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rennervision

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17-Aug-2004
Last activity
2-Sep-2011
Posts
55

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Post
#212308
Topic
New DVDs NOT 16x9
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/212308/action/topic#212308
Time
You're right. I even remember seeing a small article recently in EW announcing the OT was finally coming to DVD. I'm going to mail them a copy of my letter, as well as send a copy to Home Theater magazine. The addresses appear below:

Entertainment Weekly
1675 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

Home Theater Letters
6420 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

It's time to unleash the Death Star over this!
Post
#152607
Topic
How exactly do the Sith stop death?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/152607/action/topic#152607
Time
One of my annoyances in Episode III was how Anakin turned to the darkside after being convinced the Sith could stop death. I had hoped there were a plethora of deleted scenes on the DVD that would explain this (among other plot holes!), but, alas, there was none. Anakin becoming Darth Vader due to gullibility doesn't quite come across as the power-hungry Jedi I imagined when Obi-Wan later told Luke, "Vader was seduced by the darkside of the Force."

So assuming Palpatine wasn't lying, I'm trying to understand what he could have meant. When he first said it to Anakin, it almost seemed like he was talking about resurrecting someone from the dead. (He even referred to it as powers some would consider unnatural.) But, of course, if this resurrection theory is correct, Padme's life would have been restored.

So how exactly was it supposed to work? You stare at the person when they're dying and, suddenly, they begin to feel much better? I don't get it. Please tell me Anakin wasn't duped by the most ridiculous, far-fetched claim anyone could ever make without even providing proof to back it up!
Post
#133219
Topic
Splitting up 5.1
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/133219/action/topic#133219
Time
Does anyone have recommendations as to which sound cards can capture the actual AC3 audio off the special edition laserdiscs? I've done some research, and apparently there is a way to do it if the sound card can record in "bit accurate mode" (according to this thread):

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&postid=338286

The funny thing is, I recently e-mailed Creative to ask which of their Soundblaster products has the bit accurate mode capability. They told me none of them can do this (even though someone in the above link may have done it on an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro). Now I'm really confused! I haven't seen this as an advertised feature on any sound card, so is there really such a thing as bit accurate recording capability?
Post
#132094
Topic
My 1997' SE laserdisc transfer set - including extras.... (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/132094/action/topic#132094
Time
I have a question about preserving the SE laserdiscs. Last year when the announcement came out that the original versions of Star Wars were NOT coming to DVD, I ended up buying the faces collection and my first LD player. Now it's turned into a full-blown hobby with over 70 laserdiscs (including the SE trilogy), two players, an RF demodulator for AC-3, and a need to now burn these to DVD.

However, I've got a problem that I'm unable to find a solution for on the internet. How do you preserve the original 5.1 soundtrack? I'm not sure if anyone has actually tried this. I've seen workarounds where people convert the sound to two channel audio, then reprocess it on their PC to 5.1, but this does not interest me as I will be losing the original AC-3. I'm also unaware of any audio capture card with a 5.1 input.

I've come up with one idea, but as I'm a total noob this may either be impossible or (hopefully) there's a better/easier solution. What I propose is to essentially record the laserdisc three times on my DVD recorder. The first will contain the left and right front channels in the stereo track. The second will contain the left and right rear channels. The third will contain the center and LFE channels.

Next, I will move to my PC, save the first recording to my hard drive and, using a DD 5.1 creator program (I'm not sure which one will work best however), add the soundtrack from the second recording. Of course, I will have to make sure all four of these tracks are perfectly synchronized. (I'm not sure how difficult that will be, or if it will even be possible.) Then, I'll add the soundtrack from the third recording, again ensuring it is synchronized and hoping I don't lose too much hair in the process.

Is this possible?
Post
#108277
Topic
Episode 3: Fan Editing Ideas Discussion
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/108277/action/topic#108277
Time
Here's my two cents on editing suggestions. (I've only seen the movie once so far, so forgive me if my memory is a little rusty.)

First, that "You're beautiful." line followed by "That's because I'm so in love with you," then, "No, it's because I'm so in love with you." or whatever needs to go.

Second, as others have mentioned, Anakin's change from remorse over Mace Windu's death to proclaiming Palpatine as master is too abrupt and unbelievable. I would suggest cutting the scene right after Anakin is crying saying, "What have I done?" I would also eliminate the scene where he slaughters the younglings because it simply doesn't work. (Look, killing children is something I might do three days after joining the dark side - two days at the earliest. But certainly not within the first five minutes!)

