George doesn’t have all your money yet. But he WILL. You can’t stop him. He will just keep releasing the same movies OVER and OVER with little tweaks.
a 6-disc box set is currently in the works to coincide with the 30th Anniversary of the original Star Wars movie hitting theatres. In typical George Lucas fashion there will be more tinkering, including replacing the puppet Yoda in Episode I with CG, plus a ton of new special features: “…all the good stuff that was held back by Lucasfilm from the original Trilogy DVD release a few years ago.
Oh. My. Disembodied Force Ghost.
ObiWan just rolled over in his fictional grave.
I thought this might be it. The up coming Uncut Original FanWank Trilogy set on DVD next month should have been all of them.
So to my knowledge, I will try to list all the avaiable collected sets released. (not including individual title releases)
Collectors Edition Letterbox VHS set (Including Star Wars to Jedi, the “making of” documentary) -which I own
LaserDisk Original Trilogy
Special Edition Original Trilogy VHS (released before Lucas agreed to put them on DVD) – which I own
Special Edition Original Trilogy DVD Edition – which I own
Original Uncut Trilogy DVD set (which will include the Special Edition DVDs that you already bought)
And now Lucas has announced the
30th Anniversary Special DVD Edition Boxed set
And with any luck, that set will strategically not be in HD or BluRay, which will mean the HD Collected set will be set to come out with CGI updated versions of the updated shots that didnt look as good as Lucas wanted.
Then when it turns 50, Lucas can release a version that replaces the original trilogy actors with a digitally imported older looking versions of the prequel trilogy actors.
You heard it here first. Columbia House is about to announce their own StarWars DVD Club. Buy 3 versions and commit to buy the next 10 withing 6 years, and you will get a membership card that says Lucas owns your soul. And the Christmas Special.
Heres what I want….All the movies, all the docs, all the features from past DVDS new commentary, and a metal display case
Well said Mr. Jackson, well said! I wish I had more to contribute than just that one line, but he really covered my feelings on the issue remarkably well.
I think it is also fair to point out that they intentionally did not release The Phantom Menace on DVD until after VHS sales had begun to dwindle inspite of the fact that DVD was obviously the next gen format. SO, yep, I took a double hit on that as well.
No one has quite mastered this technique as well as george. i guess peter jackson is trying, but even he doesnt have the heart to continually change the actual content of the films (other that an single directors/extended cut). Almost every release of starwars is a different cut of the film itself. They should have a subway club card for starwars editions, i think all of us should be getting the next collection free.
I just want a Saga Collection
Wow, that got really confusing. Thank George for making that confusing, not me.
Here’s an ebay link to what I’m talking about, just so you can see that it does in fact exist.
http://cgi.ebay.com/star-wars-laserdisc-special-edition-ld-trilogy-not-dvd_W0QQitemZ220021924928QQihZ012QQcategoryZ381QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Missed one Rodney.
Released at the same time as the Special Edition Original Trilogy VHS set was the Special Edition Original Trilogy Laser Disc set. You mentioned the Original Trilogy, and it looked like you were trying to be complete, so I thought I’d add that pretty rare set. They discontinued it long before they discontinued the VHS set.
Up until the DVD’s it was actually the best looking and best sounding set of the original trilogy you could get your hands on. It was widescreen and was the only set to feature Dolby Digital sound.
It was actually a pretty cool set to own at the time.
Matthew
BTW, can you imagine how 2001: A Space Odyssey would have been trivialized if Kubrick had gone back in the 90’s and done a Special Edition? This time Dave picks the fight with HAL. Scenes are added that show more spaceships docking with the station and more people milling around on the lunar surface. The monolith has CGI effects now that put on a light show for the apes. And the original negatives have somehow been lost, so you’re just going to have to appreciate this new version as the definitive version. Except 2001 was important in 1968, not 1998. It was a product of its time. I think most of us respect it as that.
“Lucas has intended for this classic untouched trilogy to be released in its original form that the purist fans were crying for.”
The problem is that they aren’t making a new master for those. They’re going to use the 4:3 non-anamorphic master that they made in ’93 for the LaserDisc edition. Technology has come a long way since ’93. The original movie is what really built the Lucas empire. He seems embarassed by it in retrospect. I know it wasn’t comparable to the kind of work that can be done now, but it’s a product of its time and deserves to be preserved properly. It really is a piece of film history in a way that none of the other five movies is. He should spend the money to do a modern transfer of the original elements and restore it properly, the way a film historian would approach the elements for The Grand Illusion or The Grapes of Wrath. Deliver an archival quality restoration of the original Star Wars. Then he can do whatever he wants with his special super deluxe editions. Han can flip Greedo a peace sign and show shock and alarm that Greedo is reaching for his hogleg. Jabba can roll himself in flour and look for his wet spot. Whatever. Just respect the historical significance of the first film and preserve it properly for posterity.
In addition, trey, Clones was cropped and blown up to a full screen 1:33 as opposed to the aspect ratio of 2:35. What Lucasfilm should be embarassed about is allowing full frame DVDs to even be sold.
Except that I am not John. But I am getting used to people calling me that here.
Anything that is NOT HD that is being put on an HD signal is going to look rough. The movie was never intended for HD, it was designed for DVD. I am sure if they release them on HD they will be “Remastered for HD Video quality”
As far as “not remastered” he means that Lucas has intended for this classic untouched trilogy to be released in its original form that the purist fans were crying for. That means warts and all. The sound and video is going to be as high quality as VHS could ever give you.
Yeah, I didn’t read the article above. I just wanna know, where’s the audio edition?
John,
You are so right about the rerelease of the HD DVD and Bluray. Episode 2 was on Fox last night in HD, and boy did the effects look horrible. You could see the fuzzy outline of the characters on the green screen. It look like the kings of effects (ILM) will need to figure out a better way of covering their tracks.
Hey, alfie, what do you mean they aren’t remastered? I heard a rumor about that, but what’s that mean exactly?
Cause I was planning on buying them, and then that would be it on Star wars DVDs (well, except the 3D, but only if it’s good 3D), even though I bought the DVDs in 2004 knowing full well this would happen…. :)
Next up: the Wookie Holiday remastered CGI version and the digitally altered Ewoks TV films.
Hey, don’t gimmie that long look- it’s the only stuff left to make folks part with the green paper!
(yes, it will never happen, I know, so long as Lucasfilmkeeps putting out he Special Edition of The Remastered Sound of the new footage revamped blah blah blah Star Wars Ots and then the NT’s.)
Whoops! Gotta have that three second Jawa cameo to run acrss the screen WE MUST FILL THE SCREEN! Release it again! Hey, let’s add more Stormtroopers on the Death Star! Release it again! Boba Fett survives the Scarlacc! Re-release it again!
AHHHHH
Madness!
Madness!
I must find a guitar and throw my hat down at my feet!
I need your change!
I need to buy, consume….
AHHHHH
;)
Boy, do I feel sorry for die-hard collectors. They won’t have enough money to buy the Seven Samurai 3-Disc DVD. Oh, well; I happy with my collection.
I don’t know how i feel about it because at the end of the day I don’t have to buy them if I don’t want to. no one is forcing me too but the thing is I know i am going to….
it does seem a little unfair but hell he is a businessman and where there is a dollar to be made he will make it…..
its like a permanant lucas life tax.
I am happy that they are giving us the original theatrical films next month though…..sure they are not remastered but at least it is something……