ANH/TPM and ESB/AOTC, only to find their ultimate failings or victories in ROTJ/ROTS. Giving Anakin the same guidance as Luke had will surely underline the fact that they can and should have been done as two sides of the same coin instead of the vastly different characters shown in the OT and PT. Shame on Lucas for not seeing this the way we do. lol

Okay I'll put my ego away again for now....

Seriously though, I'm really looking forward to how all of this turns out. Great stuff here and I'll gladly stand in line to receive this one when you have it finished, Trooperman.
Post
#148036
Topic
The Skywalker Legacy (working title) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/148036/action/topic#148036
Time
Commander Courage: To be honest, I had originally conceived of the ROTS space battle being used that way, but it seemed like I would have the flashbacks concentrated too heavily in that talk between them at Ben's home. Flashbacks are good, but drawing attention away from Luke's perspective too often could make it too confusing or even make it lag in spots. I'm trying to keep a good flow here.

I'll have to throw together a rough cut to see how things flow with all the flashbacks there instead of being spread out as I'd hoped, I guess. I'm still holding out hope that I can find a way to make this work with the flashbacks being more spread out than that. After all, the Big-Mig-Maker will be inserted when they're at Ben's, so that alone will hold quite a presence there and would dwarf any importance the other flashbacks might have.

I had a rough cut thrown together for the sequence when Luke first inquires about the name Obi-Wan, where I used an add/dissolve (white) to transition to a scene from TPM, where Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are talking as Jar-Jar gathers the Gungans. That's the conversation where Qui-Gon tells Obi-Wan that he sees that Obi-Wan shall be a great Jedi and that he is far wiser than Qui-Gon himself. That would show Old Ben as the young Obi-Wan, an introduction of sorts to the man he once was as he first became a Jedi Knight. I was concerned about that flashback sequence dragging the story away too far though, being a distraction instead of being the introduction I'd like.

In theory, this is being produced to appeal to and be appreciated and enjoyed by all, not just fans of Star Wars. And so I'm trying to keep things flowing along nicely. Long flashbacks should be few and far between. Brief glimpses are what I'm shooting for, with rare exception -- hence the idea of flashng to brief snippets of Obi-Wan from each of the PT to show his evolution from a young Padawan to the grizzled old hermit we meet in ANH. I'm thinking I can afford to throw one really big one into each Act though. With the Big-Mig-Maker being reserved as the marquee flashback for ANH, I'm trying to keep the others shorter.

Speaking of that sequence, I'm willing to admit this will drive me insane by the time it's done, but it's slowly -- painfully almost -- coming together.

Thanks again for the feedback!
Post
#148008
Topic
The Skywalker Legacy (working title) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/148008/action/topic#148008
Time
Sluggo: Thanks for clearing that up for me. You saved me a lot of trouble searching this weekend! I suppose I'll have to find another way to slip the ROTS space footage into the project, preferably in the ANH section.

WESHALLPRESERVE: Yes, I'm still planning to do all three. In one of my previous posts, I put up a rough outline of the major points I intend to touch upon. I'll post a new one once I can get a better sense of running time for each Act/Episode.
Post
#147848
Topic
The Skywalker Legacy (working title) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/147848/action/topic#147848
Time
Okay time to give an update again.

For audio I'd briefly considered playing with the idea of 5.1 surround, but I'm ultimately enough of a realist to know that tying that learning process into this project will only doom it to purgatory on my hard drive. So I'm going to go with a very basic stereo or mono setup, which will be admittedly crude by comparison to many other projects out there. but it should ensure I can get this done before I apply for social security. Perhaps I once I have this done, I might go back and try to redo the sound after the initial release, whenever that will be, but I'm not going to guarantee it.

In other words, those of you hoping for sound and video so sweepingly incredible as Trooperman's Ep II edit will be sorely disappointed, I'm sure. This is the story I want to tell though, so I'm learning what I need for the presentation I have in mind. It won't be as pretty as some of the editing work I've seen, I'm sure, but I like to think I'll be able to make up for it with creativity and a fresh view of the events. Making The Big-Mig-Maker will be difficult enough without adding in surround sound lessons. Maybe I can revisit the project to remaster the sound later, but once again, please don't count on it as a certainty.

