STAR WARS First Trilogy original cut potential release 1 1

[@therealsilvermane]

9 minutes ago, Lethal_Collector said:

I'm excited, but I'll believe it when I see it.  Maybe someone will make an 'ultimate' star wars edit between both FE and SE films.  One that removed the Jabba scene, Han shoots first.  But also has better sabre battles and the better death star explosion from SE.  That'd be the hotness.

 

Jerome

Noooo! Leave the original saber battles alone.

[Bosco685]

19 minutes ago, @therealsilvermane said:

Yeah, I think the last round of changes Lucas made were on the 6 disc blu-ray set a few years ago. If Disney were to "correct" some of those changes and put the "new" version OT on Disney+, subscriptions might double.

If only.

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2011 Blu-ray release

In 2004, Lucasfilm's then-Vice President of Marketing Jim Ward speculated on future releases: "As the technology evolves and we get into a high-definition platform that is easily consumable by our customers, the situation is much better, but there will always be work to be done."[8]

 

At Celebration V on August 14, 2010, a version of all six films released on the Blu-ray high-definition format was announced. It was said to include never-before-seen and otherwise unreleased deleted scenes from the original trilogy, although the set did not include the original editions.[10]

 

In late August 2011, more details on the releases' changes were made available.[11]

A New Hope

• A rock was added in front of R2-D2 while he's hiding from the Tusken Raiders after they attack Luke. This confused many fans, as the hole he peeked out of was smaller than R2 himself.[11]
• Obi-Wan Kenobi's Krayt Dragon call was changed.[11]
• A subtle beep can be heard from R2 before Obi-Wan looks over at him.
• Some frames have been removed during Han and Greedo's shootout, leaving the scene more seamless.
• Blue hue during Death Star's explosion has been removed.
• During Luke's lightsaber training inside the Millennium Falcon, the green lightsaber effect was corrected to blue, but only the one shot was fixed, leaving the rest of the lightsaber effects in their original state.
• Some lines are from alternate takes.
• Matte boxes that occasionally surround the TIE fighters were removed.
• Missing portion of the frame that occurs during the TIE fighter attack on the Millennium Falcon was restored.
• Additional sound effects are added, and some are altered.
• Many of the audio changes made for the 1977 mono version were incorporated, with the exception of Beru's lines.

The Empire Strikes Back

• Digitally removed puppeteering flaw of rig visible on Wampa arm attacking Luke.[12]
• A reflection has been added to a window in Cloud City when a cloud car passes by.
• Sparks have been added to the melting chamber when Chewbacca is searching for the remains of C-3PO in Cloud City.

Return of the Jedi

• The door of Jabba's Palace was edited to appear larger.[11]
• There are brighter flashes of light when Han is released from the carbonite.[13]
• A computer-generated Dug was added to Jabba's Palace.[11]
• Computer-generated eyelids were added to some Ewoks.[11]
• When R2-D2 is shot, some additional effects have been added, revealing his many hidden tools.[11] In the same scene, an exposed cable from the production equipment laying across the ground was removed.
• Most of the lightsaber shots were restored by giving them back their white cores. Most notably during the shot where Vader and Luke cross blades in front of the Emperor.
• The "Emperor slugs" have been removed when the restoration team was working on the lightsabers of that shot.
• Vader shouts "No" in anger before he throws the Emperor down the pit.

2015 Digital Movie Collection

 

The 20th Century Fox Fanfare was removed from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The ending of the track "The Rebel Fleet/End Title" from The Empire Strikes Back now plays over the Lucasfilm logo. A New Hope retained the fanfare, as 20th Century Fox owns permanent distribution rights to the film. Following the acquisition of 20th Century Fox by Disney in 2019.

2019 Disney+ 4K restoration

 

Coinciding with the launch of Disney+ on November 12, 2019, previously unannounced 4K versions of all films were released to the service. The restorations began in 2010 when George Lucas intended to restore the films for a 3D release, but the plans were shelved after Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012. The new restorations correct many of the DVNR and color correction issues that plagued the DVD and Blu-ray releases. Beyond those fixes, most of the changes from previous releases are left intact.

