zombie84

User Group: Members
Join date: 21-Nov-2005
Last activity: 12-Jan-2024
Posts: 3,557

Post History

Post: #291834
Topic: What trailers played in front of Star Wars in 1977?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/291834/action/topic#291834
Time: 3-Jul-2007 1:28 AM

Yup, the famous story is that the Sorceror trailer played at the premiere week and the expensive, much-hyped Friedkin film suddenly looked like a piece of shit when Star Wars came on afterwards.

Post: #291393
Topic: So, um... no new DVD's announced this year?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/291393/action/topic#291393
Time: 27-Jun-2007 5:48 PM

Theres no reason for a PT petition. They'll be out in better editions sooner or later, and they are already available in HD. The OOT on the other hand, needs a good backing of support.

Post: #291001
Topic: So, um... no new DVD's announced this year?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/291001/action/topic#291001
Time: 22-Jun-2007 11:01 AM

Originally posted by: Fang Zei
In all honesty I'm a little confused, zombie. Are you saying that people will be more willing to adopt the winning format now that the race is over or less willing?

I'm saying that its a question that I'm curious to know the answer to. Obviously it will make people more willing, but I'm curious as to just how much this will impact the adoption of HD into the mainstream.

Post: #290997
Topic: So, um... no new DVD's announced this year?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/290997/action/topic#290997
Time: 22-Jun-2007 10:25 AM

When I said format war, I meant between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. And Blu-Ray has won it for a while now. HD-DVD will survive until Christmas if only because that represents the last sales stab to minimise losses but after that you'll see it being phased out. The question is, once that has happened and there's only Blu-Ray how much more willing will your average consumer be to give HD a chance now that there is a single, stable format?

Post: #290854
Topic: So, um... no new DVD's announced this year?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/290854/action/topic#290854
Time: 20-Jun-2007 1:00 PM

The format war has been effectively ended for a while now. But I don't think the SE, or anything Star Wars, would end it in and of itself, though it would definitly give the format a huge slant. In that case it would have been Blu-Ray, which has won the war anyway. The reason I say that it wouldn't really be as effective as, for example, on DVD, is because not a lot of people are even considering upgrading, let alone deciding which format to go with--most people are incapable of upgrading because the vast, vast, vast majority of people don't have HD displays yet (as opposed to DVD, where all you had to do in the 1990's was buy a player and you were set).

Post: #290759
Topic: So...today I bought Attack of the clones just to have a complete collection
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/290759/action/topic#290759
Time: 19-Jun-2007 2:26 PM

You know I don't mind the prequels--i like ROTS for the most part and I think TPM, while dumb as a Star Wars episode, is a delightfully unique and sincere children's fantasy film. But AOTC just sucks on every level. It has some of the worst dialog, characters and acting in any summer blockbuster I have ever seen, even worse than Wing Commander. The script to the film really is embarrassing, and I am always just completely floored that Lucas deemed it acceptable for filming. The special effects and photography are really poor as well, as you noticed--the HD prototype camera simply wasn't ready for prime time and ILM was pushed way past their limits, the combined effect of which is an artificial look and feel to the whole movie which is already imbellished by the phoned-in performances of Portman and Christenson. The last 30 minutes are pretty fun however--though they are just mindless action and FX--and thankfully the whole Tatooine subplot is interesting. Personally I find the entire first half unwatchable--once the romance plot is left behind and we get to Tatooine there is at least some form of drama and interest but its average at best and still too frequently awkward. The plot also goes nowhere--its a mystery film without a conclusion. Everything about this film is just a train wreck--it looks like it was edited by a twelve year old who pirated a copy of Final Cut Pro, John Williams score recycles older music for haf the film, and the characters look like they are enjoying the film as much as audiences. Ugh. Every aspect of the film just has something fundamentally flawed with it; I'm not that picky a guy, but this film couldn't even match the standards of Godzilla or Terminator 3, both of which i enjoy as superficial summer flicks but unfortunately the prequels are supposed to be (and try to be) something more. Where the film does succeed is its intricate spiderweb of plots and themes that college fanboys uphold as proof of the underrated mastery of the film--but unfortnately any success is had at the expense of the foundation of the storytelling, namely character, plot and drama. Everything just seems dull and boring, and even the behind the scenes stuff makes me think that Lucas himself was bored by the material, and didn't know what to do with the second episode.

