Special Editions: Yea Or Nay?

They can re-release them as many times as they want. That'd be fine. I'd probably buy them and it would be interesting to see...

But for the love of of god. Just release a high quality version of the original films. This shouldn't be an issue of angry fans being picky. This is a major part of cinema history that needs to be preserved in its original form. It's that simple.

Here ya go.


"My name is George Lucas. I am a writer, director, and producer of motion pictures and Chairman of the Board of Lucasfilm Ltd., a multi-faceted entertainment corporation.

I am not here today as a writer-director, or as a producer, or as the chairman of a corporation. I’ve come as a citizen of what I believe to be a great society that is in need of a moral anchor to help define and protect its intellectual and cultural heritage. It is not being protected.

The destruction of our film heritage, which is the focus of concern today, is only the tip of the iceberg. American law does not protect our painters, sculptors, recording artists, authors, or filmmakers from having their lifework distorted, and their reputation ruined. If something is not done now to clearly state the moral rights of artists, current and future technologies will alter, mutilate, and destroy for future generations the subtle human truths and highest human feeling that talented individuals within our society have created.

A copyright is held in trust by its owner until it ultimately reverts to public domain. American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history.

People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society. The preservation of our cultural heritage may not seem to be as politically sensitive an issue as “when life begins” or “when it should be appropriately terminated,” but it is important because it goes to the heart of what sets mankind apart. Creative expression is at the core of our humanness. Art is a distinctly human endeavor. We must have respect for it if we are to have any respect for the human race.

These current defacements are just the beginning. Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder. Tomorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with “fresher faces,” or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actor’s lips to match. It will soon be possible to create a new “original” negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires. The copyright holders, so far, have not been completely diligent in preserving the original negatives of films they control. In order to reconstruct old negatives, many archivists have had to go to Eastern bloc countries where American films have been better preserved.

In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be “replaced” by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten.

There is nothing to stop American films, records, books, and paintings from being sold to a foreign entity or egotistical gangsters and having them change our cultural heritage to suit their personal taste.

I accuse the companies and groups, who say that American law is sufficient, of misleading the Congress and the People for their own economic self-interest.

I accuse the corporations, who oppose the moral rights of the artist, of being dishonest and insensitive to American cultural heritage and of being interested only in their quarterly bottom line, and not in the long-term interest of the Nation.

The public’s interest is ultimately dominant over all other interests. And the proof of that is that even a copyright law only permits the creators and their estate a limited amount of time to enjoy the economic fruits of that work.

There are those who say American law is sufficient. That’s an outrage! It’s not sufficient! If it were sufficient, why would I be here? Why would John Houston have been so studiously ignored when he protested the colorization of “The Maltese Falcon?” Why are films cut up and butchered?

Attention should be paid to this question of our soul, and not simply to accounting procedures. Attention should be paid to the interest of those who are yet unborn, who should be able to see this generation as it saw itself, and the past generation as it saw itself.

I hope you have the courage to lead America in acknowledging the importance of American art to the human race, and accord the proper protection for the creators of that art–as it is accorded them in much of the rest of the world communities."

- George Lucas to Congress 3/3/88

(Long post, I know. Sorry.)

 

Nah, I think the original Lapti Nek was waaaay better. I think the new song confuses the whole slave vs. Jabba situation to where it's not obvious what is going on. Which may be intentional, given the implications. Still, I like the original where Oola dances, Oola tests Jabba's patience, falls into contempt, and Jabba promptly terminates their (rather dysfunctional) relationship. More cut and dry. Less CGI animals blaring in your face every three seconds.

 

I like Vader's no in ROTJ. Was it fine without it? Sure, but yeah

 

I was 4 when they were first released so I pretty much grew up with them...I don't see any problems with them besides any sort of story changes that happened...which they didn't .

 

For the most part I like the Special Editions, but I totally understand why it would seem jarring for people who have grown accustomed to a single version. And I mean more than just the original version, as someone who has seen the 97 Special Editions more than the originals I'll admit that when the blu-ray came out it was strange seeing more changes. I don't hate them or anything, it's just something that distracts me sometimes. But over the last few years I've gotten used to them.

