Classic Star Wars Trilogy Finally on DVD

chinton writes "From starwars.com: 'In response to overwhelming demand, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie, as well as the original theatrical edition of the film. That means you'll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.'"

DVD

[gentimjs]

Didnt george lucas come out years back with some rhetoric about how DVD was tehsux and lucasfilm would only pump out VCDs or some shit like that? .. yeah .. good plan ..

Who shot first?

[booch]

Is it truly the original? Did Han shoot first?

Release to Theatres for Every Generation

[eldavojohn]

You know, there's something undeniably good about Episodes IV, V & VI.

Especially when you see it on the big screen. Unfortunately, I was born in 1982 meaning that I wasn't quite to the point of being able to go see it in theatres when it was released. But the special edition releases changed all that--though the changes George Lucas made did leave me feeling kind of hollow (wtf, Han?).

I would think that the mass turn out to see the special edition movies would be proof enough that releasing the originals to theatres every ten years would be profitable. In fact, I would conjecture that releasing it every ten years would give everyone the chance to see it at an early age and be beneficial to the Star Wars franchise. I know Lucas wouldn't be able to resist changing parts of it but hopefully he'll be preoccupied with destroying the Indiana Jones Trilogy by then.

I did notice that Mr. Lucas isn't cited once in this article and instead we hear from Jim Ward who is perhaps actually interested in what the fans have to say as they are providing his paycheck.

If you were to ask me on any day of the week, "Would you like to go see one of the Star Wars movies on the big screen?" You bet I would. It's immeasurably better than the utter drek [imdb.com] that's in theatres now. Oftentimes my friends propose we go see a movie only to discover that there is nothing but pure crap [imdb.com]. What does Lucasfilm have that so few movies today lack? Timelessness--the ability to surpass the aging of the film and the advances in technology that every movie today uses.

While it's true I'm a fan of Star Wars so my opinion might be biased, I've never found anyone who's outright hated it.

Well, I got original separate movies for my birthday at a young age, the VHS set of this trilogy when I was about 15, I bought the special edition DVDs in wide screen format a couple years ago and now it looks like I'll be purchasing yet another copy of these movies. Boy, Lucasfilm sure has my number.

BASTARDS!

[aborchers]

I should have known they'd eventually cave to milk another buck out of me. I never would have bought the redux trilogy if I'd believed this was coming. Sad thing is, I know I'll buy them...

Can he do that?

[twoshortplanks]

I seem to remember back when they were selling the original films on VHS in the UK shortly before the remastered version came out the advertising said that this was the last chance to buy this version of the film.

Awesome!

[Jeian]

It pissed me off to no end when I got the original trilogy on DVD, and they'd replaced the ghost of the "old" Anakin Skywalker with the ghost of the "young" Anakin Skywalker at the end of RotJ.

Nice to see

[MImeKillEr]

Nice to see that they're relasing the original versions in the same boxes. Now I can show my kids the versions I saw, and not the "digitally enhanced" (read:bastardized) versions where they cut/rearranged scenes.

See http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-w ars-the-changes-part-one.html [dvdactive.com] for a listing of the changes between thr original Star Wars and the 2004 "digitally enhanced" version. No doubt, the DVD release will match those of 2004.

I imagine he's bastardized Empire and Jedi as well.

This was Palpatine's idea

[sg3000]

I, for one, am happy with the remastered, remixed, redone versions. In fact, I think that Lucas should make even more random changes in the next versions. Like changing it so that when Itchy plays Scratchy's rib twice in succession, it makes three different tones!

However, if Lucas wants to put out new DVDs, more power to him. However, you know what's funny? Sure, Lucas is releasing DVDs that have the original uncut versions of the OT on them. But note:

Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie and, as bonus material, the theatrical edition of the film.

If you absolutely have to have the original versions, you have to buy the Special Editions to get them. So if you've already bought the DVD collection, you get to buy it again. So the "OMG!!1! HAN DIDN'T SHOOT FIRST?? I'M SO BUMMED!!" crowd get to buy the version they hate *twice*.

Sure, those consumers will put the other versions up for sale on Ebay as fast as possible. But by the time they sell, the Bluray/HD-DVD version comes out.

The circle is now complete!

Re:Release to Theatres for Every Generation

[the_duke_of_hazzard]

"While it's true I'm a fan of Star Wars so my opinion might be biased, I've never found anyone who's outright hated it. " I hated it. Although I'm 30 I first watched IV in the cinema in the late nineties. I was bored by the barely-existent plot, the generally poor acting. Only Ford and Guinness made it worth watching. I would have walked out otherwise.

