Original Star Wars trilogy on DVD this fall

[pi 0]

Are they gonna clean them up or just ship them the way they came out?

Are we going to have that whole color mess again??

[Jeshopk 8]

I think the blue character George Lucas played in ROTS is going to feature heavily in the new versions.

[Lurker 5]

From The Digital Bits......

" We've confirmed something that we'd begun to suspect... and it's probably going to disappoint a lot of you. It certainly disappoints us here at The Bits. Those new DVD editions of the Star Wars films? The original theatrical versions of the films are going to be non-anamorphic (our original post on this indicated otherwise, but we have confirmed that the widescreen versions will be letterboxed only). What this likely means is that Lucasfilm has simply re-purposed the previous non-anamorphic transfers that were done back in 1995 for the last laserdisc and VHS release of the "original" versions of the films. And with that, our enthusiasm for this DVD release has just dropped through the floor. Anamorphic-enhanced versions of the theatrical editions, we'd buy in a heartbeat. But what we're going to get instead is little better than a ported-over laserdisc. In this day and age, releasing a widescreen film without anamorphic enhancement on DVD is just unacceptable. Does Lucasfilm really think fans want those versions of the films on DVD so badly that people just won't care? Yes Virginia, they do. How many versions of these films do you suppose Lucasfilm will try to get fans to buy in high-def over the coming years? And think about it... you just know the studio has to be prepping yet another standard DVD release for next year's 30th Anniversary of the original Star Wars. Do you suppose this means that the theatrical editions won't be included in the super-über box set of all six films? Probably. Ugh.

Line up like Jersey cows and grease up yer teats, Force fans. Or better yet... run for the south forty as fast as your hooves'll carry you. Stampede!"

Neil

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Dammit George!

[A24 4,338]

Isn't anamorphic overrated?

-Roald

Well, they wanted the original versions.

-Luke Skywalker

Don't whine, love Lucas!

-KM

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

LOL Alex.

[Trent B 337]

So they'll just be in regular widescreen and not 'enhanced anamorphic'. Let's just all jump off a cliff and kill ourselves because of that why don't we? Geez get a grip. :roll:

Edit: Alot of people don't have 16:9 widescreen TV's. Like myself I just have a 27'' TV and that suits me. I could careless if this was enhanced anamorphic or not. Picky ass people, geezsus. :roll:

[robthehand 3]

Well a lot of people have 16:9 TVs, and on mine there is actually no way of playing 4:3 without it being stretched to some degree. :cry:

[pi 0]

Well i bet Jabba the Hut is gonna look REALLY fat now!

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

So they'll just be in regular widescreen and not 'enhanced anamorphic'.  Let's just all jump off a cliff and kill ourselves because of that why don't we?  Geez get a grip.  :roll:

Edit: Alot of people don't have 16:9 widescreen TV's.  Like myself I just have a 27'' TV and that suits me.  I could careless if this was enhanced anamorphic or not. Picky ass people, geezsus.  :roll:

Actually, on the DVD market, it is a big deal. Any widescreen release that does not come with an anamorphic transfer is considered substandard. That's not just for Star Wars, that's for any release.

In fact, now that HD is lurking around the corner, it looks like the days of the 4:3 format may be nearing the end.

- Marc, who does have a widescreen TV, and would be quite miffed if these turn out to be non-anamorphic transfers.

[Trent B 337]

You people are getting exactly what you've wanted over the years. The original unaltered Star Wars Trilogy, from audio to visual parts. Yet all you can do is just continue to bitch and complain. Quite pathetic. I don't think I'm gonna be viewing this thread any more. You people are pretty fracking sad. :roll:

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

You people are getting exactly what you've wanted over the years.

If these do turn out to be dated non-anamorphic transfers, we are, in fact, not getting exactly what we want.

We want these films presented in a way that makes full use of the DVD technology. Slapping an unaltered LaserDisc transfer on a bonus disc isn't even anywhere near that.

- Marc, who will nevertheless wait and see and remain hopeful.

