TCFHE Press Release: STAR WARS Movies Celebrated With New Limited Edition SteelBooks (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

It's part and parcel of the overall experience. There's hardly a fan who doesn't get goosebumps hearing that fanfare, then seeing the Fox logo followed by the Lucasfilm one. It takes us all back to that first time we saw these films. Most of us anyway.


The Fox fanfare has been part of every SW soundtrack release since 1993.

Have to agree with this.


The Fox Fanfare is nothing new. It was used for decades prior to Star Wars.


However, there is something about the way that fanfare ties into the Star Wars experience itself to the point that in the decades that followed, anytime one heard the extended fanfare in front of any film, you thought the Star Wars title would follow it.

 

[Dr Griffin]

While the newer fanfare music may have a richer and deeper sound, the older fanfare (including Star Wars) has that epic, crisp drum sound.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I am certain I speak for many when I say the Fox fanfare is just as important as the films themselves.

Horrible to know that one day they will be completely removed from the Star Wars movies.

I have sat in audiences where the crowd cheers just at the Fox fanfare. You think Disney could ever top that?

I guess im in the minority here, but IMHO, the Fox fanfare is not "just as important as the films." Something that lasts less than a minute, that accompanies other films, how can it be on equal footing to the film?

Yeah, I like the fanfare, I hope it stays. If it's removed I'll still enjoy the film.

It's interesting that a thread that I thought would center around the steel cases, that is in the thread title, is more about something that lasts less than a minute. I think the theologians from centuries ago were less obsessive about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin, than Star Wars fans who obsess over who shot first.

There is one thing that's always bugged me about SW. Vander was a great villain, fun to watch, fun to hate. I felt he was beyond redemption so I don't really enjoy with full gusto the resolution in the OT. Then along comes the prequels and Vader's death count is even greater, including children! He became even less redemptive to me then. He shoulda died a villain.

 

[Wayne_j]

One thing that can be said for the fanfare being important to Star Wars is that I heard that the fanfare had been out of use for a while before Star Wars was released and George Lucas requested for it to be reinstated before the movie.

 

[MattBradley]

If this is just a straight re-release, no sale. IF they included the extras from the original DVDs (The Beginning, trailers, etc.), I would probably bite.

 

[Tony J Case]

SPOILER ALERT much for Jedi

Sorry, the spoiler statute of limitations has long expired on a 30 year old movie.

However, there is something about the way that fanfare ties into the Star Wars experience itself to the point that in the decades that followed, anytime one heard the extended fanfare in front of any film, you thought the Star Wars title would follow it.

When I was young back in the seventies, I had no clue about studio logos or that the Fox fanfare was anything else other than The Bit of Music in front of Star Wars. So when the movies imprinted on me, the two were inseparable in my mind. It was just that star wars simply started out with that 30 seconds of music.


Now, older I can divorce the two - but it's still there in the 10 year old's part of my brain. When I saw the Clone Wars movie and the WB logo came up instead followed by the theme - it was just. . . wrong.

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

There are people born every day who have not seen Star Wars, so there shouldn't be a statute of limitations on movie spoilers.

 

[Bryan^H]

Images from Amazon Japan.

 

[TravisR]

I'm still not going to buy something to get a box but the interiors and backs do look pretty cool. Much better than the covers.

 

[Bryan^H]

I'm still not going to buy something to get a box but the interiors and backs do look pretty cool. Much better than the covers.

same here. Cool, but no sale for me.

 

[Tony J Case]

There are people born every day who have not seen Star Wars, so there shouldn't be a statute of limitations on movie spoilers.

And there are people born all the time that don't know Kong dies at the end, Rosebud is the sled, Soilent Green is people, Norman's mom is really Norman, Bruce Willis talks to dead people, and "you blew it up, damn you! Damn you all to hell!"


Should one spoil modern media? Of course not - but if it's ingrained in the pop-culture fabric of society (and Star Wars certainly is), then yes - there is very much a statute of limitations on spoilers. It's hardly my fault when you get upset about me talking about how Vader is Luke's father some 35 years on.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Its that even a spoiler anymore? I mean really if you have your kids watch the first two trilogies in chronological order the big surprise of both Empire and Jedi gets spoiled 2 hours into Sith.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

There are people born every day who have not seen Star Wars, so there shouldn't be a statute of limitations on movie spoilers.

Anyone who thinks a picture of the Emperor on the cover of "Jedi" is a spoiler doesn't understand what spoilers are...

 

[Dave H]

What's not fair is using the original poster art of the original, unaltered movies on the back of the steelbook only to have the latest special edition incarnation on disc.

 

[Craig Beam]

Still, it's better than no original poster art at all. Fuck, if I didn't already have the Blu-rays (which I don't even watch, since I have Harmy's Despecialized versions on Blu-ray), I'd be all over that Japanese shit.

 

[MielR]

However, there is something about the way that fanfare ties into the Star Wars experience itself to the point that in the decades that followed, anytime one heard the extended fanfare in front of any film, you thought the Star Wars title would follow it.