Meanwhile, I've been looking at footage I have laying around from the various DVDs I've been exposed to over the last six months and I'm having trouble locating a complete audio track of Red Leader's talk about Luke's father's skill as a pilot. I really like andij's idea to use that as a bridge to the edited ROTS space battle and then to the Yavin battle. I watched Deleted Magic again this afternoon to see if there was anything there, but it's still missing the completed line, more or less cutting it down almost to the hacked version used in the SE of ANH. I'm guessing that was because of a lack of source material though, as opposed to a cut by OCP.

Does anyone know if audio of this scene was done for the radio dramas perhaps? And if so, does anyone know where I can get a hold of it?

Meanwhile, the basics of the ANH footage are taking shape, and I believe that I'll need to spread this across three separate movies, though none of them should be a full feature-length production in the end.

Once again, thank you all for the feedback and ideas you've given. Your support is greatly appreciated and it definitely gives me added motivation to keep going with this project.
Post
#147416
Topic
The Skywalker Legacy (working title) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/147416/action/topic#147416
Time
Nope -- I'm staying away from the battle at Naboo as much as possible, unless it directly shows what I need to convey. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Just to clarify, this project is more about what Luke thinks and imagines from all the stories he's told, and he wasn't told about the battle at Naboo or his father's flying as a child. The few exceptions will be when it pertains directly to what Obi-Wan or Yoda is thinking or saying about the story. Basically, I feel like I need to keep a narrow focus on this, or I'll bring in too much of the PT when the emphasis should be on the events of the OT as Luke lives them.

I had considered simply showing flashbacks to any event that had a parallel in the OT-PT relationship, but that's a project for another time.
Post
#147409
Topic
The Skywalker Legacy (working title) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/147409/action/topic#147409
Time
Great suggestions! Thank you all for your input.

As for specifics, I'll need to re-watch the ROTJ scene, but I'm thinking that it establishes Vader as entering from a lower level than Obi-Wan and Anakin. Since they look up to see Dooku, I might need to stick with the ESB shot, but I'll look at it again to see what's possible.

The ROTJ & ROTS sets are perfect for something like this with all the similarities, I think. It gives me a lot of freedom to play around with different views and vantage points -- I just need to keep the Emperor out of it, of course. It's just begging to be done with all the parallels and similarities, and I'm surprised nobody else thought of doing it before this. Close-ups will be my friend, for sure, since I have no idea how to go about compositing elements from one clip into another. I'm sure as hell no pro at this andI'm learning on the fly.

Now, as for the cut scene, I like the idea a lot, but I don't think I have a clean source for that one. I know that part of that shot was used for the 2004 DVD release, but the full conversation is cut down to remove the line in question. That would be a natural place to show the space battle I mentioned having edited earlier, and would certainly allow the whole talk at Obi-Wan's home to flow more smoothly, I believe. It would also provide a nice bridge to the Yavin battle, I agree. If anyone has footage that's cleaned up to a usable level (I'm using the DVDs as my source material for the editing at the moment), please reply here with a suggestion so I can head in that direction. It doesn't need to be perfect, but it does need to be watchable without being TOO jarring a change in quality.

Thanks again for everyone's interest and input.
Post
#146917
Topic
Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side (the TM edit) (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/146917/action/topic#146917
Time
Originally posted by: Trooperman
Oh, and in case you missed it (at the end of a long post)....

Any ideas on how to make Coruscant/the Coruscant streets a little darker, more like Blade Runner? (I don't know- compare the 2 aliens arguing about which brand is better to the billboard in BR of the woman taking the pills). Shots I could use from other movies? Because right now, we have a lot of stuff/costumes that looks like it's out of Harry Potter- just wondering if anyone had suggestions to make it more like a filthy, inner-city dump. Inside the bar, I've already done some things with color, added some old nightclub music, and occasionally cut away to other movies in an attempt to make it more gritty and interesting.