 

[Bosco685]

What’s the best version of Star Wars: A New Hope?

Quote

Star Wars: A New Hope is just one movie. Or is it? There have been multiple versions since its initial release in 1977. Let’s take a look at which one is the best one to watch.

Since Star Wars: A New Hope originally came out in 1977, there have been several different versions of the movie released. Some included CGI work, sounds changes, and other small differences.

 

Let’s take a look at the different versions and and which Star Wars: A New Hope was best.

 

Original Edition

As most Star Wars fans know, George Lucas started tinkering with the first film just a year after it came out. When it was re-released in theaters, he added Episode IV and A New Hope”to the opening scroll. A small change on screen, but a major alteration going forward. Basically, telling the audience, this was not the beginning and only the middle of the story. It also essentially paved the way for the prequels decades later. You will be hard-pressed to find this version, but the closest thing you will find is the 1993 laser disc edition. That does not include Episode IV: A New Hope at the start of the scroll. This version was also available during a special 2006 DVD two-pack. For all intents and purposes, this is what people saw on the big screen back in 1977. I loved it when I was a kid and still love it today.

 

Rating: A

 

2011 Blu-Ray Release Edition

Visually speaking, this is probably the best version we have to watch. It’s crisp and clear and stunning to watch in high definition on your big screen TV whether it’s HD or 4K. However, there are again a few small, yet extremely annoying changes. After Luke has been attacked by the Tusken Raiders, R2-D2 is hiding in a small cave.  In the original, he’s clearly visible. To “fix” that, CGI rocks were added to cover him up. However, the CGI is clearly fake looking and there’s so much of that fake rock, I’m not quite sure how R2-D2 got in there. Even worse, moments later, Obi-Wan Kenobi comes to the rescue. In the original, Kenobi uses the force to create a howl. I never really knew what the noise was, but it sounded like an animal. Turns out it’s a Krayt Dragon. Instead of sounding like a growl or a roar, it’s now sounds like Goofy’s scream as he heads down the mountain on skis. Everything else, for the most part remains the same. While not as egregious as Greedo shooting first, the two changes feel unnecessary at best and dramatically jarring at worst. Despite the visual clarity, this still doesn’t match the original.

 

Rating: D

 

[Bosco685]

I was visiting an antique store today that I haven't been to in a long time and was surprised to see during my searching they actually had a copy of Star Wars Remastered 2006 set. That's the only DVD set that contains the original Theatrical Cuts for the first trilogy as special features. But they were so scratched up I held back buying them.

Wonder if it is worth grabbing them anyway and finding one of those services that buffs down discs. 

[bentbryan]

3 hours ago, Bosco685 said:

What’s the best version of Star Wars: A New Hope?

 

The one where Han shot first 

[Rip]

If you are looking for the best version of the original then I would go with Project 4k77.

Please don't bother with the old DVD's. They really look terrible and sound terrible.

If you are looking for purely the highest quality picture and sound, then the new 4k UHD transfer is the way to go. They are a vast step above 4K77 as they come from an O-neg scan. 4K77 comes from a print scan. However of course these have the new changes.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Rip

[Bosco685]

1 hour ago, Rip said:

If you are looking for the best version of the original then I would go with Project 4k77.

Please don't bother with the old DVD's. They really look terrible and sound terrible.

If you are looking for purely the highest quality picture and sound, then the new 4k UHD transfer is the way to go. They are a vast step above 4K77 as they come from an O-neg scan. 4K77 comes from a print scan. However of course these have the new changes.

I have read and posted in this thread about Harmy's Despecialized Edition. But had briefly read of Project 4k77. I didn't realize how good it is.

Star Wars 4K77 vs Despecialized Edition vs Other Formats: The Search for the Holy Grail of Star Wars

I have the originally trilogy on 4K. They do look gorgeous too. But those Lucas changes to A New Hope are annoying at spots.

That link has this helpful video set on the topic.

 

 

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 3/14/2021 at 3:44 AM, Rip said:

Please don't bother with the old DVD's. They really look terrible and sound terrible.