In this reedit, we later see him fly to Padme and tell her how he's going on a mission (to kill the Trade Federation Viceroy) and restore peace. His motivation is hidden from us at this point, because we have not yet seen Palpatine declare him as Darth Vader, so we're unsure what he's planning. Then, we see Obi-Wan view the security recording of Palpatine. At that point there is a flashback cut to the actual scene of Palpatine declaring Anakin as Darth Vader. I think it works because even though the flashback picks up right after Anakin says, "What have I done?", our brain thinks there was a gap between the two moments and tries to fill it in with whatever dialogue our imagination can produce, making Anakin's transition to the dark side seem less awkward. Afterwards, when Anakin offers Padme the chance to rule beside him and overthrow the Emperor, we sense that maybe his motivation all along was to play along with Palpatine in an attempt to get out of this mess unscathed which he created for himself by attacking Windu.

I would also be curious if anyone has any idea on how to reconcile the Empire dialogue where Obi-Wan says, "That boy is our last hope." and Yoda says, "No, there is another." It certainly doesn't make sense if Obi-Wan was present at the birth. I suppose the easiest solution is to remove this exchange from Empire, but I always liked that final line from Yoda.
Post
#71314
Topic
Qui Gon's death.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/71314/action/topic#71314
Time
Whatever the explanation is, it better not have something to do with Anakin discovering how to do it for the first time. In Episode IV, Obi-Wan says to Vader, "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." I doubt he was preaching to the choir. And it clearly seems Vader is surprised once Obi-Wan vanishes. (Otherwise, why is he stepping on Obi-Wan's cloak trying to figure out what happened???)
Post
#67072
Topic
The PT was doomed from the opening crawl and here is why
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67072/action/topic#67072
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: adlai
you know, I think that the series would have been much better off if it had started with AOTC. Because we all know that there's simply too much ground to be covered in ROTS for there to be good storytelling...



This is my biggest fear - unless it's suddenly announced ROTS has a running time equal to Return of the King! Not only do we have to see Anakin turn to the dark side (in a believable way, I might add), but we also have to see some history of Obi-Wan trying to turn him back before their climatic battle. (As referenced by Vader in ROTJ when he says to Luke, "Obi-Wan once thought as you do.")
Post
#67065
Topic
The PT was doomed from the opening crawl and here is why
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67065/action/topic#67065
Time
I agree that in retrospect, Episode II would have been a much better way to start off the series than Episode I. However, if done right, I think the idea of starting the story with Anakin as a small boy would have been very interesting. I'm thinking of Godfather II as a correct way for a "prequel" to begin Don Corleone's story from the time when he was a small boy, then showing him grow into a young man.

So I think having all six episodes cover the life of Anakin since he was very young up to his death gives it a more epic story arc, but I don't think it was executed very well. For starters, I would eliminate the "Spy Kids"-like finale in Episode I where cute little Anakin accidentally destroys the command ship and saves the day.

"I'll try spinning! That's a neat trick!" (I hope I never watch that scene while going through a deep depression, or it might send me over the edge.)
Post
#67041
Topic
Why I Don't Like Anything About Naboo or Sifo-Dyas
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67041/action/topic#67041
Time

You know what I don't understand about the prequel trilogy? Well, actually there's a lot of stuff, but I'm going to focus on two topics in particular.

First why did George Lucas create the planet Naboo for these films? I consider it an incredibly lost opportunity that he didn't provide a back story and some history for the planet Alderaan instead. Ironically, pretty much the way I imagined Alderaan would look is exactly how Naboo looks. Wouldn't it have been great to see the Trade Federation invade Alderaan instead? And think of how much more impact that scene in ANH would have if the Death Star, with complete ambivalence, just destroyed a planet we had gotten to know so well in three other films. The very lack of a "Naboo" in the original trilogy seems conspicuously odd to me - so much so that its recent addition at the end of ROTJ doesn't feel right. Kind of like Lucas saying - "Oh we know we forgot to do anything with this planet in three movies, but look what we can now do through the miracle of CGI!" Heck, it would've made more sense to me if we saw all the swamp creatures celebrating on Dagobah! (I'm joking. No I don't want to see leaping lizards and dancing frogs in the 2007-edition DVDs.) Anyways, I just really regret we've learned nothing about Alderaan in the prequels.

