Interview Lucasfilm on Star Wars the Complete Saga Blu-ray: Hands on Report (1 Viewer)

[SilverWook]

I think that is true, but there is more to it than the production. I think ROTJ suffers because of its cast. Mark Hamill looks much older than his age, and the freshness he had in the original film is completely gone. Its no wonder that his career was over by that time. Carrie Fisher and even Harrison Ford seem kind of bored with the whole thing.

Mark had a steady voiceover career long before Star Wars, and still does. (He's considered the definitive voice of The Joker!) He was playing Mozart in Amadeus on Broadway around the time Jedi opened. I'd pay money to see Mark as an older and wiser Luke Skywalker on the big screen. Are you listening George?

 

[highscore]

Before I rant, let me first say I will be purchasing the complete trilogy. I, like everyone here loves Star Wars. It has been a part of my life since I was five. However what was created in the past is no longer. So let's begin. It's very unfortunate that Lucas, whose career and the billions of dollars that have followed, have been made off of star wars and its fans, still can't cough up some pennies to do a decent restoration of the original trilogy. Why, you ask? Two words “he’s cheap”. I am only privy to knowledge of the original trilogies and not the prequels. I have been a colorist and in the Post business for over sixteen years. I have been very lucky to work on some Star wars projects (not this one nor the 2004 release) as well as many other high profile features. Some personal friends and mentors were so lucky as to get the 2004 job and so graciously passed along the then secret info of the then upcoming 2004 DVD’s. Apparently, Lucasfilm is trying to cover their butts with blaming things like technology and time frames. Although some things may ring true more than others let me let you in on some of the 2004 restoration details. This article and the digital bits article claim that the 2004 DVD was from a scanned source, i.e. 2k, 4k, ect. I do not believe this to be true. The original trilogy was transferred as a "best lite" on a C-Relality telecine at The Post Group in Hollywood, CA. It was best lit in HD 1920X1080 24SF and then the final color correction was handled at Lucatfilm as a tape to tape final color correction. Funny side note, at the time the client raised concerns that the corridors of Leia’s ship the "Tantive IV" had a slight magenta hue to them and possibly would not match the Sith prequels set. Is their any problem with that? No. Have there been major advances in film to tape color correction and data scanning since then? YES! But let me continue. Ok, for arguments sake lets say that those best lites were only used as reference and not for final color. In 2004 Chances are high that if scanned it was only scanned at 2k resolution. So Lucasfilm is either using the HD transfer masters generated from a best lite or if we were so lucky, actually scanned at 2k then down converted to HD and the SD for the DVD release. Either of these options are still fine, provided you're happy with technology of the past. But I will continue. An HD transfer from 2004 is very different from a transfer from 2011. The amount of sharpness and detail from todays equipment is noticeably better than that or yesteryear. As for the, what if scenario of a 2k scan. Well there we have an even greater difference in comparable resolution between a scan of then and now. A 4k scan for a two-hour feature today would cost approximately $30,000. A 6k scan around $80,000. As for 8k, well I'm afraid that may bring out too much noise from the films age, but for comparison your looking at, at least $100,000 if not more. Now those costs are only for the scan and nothing else. But lets be honest Lucas himself could do everything in house at cost if he wanted too, so money really isn't of concern here. Basically what I'm saying is Lucas is very cheap and very stubborn. He says the original versions are gone forever because the cost is too great to bring them back to what they once were. They are now releasing Blu-rays with dated transfers that have been re-color corrected and have been altered yet again. A bit of an FU to the fans wouldn’t you say? So why Mr. Lucas can you not just spend a little money on your babies? A new 4k scan would have cost you $100,000 for all three films. But I'm sure you could get a deal, because what facility wouldn’t want to be able to say the did Star Wars? Yes a 6k scan and protection prints would be better but lets go low for this discussion. And as for the "sorry the original trilogies are gone forever" spiel. Well that’s BS and you know it. You may have cut your special editions directly into that cut neg (why I'll never know) but they can be brought back. Just for fun lest say that to restore your special editions back to their original selves it would cost $1,000,000 for each film. It wouldn't but lets just say it did. So now your costs are around $3.1 million for scans and restoration of the original trilogy. Lets throw in another (again high) $2 million for dirt fix, sound mix, and that new color correction. We are now at $5.1 million. Yes that is allot of money, but basically each film will cost $1.7 million. So with a probable outstanding blu-ray sale and the possible theatrical re-release you don't think you could make you money back? Come on! Mr. Lucas and Lucasfilm are trying to blame past technology for their mistakes. And they aren’t willing to pay a little to make the best film franchise ever, shine for what it is and was. They should be ashamed.

