Ollie 1,059 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 So would I, but sadly Star Wars no longer exists.An intriguing notion. Please explain, Mark.The film that was released in 1977 no longer exists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uni 306 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Took you 10 years man!It's not the years . . . it's the mileage.I think I've got a fair claim on being something of an influential presence here—at least back in the day—regardless of the post count. And this probably isn't the most accurate statistic in this case anyway. You guys know how long-winded I can get (my initial entry in this thread is only a moderate example). If you were to go by comparative word count instead of posts, I've probably said as much in this place as some people who've ticked off 5,000 posts. . . .- Uni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Indeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,534 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 So would I, but sadly Star Wars no longer exists.An intriguing notion. Please explain, Mark.The film that was released in 1977 no longer exists.Continue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 It exists ... but only on uncivilized, inferior formats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Sadly yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uni 306 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 So would I, but sadly Star Wars no longer exists.It exists ... but only on uncivilized, inferior formats.I don't get this. The reason we all love the Star Wars saga so much (at least in its earlier, second-half iterations) is because they're a modern myth, a type of epic storytelling that's been around for centuries. Myths used to be shared around by means of oral communication; most of the time the speaker would vary details according to their own style or to emphasize certain elements of the tale. Eventually these stories were written down by various authors—who also varied the language and details from other authors who wrote the same story. (I wonder, incidentally, if we haven't become spoiled these days by how our stories are presented to us. We insist that everything be HD, high-quality audio, and told the way we like it to be told. No exceptions. The Greeks weren't quite so picky.)Now, this isn't to say I'm a huge fan of the SEs, and I'm certainly no advocate for the prequels. But to say Empire and its two companion films no longer exist because the versions we grew up with are on video instead of Blu-ray is like saying Homer's Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh no longer exist because they're in paperback now. That's ridiculous. Those stories will continue to exist no matter what format they're in. And so will Star Wars—especially for those of us who grew up with it, and could recite it forward and backward on cue. It'll never stop being there.Why? Because it's a myth, that's why. A myth! A myth!"Yeth?"- Uni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Now, this isn't to say I'm a huge fan of the SEs, and I'm certainly no advocate for the prequels. But to say Empire and its two companion films no longer exist because the versions we grew up with are on video instead of Blu-ray is like saying Homer's Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh no longer exist because they're in paperback now. That's ridiculous. Those stories will continue to exist no matter what format they're in. And so will Star Wars—especially for those of us who grew up with it, and could recite it forward and backward on cue. It'll never stop being there.Why? Because it's a myth, that's why. A myth! A myth!While I see your point and get that you're trying to meet the Star Wars purists halfway, it's not simpy the fact that Homer's Odyssey is now on paperback. Not one of us here is old enough to remember the earliest incarnations of Homer's epics via oral retellings delivered by Homer himself or by the bards and storytellers that kept his tales alive over the centuries until the written and printed words could catch up. Truthfully, if any of those succeeding bards or storytellers had changed details of Homer's stories through embellishment or adding subplots and devices...how would we know?The difference is that many of us here do remember Star Wars in its original theatrical form, and now we are told that the only way to experience it with modern technology is to embrace the changes to the story. Although crying about the lack of "original" cuts on BluRay is tantamount to whining. Just hang onto your VHS or LaserDisc and necessary equipment if you need it that bad. Otherwise, the internet has options.No change really damages the overall story -- Luke enters a rebellion, fights his long-lost father, and redeems him over the course of three movies. Not the blur under Luke's speeder, nor Mos Eisley's upgrades, nor Greedo firing first, nor CGI Jabba, nor more snub fighters at Yavin IV, nor the wampa footage, nor the improved Bespin visuals, nor Vader's return to Executor, nor the overhauled song routine in Jabba's palace, nor the Pit of Carkoon, nor the Praxis explosions...these don't really undermine the overall story. Seeing Hayden as Anakin's ghost, hearing Luke scream when he jumps, and hearing Vader say anything when he decides to betray his dark master do come close to affecting motivations of key characters. The fact these aesthetic changes are there at all and are quite noticeable is quite eggregious to many hardcore fans who want to remember it as it was.No, it's not as bad as having Telemachus himself slay all of Penelope's suitors early on, instead of waiting for Odysseus to arrive and save the day. Or having Odysseus take the land road home. Three years, tops. It's closer to changing the pigs on Circe's island to flying talking monkeys to keep up with technological improvements. Or adding CGI dinosaurs to the ranks of the dead when he goes down to Hades.Though I do feel privileged that I now "get" what movie Carol Kane's "Yeth" comes from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uni 306 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Outstanding points, all. Looks like you caught me using an analogy that was shaky at best. I'll stand on my central point, though: saying Star Wars "no longer exists" takes it a step too far.Love your "CGI" additions to the epics, too. Very creative! (Might be fun to think about what Lucas would do to those classics if he got his paws on them. . . .)