But Christopher Lee is pretty cool in the film. I wish i could say more but the more time goes on, and the more the superficial thrill of having a new Star Wars movie with cool special effects wears off, the more it becomes obvious that the film is a failure of magnificent proportions. Like I said, I don't mind the prequels, and TPM and ROTS don't share the fundamental weakness of AOTC (or I should say that they don't to such a severe degree) but Attack of the Clones really is a piece of shit. In my opinion.

The DVD is pretty good, not nearly as good as the TPM one but a tad better than the ROTS one.

Post: #290672
Topic: Your first words of reaction after watching one of the PT movies for the first time.
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/290672/action/topic#290672
Time: 18-Jun-2007 3:40 PM

Originally posted by: Davis
Wow. All this time I thought Ep. II was complete crap, and it's actually a sophisticated masterpiece...

link

Classic bullshit fan wankery trying to convince the world that the prequels are deep. Aside from the preposterous reading-in of unintended meaning (ie that the visual reference to Triumph of the Will in ANH shows that the rebels are morally hollow and thus foreshadowing their defeat in ESB--WTF??) that characterises prequel fans, this guys seems to be unable to wrap his head around the fact that people understand the majority of the subtextual and intellectual construction of the prequels but still think they suck because the dialog is shit, the characters annoying and the drama mostly absent. His basic argument comes down to "the films are eloquently layered intellectually and therefore that makes them great"--and while Lucas' job at building themes, subplots and a complicated world in which the prequels are set is commendable, these successes are destroyed by the failure of the larger foundation to provide captivating characters and thus engaging films. It really amazes me that fans are so deluded. You know what I've noticed is that all the prequels fans appreciate the films on the intellectual basis that they are densely-layered (counting mythology and history references gets them off it seems) but of course the more important issue seems to have completely escaped them that these qualities don't mean shit because they are the icing on the cake, the cake being captivating characters and plot. Nobody gave a shit at what symbols or "symphonically mirrored themes" were in Star Wars because everyone was too wrapped up in the wonderful characters and touching drama to care--we found those qualities on repeat viewers and they enriched and already-rich story. Conversely, this same quality has led many prequel fans to think the OT is shallow because the intellectual references and convoluted symbolism of the PT suddenly gives way to *gasp* character and story. Eventually though everyone has to graduate from junior college and realise that Battlefield Earth and Troy have the same densely-layered thematic construction as the PT despite being totally lacking in interesting character and story portrayal as well.

Marvolo: What Anchorhead is saying is that the film works. Yes, there are technical mistakes in Star Wars--show me a film that is perfect and i will show you a person who is either lying or ignorant. I can make up a list of 120 things "wrong" with Citizen Kane--continuity errors, technical mistakes, logic errors and ways that i could think the film could be made "better". Ditto for Wizard of Oz. But these films work. Thats the point. Sure, you can make a list of things that could be improved but the films don't need to be "fixed." Star Wars works, like any films its not perfect but it is what it is, and what it is also happens to be one of the most important and beloved films ever made. Watch it and enjoy it like half a billion other people did.

Post: #290651
Topic: 2006 DVD OOT
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/290651/action/topic#290651
Time: 18-Jun-2007 1:20 AM

I suppose you are not aware but these were extremely controversial in the home theater community and especially here. The general consensus amongst home theater enthusiasts is that they are possibly the worst mainstream DVD release in the last five years or so, and represent a bold middle finger to the fans who tried so hard to get a DVD release of the original films. A complaint compaign was launched by many home theater enthusiasts but it seems to have made no effect. Around here the release is referred to as the GOUT which stands for "George's Original Unaltered Trilogy" due to the fact that it was sourced from a medium-quality 1993 non-anamorphic laserdisk master. There are a number of benefits to be had from the disk though--surprisingly, it includes the original crawl which is a terrific bonus, and the sheer act of releasing this at all when Lucas said it would happen over his dead body is a great sign, as well as the fact that it exposes many people to the OOT once again. The quality of course is watchable, and of course is a welcome improvement over our well-worn VHS tapes, but for those of us who wanted and feel that a proper modern transfer of the films is necessary this stands as one of the most henious missed opportunity in home video history. But i have to say the whole debacle got me back into the OOT like nothing before.

