avoidz

IIRC, only Spielberg has tried this same revisionist cinema with E.T., on the 2002 DVD, and at the last minute he relented to fan protests and put the original version in there -- decent DVD quality, anamorphic. But even so, seven years after that release, I had to track down that 2002 release and order it from overseas; the only version being sold now is the re-release.

Don't know why these two guys feel so embarrassed now about their masterpieces.

msycamore said:

avoidz said:

Which version/release of the OOT has the yellow TIE lasers in both TESB and ROTJ?

That problem is on the 1993 telecine so the yellow TIE laser glitch in Empire and Jedi is on every '93/'95LD, VHS and GOUT release. My '95 PAL VHS copy of Empire have also blue TIE lasers. I really don't know what was causing these faults in the transfer, maybe the fantastic THX remastering. ;)

Thanks. A bit like the lobster-faces on the Indiana Jones DVDs then :)

zombie84 said:

Lucas dying will be like when Michael Jackson died. Everyone, including many of his admirers, had a problem with his professional and personal endeavours but once the media circus that was his life ended and his music was no longer tied to all that, suddenly everyone realized why they appreciated him and his work in the first place. When Lucas dies, people will forgive and forget about Jar Jar and Howard the Duck because they'll be too busy crying over all his technological and philanthropic contributions to the world, and all the films he made that we love.

Except if there's no original Star Wars. Then people will say, I wish I could appreciate him for the work he did, but all he'll let me have is this crappy tape from the early '90s.

I would say not really... MJ was more of a public figure, while Lucas is more of a media recluse. His late 1970's and 1980's popular culture contributions to cinema will always be greatly appreciated though; his later stuff not so much. But Jar Jar will always be hated throughout time :)

Which version/release of the OOT has the yellow TIE lasers in both TESB and ROTJ? I seem to remember this on my 1995 VHS tapes:

Probably in his last will and testament... just to piss off OOT fans.

msycamore said:

Here is a subtle fx-correction made in the '04 DVD.

'77

In this shot when three Y-wings fly in a formation, one of the Y-wings suddenly disappear before going out of frame, this was finally corrected in the '04 DVD.

'04

Like all the other rough edges on some of the effects shots in the OOT, it's part of the movie and the time it was made, and I don't mind seeing these imperfections.

That said, if removing garbage matte boxes and correcting minor goofs in model shots like ^^ was ALL that was done to the movies, I could deal with those changes. Like the removal of the snake reflection in Raiders of the Lost Ark on DVD.

I don't like the added ropes. The other half of the blooper is really the edit between the wide shot of the skiff being hit and Han hanging from his feet. The stunt double in the wide falls and hangs from his arms, then Han is seen swinging from his feet with his hands below:

I think it's supposed to look like Chewie grabs Han's feet before he falls, but the extra few frames showing his boot tips touching the skiff edge removes that intention.

But these sorts of continuity mistakes happen all the time, so it's not a bother.

Easterhay said:

I am not anti-CGI by any means.  But what does it say when the rubber puppet in ROTJ still looks more convincing than the CGI versions in ANH and TPM?

Yes. And even if ILM was somehow one day be able to get the CG to look exactly like the great ROTJ puppet, the scene still wouldn't belong in the movie no matter how much it's changed or tinkered with.

skyjedi2005 said:

This video pretty much confirms Lucas has every single stitch of film for star wars, even if it was conformed to the special edition.

http://www.starwars.com/video/view/000323.html

And it is from his own website so his the negative is no longer in existence or is destroyed is not the whole truth.

Excellent find. The video does not lie. Thanks!

A couple of quotes from the video:

"I started out as an editor, so to me, you know, saving the film is what the whole process is about. And, uh, so I've saved all my films, I've saved all the negative, I've saved everything."

"This is a classic; you don't want anything happening to it."

Have to agree with the above comments about the score for ROTJ; it's another fine score from Williams. All three original movies have great music.

skyjedi2005 said:

Maybe Jedi was where the divide between the oot and the special editions and prequels began, because he finally became a father.  When he made star wars and empire he was not a dad.

Has to be the reason why Crystal Skull feels too safe and Indy is never in any danger.  Lucas became a softy when he aged and became a dad, he started changing his opinion on film violence and self censoring the same can be said of Spielberg who put the walkie talkies in E.T., much like Lucas had greedo shoot.

