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It's Just Star Wars!!!!!


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The new Entertainment Weekly has this quote from Rick McCallum: "I'm convinced that there won't be a definitive version of Star Wars until George is dead."

This is absolute madness. Star Wars was a movie made in the 70s. It set records. It changed the world. It's one of the greatest movies ever made. Ever since then, George Lucas has been on some sort of bizarre quest to "improve" the movie. What he has failed to realize is that the movie he released in 1977 is the perfect stand-alone film. Since then he has done everything in his power to change it and get it to fit in with his "original vision". New scenes have been added and old ones have been revised. The film has become a Frankenstein patchwork with 1977, 1981, 1997 and 2004 footage all colliding in a mess of a movie.

One of the major changes done to this movie was a title change. This was done for the April 10, 1981 re-release. It didn't catch on at first, but in recent years people have taken to calling the film all sorts of bizarre names and abbreviations, beyong just calling it Star Wars. Well, JWFans, look at your original Star Wars album covers. It looks like this:

swnh.jpg

That's the title of the movie Lucas released in 1977. That's the movie Williams scored in 1977. It's also the title of the movie for which Williams won his third Oscar. It wasn't until 1997, 20 years after the fact, that a CD cover came out with the revised title. And if you want to talk about revised titles, please note that the 1997 SE poster also just called the movie Star Wars! Why? Because, for all the revisionism going on with this series, that's the title of the film!

Tonight (and into this morning) I went through the daunting task of reading every post at this board (over 5,000 threads!) and have edited every single reference I could find to this movie that didn't call it Star Wars. Go ahead and check if you don't believe me. Some of these were almost 3 years old! This movie is not being respected by the filmmaker, but this board will respect the timeless achievements of those that worked so hard to bring this wonderful film to the big screen.

This is how it's going to be from now on. The movie, when written about here will be called Star Wars and nothing else. I don't want to see any sort of episode names or bizarre abbreivations, beyond "SW" if you must.

It's just Star Wars, and that's the way it's going to be.

1977_original_crawl_1.jpg

Neil

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Marc, the severe pain I'm feeling in my wrists currently from reading all of these dopey posts made over the last 3 years is no laughing matter. You can laugh too, Roald. The truth is I have removed every reference to any other alternate title. They are gone, erased from this board.

Neil

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Oh, Indy! We all know that it's really Williams whose been forcing George to tinker with the original trilogy! He is the puppetmaster and has been pulling Lucas' strings to make the movies fit in with his "original score". bowdown

...

...

j/k bowdown

Lol.

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But Neil, imagine having just watched a post-1977 version of Star Wars? Wouldn't it be incorrect to say you've watched Star Wars. After all, once Lucas started tinkering, the movie ceased being Star Wars and became Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. bowdown

EDIT: Damn you and your infernal censorship, Neil! LOL

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Something got your goat there Neil?

You sound like you've lost patience and need a new hope.

EDIT - Neil of course didn't tamper with this post at all... and where it says Star Wars it originally said EPOH WEN A backwards. No.

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EDIT

My goodness - you're quite serious about this aren't you? I underestimated your passion for solipsism.... banghead

Listening now to Philippe Rombi's Jeux d'enfants... this is worth getting. It's like The Terminal, but better.

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But Neil, imagine having just watched a post-1977 version of Star Wars? Wouldn't it be incorrect to say you've watched Star Wars. After all, once Lucas started tinkering, the movie ceased being Star Wars and became Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.

Obviously those versions no longer exist. It's just Star Wars from now on. This board will respect that movie in a way it's creator no longer does.

This is about the preservation of a classic, not the perversion done by it's creator. And this is no more censorship than Lucas's refusal to ever issue this movie again. If the original doesn't exist to him anymore, then his later revisions no longer exist here.

My goodness - you're quite serious about this aren't you?

How would you like it if for 20 years you were called "Franz" only to be told you were meant to be named "Michael" and everyone called you that from now on? You'd be pretty fed up after awhile I bet. Well I'm fed up over this issue!

In the meantime, enjoy the original Star Wars!

Neil

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My goodness - you're quite serious about this aren't you?

