Steve Sansweet talks BD 6 film Star Wars and more (1 Viewer)

[Douglas Monce]

Originally Posted by Sam Favate

I, for one, am glad to see Sansweet talking about the original making of- documentaries getting a release someday. There are at least four that are quite good: 1977's Making of Star Wars, 1980's SPFX: The Empire Strikes Back, 1983's Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi, and 1984's From Star Wars To Jedi: The Making of a Saga. All saw release on home video in the VHS age, but never on DVD.

BTW, Lucasfilm should take note that similar releases exist for Raiders and the Indy films, including The Making of Raiders, and Great Movie Stunts.

All of these have interviews with the cast and crew and are narrated by one of the principles.

I have the making of Raiders and Star Wars pulled from old laserdisc copies, but I'd love to see them put on blu-ray with the movies.
There was also a NOVA pbs special in the late 80s which covered the effects of the Star Wars and Indy films called Nova: the magic of special effects. I'd like to see that on one of these releases also.
Doug

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Oliver_A

The problem is, you do not realize that it's not up to you to decide for others what requests are "reasonable" and "not reasonable". Is it unreasonable that fans just want the original versions commercially available in good quality? I mean, we are not even talking about prices, I would GLADLY pay the extra money for such a thing. And please, don't come with "oh, but it's financially not feasible". BS. Just look at releases of other, commercially much less succesful films.

Show a bit more tolerance.

For the third time in as many posts, I do not think it's unreasonable for anyone to want a quality version of the OT. And obviously, I'm not the final arbiter of what is and isn't reasonable, I'm just giving my opinion on the topic. Oddly, it doesn't seem to really clash with yours but you seem determined to argue with anything I say.

 

[Oliver_A]

Nevermind, I have obviously misread your post, and for that I apologize.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Oliver_A ">[/url]

Nevermind, I have obviously misread your post, and for that I apologize.
[/QUOTE]No sweat. As a big Star Wars fan, I know that we can get real passionate because of love for the movies.

 

[Brent M]

Originally Posted by Carlo Medina

You'd think if there was anyone on the planet who could convince George to let RAH remaster the films it would be his mentor Coppola. All he'd have to say is "George, look at what he did with my films and think what he could do if you let him take a pass at yours".

 

[SilverWook]

After what I saw on the THX-1138 DVD, I fear Lucas is beyond giving a damn anymore.

The changes there aren't even mentioned. Unlike the Star Wars special editions, there are no credits for those who created the new scenes. I presume it was ILM?

In the making of documentary, Lucas talks about how they used real locations to create his futuristic underground world, over a shot of a CGI cityscape! Are we supposed to think that effect was achieved back in 1970?

 

[MielR]

Originally Posted by SilverWook ">[/url]

After what I saw on the THX-1138 DVD, I fear Lucas is beyond giving a damn anymore.

The changes there aren't even mentioned. Unlike the Star Wars special editions, there are no credits for those who created the new scenes. I presume it was ILM?

In the making of documentary, Lucas talks about how they used real locations to create his futuristic underground world, over a shot of a CGI cityscape! Are we supposed to think that effect was achieved back in 1970?[/QUOTE]I sent an email to TCM regarding THX, to complain they made no mention of the alterations to the film when they aired it. At least for accuracy's sake, they should let the viewers know that this film is not totally a product of the 1970's. A bunch of us also wrote to AFI and got them to remove the "1977" from their Star Wars listing when they included the Special Edition as part of a festival. Imagine a film student trying to trace the progression & artistry of film effects, while trying to make sense out of a 1970's film with 1990's FX.

YouTube has been a real eye-opener for me. It's disturbing how many young people don't even know that the versions of the SW films they're familiar with aren't the first versions of the films, and that there were other versions that existed for 14-20 years before they were changed. I'm doing my best to educate them.

 

[Carlo_M]

Yeah you'd think...

Except if there is one thing that's become clear in the years since his ascension, it's that Lucas has become less and less interested in outside influences when it comes to "his babies".

The whole exercise of the changes in the OT, along with subsequent rationalizations and flat-our rewriting of the history of the creation of the OT to justify changes he recently made to them, just smacks of someone who did not like that though he was the creator of Star Wars, it became a collaborative (and at times very contentious) project. The outcomes are what we saw onscreen in 1977, 1980 and 1983.

As is with the case with every film ever created, his vision was not 100% intact. There were sacrifices, compromises and changes made. As with every film.

But unlike 99.99% of the filmmakers who release projects "warts and all" and learn to live with (and some to eventually love) the results, Lucas now has the power, clout and ability to go back and attempt to erase anything that didn't jive with his original vision (and to conform with whatever new visions he has had in the intervening years).

It's analogous to those old relationships we've all had that are over, and we learn to live with the outcomes and eventually come to some sort of peace with the outcome. He has the ability to go back and erase all of the heartaches and arguments, and only leave the good memories intact. Kind of "Eternal Sunshine"ish now that I think about it.

Originally Posted by Brent M




You'd think if there was anyone on the planet who could convince George to let RAH remaster the films it would be his mentor Coppola. All he'd have to say is "George, look at what he did with my films and think what he could do if you let him take a pass at yours".

 

[Brent M]

Regardless of what GL wants to do to the films in terms of changes, he should still want them to look as good as humanly possible and that's why he'd be foolish not to employ the services of RAH. All he has to do is look at the man's body of work and see that he could restore the films better than anyone else ever could. In this scenario it's not about changing his vision or anything like that, it's just about putting out a quality presentation....which is something Lowry failed at big time in 2004. All you have to do is look at the ridiculous lightsaber colors in ESB and ROTJ to see that much better work needs to be done.