 

Growing up watching these two guys' movies during the 1980's, it was sad to see them lose their original energy and enthusiasm for film-making. Although Spielberg fared better than Lucas, matured as a director and made some good movies in subsequent years (but E.T. SE was still a big mistake, IMO).

Lucas never really liked working actors or directing, so the only conclusion for him doing the awful PT is complete creative control. And the results speak for themselves. Control the purse strings and the script and camera and surround himself with Yes-men.

@Easterhay - Your last paragraph speaks volumes.

I was nine years old when ROTJ was released. At the time it just meant more Star Wars, more TOYS! I loved those breakaway Speeder Bike vehicles (even if the action figures sat weirdly on them).

ROTJ has always been strangely inconsistent, and perhaps this is because of the struggle between what Lucas wanted and Marquand delivered (didn't Lucas also have this problem with Kirsh? Control issues?). TESB turned out to be the best of the three movies, however.

There are some great scenes in ROTJ, though there's also some lazy acting and cheesiness going on in many scenes. The visual effects are great throughout. The last third's editing has always bothered me. Those fantastic space battle scenes are intercut with the less interesting though sometimes humorous Endor scenes, and I often just fast-forwarded through the Ewoks to the Millennium Falcon parts.

It's hard to feel hate for ROTJ. It was the final act of the story at the time, and it still completes the Original Trilogy despite its flaws.

Disgust. The same reaction to every change to the originals.

It's a passionate topic, so expect a lot of intense conversation about it.

kenkraly2007 said:

I am just happy all 6 star wars films are coming to blu-ray. I don't understand all the lucas hate through. He made this films after all.

Just out of curiosity, how old were you when Return of the Jedi was originally released (1983)? I think that age has a lot to do with the understanding of the "Lucas hate".

They could thumb a Jawa taxi to the palace doors.

Mielr said:

It not only looks like Mark Hamill's face- but it looks like his hands as well.

I don't know how HK can say that was "not Mark", especially since Mark says he now remembers shooting the scene.....

It's like a car crash with 10 witnesses, and 10 different reports of the accident.

Star Wars, Rashomon-style. Well Lucas is a fan of Akira Kurosawa isn't he? :)

xhonzi said:

Thanks for posting the interview, mania.  But is it just me, or does Kazanjian not really sound like he knows of what he speaks?  He looks at the blank space in the matte painting and thinks it's unfinished?  Clearly, he must know how matte paintings work/worked?  And I thought his comment about the ships' proximity to Jabba's was interesting... can Jabba's be seen in the painting?  I looked at the painting for a solid 30 seconds and couldn't find anything looking like a palace...

So we have Lucas saying it was Hamill, Hamill saying it wasn't and then saying it was, and Kazanjian saying it wasn't.  Whom do we believe?

I think what Kazanjian is saying about the Milliennium Falcon and X-Wing being so close to Jabba's Palace is they are relatively close, not actually right next to; in the same general vicinity where they might be spotted (since Jabba and at least Boba Fett know what the Falcon looks like).

I don't quite get why Howard doesn't recognize a matte painting with a black space for a live-action plate on it. Maybe he's been looking at too many CG effects over the years and forgotten.

Luke's first appearance in Jabba's Palace and the lightsaber fired from Artoo in the Skiff scene works much better than seeing that cut scene in the cave which is kind of pointless.

The Vader scene, obviously sounding and looking like something concocted from unused Empire and Jedi footage doesn't add anything new, and the dialogue is forgettable.

Yes, it does seem Blu-ray is doing really well at the moment. The infrastructure isn't quite there for digital downloads just yet, so hard copy media be around for a good few years more.

Mike O said:

Assuming, of course, he will, which he won't. This set will sell plenty of BR players. It's over guys. It's done. Star Wars is dead. We've lost.

Yes, I also feel this is the case. The originals are in limbo as long as Lucas lives. I still believe the OOT negatives exist at Lucasfilm somewhere in their archives.

Meantime, the Original Trilogy bootlegs will continue to be passed around and enjoyed in sub-HD quality.

Mielr said:

You mean, the people who think that adding Hayden Christiansen to ROTJ "nicely ties all 6 films together" ? *gag*

 

I'd rather have the entire cast of characters replaced with Ewoks. "Beechawawa!"

Speaking for myself, I grew up with the original Star Wars movies and won't be buying any set that doesn't include the versions 1977, 1980, 1983 -- garbage mattes and all. I cannot accept any of the new changes to those wonderful movies.

How can we convince GL to put the OOT on Blu-ray?