Post: #290222
Topic: Time to get assertive
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/290222/action/topic#290222
Time: 13-Jun-2007 3:10 PM

The original DVD of Blade Runner was also only slightly better--of course it was a laserdisk port too AFAIK....and was also released on DVD in 1997...

I'm sure a few of the early 1997 DVD's come close to GOUT quality, since DVD was in its infancy and since it was common to simply port over Laserdisk masters in those days.

Post: #289512
Topic: The Secret History of Star Wars
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/289512/action/topic#289512
Time: 7-Jun-2007 6:22 PM

Originally posted by: rolla
Zombie84- I've finished the body of this book, and am just starting the 2nd appendix, and all I can say is WOW.
Like others have stated, there was a lot I knew or suspected about the history, but to see it presented so thoroughly was extremely impressive.
I gotta say, though, that it's disappointing to learn the truth about the "Journal of the Whills". I remember when I first read the Annotated screenplays years ago (I was a very casual fan then), and was heavily intrigued by this journal I had never heard of. Now, years later, I learn that it was really nothing. Damn. Although, it is pretty cool that Lucas managed to find a way to include it in some capacity ("Will of the Force").
Oh, and at the end, when you mentioned the shouting of "Son of the Suns" during the Coruscant celebration scene at the end of ROTJ, well, I immediately popped in my dvd and sure enough, you can hear it! That was pretty cool.

Anyway, thanks for busting your ass to write that awesome book, Zombie84. Absolutely terrific job!

That's actually turned out to be a myth--I guess you downloaded an older version of the book. Starwars.com went back to the master sound tapes from Skywalker Ranch and shows that they are just speaking random huttese type stuff--but it really does sound like "son of suns" when mixed in there.

Post: #289298
Topic: Time to get assertive
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/289298/action/topic#289298
Time: 6-Jun-2007 8:19 AM

I would not call the situation hopeless. The OOT, or at least Star Wars, will be released at some point in better quality--simply because the world will not let it. The world won't forget it and it will keep lobbying to get it--just like if the original version of King Kong was unavailable. And, as was pointed out, it would be a fantastic business move as buying power. I think as more time goes on Lucasfilm decison-makers will be realising that more and more people will buy and want to buy the OOT than they thought, or that Lucas tells them he thinks, and will be realising more and more that not releasing it will be shooting themselves in the foot from the standpoint of PR, business and reputation. The only question right now is how long will it take for this to happen and how good will the quality be; some people could swallow purchasing a Laserdisk master in 2006, but by the 2010's standard-def--and sub-par standard-def for that matter--will no longer be the common format, and so an HD-version of it would be needed to sell, which would necessitate some kind of newer telecine.

Post: #289226
Topic: Article in the LA times about movie theaters
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/289226/action/topic#289226
Time: 5-Jun-2007 4:45 PM

The rudeness of theater patrons really depends on where you live, what specific theater you go to, what movie you see and also what time. If you live in the suburbs and hit the multiplex at 9 PM to see the latest summer blockbuster of course it will be overrun with rude, blabbering, cell-phone using, obnoxious teens. More mainstream films in more mainstream theater locations during peak hours (ie 7-10 PM on weekends) produce the biggest percentage of obnoxious patrons because during this time a lot of people there aren't there just to see the movie but to be part of a social engagement, so you often have larger groups of people that are at the theater after dinner but before they hit the club or whatever so their attention is more on the social aspect of being there rather than actually enjoying the film, hence you get stuff like cellphone ringing, saying stuff at the screen, and group chatter when more than four minutes goes by without an explosion or car chase.