Which leads me to my second gripe. In a similar lost opportunity, why didn't Episode I contain any scenes with Master Sifo-Dyas? Again, think of how much more impact the revelation in Episode II would have had if Obi-Wan learned that a character we remembered from Episode I was not who he seemed to be. But instead of a scene that could have been a surprising revelation (like Vader's identity in Episode IV), we just sit there scratching our heads and saying to ourselves, "Who?" Dare I say it would have made more sense if instead of a reference to "Sifo-Dyas" it was "Qui-Gon Jin"? Then you would have an easy explanation as to why he did not disappear after he died, and his reasons for training Anakin against the wishes of the council would suddenly seem more dubious.

These two plot points, among others, make the new trilogy feel like rough drafts to me. Ironic since Lucas should have had about 15 years to think about all these plot points after completing ROTJ, but it seems like he never started writing the prequels until after his important to-do list of making Greedo shoot first, Han step on Jabba's tail, and adding a Broadway dance number to Jabba's palace!

Post
#64894
Topic
An article of lies and disgust - George Lucas talks re the 2004 OT SE DVD release...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/64894/action/topic#64894
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Patrick R.
I also wanted to mention something else concerning Lucas' "milking" of Star Wars. If he wasn't "milking it" by not releasing things he did not care for, there would be no Full Screen (AKA Pan&Scan) versions of the films on DVD. If you have kept up with Lucas over the years, you know that he despises Full Screen because the film is not being presented in it's original aspect ratio (OAR). If you'll remember, there was no Full Screen version of Episode I on DVD until the Episode II DVD came out. If he hates Full Screen so much, why release Full Screen versions of his films on DVD. Well, because he knew he could put aside his dislike for it and make a lot of money since there are a lot of fools out there who hate Widescreen. If that is not one example of "milking it", I don't what is.

Patrick


Excellent point. The defense that these new DVD versions are "the way Lucas always wanted them" can't hold up when you realize fullscreen is created to appease a certain segment of the population and is in no way "Lucas' true vision"!

So since I saw a movie in 1977 that was only half done, how complete was it in 1997 when it was rereleased? Three quarters? What am I? A marketing test subject while Lucas spends 30 years fine-tuning his movie??? So if "Empire" was only half done when Luke Skywalker quietly fell from the catwalk in Cloud City, then it was "complete" when his scream was added, does this mean the movie is half done again now that the scream has been removed once more? Or since the movies are now "complete" (which angers me since Lucas is now admitting to having knowingly released incomplete films back in 1997), does that mean all this CGI tinkering madness will stop, and once they are released 30 years from now on High Definition Holographic Crystals they will be the 2004 versions?

Talk about a load of B.S.!

Post
#63845
Topic
Reminder: Empire of Dreams on now
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/63845/action/topic#63845
Time
Wow! Steven Spielberg was Lucas' first choice to direct Return of the Jedi? I never heard that before!

And did anyone else see the irony near the end when Lucas said that by becoming the head of a corporation he had become the very thing that he was against when he was younger and making independent films???

Watching the whole thing was a little bitter-sweet for me. Having seen the movie originally in '77, this documentary helped refresh my memory in terms of putting everything in perspective when it premiered. I think most people seeing it for the first time today are unable to truly appreciate how this isn't just the latest sci-fi blockbuster that breaks opening records at the box office, then everyone forgets about it for the next summer hit opening the following weekend.

This movie was the first, and - for better or worse - completely changed Hollywood. I was fascinated when they talked about how no one knew how to edit the scene with the Falcon battling the tie fighters. Lucas had to show them aerial dogfight footage so they could understand what he wanted. Just think about that for a second! No one knew how to edit this because no one had ever seen anything like this before. And now this kind of stuff is common place in a dozen different movies that could be playing in your local theater!

So it pains me that a movie which literally divides the Hollywood timeline into pre-1977 and post-1977 now has to have CGI added to look "more modern." As the show touched on last night, this movie had the foresight to use an orchestra score instead of disco music. It's editing at the time was revolutionary and is now commonplace in movies today. It broke rules by showing the credits at the end of the picture. So bottom line - this movie is timeless. It would be very difficult to date it, unless you considered certain hair styles.

It is the most influential film of my lifetime and needs to be preserved.