Don't get too proud of this technological terror

[mrshowtime]

Lucas is essentially releasing a high grade dvd bootleg of the Uber 1993 Laserdisc release. The picture quality will be 1993 and the sound 2.0 stereo AND you still have to essentially re-buy the crappy 2004 release which comes in the same set. Lucas is such a cock. I know damn well he has perfect, unaltered, un-CGI'ed, versions of Star Wars; he has to have them. But, instead, he is pretending that they were somehow destroyed.

Re:DVD

[Silmeria]

That was laserdisc and he was a big backer of it. Coincidentally, before this decision by Lucasarts to release classic star wars on DVD the best version of that release you could get was on Laserdisc. Owners of the laserdisc version aren't gonna be happy with this news as the resale prices are gonna drop like a stone.

Re:Release to Theatres for Every Generation

[hackstraw]

If you were to ask me on any day of the week, "Would you like to go see one of the Star Wars movies on the big screen?" You bet I would.

Actually, that is what I did in 77, 80, and 83. Which is what I thought

That means you'll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.

meant.

I haven't read the FA yet. But I'm wondering how "original" these are. Personally, I liked all of the remastering and cleanups they did to the special addition ones. I liked the introduction of Jabba in IV. The _only_ thing that disgusted me about the remakes was the Han Solo/Greedo thing. That was BS.

What about Biggs at the beginning?

[Saint Fnordius]

I know that the scenes were filmed, and I seem to remember seeing the scenes with Luke's friends in Anchorhead, where Biggs told him he was joining the rebellion (leaving Luke behind on Tattooine). Sure, it's 29 years ago, and I was only nine years old at the time, but I can still remember later reports saying that it was in the original theater release (and the first victim of George's redacting desires). It was one of those things that Lucas didn't want to do, but added because he was told just having the 'droids would remind people of THX 1138 in a bad way.

I personally liked the scenes. It made it easier for the audience to feel Luke's feeling of being left behind while important things happened Elsewhere, and made Bigg's death in the trench more painful.

Re:All I want to know is

[Anonymous Coward]

My VHS copies are dying

And I can finally get rid of my laser disc player! the OT was the only remaining movie that I haven't replaced on DVD yet.

Then I'll have to start over in HD.

Re:If only

[neuromancer2701]

If you check out IMDB, Lucas just came up with the Story, which he is good at, for V and VI. I think IV is the weakest of the orginal three but it was so revolutionary that people look past the flaws. V and VI were directed and Written(screeplay) by different people that did not happen with I,II,III. Lucas is just terrible at writing dialog. V and VI maybe a little cheese but Han is just so funny. The story and dialog was just all messed up in I,II,III that I think I liked the Matrix Trilogy better, but that is just me. Way to much CGI, Matrix and LotR trilogies did a better job of combining CGI with real sets, How do you interact with something that is not there or when you are just talking to someone in front of Green screen and have no context/environment to act in.

Matrix > III best vs best
Reloaded > II
Revolutions == I worst vs worst
Advantage
Keanu

Han Solo: Hey, Your Worship, I'm only trying to help.
Princess Leia: Would you please stop calling me that?
Han Solo: Sure, Leia.
Princess Leia: Oh, you make it so difficult sometimes.
Han Solo: I do, I really do. You could be a little nicer, though. Come on, admit it. Sometimes you think I'm all right.
Princess Leia: Occasionally maybe... when you aren't acting like a scoundrel.
Han Solo: [laughs] Scoundrel? Scoundrel? I like the sound of that.
[Han takes her hand and starts to massage it]

Re:But I thought....

[m50d]

to me, it doesn't really exist anymore.

He's not saying it actually doesn't exist. He's saying he doesn't give a fuck about it. And you'll notice he's not promoting it. Seems the studio feels different. No contradiction.

Can you REALLY trust your memory?

[Zontar_Thing_From_Ve]

I have no idea whether or not this scene was in the original version of the film, which I did see when it came out. It's been too long for me to remember stuff like that. I can say that the human mind has an amazing ability to remember things that never happened. I worked with 2 guys a few years who both swore they saw on TV an episode of _You Bet Your Life_ with Groucho Marx where supposedly the following conversation took place:

Groucho: Why do you have so many kids? (NOTE: the man is said to have had 9 kids or maybe more, depending on who tells the story.)
Man: I love my wife.
Groucho: Well, I love my cigar, but I take it out every now and then.