However, I would absolutely like them to release the original versions on blu-ray, and for a couple of reasons. For one, these films are iconic in a film making sense, and secondly it would put an end to the endless whining from a minority of fans who are obsessed with this one issue.

 

It would be great if George Lucas and Disney/ Lucasfilm just sat down with a fan-committee/ complaint list of differing beliefs, and gave us a "final special edition" that addresses, and improves upon previous faults/ CGI in the special editions. Of course, this is super wishful thinking!

 

I approve of the changes on a case-by-case basis. Some examples:

Adding lightsaber glow to Vader and Obi Wan's non-glowing sabers - YES.
Adding cartoony robot banter on the streets of Mos Eisley - NO.
Cleaning up blurry vaseline globs under landspeeder - YES.
Nonsensically replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christiansen - NO.
Replacing awkward cardboard cutouts of Rebels at the medal ceremony with real extras - YES.
Jedi Rocks sequence - HELL, NO.

 

There is only one change in the Special Editions that I did not like. It happened in "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK". Otherwise, I had no problems with them and prefer to watch them, instead of the original versions of the 1977-83 films.

 

My best part of the SE is the Basic alphabets. Since I have thought usage of English in "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" is pretty bizarre, I love that.

My worst part of the SE is over 40 years old Anakin is still Hayden.

 

If that's really what Lucas wanted...In 1983 he could have easily hired a young actor that kinda resembles Luke (or what Luke's father might've looked like younger) and have him stand there instead of Sebastian Shaw...But he didn't. He went with an older actor, on purpose. Because, father.

To me, Luke's father should look older than Luke himself. Shaw is the only way Luke ever knew Anakin.

...needless to say, I don't like that change very much

 

The thing is however, this is a fictional movie and as such the character's real life ages have nothing to do with and do not need to correspond with their character's ages that they portray. That's no different then thinking it's inconstant that their names in real life don't match their character's names. Some people age better or worse than others so age is not a direct correlation to the age of the characters they are able to portray. (consider the actor's age who played the emperor in Jedi compared to the emperor's age)

 

Yea

because they are Georges

 

I am in the mixed camp. If the changes were limited to stuff like the minor tweaks (rotoscoping fixes, matte line issues on Hoth, those odd cardboard/matte rebels, etc.) and even kind of the stuff they did for the Battle of Yavin, I would be fine*. But it wasn't. We had the terrible additions and changes to Mos Eisley (I had those droids at the beginning, I hate the moment with the speeder bike and the Jawas, and that stupid, stupid, STUPID dinosaur blocking the action!), randomly putting a rock in front of R2, changing the Kryat Dragon call multiple times (and none honestly as good as the original, with the Blu-Ray being the worst), Jedi Rocks (there is a reason it isn't in my Star Wars playlist on my iPod), Vader going "Nooooo!" in Jedi, and "And I'm Hayden Christensen."
Though I have said it before and I'll say it again: the biggest sin of the Special Editions is not any of the changes, but not letting fans choose which version they want to watch. Especially since the complaints about the Special Editions really kicked off in 2004 when the DVDs came out (before, both versions were only available on VHS**, so they were on equal ground). Coincidence? I think not.


*I also don't mind the Jabba scene in A New Hope, though I do hate the CGI Jabba as both the 1999 and 2011 Phantom Menace Jabbas looked fantastic. I also don't hate the alternate end of Return of the Jedi, though I feel like it feels out of place for the saga since it is no longer the finale of the series.
** Okay, there was also Laserdisc, but the vast majority of fans had VHS.
EDIT: Wait, the Special Editions were also released on Laserdisc?

The hell?

 

Well...I have the OT on VHS. Those are mine. I would also like for HD blurays of those movies to be mine...

I love George, but this boycott on the Originals of his is a big mistake.

If for no other reason than preserving history, they should keep up with the originals. at least I would know they exhist. It just sucks when you see a movie 100 times,and then it's changed...and then you're forbidden from buying that movie in any modern format. I have to buy these other movies that are similar, but not the same. It feels wrong to me. I'd like to watch the old movies.

One change I think is OK is adding Episode IV A New Hope at the begining of Star Wars. (But then again, that's the way I always saw it. never saw it in theaters)

 

I do prefer the originals but I do like the SE as well. I value your opinion Cole....

Good to see you here man...