[deleted account 108]

I am inclined to believe the reports that the masters created for the definitive laserdisc collection are the ones being used for the new dvds, and that the discs will unfortunately be non-anamorphic.

This is *definitely not ideal*. But, in my opinion, it still beats the laserdiscs. For everyone who held onto their laserdiscs, or for those who never even had the laserdiscs and held on to their widescreen video tapes, these dvds *will* be an improvement - certainly what you will see on your tv will be much closer to the quality of the D2 masters than the laserdiscs were. On a standard 4x3 tv, watching them should still be a positive experience. For those of us with 16x9 (widescreen) tvs, it becomes less so.

But it's still better than the laserdisc.

Check this out - I hooked up my laserdisc player to my 16x9 Samsung DLP tv through the S-video port (highest quality output available on my laserdisc player) and watched my laserdisc of Star Trek: Generations. My TV has a setting that allows me to zoom in on the picture (both horizontally AND vertically) so that the black bars are minimized but the picture image still retains its proper aspect ratio. I watched a few minutes of the movie this way. (I think this was 480i s-video)

Next I popped in my original non-anamorphic DVD of Generations from the late 90's into my Teac DVD player, which uses component outputs. I again set my TV to zoom in as it did on the laserdisc and the improvement was quite noticeable. (This was 480i component.) [EDIT - this dvd player can also do 480p, but in progressive scan, my tv does not allow me to zoom in on the picture, only to stretch it.]

Thirdly (and finally) I put the anamorphic DVD of Generations from a year or so ago into my Samsungup-converting DVD player with DVI output and watched that for a few minutes - no zooming required on the tv (720p upconverted DVI). Obviously, this was markedly better than the other two, but - and here's the thing - the second version was not THAT bad. Again, I admit, it was not *ideal*, but it WAS watchable and was enjoyable.

There are a bunch of movies I have on DVD that still haven't been put out in anamorphic widescreen, such as David Fincher's THE GAME, Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID, MURIEL'S WEDDING, and HOWARD STERN'S PRIVATE PARTS. Watching all of them in 480i on my Teac dvd has still been an enjoyable, cinematic and theatrical experience.

I have another thought about this - imagine a theater at your mall is having a Star Wars Film Festival - they are going to show all 6 Star Wars movies in their most recent form using 2k digital projection - and as a bonus they will be screening surviving 35mm prints of the original 3 unaltered films as well. I'm not sure any of us would be upset that the original unaltered films were screening in a format less robust than the SE's. Now, I know, that's not *exactly* the same, but I think it makes my point.

Bill Hunt talks about the fact that Lucas had to cut up the original negatives to make the SEs in '97. Just for the record, Coppola had to do the same thing to make Apocalypse Now Redux - so his original version of that film doesn't exist anymore in it's first-generation elements either.

And for those who say that the non-anamorphic dvd will look squashed or stretched out on their tv, how are these people watching any movie made before 1960 or so when they only made square movies? Are they watching Citizen Kane all distorted, or Casablanca, or Wizard of Oz?

One last thought - I do think that non-anamorphic dvds represent a lost opportunity, much like the Sony Expanded CD of the PHANTOM MENACE score. But I also seem to recall people being able to craft a nice custom made cd of that score from the two official releases and other material culled from videogames. I suspect we will see nice dvd-9 bootlegs making their way out there using the SE anamorphic video for as much of the film as possible, pulling only those shots exclusive to the originals from the non-anamorphic discs and blowing them up and cropping them into the anamorphic version to make custom DVDs that reflect more closely what those unhappy with official releases will want. Heck, somebody called Orange Cow Productions made a set they called THE CLASSIC EDITIONS mixing footage from the SE dvds with footage from the PAL laserdiscs that matched pretty darn well in dvd-5 format.

So there is SOME hope out there until Lucas shuffles off this mortal coil and his heirs release the dvds the hardcore really want.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Now there's a sensible post.