How would you like it if for 20 years you were called "Franz" only to be told you were meant to be named "Michael" and everyone called you that from now on? You'd be pretty fed up after awhile I bet. Well I'm fed up over this issue!

In the meantime, enjoy the original Star Wars!

Neil

Yes. Yes of course I'll enjoy it master.

But just to pick holes with your analogy...

1. I don't particularly care if anyone calls me Franz, The Franz or Michael. Just like you don't seem to mind being called Indy, Solo, Neil, or Salacious Crumb. bowdown

2. You're talking about the name of a film you didn't even make, not your own name. So why the gripes? Are you one of those passionates who thinks the audience really owns the artwork?

3. For a thread that starts with the title - 'It's just Star Wars' - this seems to be the right moment to say - 'It's also only a movie.'

However, your analogy does fill me with a_new_hope that you will change your mind. bowdown

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Just like you don't seem to mind being called Indy, Solo, Neil, or Salacious Crumb.

Never call me that again. Neil is preferable. Salacious Crumb is just downright insulting.

You're talking about the name of a film you didn't even make, not your own name. So why the gripes? Are you one of those passionates who thinks the audience really owns the artwork?

I'm talking about a film masterpiece that is being lost to the ages by a careless owner. I'm not about to stand by and watch that happen.

For a thread that starts with the title - 'It's just Star Wars' - this seems to be the right moment to say - 'It's also only a movie.'

Funny, in the sentence before it was "artwork". And the title of this thread is "It's Just Star Wars!!!!!". Note the capitalization and exclamation points. Much like I am with Star Wars, I don't appreciate the title of this thread being changed or mis-represented.

And yes I do believe once the public embraces a piece of art they have just as much ownership of it as the creator. For instance the film Battlefield Earth has not been well received by the world. The filmmakers on that movie would be wise to tinker with it in every way in attempt to get a good movie. Lucas made a great movie in 1977. Now it's unwatchable. Obviously Lucas struck a chord with the public in 1977. He shouldn't have pressed his luck. Now one of the worlds greatest cinema treasures (it was one of the first 25 films to be selected into the Library of Congress in the US) is being systematically destroyed by someone who thinks hes great and is surrounded by a staff that won't say he isn't. Well the awareness and the respect for this treasure start here!

Neil

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What would Freud say about this? Hmmmm? You were abused as a child? You want to have sex with Greedo?

We need a thread that analyzes Neil's pshyce. Pretty soon this place is going to be called the Anal Board (pun intended).

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Just like you don't seem to mind being called Indy, Solo, Neil, or Salacious Crumb.

Never call me that again. Neil is preferable. Salacious Crumb is just downright insulting.

Sorry. A low blow. I misjudged exactly how absurdist this thread was meant to be.

:roll:

But context is... oh what the hey, it's going to be hard to find another place in the world that will understand my desire to refer to a film by something other than its original name. bowdown

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We need a thread that analyzes Neil's pshyce.  Pretty soon this place is going to be called the Anal Board (pun intended).

I believe you meant to spell "psyche".

Neil

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Kids, calm down... It's April 1

That is by far the most sensible thing you have ever said.

The sad thing is that the line between reality and farce is so blurred in this case it could easily be either one.

No, the sad thing is the forgotten state of a cinematic masterpiece. It is no laughing matter, which is why I've started this campaign.

Neil

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Neil has clearly gone crazy. Perhaps it's time for Star Wars moderator. I certainly Star Wars it doesn't come to that. This is Star Wars side of Neil, one I haven't seen before, and I admit to being slightly alarmed. Nevertheless, I remain Star Warsful that Star Wars leadership will not be required.

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If you haven't forgotten, and I know you haven't, Lucas never wanted to call it just Star Wars. He intended to mention the extended title with the episode number and name. It was demanded beyond his control to just call it Star Wars for sake of confusing the bejesus out of the unsuspecting audience....so in that sense, he was robbed of his original vision. This simple change does not alter the dynamic of the film. It adds scope in a clever way because it further strengthens the idea that we're in the middle of a story that's been taking place for a long time.

