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TCFHE Press Release: Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Blu-ray)

post #1 of 313
1/6/11 at 12:42pm
Thread Starter 

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THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE

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THE MOST ANTICIPATED BLU-RAY RELEASE IN THE GALAXY
IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR WORLDWIDE PRE-ORDER STARTING TODAY
 
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LAS VEGAS (Jan. 6, 2011) – The most anticipated Blu-ray release ever – the Star Wars™ Saga – emerges from light speed this September 2011. For the first time, all six of George Lucas’ epic films (Episodes I-VI) are united in one complete set. Fans worldwide are able to pre-order now with online retailers.
 

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release Star Wars in three distinct sets to meet the needs of every Star Wars fan:

    -     Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray (9-disc Set includes all six films)
    -     Star Wars: Prequel Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes I-III)
    -     Star Wars: Original Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes IV-VI)

STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA ON BLU-RAY will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with three additional discs and more than 30 hours of extensive special features including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes, an exploration of the exclusive Star Wars archives, and much more.

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will be available for $139.99 US/$179.99 CAN and the Star Wars: Trilogy Sets for $69.99 US/89.99 CAN. Pricing for each set will vary by international territory.

Flanked by a legion of his finest Imperial Stormtroopers, Darth Vader himself joined Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment President Mike Dunn at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to announce the release, vowing “The forces of the Empire will be at your disposal to assure the success of this endeavor.’’

“The Star Wars Saga is the most anticipated Blu-ray collection since the launch of the high-def format,” Dunn said. “The epic franchise pioneered sound and visual presentation in theaters and is perfectly suited to do it again in the home, with a viewing experience only possible with Blu-ray.”

“With all six episodes available for the first time in one collection, this is a great way for families and home audiences to experience the complete Saga from start to finish,” said Doug Yates, Vice President of Marketing, Online, Distribution, Lucasfilm Ltd. “And with the quality of high-definition, Blu-ray provides the most immersive home experience possible.”

“The Star Wars franchise has been one of the most anticipated Blu-ray releases by Amazon’s customers,” said Bill Carr, Vice President of Music and Video at Amazon. “We think that Star Wars will be incredibly popular with our customers, and we expect pre-orders to be very strong.”

ABOUT TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTANMENT
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world. 

Lucasfilm, STAR WARS™ and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd.  All rights reserved.  All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. 
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray]
Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy (Episodes I - III) [Blu-ray]
Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (Episodes IV - VI) [Blu-ray]
post #2 of 313
1/6/11 at 1:04pm
Thread Starter 

Please support HTF and preorder your copy by

clicking on the appropriate Amazon link above.

 

Thank You all!

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post #3 of 313
1/6/11 at 1:12pm

EDIT:  Travis, you were not the first to point out my brain fart. confused.gif  Perhaps sooner then. . .

 

I'll be happy to -- next Black Friday when the full set is under $100 (yes, I'm just assuming).  Sucks that we have to buy the prequels to get the extras.

 

Unless those 30 hours of extras include 6 hours of the Original theatrical cuts. . .

 

EDIT #2: Saga ordered; HTF supported!


Edited by Aaron Silverman - 1/6/11 at 1:34pm
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post #4 of 313
1/6/11 at 1:14pm

^ The current price on Amazon is $90.

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post #5 of 313
1/6/11 at 1:28pm

I just preordered the Saga using the link, Ron.  Thanks for posting - and it will be interesting to see how the price fluctuates over the next 9 months.

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post #6 of 313
1/6/11 at 1:43pm
Thread Starter 

Been awfully busy on this end since posting the announcement

so glad to finally get back in here to offer comment.

 

I think it's rather unbelievable to get all 6 of these films for $90.

 

As much as I dislike the prequels (and will probably never watch

them again) I still think it's worth owning the entire collection

together in one set along with the first three films.

 

Congrats to Fox in advance of what I think is going to be a huge

seller for them.  Star Wars fans rejoice!

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post #7 of 313
1/6/11 at 1:48pm

Now the hard part is having to wait until until September for it to be released.

 

I am hoping, but doubt that it will happen, that the original trilogy set will contain the original version as an option to chose from

along with the special edition version with all the added in CGI.

 

Thanks for posting this Ron.

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post #8 of 313
1/6/11 at 1:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Stell View Post

I just preordered the Saga using the link, Ron.  Thanks for posting - and it will be interesting to see how the price fluctuates over the next 9 months.



same thing here

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post #9 of 313
1/6/11 at 2:18pm
Thread Starter 

It has already been debunked that the original version of the

original trilogy will be made available on this set.