- Marc, who's quite aware of the 4:3 option on his widescreen tv, and always frowns when he sees people ignore that function.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Vosk is right. I feel sorry for the poor little dears at Lucasfilm who are too pennyless to be able put a decent transfer of the Original Trilogy on the market. I mean, look at the way George Lucas dresses. All that flannel! He bought it all at Lowes for five bucks, and that was at discount! That's how poor they are! How dare anyone suggest any form of criticism towards the flannelled one?!

It doesn't matter if it's half-arsed, hell Vosk would buy it if the resolution was the size of an avatar and still proclaim it as the greatest acheivement since the TPM: UE!

[A24 4,338]

Vosk is right.  I feel sorry for the poor little dears at Lucasfilm who are too pennyless to be able put a decent transfer of the Original Trilogy on the market.  I mean, look at the way George Lucas dresses.  All that flannel!  He bought it all at Lowes for five bucks, and that was at discount!  That's how poor they are!  How dare anyone suggest any form of criticism towards the flannelled one?!

It doesn't matter if it's half-arsed, hell Vosk would buy it if the resolution was the size of an avatar and still proclaim it as the greatest acheivement since the TPM: UE!

LOL

[Ollie 1,059]

Well I have a 47" widescreen TV and damnit I want anamorphic.

Oh well they still haven't released The Abyss in Anamorphic nor The Rocketeer and I have both of those.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

You people are getting exactly what you've wanted over the years.  The original unaltered Star Wars Trilogy, from audio to visual parts.  Yet all you can do is just continue to bitch and complain.  Quite pathetic.  I don't think I'm gonna be viewing this thread any more.  You people are pretty fracking sad.  :roll:

you're the one who is pretty f'ing sad, how idiotic is your statement.

sorry bub, but you are completely wrong, if you don't view this thread again hooray for the rest of us, because we don't have to read your ignorant posts. get a fraking brain.

[pi 0]

You people are getting exactly what you've wanted over the years.  The original unaltered Star Wars Trilogy, from audio to visual parts.  Yet all you can do is just continue to bitch and complain.  Quite pathetic.  I don't think I'm gonna be viewing this thread any more.  You people are pretty fracking sad.  :roll:

you're the one who is pretty f'ing sad, how idiotic is your statement.

sorry bub, but you are completely wrong, if you don't view this thread again hooray for the rest of us, because we don't have to read your ignorant posts. get a fraking brain.

I see the Star Trek Icon and i pass on to the next post...

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Oh well they still haven't released The Abyss in Anamorphic

Fox are morons, they still haven't released it in Anamorphic Widescreen, but their single disc editions label it as 16:9 on the back of the cover. The 2-disc special edition is worth it for the extras though.

[robthehand 3]

- Marc, who's quite aware of the 4:3 option on his widescreen tv, and always frowns when he sees people ignore that function.

The 4:3 function on mine stretches it down, even if just a little bit. It looks pretty crap, to be honest.

That is, unless you want to watch it like this:

[Sandor 797]

Isn't that shot from the Special Edition?

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

- Marc, who's quite aware of the 4:3 option on his widescreen tv, and always frowns when he sees people ignore that function.

The 4:3 function on mine stretches it down, even if just a little bit. It looks pretty crap, to be honest.

That is, unless you want to watch it like this:

That's what a non-anamorphic transfer is supposed to look like in 4:3 function.

I have the choice between 4:3, 14:9 zoom, 16:9 zoom, widescreen, automatic (which mostly sucks) and manual zoom.

- Marc

[Morn 8]

No anamorphic widescreen? And lucasfilm is happy about putting their name on such shit? That is pathetic, why they might as well release in in mono sound with a black and white picture.

[Lurker 5]

...these brand new DVDs will be using ancient video masters

[Neil]...DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.

Found here and here.

Neil

[Ollie 1,059]

Neil there were those of us who never doubted you.

Fox are morons, they still haven't released it in Anamorphic Widescreen, but their single disc editions label it as 16:9 on the back of the cover.  The 2-disc special edition is worth it for the extras though.

Is it? I thought their single disc was the same. Is it the expanded cut?

[pi 0]

I dont mess with Neil when he gets going about the original trilogy or digital video issues.