I personally don't see a lot of the blockbuster type films anymore so I don't really have to deal with this stuff. I've found that most audiences even in such a hugely populated area such as downtown Toronto are pretty decent even at the city's biggest theaters; its more about the type of film itself--I'm sure the experience of watching Fast and Furious 3 in a theater would be more painful than the actual film because it attracts a lot of people more prone to be jackasses. There's also the fact that rudeness varies on a regional basis--usually in areas less metropolitan in my experience, but again, my theory is that its entirely dependent on the type of film myself; if you were to see a foreign film in a Florida suburb (just hypothetically) chances are that the one or two people in the theater would be there to enjoy the film and would be respectful of the enjoyment of anyone else in the theater, whereas if you were to see Spiderman 3 in the same theater chances are it would be packed with a lot of people that would make for an irritating viewing experience.
I'm not sure why, but just based on reports and observation, this whole thing as a significant problem seems to be more prevalent around the southern US states; movies have always had annoying patrons, and certainly it seems to have sharply increased since the late 90's, but I always hear of the worst problems from the south US for some reason; maybe films just aren't treated as seriously there? I've noticed that rude patronage sometimes corresponds to a lack of respect for whats onscreen.

Post: #288914
Topic: So, um... no new DVD's announced this year?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/288914/action/topic#288914
Time: 3-Jun-2007 12:39 PM

Originally posted by: CO
Zombie, I do agree with ya that HD-DVD technology will get better through the years, but you have to admit the OT SE movies are probably one of the greatest transfers on the market for Standards DVD's. I know the lightsabers are f'd up, and the ANH score is backwards in some places, but overall the movies look really awesome on a widescreen HDTV, and if Lucas were able to duplicate this with the OOT movies, I would be very content with these, and sure I would buy them when a SW HD-DVD hit the market, but I wouldn't be as impatient as I am now cause all we really have is laserdisk transfers.

True--but in 1995 we would have been saying the same thing about the VHS release of the OOT. It looked good, and "we were happy to it." Then we discovered how much better the film could look on DVD and suddenly that VHS looked like shit. After viewing some HD caps of ANH and then comparing them to the DVD caps from the 2004 SE, the same thing happens--the 2004 SE, one of the best examples of the DVD format, suddenly looks soft and undetailed. Seriously. It'll happen with us again, eventually, once HD becomes a standard. But of course, like when we watch VHS today, after about five minutes your eye and mind adjusts and you get wrapped up in the story.

Post: #288892
Topic: So, um... no new DVD's announced this year?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/288892/action/topic#288892
Time: 3-Jun-2007 3:17 AM

Originally posted by: CO

Originally posted by: Guy Caballero
I have a question. If the current versions of the movies WERE released on BluRay or HDDVD, how much better would they look than the current hidef showings on HBO? Like on a scale from 1 to 10?

I think the BlueRay/HDDVD would be slightly better just because I know that HBO compresses their signals sometimes, so you don't get the maximum resolution as watching it on a disk where the movie is the only thing.

As for HD-DVD/BlueRay compared to DVD, it is better, but it not a huge jump like DVD was to VCR & Laserdisk where it was so obvious about the quality. I for one can wait til the HDDVD/BlueRay fight it out for one format, cause I am very happy with my Anamorphic DVD's now.

I think HD-DVD/BlueRay will be a niche format in the coming years, sort of like Laserdisk was, for mostly movie-buffs with the epuipment that can produce great quality. I just don't see the average consumer who has a DVD player now rush out and buy an HD-DVD Player and then re-buy all their movies. When DVD came out, most people didn't mind replacing all their VHS tapes cause DVD's are much better quality, you don't have to Rewind them when your done, and they will last longer.

I think this is why I get so frustrated that Lucas didn't remaster the OOT, I would be content with an anamorphic DVD set forever, cause as I said, HD is better, but not so much better where it is like night and day.