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post #10 of 313
1/6/11 at 2:57pm

Original Trilogy for me (too bad about the lack of OOT). But hey I do have to give props that LFL isn't making me buy the PT in the same bundle. I'll have to see a breakdown of the exclusive "extras" for the Saga, but it would take an awful lot for me to buy it due to my feelings on the PT.

 

If they include Plinkett's reviews, I'll entertain buying The Saga. laugh.gif

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post #11 of 313
1/6/11 at 3:43pm

Count me in for the 9 disc set.

 

Gotta hand it to LFL for giving everyone a choice which set you want to purchase.

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post #12 of 313
1/6/11 at 4:10pm
Link clicked. Complete collection pre-ordered. Thanks, Ron!
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post #13 of 313
1/6/11 at 4:14pm
Thread Starter 

Here's an interesting question for all of you...

 

Anyone considering the purchase of the complete

saga, do you see any possible benefit for buying

the two trilogy sets instead?

 

Think for a moment.  You get a separate blue and

red box set, both priced at $45 Amazon each equaling

the price of the one complete saga.

 

Personally, I don't see any benefits offhand, but perhaps

some may opt to purchase both as individual boxed sets

to have something extra on their shelves.

 

I am surprised LucasFilms didn't include any extra

carrots to lure people to purchasing the entire saga over

the individual sets....

 

....I don't even know what kind of extras will be included.

The press release is awfully vague about any supplements.

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post #14 of 313
1/6/11 at 4:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein View Post

Here's an interesting question for all of you...

 

Anyone considering the purchase of the complete

saga, do you see any possible benefit for buying

the two trilogy sets instead?

 

Think for a moment.  You get a separate blue and

red box set, both priced at $45 Amazon each equaling

the price of the one complete saga.

 

Personally, I don't see any benefits offhand, but perhaps

some may opt to purchase both as individual boxed sets

to have something extra on their shelves.

 

I am surprised LucasFilms didn't include any extra

carrots to lure people to purchasing the entire saga over

the individual sets....

 

....I don't even know what kind of extras will be included.

The press release is awfully vague about any supplements.

The way I see it so far Ron is with the complete Saga you get 9 discs. 6 discs for the Movies and 3 discs of extras (Assumed). With the seperate Pre and Original trilogy box sets you get 3 discs per set which total 6 discs. So my thinking is the extras get dropped for the 3 discs box sets.

 

The only benefit I see is the Complete Saga will have the extras (assumed).

 

Just my 2 cents.
 

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post #15 of 313
1/6/11 at 4:35pm
Thread Starter 

Joe,

 

That makes complete sense and I didn't consider

that in my initial question.

 

I suppose other than providing us with cover art

there is still pending decisions as to what extras

will be included, but as you pointed out, I would

bet a carrot would be offered in buying the whole

shebang.

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post #16 of 313
1/6/11 at 5:11pm

Here are some pics from the event:

 

Mike Dunn (Fox Home Video)tells Vader that Star Wars is finally coming to Blu-ray:

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Darth Vader tells Mike Dunn that he is actually his father:

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20_sw3.jpg

 

Darth Vader sends in the Stormtroopers to get a copy of Avatar on 3D Blu-ray for him

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 Here is the trailer for the Blu-ray release:

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post #17 of 313
1/6/11 at 5:35pm

I'll wait until they announce the "Leia hairbun collectible packaging", which would be like hairbun earmuffs, with half the discs in one bun and half in the other.

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post #18 of 313
1/6/11 at 6:19pm

Saw the word "Original" in the press release and got excited for a second. Oh well. At least Indiana Jones will be worth buying.

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post #19 of 313
1/6/11 at 6:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Will_B View Post

I'll wait until they announce the "Leia hairbun collectible packaging", which would be like hairbun earmuffs, with half the discs in one bun and half in the other.


HA HAH HAH HAH...love it!

 

Pre-order placed - supported HTF!
 


Edited by Michael Osadciw - 1/6/11 at 7:31pm
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post #20 of 313
1/6/11 at 7:13pm

Plenty of time so I see no reason to pre-order this soon. Plus, I want to wait for the reviews on PQ and SQ. 

