The film's original negative was in bad condition in 1997 (color fading badly) when they took it out of the can for the creation of the special edition, and they actually spliced in restorations, and inter-prints that were better quality that the damaged original, along with the new optical composites from the camera negatives, and the 'special edition enhancements' into the original negative of the film to create a new 'original negative'. After the SE film release, all prints of the original film still in circulation (always owned by the studio) were recalled and probably destroyed. There is no more Star Wars-The Original Version.
In 2004, to do a DVD release, they digitally scanned the film and did digital restoration to make a 1080p restored master (no, not 2k or 4k or even 8k, 1080p is the new digital master) with scratches and dirt digitally removed, along with the color being re-timed badly. This 1080p version is now the canon, It has been show as the HD version on tv and printed on film for further cinematic releases, and the Blu-ray will probably get a hardly-fixed version of this digital transfer. You will not see Star Wars again in the original version: the original movie no longer exists [secrethist...arwars.com] (a very awesome long article about the quality and treatment of the original Star Wars negatives.)
The most disturbing thing to me wasn't the shiny newness of the DVD version. Rather, it was the actual changes made to the story and the scenes between the old version and the new one. Adding Hayden Christensen into scenes where the original had Sebastian Shaw just made me cringe.
Adding Hayden Christensen into scenes where the original had Sebastian Shaw just made me cringe.
Personally, that's the one change I actually approve of. Obi-wan's justification for telling Luke that Vader killed his father was that he considers Darth Vader to be Anakin's alter ego (as opposed to being the same person). Since this is Anakin's ghost and not Vader's ghost, it should appear as Anakin did in Episode 3 (this is what he looked like when he "died") if Obi-wan is correct in believing that they are essentially two separate people in the same body.
I can certainly understand how it's justifiable from a plot standpoint. I assume that the original idea wasn't to have Anakin turn to the dark side so young. But doesn't that just sort of expose a plot hole in the prequels? I mean, it's my understanding that Shaw wasn't on this mortal coil for the prequel movies, but they could've found someone of the same approximate age and done a little bit of CGI on him, couldn't they? The problem, as I see it, is that the prequels didn't span enough time. He went
You will not see Star Wars again in the original version: the original movie no longer exists [secrethist...arwars.com] (a very awesome long article about the quality and treatment of the original Star Wars negatives.)
Not officially, but it certainly isn't lost completely:
Because this was supposed to supplant the original, all prints in circulation of the original were recalled (studios control all rented prints--none are sold privately, though a black market exists), and possibly destroyed (studio print masters are, of course, kept).
or, even simpler:
Of course, it would be very easy to simply put the original pieces back and conform it to the original version, or use the separation masters and IPs, or simply scan the old pieces for a digital restoration, but I digress.
As a source for a blu-ray, theatre prints (also consider they've been used a lot) and the intra-positive prints made of the film also seem to not be practical:
[Searching for a good quality copy,] Lucas had screened some prints in 1994 but none of them were presentable. "By the summer of '94 George said, 'I'm worried about the negative because every print we get is bad,'" Rick McCallum remembers. "That's when we got really scared about the presentation of this film."
What they found when they opened up the cans of film in late 1994 [13] was horrifying--the original negatives had been severely deteriorated.
So the only practical way to get a HD+ quality version of the original film is to go back and find not just the segments of film that were replaced in the original negative with the 'special edition' content, but one would ideally digitally scan in the original camera negatives of effects shots and digitally re-composite them (this was redone in 1997
After the SE film release, all prints of the original film still in circulation (always owned by the studio) were recalled and probably destroyed. There is no more Star Wars-The Original Version.
I had a boatload of tapes and DVDs stolen a year or two ago, and just replaced EPIV. I was happy to discover that there is a theatrical release version to it in addition to the screwed up "Greedo shot first" version.
After the SE film release, all prints of the original film still in circulation (always owned by the studio) were recalled and probably destroyed. There is no more Star Wars-The Original Version.
Nope. He did not get them all.
One was even shown a couple of weeks ago. In a state far far away (from me).
Memories (Score:5, Funny)
See your childhood memories die in brilliant digital picture!
