Original/Unaltered "Star Wars" Trilogy on Blu-Ray in 2017

Oh, I know the physical negatives still exist, but the actual master negatives from which all subsequent copies are struck from were (shamefully) cut up and conformed to the Special Edition versions, that's not to say that each respective newly-restored negative for each of the three films weren't scanned at 2k - the highest resolution available in the mid-1990's - and archived prior to that act of cultural vandalism, it most assuredly would have been a remarkably stupid move not to have done so, given the extensive, comprehensive, not to mention costly restoration the negatives went through at the time, but we all know George's opinion of the original theatrical versions, so it wouldn't have been a loss in his eyes if such a preservation wasn't made, alas...

 

Star Wars, the 1977 film, I can see restoring that all the way to the original since essentially every change other than fixing the landspeeder was to the detriment of the film. As much as I like the way the Falcon lifts off from the spaceport (a lovely overhead shot of it rising up as the stormtroopers fire at it) I think the original Star Wars needs to be the original Star Wars.

But Empire and Jedi pose a real problem. If those were restored all the way back to their original states, they'd lose some great improvements. The new Bumble (snow monster)? That was good. The fixes to the cockpit views of Hoth? Very good thank you. The new windows in Cloud City? Those are nice. The shadow of the barge sailing across the desert? Good.

I could see Disney not wanting to deal with Empire and Jedi.

Everyone assumed they'd put out "the original trilogy" but I suspect that if they ever did a restoration effort, it would only be to the original 1977 film. That's the one that is the "conclusion" to Rouge One. Kids don't really need to see Empire and Return of the Jedi to connect the story from the 1977 film to The Force Awakens. The Force Awakens provided enough info - it is clear that Luke kept on using the Force, Han and Leia obviously hooked up, and oh by the way Darth Vader died but you knew that from the way that Kylo Ren had his melted helmet. Empire and Jedi aren't essential.

 

Unaltered Original Star Wars Trilogy to Be Re-Released Before Last Jedi?


This year not only brings Star Wars fans a new theatrical adventure in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but also a number of new books and, of course, another Force Friday event happening this fall, but that's not all. This year also marks the 40th Anniversary of the original Star Wars, with the anniversary celebration kicking off at Star Wars Celebration, which runs from April 13 through April 16 in Orlando, Florida. If a new rumor is believed to be true, LucasFilm may be making a big announcement about the 40th anniversary soon, with plans apparently under way to release a new Blu-ray set with the theatrical versions of the original trilogy films.


Die-hard Star Wars fans have been begging for this to happen for years, and if this report from Making Star Wars is true, this Blu-ray set of the un-altered trilogy, which has never been made available before in high definition, will arrive sometime this year in honor of A New Hope's 40th Anniversary. Since 20th Century Fox still owns the rights to A New Hope, Disney will certainly have to make some sort of a deal with the studio if this unaltered trilogy is to become a reality, but if it's true, the news will certainly be embraced by legions of fans.

George Lucas was always adamant that the "Special Editions" he released in the 1990s were the versions of the trilogy that he always wanted fans to see, refusing to release the original theatrical versions. There was a DVD set released in November 2006 that included the original un-altered theatrical prints of each movie on a separate disc from the Special Edition movie. Fans were ultimately disappointed though when it was learned that the un-altered versions took non-anamorphic video sourced from the 1993 LaserDisc release, which was much lower in quality compared to the Special Edition. That 2006 set was the last time the original theatrical editions were released in any home video format, but there was a "de-specialized" version of A New Hope that found its way to fans last year.

Last February, a group known as Team Negative 1 painstakingly re-created the original theatrical edition of A New Hope, using an original 1977 35mm print that they restored. This edition removes all of the added bits of dialogue, along with restoring the Han Solo/Greedo encounter to its original version, where Greedo doesn't even fire his blaster at all. This group never stated whether or not they planned on restoring Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi as well, but if this un-altered Blu-ray set is in fact released this year, they may not need to expend all of that time and effort. Still, this rumor is far from being confirmed, but the 40th Anniversary of A New Hope does seem like the perfect time to bring the original versions of A New Hope and the rest of the trilogy back to the fans.


If this Blu-ray set is actually being released, there could also be a chance that these beloved movies may get a theatrical re-release as well. LucasFilm announced yesterday that there will be a special panel at Star Wars Celebration that honors the 40th Anniversary of the original Star Wars, so it's possible that this Blu-ray announcement may be made then. Still, this rumor has yet to be confirmed by LucasFilm, but if it is true, and the announcement is happening at Star Wars Celebration, it probably won't be confirmed until the actual panel. Hopefully we'll find out more about this Star Wars Blu-ray trilogy soon.

 

Wow, that's a long sentence.

As long as the original camera negatives survive, there isn't that big a problem here. All of this can be salvaged. Note that the OCN for Star Wars were badly damaged by Technicolor/Tokyo sometime in the mid-to-late 1980s (not sure of the exact date). I was told by a high-ranking Fox exec, "it looked like somebody held a fork to the emulsion." He was not happy about it, and Lucas was absolutely livid. Everybody was kind of stunned that Fox was shipping the original neg around the world willy-nilly, ten years after the film was released.