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post #21 of 313
1/6/11 at 7:33pm

Aha!  We should take note of the penetration of Blu ray into the market as of today so we'll know how fully accepted the NEXT BIG THING will have to be before Lucas consents to re-re-release the Saga in that format!  biggrin.gif

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post #22 of 313
1/6/11 at 7:49pm

Here's why it's not a simple process to bring the original editions to new HD telecines:

 

http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com/savingstarwars.html

Quote:

Had the film remained like this, we would have a restored version of Star Wars, perfectly matching the original release but with pristine quality, even to the point where it was better than what could have been possible back then (as with the higher quality optical transitions). However, this was only part of the process of making what was eventually called "The Special Edition." ILM was working on many dozens of new shots, and an even larger amount of enhanced shots, using digital effects to re-do, expand, re-edit and otherwise alter many scenes in the film. When these were completed, they apparently were printed onto film and re-cut into the negative, replacing the original negs, which were undoubtedly put back into storage. As a result, the negative for Star Wars is filled with CGI-laden modern alterations. When Lucas says that the original version physically does not exist, this is what he really means--the negative is conformed to the Special Edition. 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.

 

 

Quote:
One was that the negative was scanned only in HD resolution of 1080p, in 10-bit RGB. [36] This was a state worse than the primitive 2K scans ILM had done for the SE. By contrast, when Blade Runner was restored and enhanced in 2007, the live-action was scanned at 4K, the normal standard, and the visual effect shots at 8K. Godfather's 2008 restoration was scanned at 4K for the entire film, while Wizard of Oz's 2009 release was done at 8K. Why Lucas chose to source his master from a paltry 1080 HD scan is hard to fathom, especially when 4K was long in place as the standard, with 6K and 8K looming on the horizon as a viable replacement since data storage was becoming cheaper. One reason may be because Lucas was shooting the two prequels--Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith--on the Sony CineAlta, which itself was 1080 (being the first generation of HD feature-film cameras). This is another undoable element of the prequels--filmed on 1080p HD, they have, at the most, less than half the resolution of the 35mm original trilogy, with some arguing that 35mm resolves 5000 lines, meaning they have just under 1/5 the resolution (Phantom Menace was shot in 35mm, but then scanned in 2K--which is still an improvement over the following two films). With the new 2004 SE existing partly to link the six films, this was indeed the case as the original trilogy was lowered in resolution to that of the first three episodes. Ironically, as Lucas moved into more "high tech" digital arenas, the quality of the image slowly declined, going from a 35mm original, to a partly-2K 1997 SE and then a fully-1080p 2004 SE. According to Videography, the negs were scanned on a Cintel C-Reality telecine, at 1920x1080 resolution, in 4:4:4 RGB, recorded to Sony SR tape.
 
The second caveat that resulted from scanning the O-neg is one that was irrespective of the output resolution, and this was that they were once again working from a copy of the film without color-correction, since the meticulous work YCM Labs did existed only on the SE's Interpositive (again, the O-neg can't have its physical image corrected, it has to be produced on a copy). Perhaps because of the fact that Lucas had lost all of his color-work, he embarked on a new principle--instead of faithfully reproducing the look of the original release and photography, as had been the case on the previous re-release, it could be digitally manipulated to have a slicker look that matched the high-saturation, high-contrast look of the three prequels.
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post #23 of 313
1/6/11 at 8:07pm

Uh oh........

 

ScreenHunter_03Jan062303.jpg

 

AND the slug still on the Emperor. (Now I'm sure it's probable that this is not the final transfer but.......)

 

Also, I like how the trailer states "The wait is over"...Well.....not really.

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post #24 of 313
1/6/11 at 8:08pm

Couldn't they simply scan a decent original print, like that lovely Technicolor one of Episode IV that screened in Boston last year? The Library of Congress just added Empire to their preservation list, so either they already have a good copy of the 1980 version, or will soon be given one.

 

Almost anything would be better than those ancient 1993 video masters they tossed onto the bonus DVD's at this point.

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post #25 of 313
1/6/11 at 8:46pm

It's too bad that I'll never be able to see STAR WARS as I did in 1977. The only thing I can do is to ensure that I do not financially reward the Emperor by refusing to purchase his adulterated "saga".

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post #26 of 313
1/6/11 at 8:58pm

 

Quote:
It's too bad that I'll never be able to see STAR WARS as I did in 1977

Well, you can. Just not with an anamorphic transfer.

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post #27 of 313
1/6/11 at 9:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by WillG View Post

 

Quote:
It's too bad that I'll never be able to see STAR WARS as I did in 1977

Well, you can. Just not with an anamorphic transfer.


I should clarify that I meant a high quality transfer. I haven't watched a non-anamorphic transfer in years. I made it a point to never purchase non-anamorphic discs. They are virtually unwatchable on modern HD equipment.