I read some of a biography of Groucho and the author looked into this. He said that it NEVER happened on the TV show, but a conversation somewhat similar did happen in the early 1950s on Groucho's radio version of the show, which predated the TV version by some years. Interestingly enough, the incident did NOT happen on broadcast, but happened while the show was on a commercial break. If you look on the Internet, this whole story has been debunked at various sites, yet I had 2 guys who were very vehement that they saw this. I told one of them that there was no evidence anywhere to support his story and lots of evidence that it never happened and he basically said "I still remember seeing it."

One of the guys used to tell stories about a couple of Soupy Sales shows he swears were broadcast nationally in the early 1960's that involved some jokes about 4 letter words. I did some research on the internet and these have been debunked, yet this guy swears he saw these episodes. Frankly, it makes no sense at all that this could even be true in that era of broadcast TV, but this guy was about ready to fight you if you suggested that it didn't really happen. Maybe you're right and it was in the film, but sometimes memory plays tricks on us.

Re:Twenty-nine years of accumulated spoilers

[FurryFeet]

Do what I did. Have a kid and raise him until he's around 8-9 years old. Get the original trilogy in DVD. Sit down on a Sunday afternoon and watch it with him. Relive the moment.

Granted, my boy is only two right now, so my plan won't come to fruition for a few more years. Also, I don't know what to do whith the kid afterwards. Oh, those pesky details.

Re:In response to overwhelming demand ...

[dfung]

Hilarious!

My favorite "pointless thing that you notice" in the original Star Wars was when Obi-wan tells Luke after the jawa vehicle attack "These blast points are too accurate for anyone but Imperial stormtroopers." Those troopers basically didn't hit anything they were aiming at for the next 2 movies/6 years!

I too have the laserdisc versions both of the original commercial release and the remastered edition. Lucase wants our money. How long can it be before the "super-original" version comes out where the scrolling text starts with "Star Wars" instead of "Episode IV:A New Hope"? Now that would be something!

Everyone forgets

[DrugCheese]

the most important thing lost from the original 3.

We'll finally be able to dance to the Yub Nub song at the end of Jedi again

Re:Who shot first?

[Vinnie_333]

If this is the original, Han doesn't shoot "first" since, in the original, Greedo NEVER shot!

That's because Greedo was so coked up at the time. If you look at the original print, Greedo had a white powdery ring around his nose. That's one thing that was digitally changed in the SEs.

X0 edition

[gEvil (beta)]

So, does this mean that those guys can stop the work they've done on the X0 laserdisc rips?

Yoda is the Jedi Measuring Device

[Ahnteis]

Actually, it seems that pretty much ANY jedi can sense another jedi's strength. Why not just have Yoda et al say "hey! This one's teh strong!".

It's a trap!

[binary paladin]

No. He's more machine now than man, twisted and evil.

Seriously, this isn't about good in the least. Let me do some translating here. From TFA:

"Over the years, a truly countless number of fans have told us that they would love to see and own the original version that they remember experiencing in theaters," said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd. "We returned to the Lucasfilm Archives to search exhaustively for source material that could be presented on DVD. This is something that we're very excited to be able to give to fans in response to their continuing enthusiasm for Star Wars."

Like all PR machines, there's a certain amount of fudging that goes on, let me translate:

"Over the years, a throng of vicious purists have told us that the so called 'improvements' suck balls. What they want to see is the original before we did more damage than repair. There was also a large number of nerds stationed outside George's house chanting, 'Han Shot First.'" said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd. "Pretty much, all we have to do is take the last VHS release before the special editions and prime it for DVD release. However, don't make the mistake that we're being altruistic to our fans in any way. The fact is, many of these weak willed nerds broke down and bought the first DVD release and now that their failure is complete, we can sock it to them with yet another release. George loves cash, what can we say? We double charge the weak and now even milk the cash out of the purists that were holding out."

Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

Re:Yoda is the Jedi Measuring Device

[ultranova]

Actually, it seems that pretty much ANY jedi can sense another jedi's strength. Why not just have Yoda et al say "hey! This one's teh strong!".

Two reasons.

First, it becomes impossible to show that Anakin's strongest ever. Sure, Yoda might say that Anakin's the strongest for 900 years, but beyond that, you need some sort of numerical indicator.

And second, Lucas got the retroactive continuity syndrome. It seems to hit to every successfull author who returns to his old stories sooner or later. You start wondering if you couldn't refine some point a little, and before you know it, Takhisis has turned from the Dark Queen to a pathetic punch of neurosis who gets killed by an equally pathetic lovesick elf, the Valheru have stopped being the supreme threat from the past and become little more than puppets on a string, and oh yes, the Force has become something that a rodent (ysalamiri) can nullify and a cell organ (midichlorian) can influence.

That's the most difficult part of writing stories and peeling onions: you have to know when to stop.