Original Star Wars Coming To DVD

[joe_collector]

He already did. He replaced guns with walkie-talikes on ET

 

I know, but that was a studio call, and nothing close to the hack-job Lucas pulled (and continues to pull) with the original Star Wars trilogy.

 

I mean, the guy only directed the original, had his story written by others for the screenplays, and was really only an above-average film maker in his prime.

 

As of 2004, he's a joke, and this is hardly the character I'd like to see mucking with the work of his younger, far more talented self.

[Rip]

I half agree. I liked some of the changes hated others. I'm mixed on the new movies as well. If they every decide to do 3 more he should stay out of it, let somebody like Ridley Scott, Peter Jackson, or David Fincher work on it. (1500 posts of )

[joe_collector]

I half agree. I liked some of the changes hated others.

 

I liked where some of the original images were cleaned up, or glaring FX errors were smoothed over, but everyone of the STORY CHANGES shows that Lucas has gone senile.

 

Greedo shooting first, horrible, laughable CGI Jabba deleted/restored scene, "show the snow monster a few times, thus deleting 100% of the scene's suspense", etc., etc.

 

Lucas hasn't got a story-telling bone left in his body, and these SE editions and the newer flicks, really show how far he's slid. Its sad, and some days I feel sorry for the poor guy. Sure he's got tons of money, but from his recent work, interviews and public appearances, he's obviously got some serious issues upstairs.

 

Money is nothing without good mental health.

[Rip]

Hated the Jabba scenes and the Greedo shoots first. The guy they hired to do those effects sucked. I also hated the luke yell in Empire as he was falling and the badly dubbed Vader after the fight. Loved the Star Wars dogfight. Plus some of my favorite missing scenes were never put back in.

[Ares]

There's been lots of rumored changes. I've heard that there's going to be another version, possibly after all the movies come out. Nobody really knows what thats going to be. That off course would make three versions of every movie.

I heard they gonna sneek Amidala into a few scenes in first movie

 

 

Hated the Jabba scenes and the Greedo shoots first. The guy they hired to do those effects sucked. I also hated the luke yell in Empire as he was falling and the badly dubbed Vader after the fight. Loved the Star Wars dogfight. Plus some of my favorite missing scenes were never put back in.

 

There was a scene with wedge antilies filmed that never made it into the special edition so they may make an ultra special edition

[murph0]

I won't even comment on how terribly they've ruined Star Wars for me between the rerelease/remakes and the new episodes. At this point all I can say is how did Lucas ever come up with such a great original idea? Because all his ideas after that sucked..

 

Brian

[fantastic_four]

I won't even comment on how terribly they've ruined Star Wars for me between the rerelease/remakes and the new episodes. At this point all I can say is how did Lucas ever come up with such a great original idea? Because all his ideas after that sucked..

 

He's a much better producer and idea man than he is a director. I was a little disappointed that he chose to direct Episodes I, II, and III after he took a back seat and let other people direct Episodes V and VI, although I think he did a fantastic job with Episode II. Since most people like "Empire Strikes Back" best, I wonder if he ever gave Irvin Kershner a chance to direct another Star Wars?

 

Here's how I rate the films:

 

1. [*]Episode V, "The Empire Strikes Back" (directed by Irvin Kershner)[*]Episode IV, "Star Wars" (directed by Lucas)[*]Episode II, "Attack of the Clones" (directed by Lucas)[*]Episode VI, "Return of the Jedi" (directed by Richard Marquand)[*]Episode I, "The Phantom Menace" (directed by Lucas)

I still can't forgive Lucas for killing off Darth Maul after so little screen time...Ray Park's performance was the main reason Episode I is worth watching at all.

[murph0]

I used to be a huge Star Wars fan. Still have a full collection of all the figures. A shame it's been tainted and no longer fun for me ;(

 

I'd rank the movies

Empire Strikes Back

Return of the Jedi

Star Wars

Attack of the Clones

and in a distant 5th, Phantom Menace.

 

AotC was at least interesting and featured more creature development. I enjoyed the references to other planets and points in time. Phantom Menace was pure [!@#%^&^]. I can't think of anything that was good about it, other then when the credits rolled.

