monkeyjb1988

Harmy said:

Handman said:

Harmy, your “Introducing the Despecialized Editions and its Sources” video has been taken down by Fox recently. It must have been recently, because I’ve seen it in my recommended videos until just about a week or so ago.

Well, that sucks.
Not sure if I should file a dispute, because while I do believe that the use of the footage in the video is fair use, I don’t wanna drag too much legal attention to the project itself 😕

Smart move. The documentary’s awesome, but not worth sacrificing the Despecialized Editions. Thank you for sharing the download link 😃

Tyrphanax said:

I mean. I would just prepare myself for it being a 4k upscale of the Special Editions.

That is possible but I would keep some faith. Disney has been doing okay by Star Wars so far. I’m sure they know how fans feel about the SEs. I’m holding onto hope unless a Disney press release specifically says it’s 4K copies of SEs.

I’m totally pre-ordering if they ARE the original cuts 😃

I never even thought of THX-1138. Glad that’s not being forgotten.

I’ll hold out for the cleaned-up version but this IS cool. Of course, in Harmy’s hands… well, watch one of his Despecialized Star Wars cuts. 😃

American Graffiti should be easy: on sun rise is the only change that I know of 😄

yoda-sama said:

Harmy, is this what you had in mind for redoing TFA? https://youtu.be/L58oh3wIiNw

Thant made me laugh. That’s not Rey’s nightmare… it’s a fan’s nightmare 😄

I like where they recomposited the original visual effects plates. Say what you will about puppets and models vs CGI but computers definitely helped with compositing. 

I saw the new box art and I was like "Hey, did..." then I realized I would've heard about it beforehand.

I'm not giving up on OOT unless the world burns down. And I'll see TFA. 

Fang Zei: Dang it, you got me interested in news from Comic Con. You're right, that would be a good time.

Man, Disney controlling the franchise and making a new trilogy seems to be "A New Hope" for the OOT.

(I'm sorry :D)

monkeyjb1988 said:

I just got the Japanese version, so I'll let you know how it looks when I watch it.

I just watched it. Unless I missed anything, there were about, maybe, 5-7 minutes of the film that came from an SD source. It's noticeable but I can't say whether you could see it if you didn't know about the film's restoration problems because I definitely knew about them. The SD bits mixed OK with the rest. Not as well as Sins of the Father on the TNG sampler Blu-Ray but better than Metropolis (keep in mind, Metropolis had to use text cards for some scenes).

All in all, fairly decent. The true HD footage was beautiful although a few shots weren't so good (but they were visual effects shots, which rarely look good on Blu if made before the 70s-90s). It was also a fun film. If you're not bothered by no subtitles and can afford a Japanese Blu-Ray, I highly recommend this disc for Godzilla fans.

I think they did restore the film for Blu-Ray:

http://exploderbutton.tumblr.com/post/93358538455/king-kong-vs-godzilla-2008-toho-hivision

From reading the Wikipedia page, Toho took the 1080p version of the English version of KK vs G, took the parts the English copy had that the Japanese copy needed, and only used the 16mm for the few minutes neither version has. 

I just got the Japanese version, so I'll let you know how it looks when I watch it.

PS: it was the Japanese version's director who cut the film and threw out the missing portions, not the makers of the U.S. Version. 

Harmy said:

And that's only from a print, I imagine an IP or the composite used in the original negative (if still usable) could yield far better results!

 I wouldn't mind the composites being redone... Then I see shots like that and I remember I only need to support one thing. Looks good. Hope Disney confirms something.

By the by, the composite above look loads better than some of the composites from 80s and early 90s Super Sentai (Japanese show Power Rangers gets their footage from). I have the film Blu-Ray set and it's looks wonderful except for the handful of shots that used 80s/early 90s video compositing. Let's just say George Lucas was right to not use non film compositing until the prequels.

msycamore said:

ComputerGeek said:

If this release does happen, I don't mind if they keep some of the enhanced visuals (Cloud City, new shots in the Battle of Yavin, etc) but remove the story-related changes (Jabba in the original movie, Greedo shooting first, Hayden Christensen in ROTJ).

just a note, if Jedi Rocks isn't removed, the entire thing would almost not be worth buying...

Yeah, maybe they should release a "do it yourself kit" so that everyone can finally watch their tailor made version of the film.

 That made me smile. Probably be the best way to release the films other than the OOT. 

It'd be great if this 4K scan means the OOT. I'll keep hope :)

All three are going to be included on the Star Wars Blu-Ray set. Granted, you have to wait until September and have to buy the prequel and altered originals, but if you enjoy them and can wait, they will be released for us soon. That's good news and (almost :D) makes up for no original versions. (I'm happy :) )

I want this release. I want the original versions restored, but I love Star Wars enough to go with the changes. Plus, I'm an extras hound. Nine discs for a film series with only six films? Can't go wrong with that. I hope a few minor picture fixes are done, like some lightsaber stuff, but I can't wait for this release.