With modern digital techniques, it is still possible to eliminate the scratches, and anybody who has seen the 1999 or 2004 Star Wars releases has seen the results. All the VFX for the various revisions of Star Wars were done at 2K, because not a lot of movies can afford the time and money to do 4K. When a movie has 1600 visual effects shots, and each shot takes about 8 hours to render, there's just not enough hours in the day to get it done by a specific release date -- not even if you have fifty computers and 500 people working on the job at the same time. 4K is absolutely possible, but again: Disney and Fox have to want to do it, Disney's gonna have to cough up a ton of money, they're going to have to work out a business compromise, and it's going to take a lot of time and effort to accomplish.

BTW, when I asked my ILM bosses (but not Lucas) in 2004 why they didn't also release the original theatrical versions, I was given two answers: 1) nobody wants to spend the time & money to do it, and 2) to George, the only version of each film that exists at the moment is the version in George's head. I asked, "will the changes ever stop?" And they told me, "damned if we know. We just work here."

I think historical revisionism is a difficult area, and I think the right approach would have been to have done both: release the movies as boxed sets, with extra footage, interviews, expanded documentaries, the original unexpergated version, and the super-duper-revised George Lucas version with new VFX. Give everybody everything. The hardcore fans can throw away the revised film versions and cling to the originals; the mainstream audience can watch whatever they want. George still gets to see the movie in his head. Disney makes a lot of money, Fox makes money, fans get what they want. It's a win for everybody. But... it's not so simple to actually do in real life with big corporations, millions of dollars, and conflicting interests.

 

It would be cool if Han Solo & Creedo came out on stage to make the announcement. Then, just before they reveal the exciting news, Han Solo shouts out really quickly "The Original Star Wars versions are being released". Then the headlines come..."Han Shout First!!!"

 

I think it would just blow people's minds if Han and Greedo shook hands and parted as friends...

 

I'll believe it when I have the set in my hands.

 

I forgot about the 2020 thing. Oh well back to waiting.

 

There is no 2020 thing if Disney and Fox can work something out or have already worked something out if the latest rumor is to be believed. Furthermore, the 2020 thing doesn't take into account that Disney will own the distribution rights to Empire and Jedi. Fox will still own the distribution rights to Star Wars.

 

The fact that Fox has a permanent stake in the first film makes 2020 a pretty arbitrary date in some ways. I wonder if we'll just see a commemorative release of the original Star Wars film (whether in its theatrical version or not) this year, and not anything new for the other two.

 

Original movies means no Jabba at all in Episode IV. I was in disbelief when I heard. Still now all you die hard fans (I am just like Star Wars. It is not my whole life.) Will see how great those "state of the art 1977-1983 effects" look on your 65 inch HD and 4k TV.

SARCASM.

You are going to find out painfully why MR. George Lucas updated and cleaned up those special effects.

Don't worry you are all going to get the original "unaltered" moves.

 

Hey, I will take dated practical effects over bad 90's CGI any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

Jabba in Episode IV is one of the worst CGI in all of films, right up there with the prairie dog in Indiana Jones IV.

 

Jabba looked pretty bad in the 1997 Special Edition but he got a little better in subsequent re-releases.

 

Many of us have already seen the original unaltered versions on HD televisions thanks to the hard work of dedicated fans like Harmy.

 

You've been seduced by the dark side!
Dated...Nope...I am talking about numerous blue screen effects (that is still in use) where they were in a rush and you will see white lines around the effect ruining the movie for you. I am 48 sir and I saw A New Hope Ep. IV when I was 8. IT BLEW MY LITTLE MIND. So did Superman and Battlestar Galactica (less so) but that was over 40 years ago. When I saw them in HD I realize how bad the blue screen effects were. It took a lot of the magic away.

None of you FANS have seen the original movies on the big screen since 1983. A crappy laserdisc (yea 440 lines if you like flipping over a side every 30 minutes. Some players will flip over a disk. Most won't.) With at best 440 lines made from a substandard master won't show how bad those blue screen effects were but when you pop you blue ray in and hit PLAY it will be, "I don't remember the original movies looking this bad!Nooooooo!!!!" And the angels will weep....

Seriously though guys I can't wait.

 

Not talking about added scenes guys. See my next post. And come on who are you fooling? It wouldn't matter how good Jabba looked you die hard FANS would hate it because LUCAS ADDED IT. AHHHHHH!!

 

I only have the BD, but he looks like crap.

 

You should see the 1997 version...

 

You make some good points. Yes, the originals should be the originals but they are some things in the 1997 versions that were good. Don't say this to the FANS they will burn you at the stake for even suggesting such a thing.

 

I am not a die hard, I just hate crappy CGI. I do like the mouth added to the Sarlac Pit. I still debate with myself whether it is scarier with or without the mouth.

I do hope that they release the theatrical versions so I can see what all the differences are, and decide what I like better.

 

Or not...

 

Yea I heard about that. It is not the same thing and you guys know it.

 

Tha whole River Dance over Jabba's Tail.. Has to be tha worst added sequence..made Me wince.. Well that and Jedi Rock..

 

MY apologies sir. Sorry I mistook you for you know one of those people. You haven't seen the originals? Sometimes I forget how old I am. You will realize what a genius MR. Lucas is when you see the original Emperor with his "almond shaped eyes" in Episode V. To be honest some things are better and some are worse.