Post
#62201
Topic
My own edit of Episode I (my 'The Perfect Edit') (Completed)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/62201/action/topic#62201
Time
I do agree that the edited version is much improved over the original. Pretty much right after I saw Episode I, I knew I could never watch it again without editing out Jar Jar. So, I set out and did just that long before I ever heard anyone else on the internet had done the same thing. Anyways, my version was cut by about 15 minutes as well. (Can you believe there is that much of Jar Jar??? He's practically in every freakin' scene!)

Another thing that always bugged me was the movie has this great looking villain named Darth Maul, then they give him nothing interesting to say. (Unless you count "Yes, my master." as interesting.) So I decided to remove all his lines. I decided that by making him a completely silent character, it added to his mystique. I also removed that scene where he is walking alongside the leaders of the Trade Federation and they are two feet taller than him. I felt that made him look a little silly.

Quote
Originally posted by: hypersonic5The rest of the cuts(and there are quite a bit of
them) come during the battle sequences. I changed
it around a bit to make anikan less annoying and
lucky. In my version there is no autopilot. He is
flying the ship by himself and doing all this stuff
to help out.



I was watching this the other night, and it did occur to me that scene with Anakin piloting the ship was annoying and just plain stupid. It was then I realized I was going to have to go back and reedit this. I was thinking about cutting the entire scene all together. When you think about it, it really serves no purpose. Sure the Trade Federation's droid army shuts down as a result, but who cares? You can show the Gungans surrounded by the droids, then Amidala reclaims her throne and says, "Now Viceroy, we'll discuss a new treaty." That's really all that matters. The Trade Federation's leaders are captured, so that's the end of it.

But to be honest, I like your idea of there being no autopilot. Although for me, the most obvious contrived plot device was this: Qui-Gon has Anakin come along with him INTO BATTLE so he can be safe! (Huh? Why not just stay in the forest with the rest of the female gungans or something??) Then - he tells him to hide, and where do you suppose he hides? INSIDE THE COCKPIT OF A STAR FIGHTER! And then R2 is somehow snatched up and placed inside the EXACT SAME star fighter! At this point, the coincidences and plot holes are too much for me to bear. I also have a hard time believing he is such a good pilot at such a young age (no matter what Obi-Wan told Luke in episode IV) and the whole thing suddenly comes across as something I would expect to see in "Spy Kids" or something.

So hypersonic5 - any suggestions on how I could eliminate all these contrived plot devices that annoy me to no end just so we can have a rather dull space battle to mirror the end of Episode IV (which doesn't even come close to equalling one in any prior Star Wars film)? Maybe with a little thought, I could keep it after all.

Post
#60905
Topic
Does anyone have any Deleted Scenes for the Original Trilogy?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/60905/action/topic#60905
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: buddy-x-wing
"when Jango knocked his head its a refference to the fact that one of his clones knok there head in A New Hope. This is absolute proff that at least some of the original trilogy stormtroopers are clones of Jango Fett."

Absolute proof???? it's only Absolute proof that one of the 'extras' hit his head on a piece of scenery in ANH, I bet it wasn't in the script to show that he was meant to be a clone. it's crazy, even bloopers are explained away as part of Georges original vision.


:lol: Yeah, George just can't admit mistakes. One of my favorites is when Han Solo says he made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs (a measurement of distance, NOT time). Yet, the official website explains it like this:

While Captain Solo is known to make boastful claims that seem to defy the basic laws of space-time physics, in this particular case, an understanding of the mechanics of the Kessel Run illuminates this statistic.

The Kessel Run is a contest of speed and endurance for smugglers. Those who undertake it must deliver specified cargos (usually illicit in nature) to a series of divergently moving transport vessels. The smuggler must deliver the cargo before the transports wander out of the free trade lanes into restricted Imperial space.

Solo's record is impressive, since the transport vessels covered less than 12 parsecs of distance during his hurried run between them, a testament to his piloting and the speed of the Millennium Falcon.

There is more than one way to smuggle spice out of Kessel. According to one tale, Solo left out the middleman and ferried the stolen goods himself, skirting dangerously close to the Maw Cluster, a baffling congregation of black holes. In doing so, he shortened the distance for the run, achieving an impressive record of under 12 parsecs.

Using either methodology allows Solo's claim to stand, but there are many, including the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, who felt that the Corellian captain was just blowing hot air.

Riiiiiiiiiight.