Oof. I have to vehemently disagree with you, here.

[Bosco685]

22 minutes ago, Angel of Death said:

Oof. I have to vehemently disagree with you, here.

You have them? 

[theCapraAegagrus]

4 minutes ago, Bosco685 said:

You have them? 

I have a sealed box of them that I found at a 2nd & Charles a few years ago, that was mistakenly labeled as a remastered DVD set, but I've borrowed my sis-in-law's copies.

[Bosco685]

5 minutes ago, Angel of Death said:

I have a sealed box of them that I found at a 2nd & Charles a few years ago, that was mistakenly labeled as a remastered DVD set, but I've borrowed my sis-in-law's copies.

Was it worth the watch?

[theCapraAegagrus]

2 minutes ago, Bosco685 said:

Was it worth the watch?

It's better than any other version on disc media, IMO. I prefer the original VFX over any "re-cut of remastered editions".

IIRC, all of the remastered editions give Vader basically a pink lightsaber.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Angel of Death

[Bosco685]

3 minutes ago, Angel of Death said:

It's better than any other version on disc media, IMO. I prefer the original VFX over any "re-cut of remastered editions".

IIRC, all of the remastered editions give Vader basically a pink lightsaber.

Even watching that Retroblasting video I posted where he talks about each version having their positives and negatives (including 4K copies having color saturation problems) was a reasonable view on this.

I'm off today. Maybe I need to sneak out and grab that set. It was a mess, and the discs will need to be resurfaced. But I have rarely seen this set available off Ebay.

[theCapraAegagrus]

7 minutes ago, Bosco685 said:

Even watching that Retroblasting video I posted where he talks about each version having their positives and negatives (including 4K copies having color saturation problems) was a reasonable view on this.

I'm off today. Maybe I need to sneak out and grab that set. It was a mess, and the discs will need to be resurfaced. But I have rarely seen this set available off Ebay.

It's crazy that we may never know if the originals will be distributed again. If they're a decent price, I say go for it. I watched the originals on VHS as a kid hundreds of times. When the special editions came out in 1999(?), my dad bought them, but we didn't watch them much. The additional scenes just threw us off. And I'm talking about 8/10/14 years olds at the time.

[Bosco685]

23 minutes ago, Angel of Death said:

It's crazy that we may never know if the originals will be distributed again. If they're a decent price, I say go for it. I watched the originals on VHS as a kid hundreds of times. When the special editions came out in 1999(?), my dad bought them, but we didn't watch them much. The additional scenes just threw us off. And I'm talking about 8/10/14 years olds at the time.

$15 for all three movies, with the box crushed in spots and A New Hope special feature disc the most scratched of all 6 discs.

[theCapraAegagrus]

34 minutes ago, Bosco685 said:

$15 for all three movies, with the box crushed in spots and A New Hope special feature disc the most scratched of all 6 discs.

I'm not sure how much it'll cost to restore the discs to "new" condition, but it sounds worth it.

Having the boxes "new" would be nice, but I personally wouldn't mind throwing them into some sleeves or a disc organizer.

[davidpg]

3 hours ago, Bosco685 said:

$15 for all three movies, with the box crushed in spots and A New Hope special feature disc the most scratched of all 6 discs.

You can also use a metal/aluminum polish to try to do it yourself. I've done it dozens of time for discs that had been floating in my cars back before bluetooth ;). My favorire is Mother's brand.  

[Bosco685]

4 minutes ago, davidpg said:

You can also use a metal/aluminum polish to try to do it yourself. I've done it dozens of time for discs that had been floating in my cars back before bluetooth ;). My favorire is Mother's brand.  

Very cool!

I bought Mequiar's PlastX recently as it appear with CGC orders lately they can't help but scratch some of the cases when packing them for shipping out. Works fantastic! I was wondering if I could give this a try on discs.

[davidpg]

Try it for sure, though if not successful don't hesitate using the metal polish!

[Bosco685]

You people are a bad influence on me!

And I can't believe what I paid for them, too.