 

[Worth]

As is with the case with every film ever created, his vision was not 100% intact. There were sacrifices, compromises and changes made. As with every film.

But unlike 99.99% of the filmmakers who release projects "warts and all" and learn to live with (and some to eventually love) the results, Lucas now has the power, clout and ability to go back and attempt to erase anything that didn't jive with his original vision (and to conform with whatever new visions he has had in the intervening years).

I read an article a while back about the relationship between Lucas and Spielberg. One thread that ran throughout it is that Lucas has become increasingly insular over the years - using his money and power to do exactly as he likes, with little interest in the input of others. Spielberg, on the other hand, has remained collaborative - often seeking out the opinions of others and synthesizing and incorporating the ideas of others into his own work.

Obviously, that's just one particular author's take on it, but it sure seemed to ring true to me.

Regardless of what GL wants to do to the films in terms of changes, he should still want them to look as good as humanly possible and that's why he'd be foolish not to employ the services of RAH. All he has to do is look at the man's body of work and see that he could restore the films better than anyone else ever could. In this scenario it's not about changing his vision or anything like that, it's just about putting out a quality presentation....which is something Lowry failed at big time in 2004. All you have to do is look at the ridiculous lightsaber colors in ESB and ROTJ to see that much better work needs to be done.

The problem is, with films that are constantly in flux and thus never 'finished' in any definitive sense, how can you say that any of those changes are 'mistakes' - really, they're just another set of changes.

Lucas' constant tinkering has taken on an Owellian feel - "the light sabers are pink...the light sabers have always been pink".

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Brent M

All you have to do is look at the ridiculous lightsaber colors in ESB and ROTJ to see that much better work needs to be done.

I'm pretty sure that the lightsabers are a redone effect so it's not an error on Lowry's end.

 

[Brent M]

Actually I'm almost 100% positive it's been said that those lightsaber color changes were a result of Lowry's work and not a change Lucas made to the films himself. It had something to do with the colors getting all screwy when they did the restoration.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Brent M

Actually I'm almost 100% positive it's been said that those lightsaber color changes were a result of Lowry's work and not a change Lucas made to the films himself. It had something to do with the colors getting all screwy when they did the restoration.

You definitely could be correct but I don't see how Lowry's work would create that noticable of a change to the lightsaber effects but not have the same noticable difference on similar effects like a laser blast from an X-Wing or TIE Fighter, etc. That being said, I could be 100% wrong here.

 

[Brian Borst]

Supposedly, Lowry doesn't handle the color correction. So it would be Lucasfilm's fault, then.

 

[Cory S.]

It was Lucasfilm with the color correction.

 

[Brent M]

Well, all we know for sure is that it was either Lowry or Lucasfilm that did something strange with the colors in the OT and it certainly would be nice to have them corrected when the films come to Blu-Ray.

 

[Cory S.]

It wouldn't surprise me if they did correct the colors, although, I don't have an issue with them as they stand today on the DVDs...but I know they are incorrect.

As for the argument, I think people are wasting their time on this debate. It's not that he can't (despite what he says in public), he just doesn't want to and I understand his point of view on it. I think it's sad for him to see the original trilogy in their theatrical editions as incomplete work, considering what it gave him. But, from the experience of making them and having to live with those "problems" for thirty years, I understand Lucas' need to fix them. And, I honestly think that when they do eventually hit Blu-Ray, these fixes will be the last.

I'm off the opinion that the Special Editions haven't changed anything about the films...thus, I prefer them. But, I sort of understand the need of film buffs and fans of this series to have the theatrical cuts of the Original Trilogy films.

But, again, I wouldn't hold my breathe unless something has fundamentally changed in Lucas' thinking in the last few years towards the theatrical cuts.

I'm actually more curious about the eventual changes to the Prequels, especially Episode II.

 

[Bryan^H]

Originally Posted by SilverWook

After what I saw on the THX-1138 DVD, I fear Lucas is beyond giving a damn anymore.

The changes there aren't even mentioned. Unlike the Star Wars special editions, there are no credits for those who created the new scenes. I presume it was ILM?

In the making of documentary, Lucas talks about how they used real locations to create his futuristic underground world, over a shot of a CGI cityscape! Are we supposed to think that effect was achieved back in 1970?

Yes. It looks pretty good, but it is no longer a "70's movie". Certainly not a subtle change, like the sky in American Graffiti. There is absolutely no excuse in changing any form of art. Once it is finished, a painting, novel, movie, or music should remain as it was when completed.
An artists mindset will certainly change over 20-30 years, and the tampered version could be damaged by adding to it(Star Wars).

 

[Ed St. Clair]

So Dylan can't rework "All Along the Watchtower" & the Dead can jam on "Dark Star" (p,i,).
Yeah right!!!
You've forgotten its "the artists" work; not yours.

Having posted that: I want "original" releases of movies & music (I'm thinking of what the newly remastered Beatles are going too sound like) too.
It's certainly within the artist "right" not too; just why not show some respect/appreciation for the fans that got the art too the heights it enjoys today (as others have posted).

What a mess!
Frustrating over the past decade (plus) to present; for a creation that has given so much joy in the past.

 

[Bryan^H]

Originally Posted by Ed St. Clair /forum/thread/291048/steve-sansweet-talks-bd-6-film-star-wars-and-more/90#post_3593050