Being that HD is still in its infancy, most examples aren't impressive. Anyone remember DVD back in 1997? It was impressive but not like it got to be around 1999. Once you've seen a good HD demo trust me--its every bit the leap that DVD was from VHS. After watching a movie in high quality HD you go and look at the DVD version and it looks all fuzzy and undetailed--just like how VHS, fine for everyone for dozens of years, suddenly looked like shit once we got used to DVD. It'll remain a niche format for the next four or five years but after that HD will become the new standard (or semi-standard--like how only 50% or so of people had a VHS player in 1990) and Blu-Ray or the post-Blu-Ray format will exist alongside DVD, the way VHS existed alongside DVD, for a few years before SD fades away as a standard format--probably around 2015 or so

Post: #288805
Topic: New Clone Wars Trailer!
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/288805/action/topic#288805
Time: 1-Jun-2007 10:04 PM

I see lots of flashy visuals and action scenes but not a hint of characters or story--if these things follow suit then the show could be quite good. I really liked the animated Clone Wars series from 2004, though they will have to have less action and more character if they wish to sustain a full-length TV series and not webisode-length minis. Its kind of interesting in that this new series is a 3D follow up in the same style and with the same villains first introduced there (Grevious and that Sith chick). I'm more concerned about how they will hadle the protagonist however (is it even Anakin?) but we'll have to see how it goes since this trailer is so brief and lacking.

Post: #287506
Topic: Making of Star Wars (New Book) Discussion
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/287506/action/topic#287506
Time: 22-May-2007 8:15 AM

Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
bought the paperback edition of the book and it is awesome. in fact its brilliant.

what is exclusive to the hardback? amazon.com does not say.

if there anything special enough to warrant me saving aside money to buy the hardback?

i got the paperback version for dirt cheap on ebay.

The complete storyboard collection for the early drafts--so you get the most complete re-creation of the discarded storylines which is very interesting (notable ones include how Kenobi survives his duel with Vader and Vader ripping the arm off a rebel officer on the blockade runner) as well as a really interesting story conference transcription where Lucas fleshes out the backstory for all the characters in early 1977. If you already have the paperback i wouldn't re-buy it, but at 50 pages its a pretty substantive bonus, even if its mostly pictures.

Post: #285556
Topic: Anyone else nostalgic to the PT?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/285556/action/topic#285556
Time: 5-May-2007 4:25 PM

Originally posted by: CO

Originally posted by: zombie84

Well thats hardly an legitimate argument against it. By that logic, most of the OT should be discarded because Lucas completely took scenes and imagery from other films--in fact the shot of Luke viewing the burning homestead, is, as i mentioned, taken from John Ford's The Searchers. Personally i found the schmi death to be a typical moment of the PT--a highly charged emotional scene that had the power to be poignant and touching, but was madly mishandled and only achieves a fraction of its power. Pernilla August was dreadful, the editing was sloppy and there is that cheesy moment that just instantly pulls you out of the film--she is having a poetic death scene but then she slumps her back dead, instantly. Its like a high school play. It's moments like that that just make even the best of the PT have some kind of ackward mar on it that any other director would been aware enough to avoid.

I agree that Lucas took many things from his directors he loved as a kid, but the Anakin at Shmi thing is more of a plot point rather then a visual that was lifted from a previous movie.

This scene where Anakin talks to his mom at the grave is the key to the whole PT, this is the changing of Anakin, and eventually is the reason he turns to the darkside, and the exact scene and plot point is from Superman:The Movie, except Anakin couldn't turn back time by flying around the earth.

The key death scene in the OT is when Obiwan falls to Vader with Luke looking on, and Luke is never the same after that, and as far as I know that wasn't lifted from any movie, cause I can't remember any movie using the force ghost issue before SW.

By the same token Luke rushing back to the farm only to discover it burnt to the ground and his family massacred is probably the most memorable scene from The Searchers. The Cantina brawl is from Yojimbo, many other plot points from Hidden Fortress, and 1/4 of ESB is taken from Dersu Uzala, including the characters of Yoda and the scene where Han has to save Luke in the snowstorm. Star Wars is an amalgum of sources, some of the specific, some of the vague, some of the just images and shots and some of them whole scenes and characters. I don't think its fair to write off a scene because it was taken from somewhere else. If it works, it works. And Superman wasn't the only one to have a scene such as that--its an archetypal scene relating to the powerless people have over inevitable death.