PS - I am not going to buy this edition. I think having the original on vhs, se on vhs/dvd and the prequels is enough. I will just rent em and burn it to mpeg4

[A24 4,338]

However, it must be said, I like black bars, so the original trilogy (Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back) might actually look attractive to me.

[Ollie 1,059]

So this means we will be getting the version with C-3PO's missing dialogue on the Death Star, messed up Snowspeeder sound effects from the Battle of Hoth.

Also I have the big boxed set of the THX laserdiscs. There is about 10 seconds missing from TESB in the scene where Solo and Leia share their first kiss. Was that corrected on the individual Laserdiscs?

And yes 10 seconds bug me after the amount of money I paid when that set was released.

[pi 0]

Why are they so damn lazy? Do it right? It's not like your NOT going to get your money back.

[Sandor 797]

Perhaps Neil was right after all...

http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=23367

This doesn't look/sound good...

[deleted account 108]

So this means we will be getting the version with C-3PO's missing dialogue on the Death Star, messed up Snowspeeder sound effects from the Battle of Hoth.

Also I have the big boxed set of the THX laserdiscs. There is about  10 seconds missing from TESB in the scene where Solo and Leia share their first kiss. Was that corrected on the individual Laserdiscs?

And yes 10 seconds bug me after the amount of money I paid when that set was released.

Sound issues with the Definitive Collection LDs are tricky to define with Ep 4 since there were 3 different mixes made for that movie originally and which of them should be considered definitive? In fact, there have been 6 English language mixes made of ANH:

1 - April 1977 6-Track Stereo

2 - May 1977 4-Track Dolby Stereo (LT/RT Mix)

3 - June 1977 Mono

4 - 1993 Dolby Pro-Logic (LT/RT) Home Video Mix for Definitive Collection

5 - 1997 5.1 Dolby Surround Special Edition Mix

6 - 2004 7.1 Dolby EX DVD Mix

So which of these is truly definitive anyways?

Also, the missing 10 seconds from ESB were restored for subsequent pressings of the black box set - the error had been made in the laserdisc mastering phase, not the IP telecine phase. So if you are missing the 10 seconds from ESB, you have a first pressing of the black box set.

True Lies is another DVD not yet issued in anamorphic. And I had forgotten about The Abyss - it's odd how 2 of Cameron's big event films aren't out in anamorphic yet! That's 30% of his work (at least his feature narrative film work worth mentioning, heh heh)

Titanic and Moonstruck didn't come out in anamorphic until very recently.

Ron Howard's Parenthood isn't even available in widescreen yet, only pan-and-scan.

The very recently released box set of HOUSE MD season 1 wasn't anamorphic either, which upset a lot of people.

There have definitely been some weird decisons made in the world of dvd releases.

[Sandor 797]

Does the casual DVD buyer notice the difference?

I already threw in the towel on this one guys. I'm just wondering...

[deleted account 108]

Does the casual DVD buyer notice the difference?  

I already threw in the towel on this one guys. I'm just wondering...

For those who watch their dvds on a standard square (4:3) tv using a typical dvd player with s-video output, this is not such terribly awful news. But for folks with a widescreen (16:9) progressive-scan tv using component or DVI/HDMI output, it becomes more of an issue.

So I guess the answer depends on your definition of casual DVD buyer....

[Lurker 5]

Sound issues with the Definitive Collection LDs are tricky to define with Ep 4 since there were 3 different mixes made for that movie originally and which of them should be considered definitive?  In fact, there have been 6 English language mixes made of ANH:

1 - April 1977 6-Track Stereo

2 - May 1977 4-Track Dolby Stereo (LT/RT Mix)

3 - June 1977 Mono

4 - 1993 Dolby Pro-Logic (LT/RT) Home Video Mix for Definitive Collection

5 - 1997 5.1 Dolby Surround Special Edition Mix

6 - 2004 7.1 Dolby EX DVD Mix

So which of these is truly definitive anyways?