 

[johnSM]

Superb post Eric! Highlights many important points. Seems to me the richer Lucas became/becomes, the more reluctant he is to spend money on his babies, at least as far as the original trilogy is concerned. And yet he doesn't think twice about throwing money at unnecessary changes, or 3D versions of each film, yet another sound mix, or some TV series which will probably be as childish & hollow as the prequals and dilute the franchise even further. For a company that prided itself on THX and all its high quality principles, it's laughable that they now think nothing of re-purposing old transfers... Hardly the state of the art transfers the company could/should be producing for this set. I just wish there was some legal way these films could be released - they're in the AFI/BFI archives, they're cultural icons. They are - in short - very important films. Surely they must be protected in some way? What if - and no funny comments folks (ahem!) - George 'lost it' in later years due to old age/senility, and started REALLY hacking the films to bits. Surely - legally - there'd be a way to stop the further vandalisation of the films then? Some law that's in place to protect works of art? We paid good money to see them again and again in their original forms from 1977-1997. They were good enough for the audience then, even if they were - as Lucas puts it - a workprint. As I've said/ranted before, he is lazy! With this bluray set we'll have had 4 revisions of Star Wars hoisted upon us now since/including 1997 version. The audience is treated as a guinee-pig almost, "ahh this'll do. if they complain enough about something we can always fix it with the next release. It's good enough". And so it's been since 1997! Why can't he just finish the damned films once and for all, and THEN release it to the general public, instead of all these different 'test' versions floating around - it's crazy! Utterly crazy! With all these versions out there, would it kill him to release one more, the one that started the ball rolling... the originals?!!! I'd say it's Lucas - and not Lucasfilm - who should be ashamed. Afterall they just do his bidding, and toe the party line as it were. I suspect there are many there who secretly despise what he's doing to the films as much as we do...

 

[oscar_merkx]

The latest issue from Empire Magazine UK http://www.empireonline.com/magazine/

Star Wars Unseen Think you've seen all that Star Wars has to offer? Think again. With the Blu-ray release of the original trilogy looming, we look at five unseen deleted scenes from the saga that will appear for the first time on Blu-ray. With the filmmakers talking us through the new scenes and explaining just what works and what doesn't in each case, this is the perfect primer to the new release.

 

[TravisR]

Why, you ask? Two words “he’s cheap”.

It's not about money. If he wanted the originals to be available then he'd spend the money. It's simply because he wants the SEs/the-ever-being-tinkered-with versions to be what people see.

 

[NightAvatar]

Adam, thanks for the excellent write-up! Any chance you could confirm whether the disks are Region Free? I would much prefer to order the US versions than the UK. Cheers!

 

[Worth]

What if - and no funny comments folks (ahem!) - George 'lost it' in later years due to old age/senility, and started REALLY hacking the films to bits. Surely - legally - there'd be a way to stop the further vandalisation of the films then? Some law that's in place to protect works of art?

The irony is, had Congress recognized the Berne Convention for the Issue of Moral Rights for motion pictures, as a certain George Lucas had once lobbied for, the revisions made to the Star Wars films would be illegal.

 

[johnSM]

The irony is, had Congress recognized the Berne Convention for the Issue of Moral Rights for motion pictures, as a certain George Lucas had once lobbied for, the revisions made to the Star Wars films would be illegal.

It's a bitter irony indeed, isn't it. Imagine if every film directer kept changing their work as/when technology allowed? Film history would be extrodinarily hard to keep track of! There'd never be any finished versions of films, and a new era of lazyness would permeate the film industry because instead of solving any problems with the film at the time, problems could always be ironed out with the next iteration of the film, and the next, and the next... It's a pity some law can't be worked out whereby any director is allowed to go back and do what they like to their film(s), BUT legally the original must also be preserved and also available for the general public (who the films were originally released for afterall!) to watch as well. Choice. Democracy...

 

[Roonan]

What about movies those who are not properly released on Blu-ray? Movies with excessive DNR and EE, for example.

 

[Coressel]

What about movies that start right off with the title and then jump into the story without any production credits? Wasn't that against the rules at one time?