Introducing shots from other movies is certainly helpful and something I'm considering for my project as well.

For cityscape stuff, I agree that Blade Runner might be a good source if somehow disguised. Perhaps Judge Dredd and/or Fifth Element as well? That's just off the top of my head. MTHaslett could be right about AI and Minority Report, though I haven't seen the latter. Perhaps "I, Robot" has some usable footage, but I don't remember anything that jumps out at me --- too close to current reality probably.

Total Recall just looks too much like a movie set for my taste, but we all have our own views on that. Perhaps with some changes to lighting?
Post
#146909
Topic
THE FAN EDIT CONTEST HAS A WINNER !!! REVIEWS IN OFF TOPIC FORUM
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/146909/action/topic#146909
Time
Originally posted by: 3RA1N1AC
Originally posted by: ricardo
it sure would be nice if someone did a friday the 13th fan edit. take the best "cuts" and edit them into one generic friday the 13th movie. if i had the talent, i'd do it!

just throwing ideas out.


i'd love to see somebody edit "Aliens Vs Predator" into something not so... terrible.


I believe the word you're looking for is "watchable" or as I think of it "non-wretch-inducing."
Post
#146560
Topic
The Skywalker Legacy (working title) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/146560/action/topic#146560
Time
Okay, the opening crawl will be easier than I thought, as I've found several tutorials online. I'm not saying it'll be fun, but still looking to be an easier job than Vader vs. Anakin.

Since I'm on that topic I've started doing a VERY rough cut of the Migraine Maker, using bootleg ROTS footage of the Obi-Wan/Anakin vs. Dooku battle as the basis. The actual cut will, of course, be done using the actual DVD release as source material instead. This will be the longest flashback of Act I, and possibly the longest of the whole project. I can definitely say it will take the longest to complete.

So far I've taken footage from ESB and ROTJ to splice into the existing fight from ROTS, removing Dooku of course. There are a few shots where Dooku is completely in shadow, except for the silhouette of his body with cape and the glow of his red lightsaber. These shots will be used as well. I'm trying to avoid any need to recolor sabers, so I won't be using as much from the ROTJ battle as I might otherwise consider. All of Dooku's dialogue will of course be swapped out for Vader's voice. The nice thing about using Vader is that I have no lips to match up the new lines to! I can pretty much take his lines from any source as a result.

Here are some quick and dirty screenshots from just some of the footage I've chosen to use.

Finding the Chancellor
"Are you alright?"
Vader appears
"You're no match for him; he's a Sith Lord!"
Vader descends
Vader prepares to move in
Vader locked in with Anakin
Reverse viewpoint of the above

These pics aren't an example of final image quality, or even anything remotely complete as a storyboard. There will be a few minutes to this fight, with Vader taunting Anakin and Obi-Wan, as we've come to expect in OT saber battles. The parallels between that ROTS fight for Anakin and Obi-Wan vs. Dooku and the final battle of Luke vs. Vader and Palpatine make using some of the ROTJ footage a natural. I just have to be mindful of the lightsaber colors -- Luke's green saber prevents me from using some footage that I'd like.

Meanwhile, I've inserted brief flashes into Obi-Wan's first meeting with Luke from ANH. When Obi-Wan keeps repeating his name over and over, as though lost in thought as he looks back to when he last went by that name, there will be flashes to his appearance in TPM, then AOTC, and then ROTS, fading back to the present as he says "a long time." This should help establish the evolution of Obi-Wan from Padawan to Jedi Master. The whole sequence has been radically chopped however, just like everything else I have going for this project.