Lucas considered the mono mix the mix. The 1997 mix is actually a very concious effort to make the mono mix multi-channel. When Leia's blaster sounds like a .44 magnum, that's right out of the mono mix! The extra beeps in the Falcons cockpit? Mono mix! The same as 3PO's tractor beam line and "Close the blast doors!". They were both there in the mono.

Two quick corrections EJ. There was a 1985 mix done for video. The tractor beam line was restored. Thsi mix was also used for the first widescreen issues on LD. This mix was done by Ben Burtt. The 2004 mix is still 5.1. It is EX encoded, but since EX is not discrete, the 5.1 nomenclature still applies.

Neil

[Ollie 1,059]

banghead

All these mixes are enough to drive one crazy.

Also, the missing 10 seconds from ESB were restored for subsequent pressings of the black box set - the error had been made in the laserdisc mastering phase, not the IP telecine phase. So if you are missing the 10 seconds from ESB, you have a first pressing of the black box set.

Oh well a little too late now to ask for a replacement. 8O

Too bad there weren't imformative internet sites back then. Hell I didn't even have a PC back then.

[deleted account 108]

Lucas considered the mono mix the mix.  The 1997 mix is actually a very concious effort to make the mono mix multi-channel.  When Leia's blaster sounds like a .44 magnum, that's right out of the mono mix!  The extra beeps in the Falcons cockpit?  Mono mix!  The same as 3PO's tractor beam line and "Close the blast doors!".  They were both there in the mono.

Two quick corrections EJ.  There was a 1985 mix done for video.  The tractor beam line was restored.  Thsi mix was also used for the first widescreen issues on LD.  This mix was done by Ben Burtt.  The 2004 mix is still 5.1.  It is EX encoded, but since EX is not discrete, the 5.1 nomenclature still applies.

Interesting point about Lucas and the mono mix - apparently one accepts his opinion there, but not about pretty much anything else. And so where does that leave one in terms of what one wants for a DVD - if he thinks the mono mix is the definitive mix, then it follows that any stereo mix at all is unacceptable - so the 2004 dvd audio mix so many people seem to hate is therefore as "definitive" as any of the others.

It was my understanding that the 1985 video mix was just the 1977 LT/RT Dolby Surround mix crossed over to Pro-Logic. But thanks for the clarification re: the 2004 5.1 DVD mix. My bad.

There's actually another "mix" out there, which is the Story of Star Wars album - I believe it used the mono dia and fx stems but stero music - I have to double check to be sure.

As an interesting little aside, I've noticed 2 other movies that aren't out as anamorphic dvds - My Date With Drew and the original unaltered Star Trek: The Motion Picture (which actually remains unreleased on DVD at all!).

[Lurker 5]

Interesting point about Lucas and the mono mix - apparently one accepts his opinion there, but not about pretty much anything else.  And so where does that leave one in terms of what one wants for a DVD - if he thinks the mono mix is the definitive mix, then it follows that any stereo mix at all is unacceptable - so the 2004 dvd audio mix so many people seem to hate is therefore as "definitive" as any of the others.

I might be in the minority, but if the original Star Wars came to DVD with the original mono mix and a high quality 16x9 transfer I probably wouldn't complain.

It was my understanding that the 1985 video mix was just the 1977 LT/RT Dolby Surround mix crossed over to Pro-Logic.

The original Dolby Stereo mix was used for all early video releases. When Star Wars was re-issued on video in 1985, it featured "digitally mastered" audio. It was a new re-mix.

There's actually another "mix" out there, which is the Story of Star Wars album - I believe it used the mono dia and fx stems but stero music - I have to double check to be sure.

That's correct.

I've noticed 2 other movies that aren't out as anamorphic dvds - My Date With Drew...

It was shot on video in 4x3. It was cropped theatrically.

..and the original unaltered Star Trek: The Motion Picture (which actually remains unreleased on DVD at all!).

I believe it's been shown in HD though, so if you wanted to be really crafty you could downconvert it to make an anamorphic DVD. A fan has done this with Blade Runner, and the results were gorgeous.