I want the original versions restored and available as much as anyone else, but I can watch and enjoy immensely the 04 editions. Whatever tweaks Lucas adds, these films are excellent and I enjoy them. I do want the original versions in great quality, but their lack of existence won't stop me from enjoying Star Wars.

Easterhay said:

And isn't the way Alec Guinnes paused before replying to the question "How did my father die?" just perfect?  It's as though Lucas had told him the backstory on the quiet.

Absolutely. George must've had some small inkling about what to do with Luke's dad (not sure if Anakin came at that time. It was almost Alec had seen Sith, even though he (obviously) didn't.

zombie84 said:

TPM had all its effects work done at 2k, because 4k didn't exist in 1997, and every shot except one had a digital effect in it--meaning the negative of TPM will always be 2k (if it is from a stored DI in the computer) or less (if it is printed back onto film and then transfered beack to video). Probably all future releases will directly use the 2k DI though.

This may sound crazy, but if they still have the film, they could redo the effects at 4k if they want. Heck, if they still have the computer files, they can just rerender and recomposite. I know, it sounds crazy, but it is possible to make a 4k Phantom Menace if they have the film, even more if they have the visual effects files.

BmB said:

Well actually Phantom was shot on 35mm no? But I'm sure the master is a 1080p digital scan anyway.

One scene was shot on digital video as a test but, yeah, 4k can work for Phantom Menace.

It's a shame the two later prequels can get 4k scans, but it shouldn't hold back the other four films, especially the originals, in their original forms (not even a question :)). I mean, a lot of films have 4k scans: Godfather, African Queen, the Godfather trilogy, and Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind before they got 8k scans. The Star Wars trilogy is arguably just as important as those other films, and maybe not even arguably (New Hope is in the freaking Library of Congress with Oz and Wind). I heard Godfather was c*** before it got restored, so it can't be impossible for Star Wars. Nice, 4k restoration of both the 77, 80, 83 versions and 04 versions (the 04s are Lucas' visions after all). Hopefully, it'll be done someday before it's too late.

That, along with Luke no longer saying "You're lucky you don't taste too good", are my least favorite changes. The pacing is ruined with shots of Vader making it back to the Star Destroyer. I mean, we know he's heading somewhere to get Luke, we don't need a play by play.

The SE were my first foray into Star Wars. I enjoyed ANH and ROTJ in theaters and became a huge Star Wars fan because of them. They taught me about sequels and trilogies. The funny thing was when I got a VHS set of the films shortly after, I was surprised that the Jabba scene wasn't on it. That was when I learned they got changed. I can't remember anything else about it  since, as I said, it was my first SW exposure (I was 9), except maybe a clip or two from Muppet Babies.

R2-918 said:

 the Digital Bit's sources have informed them that some of the Star Wars movies (probably only Episodes 1,2 and 3) may get a Blu-ray release next year.

 God, if only 1, 2, and 3 are released before 4, 5, and 6 on Blu, this site is going to get ugly real quick (no offense meant). If the Blus for 4, 5, and 6 only include the SEs or include low res copies of the originals, I suggest Lucas heads for the hiils.

Fang Zei said:

As for the OOT, well, the only explanation they offered back in '06 was "existing prints are in bad condition." They could retcon that to mean anything they want if/when they suddenly choose to dig up and restore the interpositives and do 1080p transfers of them.

 You know, if they did pull that, I'd be okay with that, as long as we get beautiful Blus of the unaltered trilogy.

jhfagan said:

That does seem all too ridiculous.

But my other question on THAT would be, in order for him to edit and add in new FX to old scenes, ( ex. Han/Greedo scene) he would have had to scan that footage into a computer to manipulate it as he did.

So at SOME point, even if he did take physical prints of the doctored scenes and splice them physically right into the restored negative, the original print negatives existed in the digital realm before being SE'inized.

Right?

 

 I hope that was what he did, that means that a restored, 4K copy is still possible. I would settle for an interpositive too. Better than DVD copies of laserdiscs (that was mean of me). I really do wish he would make 4K restored copies of the unaltered trilogy, just as an act of preserving film art.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=63586

Yeah, I'm back. I found something you guys might want to read. It kinda explains why the Special Editions are the Lucas approved ones.

Quote from the thread:

I think his transfers are archive transfer. Maybe 4K or beyond. Frame-by-frame lossless compression or none at all. All the CGI-animated files are probably archived too, in case they need more tweaking; after all, he saved ALL of the VFX elements even way back then.

Pretty interesting. What do you guys think?

I never thought of it that way. You just brought my happiness level up. I guess there may still be hope.