There will be a VERY abbreviated version of the opening space battle scene from ROTS (already layed out in rough form using the aforementioned bootleg footage), which will be inserted when Obi-Wan reminisces about Anakin being "the greatest star pilot in the galaxy and a cunning warrior." I've tried to remove R2 from the scene as much as possible, to help provide a little mystery about things Luke doesn't know. The footage will end during the battle against the battle droids in the hangar on Grievous's ship. No buzz droids... no conversations with clone pilots.... just the rush to Grievous' ship. I think I have the whole thing cut down to a little over a minute. Shows off Anakin's piloting and shooting, as well as his lightsaber skills at Obi-Wan's side, which is what is needed.

Well that's my update for now. Back to work I go...
Post
#146221
Topic
The Beatles
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/146221/action/topic#146221
Time
My fave Beatles Songs (in no particular order):

Get Back
Let It Be
I Am The Walrus
When I'm 64
A Day In The Life
Magical Mystery Tour
Revolution
The Ballad Of John And Yoko
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Yesterday
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except for Me And My Monkey

Not that I can think of many Beatles songs I don't like.....
Post
#145127
Topic
The Skywalker Legacy (working title) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/145127/action/topic#145127
Time
Originally posted by: segaflip
Wow, nice to see the update and your thoughts, sounds better and better. If you need help uploading this to a.b.starwars when you are done let me know.


I'll definitely keep that in mind, and I would be very appreciative of the upload help, sega. There are some people I definitely want to make sure see copies of this, even if it misses the deadline for the contest, and when it's done, I'll be asking some people here for snailmail addy's to send discs to. Consider yourself on that list if you're willing to help with the upload!

For anyone who's wondering what brought this idea into my convoluted brain, I was inspired by seeing the ROTS teaser and the way it used Obi-Wan's talk to Luke from ANH as the narrative. the combination of old audio and new video really struck a chord with me. The teaser certainly did what it was supposed to do -- it got my attention. After a few ideas of how I wanted to use this concept, I decided to take the "Hero" approach, where each act takes Luke closer to the truth, both in what he's told and what the flashbacks show has been described to him.

As for what progress I have so far, I wanted to make sure I had a bit done before I ever announced this thing. Needed to see if I could deliver the goods before I started talking about it. No sense in getting anyone all revved up for a DVD that I can't make happen.

I'll try to post updates as sections of the project are completed.
Post
#144942
Topic
The Skywalker Legacy (working title) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/144942/action/topic#144942
Time
Okay now that I've had some coffee and done a little more work on this tonight, I'll give some answers to the questions I've received.

I'd hoped I could contain all of this in one two-hour (roughly) movie but depending on how the final cuts work, it may be spread across three shorter movies. That's what it looks like at the moment as I look through more footage and try to determine what can and can't be cut to have all of this make sense with the way I envisioned it. If I can make it all into one, I'll probably separate the Yavin footage from the Hoth footage with a slow clock-based wipe to imply the passage of time. I intend to really cut down on what's shown in the full OT. This is Luke's story of his journey to becoming a Jedi and his perceptions as he learns both about the Force and about his father.

For example, the movie will (if I can generate a crawl) open as ANH did but instead of the camera staying on Tattooine to show the Tantive IV after it pans down, I'll show Tattooine to establish the orbiting shot, then possibly cut to some sweeping desert footage for a few moments (possibly from a non-SW source?) to confirm the locale, before cutting to the binary sunset shot from ANH, which will be Luke's establishing shot in this project. After he retreats into the Lars homesetead, (and in an admitted re-arrangement of scenes -- I really like the idea of binary sunset as an establishing shot for Luke and his home) the scene will shift to Luke working on 3PO and R2 after they were bought from the Jawas. This scene will be shortened some to remove extraneous footage, as all the scenes used will be.

So far I've managed to cut things down so that from the Binary Sunset opener I mentioned to "That's a name I've not heard in a long time.... a long time." is about seven and a half minutes. That's a lot of cuts, but I might be able to squeeze it even more. I can always re-extend and add things if I wind up having to spread it over three shorter movies.

There are some very important moments that I of course need to touch upon in this project.