In other news... (Score:3, Insightful)
Lucas will not show common courtesy this time either. [youtube.com]
Re: (Score:2)
So we get to see our childhood raped in 1080p this time, huh?
Re: a 1080p childhood-rape version only (Score:5, Informative)
The film's original negative was in bad condition in 1997 (color fading badly) when they took it out of the can for the creation of the special edition, and they actually spliced in restorations, and inter-prints that were better quality that the damaged original, along with the new optical composites from the camera negatives, and the 'special edition enhancements' into the original negative of the film to create a new 'original negative'. After the SE film release, all prints of the original film still in circulation (always owned by the studio) were recalled and probably destroyed. There is no more Star Wars-The Original Version.
In 2004, to do a DVD release, they digitally scanned the film and did digital restoration to make a 1080p restored master (no, not 2k or 4k or even 8k, 1080p is the new digital master) with scratches and dirt digitally removed, along with the color being re-timed badly. This 1080p version is now the canon, It has been show as the HD version on tv and printed on film for further cinematic releases, and the Blu-ray will probably get a hardly-fixed version of this digital transfer. You will not see Star Wars again in the original version: the original movie no longer exists [secrethist...arwars.com] (a very awesome long article about the quality and treatment of the original Star Wars negatives.)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Adding Hayden Christensen into scenes where the original had Sebastian Shaw just made me cringe.
Personally, that's the one change I actually approve of. Obi-wan's justification for telling Luke that Vader killed his father was that he considers Darth Vader to be Anakin's alter ego (as opposed to being the same person). Since this is Anakin's ghost and not Vader's ghost, it should appear as Anakin did in Episode 3 (this is what he looked like when he "died") if Obi-wan is correct in believing that they are essentially two separate people in the same body.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
So which one is the hairless white burned up guy who saved Luke's life by hurling the emperor to his death?
Re: (Score:1)
You will not see Star Wars again in the original version: the original movie no longer exists [secrethist...arwars.com] (a very awesome long article about the quality and treatment of the original Star Wars negatives.)
Not officially, but it certainly isn't lost completely:
Because this was supposed to supplant the original, all prints in circulation of the original were recalled (studios control all rented prints--none are sold privately, though a black market exists), and possibly destroyed (studio print masters are, of course, kept).
or, even simpler:
Of course, it would be very easy to simply put the original pieces back and conform it to the original version, or use the separation masters and IPs, or simply scan the old pieces for a digital restoration, but I digress.
Re: (Score:2)
Very interesting article, thanks.
Re: (Score:2)
As a source for a blu-ray, theatre prints (also consider they've been used a lot) and the intra-positive prints made of the film also seem to not be practical:
[Searching for a good quality copy,] Lucas had screened some prints in 1994 but none of them were presentable. "By the summer of '94 George said, 'I'm worried about the negative because every print we get is bad,'" Rick McCallum remembers. "That's when we got really scared about the presentation of this film."
What they found when they opened up the cans of film in late 1994 [13] was horrifying--the original negatives had been severely deteriorated.
So the only practical way to get a HD+ quality version of the original film is to go back and find not just the segments of film that were replaced in the original negative with the 'special edition' content, but one would ideally digitally scan in the original camera negatives of effects shots and digitally re-composite them (this was redone in 1997
Re: (Score:1)
the original movie no longer exists
Thanks. Now we have a scapegoat to be blamed: KODAK made crappy negative that faded in just five years.
Thanks Kodak, you won't see me buying your negatives ever.
Re: (Score:2)
After the SE film release, all prints of the original film still in circulation (always owned by the studio) were recalled and probably destroyed. There is no more Star Wars-The Original Version.
I had a boatload of tapes and DVDs stolen a year or two ago, and just replaced EPIV. I was happy to discover that there is a theatrical release version to it in addition to the screwed up "Greedo shot first" version.
Re: (Score:2)
After the SE film release, all prints of the original film still in circulation (always owned by the studio) were recalled and probably destroyed. There is no more Star Wars-The Original Version.
Nope. He did not get them all.
One was even shown a couple of weeks ago. In a state far far away (from me).
http://www.bigscreen.com/journal.php?id=1961 [bigscreen.com]