I also have a question regarding this whole "Stormtroopers are/are not clones" debate. In Episode IV, didn't Luke want to leave his uncle's farm to join the Academy? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this an Imperial Academy where you train to become a Stormtrooper or Imperial officer? (Not sure why he wanted to join if he "hated" the Empire like he claimed to Obi-Wan, but I guess that's another issue entirely.) So why is there an Academy if you have access to clone factories?


Post
#60900
Topic
MY Ultimate/Final/Archival Editions
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/60900/action/topic#60900
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: buddy-x-wing

- I only wish George had of CGI'd some razor sharp teeth into the Little Shop of Horrors Sarlaac monster, so that we could remove any doubt to the fact that Boba didn't survive, as far as I'm concerned, if we had to suffer through seeing the obnoxious beginnings of this character in AOTC, then it's only fair that we get to see his death on-screen as well.


Keep in mind buddy-x-wing, even if you don't accept any of the EU stuff explaining Boba Fett, you HAVE to concede Boba Fett absolutely, positively did NOT die in ROTJ. Remember what Threepio said (translating from Jabba): "In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering, as you are slowly digested over a thousand years." So unless you want to go against the teachings of the original trilogy, we know from this line that Boba Fett did, in fact, live.
Post
#60470
Topic
MY Ultimate/Final/Archival Editions
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/60470/action/topic#60470
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: Commander Courage
As for rennervision, I was going for actual changes that could be made to the OT in a future release.


Yeah, I know. But if you think about it, some of those changes (Lando dying when the Death Star explodes; Leia is NOT Luke's sister) might actually be possible through some clever editing of the existing footage. (Hey when you think about it - no one even tells Luke who his sister is. He just guesses "Leia" and could've been dead wrong, but Obi-Wan decides to let him run with that silly idea!)

I suppose if I was adding fantasy changes, I would also like to see Boba Fett survive his fall into the Sarlacc, and - while continuing to work with the Empire - shows up on Endor (or Kayshhk ) where Han and Fett duel it out for one last time. It would've also been nice if perhaps a little dialogue revealed some sort of back story as to why Fett was somewhat "obsessed" with Solo. (After all - they had to have some past history together as only Solo and Chewbacca called him "Boba Fett," but everyone else knew him as "bounty hunter." Yeah, I know - their first encounter was revealed in the Star Wars Holiday Special, and then they met a second time in the deleted Jabba scene from Episode IV just like Lucas always intended!)

Quote
Originally posted by: Commander Courage
-Handle the completion of Luke's training better. He should have gone back to Dagobah at the end of ESB, so open JEDI with Luke's final trials from Yoda, who has grown old and weak, and have Luke leave with his death.


Yeah, good point. I forgot about this. Yoda - the great Jedi Master of the entire Star Wars series - doesn't really get fair treatment in ROTJ. It's just a death scene with nothing to prepare the audience that he was even dying! I also have trouble comprehending how Anakin's apprenticeship with Obi-Wan lasted over a decade, but somehow Luke seems to become a Jedi after a crash course, and without even having his master around to complete his training. (How DID he become such a cool, confident "Jedi" at the beginning of ROTJ without the benefit of Yoda? Is this explained perhaps in "Shadows of the Empire"?)


Post
#60368
Topic
MY Ultimate/Final/Archival Editions
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/60368/action/topic#60368
Time

And if I perfect my Quantum Leap time machine so I can enter George Lucas' body pre-1983, here are the changes I'll make to Return of the Jedi:

-Change the (yawn) SECOND Death Star to a new kind of doomsday weapon.
-Change all the ewoks to wookies.
-Leave Leia in the movie as "the other" referred to by Yoda. (After all, she was able to receive Luke's telepathic message in ESB which seems like a pretty good clue to me.) But that doesn't mean she has to be a Skywalker or (shudder) Luke's sister! (And I'm still waiting for the explanation in Episode III as to how Padme gives birth to twins, but somehow Obi-Wan only knows about her son, Yoda is the only one who knows about her daughter, and Anakin knows about neither!)
-So what happened to that love triangle that appeared to be developing in Episode IV? When Luke and Leia talk alone on Endor, have him profess his love for her, but she's confused as to how to respond because she also loves Han. Then after the Death Star explodes and Han asks her if she loves Luke, she finally chooses Solo.
-Have Lando sacrifice himself and the Millenium Falcon (what's the deal with Han's "funny feeling" about never seeing his ship again anyways?) so he can fully redeem himself for being such a dirty, no-good, double-crossing swindler.