Act I
--Luke begins as the innocent farm boy who knows nothing of his true origins
--He meets Obi-Wan who begins his journey and teaches him about the Force and tells him a version of the truth about his father (possible flashbacks include Anakin vs. Vader, Anakin as a pilot)
--Luke meets Leia and rescues her from the Death Star
--Luke loses Obi-Wan to the man who killed his father
--Luke begins to trust the Force and destroys the Death Star

Act II
--Luke receives the vision from Obi-Wan to go to Yoda
--Luke leaves Hoth for Dagobah
--Luke is trained by Yoda (possible flashbacks include Yoda training younglings, battling Dooku, and his arrival on Dagobah)
--Luke leaves to free his friends
--Luke confronts Vader but tries to deny that Vader is his father (possible flashbacks include Obi-Wan vs. Anakin)

Act III
--Luke returns to Dagobah to complete his training
--Luke confronts Obi-Wan about Vader (possible flashbacks include Obi-Wan vs. Anakin; Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail Organa's plan to hide the twins; Anakin becoming Vader)
--Luke travels to Endor with the others and reveals his heritage to Leia (possible flashback to show Padme at childbirth?)
--The Emperor tries and fails to convert Luke (possible flashback to Anakin being turned)
--Vader redeems himself, saving Luke and returning to the light

As I said, each act may become its own movie. The biggest hurdles will be the opening crawl(s) and the Migraine Maker. I know I can work out the latter for sure, but time is what it will take.
Post
#144361
Topic
The Skywalker Legacy (working title) (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/144361/action/topic#144361
Time

I’ve been hesitant to announce this one, as its a big project for my first major edit, but after some e-mail conversations with ADigitalMan, I figure I can tackle this project and make it work.

The idea is to take the story of Luke from the OT and use PT footage to illustrate the stories of varying truths that Obi-Wan and Yoda told Luke in his training, particularly where it relates to the fate of his father. This will be done with edited footage, in some cases drastically edited footage that will create entirely new scenes. Basically I’m taking the story of Luke, as shown in all three movies from the OT and focusing on him and him only. As he learns more and more about his adversary, Darth Vader, he learns more and more of the truth, so the story in each act will grow a little closer to the truth, in some ways like what was shown in Jet Li’s Hero. It will keep getting closer to reality until going into the final confrontation, he of course has the whole truth, not simply the version that Obi-Wan gave him.

The toughest part of this to show in flashbacks will be the earliest footage.

“Your father was murdered by Darth Vader.”

That’s not the actual line, I know, but I’m betting that all of you can figure out what that means I intend to show in that footage. I’m calling this scene the big migraine maker.

There also will likely be some other, lesser flashbacks used as well. I’ve already planned on showing flashes of Obi-Wan from the PT as a flashback when Luke asks Old Ben if he’s related to an Obi-Wan Kenobi. “That’s a name I haven’t heard for a long time… a long time.” Stuff like that

I’m not putting a deadline on this, but there’s a possibility I can have it done by the end of December, which would give me an outside shot at submitting this project to the Fan Edit contest. There’s a lot of work to be done before I can have that as a reality though. I have two weeks of vacation coming in November, after the release of ROTS, and that will give me a good chunk of time to get some stuff done.

If anyone has any suggestions for techniques or software, I’m open to them. I’d like to make this look as much like an official release as possible, including a crawl of some sort, but I don’t think I have the resources and knowledge to do that. If anyone can help with that, I’d appreciate any help that could be given, as I know that some others here have generated their own crawl.

We’ll see what happens, but I’m optimistic for now.

Post
#144183
Topic
What is your favorite film of the six?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/144183/action/topic#144183
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Adamwankenobi
BTW, why must everyone call ANH SW? I can't stand that! No offense.


Maybe because that was the title of the movie -- none of this "Episode IV" business that you refer to. I don't mind looking at them that way myself, but please remember the fact that the OT had separate titles when they were released, not "Star Wars Episode 'x': subtitle" as GL did with the PT.