Post: #285530
Topic: Making of Star Wars (New Book) Discussion
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/285530/action/topic#285530
Time: 5-May-2007 2:06 PM

skyjedi2005: Don't worry, thats actually the only explicit revisionist reference in the entire book other than one other reference to Vader. But this is by far the best thing relating to Star Wars to ever be released--and i mean that. Its a wonderful, candid book.

Post: #285483
Topic: Making of Star Wars (New Book) Discussion
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/285483/action/topic#285483
Time: 5-May-2007 12:48 AM

Originally posted by: caligulathegodSecond biggest was the mention of Luke and the Princess being twins at one point in the development.

I am absolutely positive that that is a comment made in 2006. The Lost Interviews from 1975-1978 werent the only source Rinzler used--he quotes a few other interviews from later dates and interviewed Lucas three times in 2006--i am pretty certain that the "twins" quote came from this because its contradicted by so many other evidence.

Post: #285481
Topic: Anyone else nostalgic to the PT?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/285481/action/topic#285481
Time: 5-May-2007 12:45 AM

Originally posted by: CO

Originally posted by: sunday256
And the death of Shmi in AOTC. Some of you may think otherwise about the latter, but I was severely touched and shocked at that moment in the theater. It was handled very well I thought. So no, I don't believe they're necessarily watered down.
.

I am never one to argue with a persons taste, but that scene is stolen from Superman:The Movie. Remember when the Smallville Part of the movie where Clark Kent is in high school and his father dies in front of him of a heart attack, and then he is with his mother in front of his grave and says, "With all these great powers, I still couldn't save you." Watch that part again from the 1978 movie, it is almost exactly alike.

Well thats hardly an legitimate argument against it. By that logic, most of the OT should be discarded because Lucas completely took scenes and imagery from other films--in fact the shot of Luke viewing the burning homestead, is, as i mentioned, taken from John Ford's The Searchers. Personally i found the schmi death to be a typical moment of the PT--a highly charged emotional scene that had the power to be poignant and touching, but was madly mishandled and only achieves a fraction of its power. Pernilla August was dreadful, the editing was sloppy and there is that cheesy moment that just instantly pulls you out of the film--she is having a poetic death scene but then she slumps her back dead, instantly. Its like a high school play. It's moments like that that just make even the best of the PT have some kind of ackward mar on it that any other director would been aware enough to avoid.

Post: #285420
Topic: Anyone else nostalgic to the PT?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/285420/action/topic#285420
Time: 4-May-2007 1:13 PM

Originally posted by: sunday256
I agree that he's not totally isolating the movie to just a child's demographic. It's not like it's an ABC-Seasame Street kind of movie. There are adult situations, but it's done in a way that a child can enjoy it. And I think you hit the mark when you say 12 year old. That's an age that's older than a toddler but young enough to still be considered a child and not a teenager. Granted, there's merit in calling a teen a child also.

I'll agree to some extent that ROTJ and TPM are a bit soft and gooey when it comes to pandering, for the simple reason that Jar Jar and Ewoks have this way of grating an adults nerves, but I don't find that with AOTC or ROTS. Now, there may be some really pathetic dialogue in both of those movies, but that's no different than any of the other movies...even the actors will agree.