 

[Dave H]

Incredible article in terms of information here. Saving Star Wars: The Special Edition Restoration Process and its Changing Physicality http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com/savingstarwars.html

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Originally Posted by Shelldweller
Great report. Can you say whether the US-set will be regionfree. I intend to buy the US version since it looks way better than the european one.

Originally Posted by NightAvatar
Adam, thanks for the excellent write-up! Any chance you could confirm whether the disks are Region Free? I would much prefer to order the US versions than the UK. Cheers!

Yes, it is region free.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Originally Posted by highscore
Before I rant, let me first say I will be purchasing the complete trilogy. I, like everyone here loves Star Wars. It has been a part of my life since I was five. However what was created in the past is no longer.
So let's begin.....

Welcome to Home Theater Forum Eric!

 

[Adam Gregorich]

One other tidbit, at this time there are no plans for new DVD versions of the films based on the Blu-ray release.

 

[Brian Borst]

It's not about money. If he wanted the originals to be available then he'd spend the money. It's simply because he wants the SEs/the-ever-being-tinkered-with versions to be what people see.

Plus Lucas seems unable to leave well enough alone. The constant tinkering, even with the prequels, seem to be the work of someone who's either obsessive about his work, incredibly insecure, or both. I find it laughable that these are actually advertised as "George's vision" since in some respects they're absolutely not. Unfortunately he has the power to change whatever he wants, and so he'll continue changing them. It'll probably never be enough.

 

[RobertR]

It's not about money.

It doesn't keep him from saying it's about money, or whatever other excuse suits him.

 

[Coressel]

The official Star Wars site posted this interesting insight into the Blu Ray release:
http://starwars.com/news/saga_bluray_restoration/

 

[Douglas Monce]

Whats wrong with it being about the money? Doug

 

[Kevin EK]

A couple of points to address here.


One, it is not realistic to expect any filmmaker to spend money into the millions for a home video release of his/her movies. It doesn't matter who the filmmaker is - it simply isn't going to happen. It would be great to see a restoration done of the original cuts of the Star Wars films and new transfers, etc. But the reality is that we're simply not going to be seeing that any time in the foreseeable future. Speculating on how much more money Lucas should have spent on the release is not a fruitful avenue.


Second, the quote from Gary Kurtz a page or so ago needs to be understood in context. Kurtz was let go from Lucas' group after Empire Strikes Back went significantly overbudget, and after an unfortunate guild credits issue cost Lucas personally. Lucas had clearly thought that Kurtz would be able to keep Empire from ballooning, but it just didn't work out that way, in spite of Kurtz trying to keep a lid on the situation. Lucas and Kershner were very different directors - Kershner really took a lot more time with the performances, while Lucas tried to film as fast as possible. As a result of that production situation, Lucas switched to Howard Kazanjian and also spent a lot more time on the set supervising what was happening on Jedi. From a production standpoint, Jedi was much more efficiently produced. From a creative standpoint, it's easy to see that the faster production was nowhere near as rich as either Star Wars or Empire. At the same time, Kurtz's swipe at Raiders of the Lost Ark isn't entirely fair - it sounds more like sour grapes at the time. But I do remember reading that Kurtz had understood Star Wars to originally be designed with our heroes eventually beating Vader and the Empire and then going their separate ways in a bittersweet ending. Kurtz was flabbergasted at the changing of Darth Vader from villain to redeemable father figure.

 

[highscore]

@Doug, technically nothing. But it just so happens that the Star Wars series is one if not the biggest film series ever. With a fan base that spans generations and a company that prides itself on quality. Lucas doesn't seem to care and has had a history of being cheap. Now let's assume he will sell at least 100,000 complete collections @ $89.00 each. At almost $9 million, that alone would cover the cost of brand new scans. But I'm just sayin. Maybe they won't really sell any and these blu rays will end up bankrupting Lucas. @ Kevin EK As for asking Lucas to ante up for new transfers, he should. He is the sole owner and holder of all the rights to his films. He should want to spend the money. But then you would be crazy to not think that Fox is paying for something here. After all Lucas doesn't own the blu ray presses and distribution channels. Fox is most likely paying for at least half of the costs. They did back in 2004. As far as I know they payed for everything just to secure further distribution rights. Long story short. Lucas owes it to himself and his fans to spend a little on what made him the man he is today.