If you think about it, the OT don't need to be identified as episode anything, because the titles were powerful enough to stand on their own as SW, ESB, or ROTJ. The only PT movie you could say that about would be ROTS, I believe.
Post
#143850
Topic
Has anyone now second guessed the prequels
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/143850/action/topic#143850
Time
Get a drink, 'cause this is a long one....

I saw the original SW back in '77 when I was four years old, and it had a lasting effect on me. I saw each of the OT movies in their original theatrical release, and I was ecstatic when I first saw that the PT would be made, so many years after reading as a kid that Lucas had nine movies in mind. I identified strongly with Vader, and had done so all my life. My friends and family often referred to me as the Dark Lord of the Sith, and I grew into that role quite well, for reasons good and bad.

I was less than thrilled with some of the changes to the OT in the SE release, but I could more or less accept all but the addition of Greedo shooting in the Cantina and the musical number at Jabba's Palace. I didn't like the original number either though, to be honest -- that always seemed out ofplace for me. I'm not a huge detractor of the SE, to be honest. I feel that some things were unecessary, but I only really cringe at the whole Greedo/Han fiasco.

Then TPM came out, and I was annoyed as hell about some of the so-called comic relief in the film, but I was more excited to see that these are Jedi, the way that Jedi were in the prime of their lives, and in the prime of the existence of the Jedi order. I had that feeling of magic, of goosebumps and chills when the opening music began, when we first saw Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, and when we saw them in action as Master and Padawan. That was magical, I thought. I was willing to accept the idea that Anakin was found as a child on Tatooine and most of his storyline, though the whole "virgin birth" thing kinda irked me. This was what I'd waited for 20+ years to learn though. Midichlorians were blasphemous, and I still choose to ignore them. Jar Jar was too over-the-top for my taste as well. (I'm grateful to ADM for edits that take away that silliness, and it's inspired me to plan on my own edits of all 6 at some point.)

Still, I had reason to be hopeful for the rest of the PT, even if I didn't agree with everything in TPM. My expectations were lower for AOTC as a result though.

That having been said, I thought that AOTC was far superior by comparison, even if the "courtship" scenes and the chemistry between Anakin and Padme were more than a bit forced. I actually have a fondness for the somewhat stilted speech of the SW universe, so most of the SW dialogue has never bothered me, despite complaints from the OT cast among others. Some of the scenes were once again unnecessary (the droid factory for one), but I was happy to see positive progress and the beginning of Anakin's fall to the Dark Side. It was a thrill ride with ups and downs, but there was far more positive than negative here, so I was willing to accept AOTC as a SW movie.

The 2004 DVD release came and I was like a kid again, watching the OT at home. Oddly enough, I realized I saw even more changes. Some of the bothersome stuff from the theater release of the SE was fixed, but more was changed. Once again, not much of an issue to me except for Greedo shooting at Han. I can even accept the voice change for Fett to some degree.

Then ROTS came.

This was the big one. The Main Event. This was supposed to be the cinematic "Rumble in the Jungle" that would clinch the SW movies as the greatest cinematic epics of all time, and not just in the eyes of the truly devoted. I was blown away by what I saw and what I felt at each scene. The first viewing was a spectacle -- a celebration with a few close friends as we made what would be our final pilgrimage to see the SW saga in theaters. But something felt somehow off in the end. For the second viewing a week later, I chose to go alone, as I wanted no outside influence before or after to sway my opinions.

I was still blown away by the big picture of what I saw, but the details bothered me a bit more. The dialogue between Anakin and Padme made me cringe almost as much as watching Greedo shoot at Han in the SE. Obi-Wan didn't seem so strong as he should have. And I won't go into the whole "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo" that JEJ bellowed for the dark lord. The less said, the better there, I believe we can all agree.

I've come to terms with it all though. The PT isn't the OT, but it doesn't have to be for me to enjoy it. I wish it could have been done differently, been executed better so the "mistakes" between the two trilogies didn't have to be addressed. Since it wasn't, and because there is quite a bit for me to enjoy in the PT, I accept the broader concepts if not the details of the PT. I still feel the magic from the movies, but not nearly so frequently as I did before TPM.