If you're going to be mad at something, be mad at the actual editing of the newer versions for adding scenes or changing pre-existing ones.

Tim

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Damn those bastard children who were born after 1977 and can't appreciate the REAL Star Wars! It's their own fault...

ROTFLMAO

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REPORT THIS MADMAN NAMED NEIL TO LUCASFILM! FIGHT TO THE DEATH! LAST-MINUTE MATCH ADDED TO WRESTLEMANIA:

George Lucas vs. IndySolo (A man named after two of Lucas' creations). FATHER VS. ILLEGITIMATE SON!

ROTFLMAO

[Note: I almost forgot what today was for a second or two. But not even Neil is THAT nuts! LOL]

Still the coolest artwork...  

... while this looks like Hasbro artwork.

BTW, don't insult "Hasbro" artwork Alex! Dreamwave was making some masterpiece artwork for their Transformers in the last 2-3 years.

Also, ESB LP's cover is the best! The [Edited by IndySolo] "SW" [/Edited by IndySolo] LP's is too plain for my tastes. :)

-Chris

PS- It is true that Lucas did want the whole title, but the studio stopped him. It makes sense.

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Still the coolest artwork...  

... while this looks like Hasbro artwork.

BTW, don't insult "Hasbro" artwork Alex! Dreamwave was making some masterpiece artwork for their Transformers in the last 2-3 years.

Also, ESB LP's cover is the best! The [Edited by IndySolo] "SW" [/Edited by IndySolo] LP's is too plain for my tastes. ROTFLMAO

That just it! The first Star Wars artwork isn't "plain" at all. It's the others, the "paintings", that look like all the others. To me they look disappointingly ordinary. Better yet, the original Star Wars cover is the only one worth to be admitted in a book about modern design.

The fact that Morn disagrees with me proves my case :) .

---------------

Alex Cremers

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Still the coolest artwork...

Looks boring, it's just text.

STAR WARS

Look roman characters! coolest cover ever!

:roll:

Anyway, to quote peter jackson, there is no perfect cut of a film, there is an infinite number of ways to put a movie together.

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PS- It is true that Lucas did want the whole title, but the studio stopped him. It makes sense.

So what? The Star Wars film greatly benefited from the time that there were more nay-sayers than yes-sayers around.

-quote of the day (I'm sure)

----------------

Alex Cremers

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PS- It is true that Lucas did want the whole title, but the studio stopped him. It makes sense.

You have no evidence of this.

As usual you choose to believe what seems right in your mind and present it as the one...true...truth.

I seriously doubt that the title Star Wars was ever considered prior to the films succes.

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Star Wars

Star Wars

Star Wars

Star Wars

Star Wars

I knew I could depend on the "Master" to back me up on this issue. Thank you for your support.

Neil

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Bwahhahahhah! Neil made me look like an idiot! Good going Neil!

In other news, did you hear about John Paul ii? It looks like the Vatican is going to need A New Pope

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I dont know if you are joking Neil (i hope you are), but:

I will call the movie Star Wars when I speak of the original 1977 version, and i will use A New Hope when refering to later releases. That's all what you are going to get from me (like if i didnt do that already, i even have a Star Wars poster in my sig)

You dare to edit one of my posts, starting with this one, restrain yourself to speak to me in the future.

Manuel, thinking this has become a madness.

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In other news, did you hear about John Paul ii? It looks like the Vatican is going to need A New Pope

This is hardly a laughing matter. You should be ashamed of yourself for even posting that.

And for some rare trivia, the pope would more than likely support my effort, as he was a huge fan of the original Star Wars, but lost interest with the SEs.

Neil

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I dont know if you are joking Neil (i hope you are), but:  

I will call the movie Star Wars when I speak of the original 1977 version, and i will use Star Wars when refering to later releases. That's all what you are going to get from me (like if i didnt do that already, i even have a Star Wars poster in my sig)

You dare to edit one of my posts, starting with this one, restrain yourself to speak to me in the future.  

Manuel, thinking this has become a madness.

Oh i see, you are even lazy to change all the quotes one by one.

I was going to edit my post about the possible harsh language, but well no communication will be between us until you change your mind. :|

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