 

Brian

[FFB]

Other than the annoying kid and Jar Jar Binks, I liked Episode I. Ray Park made the movie for me.

 

Episode II, on the other hand, is almost unwatchable. Poor acting and kind of a lame story. Only Yoda's light saber fight made it worthwhile.

 

I used to be a huge Star Wars fan. Still have a full collection of all the figures. A shame it's been tainted and no longer fun for me ;(

 

I'd rank the movies

Empire Strikes Back

Return of the Jedi

Star Wars

Attack of the Clones

and in a distant 5th, Phantom Menace.

 

AotC was at least interesting and featured more creature development. I enjoyed the references to other planets and points in time. Phantom Menace was pure [!@#%^&^]. I can't think of anything that was good about it, other then when the credits rolled.

 

Brian

[murph0]

If a character that has 10 min of face time, made the movie for you.. what does that say about the movie as a whole? Absolute [!@#%^&^].

 

Brian

[UnrulyAppendage]

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/38/clones1.htm

 

Above link is very good reading. It's a review of AOTC written from an arthouse perspective.

 

I guess I have a different take on things. I think the big difference between the originals and the prequels is Lucas's visual creativity is not hindered as they were in the originals. Just about everything that was in the special editions was on the drawing board the first time, but he did not have the FX to accomplish it. The opening Hoth scene in Empire is a good example. The story is better without showing the creature, but the scene is visually better.

 

Lucas goal with the movies has always been visual storytelling. Because of that, subttle nuances like not showing the Hoth monster are lost. Lucas tells his storys with visual cues that uses everything to FX to the colors on the screen. Lucas' style is more like a painter than a writer. The prequels would no doubt benefit from someone who could take Lucas's material and edit, shop, or change directions. However, this is his baby. I long ago severed any emotional attachment to the Star Wars movies as something belonging to me or judging the movies based on what I would do. I have resolved to the fact that Lucas is gong to make these movies the way he wants to. I would think most of the writers and directors would like to have the power to make the movie they want.

 

By the way, the above link I think illustrates why Lucas has Greedo shooting first. The aggressor usually loses in Lucas fights and he wanted Han to be a "good guy".

So, he has Greedo shoot first. I understand the reasoning, but I still like having Han shoot first. You can make the case that Greedo was being the aggresor by confronting Han.

[joe_collector]

Just about everything that was in the special editions was on the drawing board the first time, but he did not have the FX to accomplish it.

 

You're kidding right? I mean this is 'spoonfed Lucas fanboy talk" at its best.

 

Just to bring out one small example, Jabba was intended to be a human gangster in the original movie. That's the way it was written, that's the way it was filmed and there was no "giant slug" anywhere in the original synopsis or screenplay.

 

It's the same way with the other "story changes", which are not based on FX, but are integral parts of the story. If Lucas wanted to make Han a "good guy" (rather than a smuggler who grew into a good guy) then he could easily have had Greedo shoot first.... but he didn't. How was his "vision of having Greedo shoot first" hampered by FX? Tons of laser fights in all three of the original movies...

 

Lucas is slowly losing pieces of his mind, and changes the original films to fit his ever-changing "vision of the movies, now that my mind is fraying". In a few years, he'll likely want to change them again, to fit his new warped outlook, and then a few years later... and so on and so on...

 

If Lucas was a painter, he'd have one canvas caked thick with 3 feet of dried oil paint. And if you scraped away the current image of the Grinning Troll, you'd find the Mona Lisa at the bottom.

[UnrulyAppendage]

10,000 dollars for the prototype boba fett figure

59.99 for the Star Wars DVD set

10.00 For a ticket to Episode III

Being called a "spoonfed Lucas fanboy" by a horder of Byrne X-Men comics

 

Priceless

 

Jabba was filmed with a human actor who was going to be supper imposed with a stop motion animated creature. The scene did not make it in because they did not have a good design on Jabba, the technology was not there to make it look good, and the scene did not advance the stroy at the time. When they had the final design of Jabba in Jedi, who was not a human gangster but a slimy thug, Lucas wanted to incoporate it back into Star Wars as the Jabba storyline became more important after Jedi. The scene still looks terrible because Jabba looks like he had been on the Adkins diet.

