What's new

ahollis

Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
8,853
Location
New Orleans
Real Name
Allen
questrider said:
Disney will but Lucasfilm will not. Don't lose sight of the fact that Disney is merely a parent company and Lucasfilm still handles the day-to-day operations which is almost entirely focused on Star Wars properties.
I don't lose sight, I just don't have hope that this is what they will do. Any blu-ray will come from Disney home entertainment unit and they will be doing new releases of the previous Pirate films. That will be their focus.
 

Worth

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
5,213
Real Name
Nick Dobbs
Once again, the fans have beaten Lucasfilm to the punch. A group calling themselves "Team Negative1" have created 1080p versions of Star Wars and Empire by scanning 35mm prints, with Jedi in the works:

http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/te...-version-release-details-and-updates/id/14590
http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Te...-Version-Release-Details-and-Updates/id/16108
http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Te...-Version-Release-Details-and-Updates/id/16712

Star Wars looks pristine. Empire is what they're calling a "grindhouse" version, though there's really only significant dirt and scratches at the heads and tails of reels, and they're apparently working on a cleaned-up version.
 

DVBRD

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 27, 2011
Messages
397
Real Name
Andy
Seeing that a few fans are now buying actual 35mm prints just to make HD masters of the originals, that should be a sign for Disney and Fox to make legit masters. Studios hate video piracy with a passion and I can't imagine them having an opportunity like a Star Wars OT restoration slip by their fingers, especially when the fans are doing the work for them, and they're not profiting from it.

The fact that legitimate news sources such as The Atlantic and The Guardian have publicized the Harmy Despecialized Editions probably doesn't sit well with either studio.
 
Last edited:

Lord Dalek

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Messages
7,090
Real Name
Joel Henderson
Its even more surprising when you consider these groups are basically using stolen property. These are actual 35mm film prints that were supposed to go back to Fox once the films were withdrawn from circulation.
 

TravisR

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2004
Messages
42,388
Location
The basement of the FBI building
Its even more surprising when you consider these groups are basically using stolen property. These are actual 35mm film prints that were supposed to go back to Fox once the films were withdrawn from circulation.
I think it's a case where they know it's going to happen no matter what so they just turn a blind eye. It's not worth looking like the big bad corporation picking on the poor, well-meaning fans especially when it's a minute number of 'lost' sales and since whatever they'd do would be more or less ineffective.
 

TravisR

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2004
Messages
42,388
Location
The basement of the FBI building
The difference that I see is that Disney is selling that kind of thing. When Disney gets around to releasing the OOT then they'll send their lawyers to get terrorize the guys working on the fan restorations so the Disney versions are the only game in town.
 

Tony Bensley

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2013
Messages
7,288
Location
Somewhere in Canada
Real Name
Anthony
The difference that I see is that Disney is selling that kind of thing. When Disney gets around to releasing the OOT then they'll send their lawyers to get terrorize the guys working on the fan restorations so the Disney versions are the only game in town.
I do get the feeling those who are and have done fan restorations will be in for a very rude awakening!

CHEERS! :)
 

Kyrsten Brad

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
2,322
Location
Merritt Island, Florida
Real Name
Brad
The difference that I see is that Disney is selling that kind of thing. When Disney gets around to releasing the OOT then they'll send their lawyers to get terrorize the guys working on the fan restorations so the Disney versions are the only game in town.

They'll probably send these guys:

Disney Legal Team

weasels_by_silver_sehkmet.jpg
 

Brian Kidd

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2000
Messages
2,555
Disney isn't one to leave a huge money opportunity unfulfilled. The fact that there hasn't been any movement on releasing the OOT suggests a few things:

Either,

  1. They are waiting until 2017 and the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars.
  2. Lucas had a clause in the sale contract stating that the only versions of the films that are allowed to be released in perpetuity are the Director-approved versions.
  3. The original elements really are beyond repair and suitable later-generation elements aren't available. (I think this is unlikely, but possible.)
  4. The convoluted home video rights to the OT are such that an agreement between Disney and Fox can't be reached at this time.
All of the above is pure speculation. I just think that there has to be a solid reason preventing Disney from releasing the original versions other than they just don't want to do so. We, in the general public, just aren't privy to the details. Until whatever barrier is holding up a release is removed, the fan preservations and restorations will do just fine.

By the way, Harmy has finally released his "final" version of Return of the Jedi. It's version 2.5. It goes without saying that it was an obvious labor of love and is quite pleasing, considering the elements with which he had to work.
 