As far as pandering goes though, to me the PT in general, even AOTC and to a lesser extent ROTS, still panders to kids--not because it has fart jokes and stuff like that but because it is made in a form that only kids can really appreciate. They are extremely fast-paced films without much nuance or emotional subtext--everything is rush, rush, rush, without stopping to really absorb the characters or hint at some kind of interior motivation, and the dwelling on the whole "serial" thing overpowers the films oftens; ANH referenced the serials, but it wasn't actually made as one, unlike AOTC for example. ANH was quickly paced but you at least had that nuance--i mean you look at Obi Wan's death or Luke discovering the burning homestead, it is presented very simply and brushed away quite quickly, but there is still that little thing there in the performance and we are at least stopped for a moment to dwell upon it. Its that type of thing that makes adults appreciate the films, but theres no reason why kids can't either--and they do, which is why these type of films are always more loved, and its for these same reasons that kids instinctively gravitated towards LOTR as a series of true power as that series went on--i remember seeing 12 year old crying during ROTK because they were touched by it. I think Lucas tried to do a bit of this emotional subtext in AOTC with Anakin crying about killing the Tusken Raiders and wanting to turn the ship around to save Padme but it didn't really come off the same. With ROTS i felt that he finally found some of that emotional subtext however, and theres a reason why this is the only film that is even tolerated by audiences--characters have motivation finally, there is an emotional throughline, and you can see in the performances that for once there is actually more going on that the dialog is saying. It's still rushed through however and not given enough breathing time--and of course Lucas let the whole "the films are serials" get the better of him. I mean Darth Vader saying "noooo"? Imagine if Luke discovers the burning homestead, John Williams music is swelling, the audience is being moved, we get the wonderful John Ford wideshot with the smoke billowing out....and then Luke drops to his knees and screams "NOOOooooo" before the scene irises out. Yeah. Thats the key difference between Star Wars and the PT. Analyse it for whatever factors you may find let to this type of stylistic difference but whatever they are, one of the films is touching and sweeping and the other is plagued with cheese and awkwardness that prevents it from truely being successful.

Post: #285416
Topic: Making of Star Wars (New Book) Discussion
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/285416/action/topic#285416
Time: 4-May-2007 1:04 PM

Well midi-chlorians go back to the third draft of Star Wars really. In that one Obi Wan says that people are born with lots of the Force stored within them, but then laments that he might not be up to the challenge of rescuing the princess because he is old and has little of the Force left in him. Lucas cut this part out for the final draft, but with ROTJ he brought back the whole physical connection, stating that Luke is strong with the Force because he is Anakin's son, and Leia strong because she is his daughter--in other words genetics, biology. I think ROTJ brushed off this whole "sister" plot point so quickly that most people weren't even aware of the transformation that Force underwent with that plot point.

Post: #285370
Topic: Info Wanted: 'George Lucas - Creating an Empire' - anyone done a preservation?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/285370/action/topic#285370
Time: 4-May-2007 3:32 AM

A&E sells their biography episodes on DVD and I'm pretty sure this is available--its quite good and contains such rarities as an interview with John Plummer. I'm more interested in the hour-long "Conversations from the Edge" with Carrie Fisher from the Oxygen network--never heard of that network or this special but i'm interested in hearing what was said.

Post: #285348
Topic: Anyone else nostalgic to the PT?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/285348/action/topic#285348
Time: 3-May-2007 10:59 PM

Originally posted by: sunday256
You're entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. George has always marketed his Star Wars franchise primarily to children. If you can't see that by now, you never will.

It is true that they are children's films, but they don't pander to them. Lucas said originally that he made the film for twelve year olds, but he also made it for adults, for himself. In the new Making-of book he says "its a kids film but in a way its an adult kids film," and that probably the best way he has ever described it. All the great "kids films", the ones that still entertain us as adults are like that--Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman, Back to the Future, these are all made with kids in mind, older kids but still kids, but they speak to them in an adult manner. Staring with ROTJ, however, he pandered to them, and thats really the main difference. (though with ROTS he thankfully held back on this, though the film has other unrelated flaws).

Post: #284734
Topic: Making of Star Wars (New Book) Discussion
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/284734/action/topic#284734
Time: 29-Apr-2007 3:36 AM

Originally posted by: bigbaddaddyvader
For those of you who may be interested over the next week or so I will be adding some pics of selected pages from my original third draft star wars script to my site.Will be in the Ep IV section.

Is that the one that Gary Kurtz auctioned off a few years ago by any chance? I really wanted to bid on that but the auction closed before i found out.