 

Granted, the scene with Han was not due to FX but story change, it goes with his philisophy that is throughout the movies: the aggressor loses. I am with you in that it looks dumb. I like the scene as it was.

 

If being fanboy viewer means that I don't buy into the jilted mama's boy mentality of wanting to be stuck in the late 70's, early 80's by ripping Lucas a new one because he didn't make me cream in my pants with the new movies, then I am a fanboy.

[drice6900]

Jabba was filmed with a human actor who was going to be supper imposed with a stop motion animated creature.

 

Hmmm... is this what they call a Fruedian slip?

[joe_collector]

Jabba was filmed with a human actor who was going to be supper imposed with a stop motion animated creature.

 

Could you please consult the original screenplay and tell me where the Jabba as a Giant Slug scene is?

 

I heard the same "explanation" on one of those Star Wars PR docu-dramas, but it was pure BS.

 

If being fanboy viewer means that I don't buy into the jilted mama's boy mentality of wanting to be stuck in the late 70's, early 80's by ripping Lucas a new one because he didn't make me cream in my pants with the new movies, then I am a fanboy.

 

Nope, a Star Wars FANBOY is someone who always, no matter what, in the face of all other logic, agrees 110% with everything Lucas does, and insults those who don't accept the "New Religion".

 

A movie fan is someone who simply wants to see the original theatrical releases that set BO records, enthralled the world, and made Lucas billions.

 

Just for fun, compare the Box Office of the original theatrical versions compared to those crappy Special Edition releases....

[fantastic_four]

Could you please consult the original screenplay and tell me where the Jabba as a Giant Slug scene is?

 

Does it specifically say in the screenplay the Hut are humanoids? If so, why did they make them slugs in Jedi, and why did they yank the scene from Star Wars?

[Rip]

Its true I have the scene on the making of Star Wars video tape in the 80's way before the Special Edition. Thats exacty what they say. Also it IS in the screenplay! Also it has the scene in the orignal comic no2. The "slug design" of Jabba was fleshed out in Jedi. But it was always to be a big monster type creature.

[UnrulyAppendage]

Nope, a Star Wars FANBOY is someone who always, no matter what, in the face of all other logic, agrees 110% with everything Lucas does, and insults those who don't accept the "New Religion".

 

A movie fan is someone who simply wants to see the original theatrical releases that set BO records, enthralled the world, and made Lucas billions.

 

 

 

Please tell me where I have agreed 110% with everything Lucas does. I have agreed with some of your criticisms. The Hoth creature scene is better as it was, and Greedo shooting first is wrong.

 

You were the one that brought in the fanboy insults. I stated some opinions that differed from you and you started the whole predictable "you are a Lucas fanboy routine" because I don't agree with you 110% of the time. I want to see the original cuts as well. Clean them up, and put them on DVD with the special editions.

 

However, I am not going to lose any sleep over it and complain like jilted girlfriend that Lucas isn't playing nice and won't release them. I hope I never get to the point in my life that Lucas not wanting to release the original movies is a major concern.

 

Just for fun, compare the Box Office of the original theatrical versions compared to those crappy Special Edition releases....

 

Comparing the BO returns between the originals and the special editions is not a valid comparison. What is suprising is the Star Wars movie that made the most money, over 100 mill, was ANH that had the most changes. The movie was twenty years old and it was still one of the top grossers of 1997.

 

 

 

 

 

[drice6900]

Ahh, Star Wars geeks...

[comicwiz]

Could you please consult the original screenplay and tell me where the Jabba as a Giant Slug scene is?

 

One thing I always wanted to know about the first Star Wars movie is who actually financed the film? Was it Lucas himself via a bank loan?

 

I'm not saying specifically in this case, but a lot of times producers and executive producers decide what hits the screen. All to often, we find out that it was because some pencil-pusher said it would cost to much in the way of character development, or in special effects budgeting, that an idea gets abandoned. Then perhaps its plausible that when Directors like Lucas, who have made it on their own steam, decide to take creative liberties in revising certain scenes from the original movie, they do so in an attempt to regain a sense of control that might have been missing the first time around, and that once heralded scene which Lucas might have felt was "appropriate", was somehow deemed unecessary by the powers that be at the time of the original filming.