Dave MJ

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 26, 2001
Messages
329
It's a sad state of affairs when fans have to take on their own film preservations because the studios refuse to release movies without tampering. Star Wars isn't the only film being worked on by fans, there are many others which have digital changes and bad revisionist color grades (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Disney animated films), remixed soundtracks without including the original track (too many to list) and so forth. I don't have a problem with special editions or director's cuts, as long as the original theatrical presentation is available.
 

Lord Dalek

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Messages
7,090
Real Name
Joel Henderson
I would not be surprised if ANH'S negative is the only one that really got destroyed due to the sheer amount of over printing done to it in 1978-1982. But the scenes removed from ESB and ROTJ might be in the same boat.
 

Brian Kidd

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2000
Messages
2,555
I would not be surprised if ANH'S negative is the only one that really got destroyed due to the sheer amount of over printing done to it in 1978-1982. But the scenes removed from ESB and ROTJ might be in the same boat.

I just read the article from American Cinematographer magazine that mentioned that. It's unfathomable these days that release prints would be made from the original negative, but it happened quite a bit back then, sadly.

That same article seems to imply that the entire original film was restored, however, before Lucasfilm started work adding in the new shots. Although the original negatives are quite possibly junk by now, surely there is a dupe negative of the restoration around. Would that yield as good an image as one derived directly from the O-neg? No. With that said, however, it could be used for a quite-pleasing Blu-ray or DCP. Heck, the SE releases of Episodes V and VI were based on an IP scan, not the O-neg, so Lucasfilm obviously didn't have a problem with using second-generation material in the past.

Here's the article, for those who are interested. It's a brief, but enlightening read.

http://www.theasc.com/magazine/starwars/articles/sped/ssws/pg1.htm
 

Dave MJ

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 26, 2001
Messages
329
I would not be surprised if ANH'S negative is the only one that really got destroyed due to the sheer amount of over printing done to it in 1978-1982. But the scenes removed from ESB and ROTJ might be in the same boat.
The full original ANH negative was restored BEFORE the special edition changes were done. That was the original intention before Lucas decided to make changes. They needed it as the base for many of the enhanced scenes. Many of those scenes were redone again in 2004 and 2011, so that means the negative was in good enough shape then. It is highly, highly unlikely that any of the original negative is lost. And its a sure bet that there are quality prints or duplicate negatives to fill in any gaps. If fans can create a good restoration, then Lucasfilm can.
 

johnSM

Second Unit
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
439
Real Name
John
We know for a fact some portions of the negative are gone for good, so that would have to come from elsewhere:

"Tanaka: I remember when we were working on the Star Wars restoration, that was a different process. I think we optically recreated interpositives. But in order to do this, it went through some kind of warm chemical bath cleansing. The weird thing about Star Wars was that it was made up of different film stocks, so it went through this bath and they didn’t know what would come out on the other end...

Parker: You mean if it would survive or not? ‘George we might destroy your entire film, but it’s... we think it’s going to be OK.’

Tanaka: There’s a space battle shot and a close-up on Hans Solo, and the original negative is coming out of this cleaning solution and it’s just acetate.

Parker: It’s all clear. Oh no, did the bath dissolve it?

Tanaka: Yeah, it dissolved it, depending on the film stock."

Source: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/...t-to-screen-for-the-first-time-in-33-years/3/
 

Lord Dalek

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Messages
7,090
Real Name
Joel Henderson
Also some shots from the New Hope negative had turned completely green by 1996. YCM Laboratories did a decent enough photochemical job with what they had but to call it a "full restoration" is a bit of a misnomer.
 

Bryan Tuck

Screenwriter
Joined
Jan 16, 2002
Messages
1,980
Real Name
Bryan Tuck
The full original ANH negative was restored BEFORE the special edition changes were done. That was the original intention before Lucas decided to make changes. They needed it as the base for many of the enhanced scenes. Many of those scenes were redone again in 2004 and 2011, so that means the negative was in good enough shape then. It is highly, highly unlikely that any of the original negative is lost. And its a sure bet that there are quality prints or duplicate negatives to fill in any gaps. If fans can create a good restoration, then Lucasfilm can.

I think those 2004 and 2011 changes were done on top of a 1080p transfer; they don't exist on film.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,710
Messages
5,121,135
Members
144,146
Latest member
SaladinNagasawa
Recent bookmarks
0
Top