Which I guess is why the fanfare was eventually added to the soundtrack re-releases. The two themes are inseparable. Supposedly, John Williams composed the main title in the same key as the fanfare on purpose. Who knows. All I know is when I was a kid and a movie with the cinemascope extension fanfare was on TV, I was always disappointed when it ended up being some moldy-oldie from the '50s instead. ;-)

Hopefully, these steel-books will be the last dip into the blu-ray pool until the originals are released on blu-ray. In the meantime, they will serve as fuel for my outdated facebook page:

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, I finally got around to watching the "reimagined" version of Star Wars created by George Lucas. Up until a few nights ago I had never seen what he had done with the film since the theatrical release. I don't own this film on Blu-ray, I have the special edition DVD set that was released that contains the original version of the film and just never bothered with watching the "Lucas improved" version until my wife asked to watch the film the other day because the academy where she teaches said they were interested in showing it. This led to a discussion where I mentioned there was now more than one version of Star Wars which shocked most of the people involved who did not know Lucas had altered the film. I was asked what the changes were and said I honestly did not know because I had never watched the new version.


So, a Star Wars screening was arranged where we would watch first the original version and then the "Lucas improved" version using the dvd set. Much to my surprise when the evening arrived, although I should have expected this from a group of university level professors, they arrived with notebooks and copious detailed pages on the changes Lucas had made. First a discussion was held to explain Lucas, his changes, and reasons he gave for making the changes. I sat silently while this was debated and then once this was over I fired up the original version of Star Wars. During this version people generally sat and enjoyed the film, I think they had not seen it in many years.


Next another brief discussion as I switched over to the next disc, mainly about changes to the film people had researched and what we might expect to see in the first third of the picture.


Here is where the evening went rapidly downhill. By the time we got through the section of the film where Ben and Luke arrive at Mos Eisley spaceport to find Han Solo and then finally make their getaway on the Millennium Falcon I had to pause the film because the level of debate and outrage had drowned out the picture. I have to admit while I was not as angry as some of these viewers were I was on the same page in terms of wondering why Lucas had basically destroyed his film.


The new scene that had been inserted that introduced Jabba the Hut was mind-bogglingly awful and basically stopped the picture dead in its tracks. Lucas had added all kinds of bad CGI creatures in the Mos Eisley sequence, basically being referred to as "dinosaurs and rats" by these viewers, randomly and without reason that do not "improve" the film but actually just seem to be designed to make each scene busier. The Jabba the Hut scene, particularly a portion where Han walks around behind Jabba, seemed to have been done by some rabid fan on his home computer and without much knowledge of how to achieve what he wanted.


Some people just left after this because they did not want to see anymore of what Lucas had changed they were so disgusted. The few of us that made it to the end of the "Lucas improved" version just could not believe what the man had done to his picture and could not fathom how he saw these things as improvements. All of the charm of Star Wars had been destroyed.


Honestly, I had always sort of laughed at the outrage fans had expressed over Lucas "improving" his film and thought it could not be that bad...now I understand their dismay.


While I'm not a Star Wars super fan and I mainly loved how the film was a tribute to B-movie filmmaking (I have never thought the acting was particularly good and the comedy in the film is pretty goofy) basically I have to concur with the fans that Lucas destroyed his film.


Due to what Lucas had done to his film the decision was made that if they do show the film it would only be the original version because the new version was deemed "unwatchable" and I have to agree I never want to see it again. I'm not sure they even want to show it now because everybody, including my wife, was angered by what they saw and may not want to revisit those feelings.


I had considered upgrading Star Wars to Blu-ray when these new discs come out but now have decided against it because I just have no interest in seeing the film in the altered version...it really is that bad. Hopefully, the original theatrical release makes it to Blu-ray someday because that film is a lot of fun and did not require any changes.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Reggie,


I can't begin to describe what an incredible, enjoyable time I had reading your post.


For someone, after all these years, to experience the Lucas revisions for the first time and be able to channel the same disappointment all of us have had for what seems like "eternity" is quite a revelation.


I don't think anyone on this forum is going to disagree with your assessment.


Just for a laugh, you really ought to watch these two trailers for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens.



The Original Trailer..







The George Lucas Special Edition Trailer..







This should really solidify everything for you.

 

[SamT]

Reggie, if you watched the DVD, you saw the "good" versions. The movies are changed further and the Bluray versions are even worse.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Reggie, if you watched the DVD, you saw the "good" versions. The movies are changed further and the Bluray versions are even worse.

I don't know, I just pulled out both of the DVD box sets I have of the first three films. I also have the Blu-ray boxset with the revised versions which I haven't viewed yet. Furthermore, I have never open the DVD Tin box set with both versions that I bought from Best Buy. I will be watching the unaltered versions and the Blu-ray versions before December. It may take me three days to do so as I expect to watch both versions of each film the same day before moving onto the next film. Then I'll know if I'm as upset as some of you about the alterations.