Neil

[deleted account 108]

I've noticed 2 other movies that aren't out as anamorphic dvds - My Date With Drew...

It was shot on video in 4x3. It was cropped theatrically.

..and the original unaltered Star Trek: The Motion Picture (which actually remains unreleased on DVD at all!).

I believe it's been shown in HD though, so if you wanted to be really crafty you could downconvert it to make an anamorphic DVD. A fan has done this with Blade Runner, and the results were gorgeous.

Neil

The Date With Drew dvd is also "cropped" on dvd - so the finished result is a letterboxed, non-anamorphic DVD. Of course, I know it was shot on video and I assumed it was non-anamorphic DV, so a 16x9 image would obviously be "cropped".

I am surprised to learn that the original Blade Runner was shown somewhere in HD, unless you mean the Director's Cut - I know that many people are unhappy with the Warner Bros DVD of that film, even though it IS in anamorphic widescreen.

[A24 4,338]

I am surprised to learn that the original Blade Runner was shown somewhere in HD, unless you mean the Director's Cut - I know that many people are unhappy with the Warner Bros DVD of that film, even though it IS in anamorphic widescreen.

That's because it's one of those early DVDs with a subpar transfer.

[Lurker 5]

The Date With Drew dvd is also "cropped" on dvd - so the finished result is a letterboxed, non-anamorphic DVD.  Of course, I know it was shot on video and I assumed it was non-anamorphic DV, so a 16x9 image would obviously be "cropped".

The private DVD of this that I viewed (that has some alternate music and alternate angles) was 4x3. This was off of Brian's personal copy. I didn't know the DVD was letterboxed. I haven't bought it yet. However since it originated as 4x3 video, making it 16x9 would make the picture worse. It's the same reason why Lucasfilm can't just take the old video transfer and make it anamorphic. It would look worse. Oh wait, maybe that will happen. 8O

I am surprised to learn that the original Blade Runner was shown somewhere in HD, unless you mean the Director's Cut - I know that many people are unhappy with the Warner Bros DVD of that film, even though it IS in anamorphic widescreen.

It was the director's cut that was shown on HD. A fan (who occasionally posts here) captured it and made a stunning dual layer DVD out of it. The 5.1 sound isn't the best (a fault of the broadcast, it sounds like a stereo track upconverted on the fly to 5.1) but the expanded bit rate and better transfer bury the official disc.

Neil

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Perhaps Neil was right after all...

Didn't I tell you this last week?

[Ollie 1,059]

I might be in the minority, but if the original Star Wars came to DVD with the original mono mix and a high quality 16x9 transfer I probably wouldn't complain.

If that was indeed the mix that was done correctly I would be happy as well. Sometimes the original mix is the best.

We all know how well the 5.1 mix for Jaws turned out when compared to it's original mono mix.... :roll:

[robthehand 3]

Is the mono mix for Jaws on the R1 DVD?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

On the 30 year anniversary version, yes.

[Ollie 1,059]

But it's missing the trailers so hang on to the other versions, if you have them.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Fox are morons, they still haven't released it in Anamorphic Widescreen, but their single disc editions label it as 16:9 on the back of the cover.  The 2-disc special edition is worth it for the extras though.

Is it? I thought their single disc was the same. Is it the expanded cut?

It's still 4x3, but the packaging was mislabeled.

True Lies is another DVD not yet issued in anamorphic.

It is in Region 4.

[Sandor 797]

Didn't I tell you this last week?

Wasn't that more like 2 weeks ago?

Memory problems...?

By the way; did ya receive tha money homey?

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Perhaps Neil was right after all...

http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=23367

This doesn't look/sound good...

PROBABLY, HELL HE'S BEEN RIGHT FROM THE F'ING BEGINNING

perhaps some of you ought to finally get a clue, that Neil doesn't post out of the side of his ass, that he

actually posts from a position of knowledge.

[Dr_Ramshank 0]

From the sound of it, there's no way he could post out of his ass -

it seems to be jam packed already with a few members.

Handbags at 10 paces girls.