- Uni Wojo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,350 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Now I'm in the mood to watch Star Wars.Be sure to watch Harmy's Despecialization 2.0 - you'll LOVE it!I approve this post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 This thread is an SW overload and is making me want to avoid it for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Well, this thread does mention two Star Wars films by name in its very title, so it's remained relatively on-topic. Were you expecting a dedicated Star Wars thread to go Star Wars-lite, to balance all the other non-Star Wars threads that dissolve into prequel and GL bashing? Really? Here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 I don't get this.It's a movie fan thing. If only the DC was available of Blade Runner and not the ITC, I would say the same thing. Or if Scott changed the monster of Alien into a CGI one. I want the movies that originally rocked my world to be availabe in the latest high tech format. I can't go back to VHS.THX-1138 doesn't exist anymore ... only on inferior formats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Unfortunately, that seems to be the very same argument that GL* himself uses, only inverted. He wants the latest high tech format to be used for the versions that rock his world, i.e. the ones with all the CGI and story updates. He seems to believe, after he gets done giggling at our inability to get with the program, that if we *need* the original versions, he provided low-resolution 2-channel DVD dumps with the two-disc DVD releases back in 2007-or-so, or just hang onto archaic media formats like VHS.* I blame GL only because we know nothing of Disney's plans to ever release the original versions on the latest high tech format. It's become fashionable and convenient to blame GL, when it's no longer his to control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Of course people are blaming Lucas, the Disney thing happened only yesterday, so to speak. If Disney plans to release (if there's no clause* in the contract prohibiting it) the original versions, they better do it soon because the old fanbase is thinning out. The new generation probably doesn't even care about the 1977 or 1980 versions.* The Star Wars movies cannot be changed in any way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 The new generation probably doesn't even care about the 1977 or 1980 versions.I do agree with this sentiment. I know of folks older than any posters here who actually prefer the prequels because the special effects are better, so they look nicer than the older movies. All I could do was try not to laugh at these people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uni 306 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 THX-1138 doesn't exist anymore ... only on inferior formats.I don't get this.(I can do this all day long, man. . . .)- Uni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Since when have you become a tease? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Now, this isn't to say I'm a huge fan of the SEs, and I'm certainly no advocate for the prequels. But to say Empire and its two companion films no longer exist because the versions we grew up with are on video instead of Blu-ray is like saying Homer's Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh no longer exist because they're in paperback now. That's ridiculous. Those stories will continue to exist no matter what format they're in. And so will Star Wars—especially for those of us who grew up with it, and could recite it forward and backward on cue. It'll never stop being there.- UniMy feelings are that despite the changes made to the movies, they're still the movies. It's a lot of cosmetic bullshit and gimicks. I mean, seriously. Special Edition Mos Eisley is such a relic of the 90s with all the crap from Shadows of the Empire and CGI creatures clearly based on the Jurassic Park dinosaurs. Greedo shooting first is the Star Wars equivalent of Pirates of the Caribbean being chased by the women. What a decade. Now, that said, the Special Editions were the only time I was able to see the movies in theaters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uni 306 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Since when have you become a tease?I'm tired of being left out. Besides, now that you're becoming "respectable," someone's gotta pick up the slack around here. . . .- Uni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 I will never become respectable!Just grew some common sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,350 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 You were officially labeled "A Disturber of the Peace" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 THX-1138 doesn't exist anymore ... only on inferior formats.I don't get this.(I can do this all day long, man. . . .)- UniIt's a movie fan thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uni 306 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Heh . . . I'm jess bustin' yer chops, man.As a fellow movie fan (no, really—I am) I do see what you're saying. For instance: about 6 months ago, I decided my youngest son had reached the age where he could truly appreciate the original Star Wars trilogy in the same way I did when I was young. So which version did I show him? Why, the same one I had when I was young, of course. I pulled out those second-rate DVD versions and found them perfectly serviceable for the job. So did he. He can see the SEs at some point, and that's fine. But he needed to know where things began, in the way they began. There's just no replacement for that experience.- Uni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faleel 5,350 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 StarS Wars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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