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post #28 of 313
1/6/11 at 9:46pm

Argh! Mad at myself because I did my pre-order before checking the forums and following the link there. Sorry!

 

I did get the Complete Saga edition, since I do love all six movies (yes, even Phantom Menace) and heck, it's Star Wars! Very curious to see what the "30 hours of extras" includes, especially if Empire of Dreams is brought back, since it was a good telling of the OT story.

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post #29 of 313
1/6/11 at 11:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MattPeriolat View Post

Argh! Mad at myself because I did my pre-order before checking the forums and following the link there. Sorry!

 

I did get the Complete Saga edition, since I do love all six movies (yes, even Phantom Menace) and heck, it's Star Wars! Very curious to see what the "30 hours of extras" includes, especially if Empire of Dreams is brought back, since it was a good telling of the OT story.


You can always cancel your pre-order and do it again through the HTF link.

 

Doug

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post #30 of 313
1/7/11 at 1:17am

Grrr posted this in the 'wrong' Star Wars thread - it was meant to be this one which I assume will now be the 'official' Star Wars on bluray thread from now on. Anyways:

 

By the looks of that trailer - which admittedly MAY not show the finished product - the lightsabers are STILL pink especially in the cloud city fight sequences in Empire, and - for example - that scene where Luke and Vader's sabres clash in front of the Emperor's face (PINK! How threatening is a Sith Lord with a PINK sabre?!), and the colour balance is way off still in some scenes.

 

Whilst I would love the originals transferred with the same care that went into - for example - the Blade Runner sets, or Close Encounters, many would be happy if they at least made the SEs as good as possible. Instead we get bad 'cartoon colour' timings, pink lightsabers (!), dated CGI in many instances (as someone else here noted, how ironic can one get), lack of 'cgi window views' continuity in corridors in the expanded cloud city segments (some windows disappear in subsequent shots!), jarring edits to make way for new scenes ("alert my star destroyer blah blah" just DESTROYS that beautiful music spoting in that sequence & all the tension) and so on. I'm just amazed nobody appears to notice this stuff at Lucasfilm & mention it - it's basic quality control that you'd get for just about any release (major or otherwise) these days... This isn't Star Wars nerd-moaning, this is basic level quality control one would expect for any classic film.

 

The irony here is that George said he did the SEs because he wasn't happy with how the films originally turned out due to time and budgetary constraints. Fair enough. He then fixes everything, says he is now happy and how they now represent his original vision (could he not have easily filmed Greedo shooting first then, back in '76... I digress!). Despite saying this, he then changes shots again (notably a V.2 of the poor Greedo shooting first CGI, and the more obvious Jabba re-do) for the 2004 DVDs which must surely indicate that the 1997 versions were NOT complete, and he wasn't happy with those either. Why doesn't he NOTICE the shots are bad to begin with?! The same can be said of the terrible Yoda puppet in TPM - didn't anybody SAY anything back then that he looked nothing like Yoda? Rumor is this puppet will be changed to CGI for the prequal Bluray sets... yet another example of 'after the fact' tinkering to correct mistakes which should have never happened. This 'ah I can fix THAT in a future DVD/Bluray release' makes for lazy film-making in my humble opinion because nothing is ever finished/polished off. George seems to treat each release as a 'service pack' to plug up the flaws with the previous version, ala Windows!

 

The only reason I'd buy this set is purely for the deleted scenes, but since it appears that the only way to get these is to get the whole set with the terrible prequals too, Lucasfilm have lost a sale from me. If they'd included these extras on the original trilogy sets, and if it looked like they'd listened, took note, and fixed the issues with the 2004 DVD transfers, I'd be extremely tempted to part with my hard earned.

 

It's a rather depressing sign that some fan edits out there show more care and professionalism than official Lucasfilm product! Anyone who's seen the famous Adywan version of Star Wars (sorry - A New Hope!), or his re-colour timed SEs know how good these films can look...

 

At this point I WISH Lucasfilm would stop trying to be the jack of all trades, and give the entire saga to a company like Criterion who'd do these films full justice.

 

For those that like the prequals, and/or the SEs, lets hope they at least get everything right with version 3 this time, with no more errors - sorry! - "deliberate creative decisions".....

 

- John


Edited by johnSM - 1/10/11 at 5:21am
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray]
Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy (Episodes I - III) [Blu-ray]
Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (Episodes IV - VI) [Blu-ray]
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › Blu-ray › TCFHE Press Release: Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Blu-ray)