Could the original, unaltered STAR WARS be on its way to Blu-ray? (1 Viewer)

[Colin Jacobson]

Well, he does get a pass from a large portion of the fan base who approve of all or at least some of the changes. (I know a number of people who claim to like the VFX updates even if they don't like the new scene additions or "Han shoots first" nonsense.)

Even many of the SE detractors have been worn down over the years to the point of grudging acceptance.

It was always Lucas' master plan to entrench the Special Editions as the only viewing option for the movies, so that younger viewers would never know anything else. Lucas knew that fans of the original theatrical versions will eventually die off or lose interest. His long game was for the theatrical versions to be lost to time, so that the SEs will be his legacy.

It's still incorrect that Lucas gets a "pass" that other filmmakers wouldn't receive, and I continue to contend he gets less of one than most.

There's a sizable contingent of fans adamant about the OOT.

There are other movies where the theatrical cut is unavailable too but people get less up in arms about those instances than they do "Star Wars"...

 

[Carlo_M]

What you define as "giving a pass" Colin, I interpret as "people caring differently for different things." Which is a fundamental individual right.

I overall agree with the principal that original versions can/should be made available. But I care about Star Wars. While I absolutely support someone's else's right to get "Film XYZ's" original version released, no one can make me care about it. I either care about a film or I don't. It doesn't mean I give Film XYZ's director a pass vs. Lucas. It's just that I'm relatively unaware and/or don't care at all about that other film.

There's no universal law that says In Order To Justify Your Desire To See The OOT You Must Go On A Crusade For All Films In Their Original Versions. And not going on about the original version of films I know or care little about doesn't mean I'm being unreasonable in my desire to see the OOT released, nor does it mean I'm giving a pass to the other director.

Now if I went out of my way to quell those who want to see Film XYZ in its original version, then I'd be a hypocrite.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Lucas made himself look bad when he released his “special” edition in 16X9 DVD, and the theatrical version in letterboxed at the same time. Lucas’s attitude is his own worst enemy.

 

[TravisR]

Disney refused his input on the sequel trilogy.

Yes. However, I don't think there's any comparison between him working on new movies and adding some CG creatures to the cantina or upgrading CG models from 1997 or whatever weird things he think will make the movies better.

 

[TravisR]

It's still incorrect that Lucas gets a "pass" that other filmmakers wouldn't receive, and I continue to contend he gets less of one than most.

There's a sizable contingent of fans adamant about the OOT.

There are other movies where the theatrical cut is unavailable too but people get less up in arms about those instances than they do "Star Wars"...

Absolutely.

 

[Carlo_M]

I think the original wave of us who cared for the OOT have largely moved on to acceptance that they're not coming out while he's alive. So we've moved on to the best available versions which out of respect for forum rules I won't post here. But they're out there. And the sad thing is, lack of the OOT in a high quality format has diminished my repeated viewing of them.

And no, it's not a product of me getting older. I still regularly re-watch films I love, like Spinal Tap, Godfather I-II, BTTF, Indy trilogy, etc. But not the OOT anymore largely because of his insistence to not release an HQ version. The ones I do have are great 720p transfers, so if I'm really jonesing for it I can do that. But otherwise, I've given up hope until a new generation arises who study the history of film, and maybe 5-10-20 years from now bring about a call for the originals. Yes I do believe that day will come, there are always those in a generation who appreciate "classic" things, and I can easily foresee that happening in the decades to come. Whether they'll have enough steam and cachet to get it released is anyone's guess. But I hope to be around long enough to find out (in 20 years I'll be in my sixties).

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Lucas got a pass? Really?

He sold his empire because his desire to make more Star Wars films was outweighed by his desire not to be subjected to harassment and death threats from so called fans who think nothing of accusing him of rape or bullying cast members into being suicidal.

I cannot think of any other mainstream filmmaker who is subject to such vitriol, where the simple act of accepting a job working for said filmmaker results in lifelong harassment and abuse. I mean, someone like Michael Bay is critically reviled but he doesn’t get death threats, he gets bad reviews. The treatment given to George Lucas is so many orders of magnitude removed from any sense of proportionality.

 

[Sam Favate]

I continue to believe 4k prints/blu-rays of the original theatrical versions will happen. There is simply too much money to be made off of them for them not to be done at some point.

 

[JoshZ]

Yes. However, I don't think there's any comparison between him working on new movies and adding some CG creatures to the cantina or upgrading CG models from 1997 or whatever weird things he think will make the movies better.

Point being I don't think George Lucas and the current regime at Disney have a particularly good relationship at the moment.

Kathleen Kennedy is Lucas' hand-picked successor, but rumors have flown recently that Disney corporate wants to replace her.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Uh huh. Kennedy delivered multiple billion dollar grossing films in unprecedented succession in an impossibly short period of time, while successfully launching a series which catapulted Disney’s brand new streaming service into the stratosphere.

 

[TravisR]

Uh huh. Kennedy delivered multiple billion dollar grossing films in unprecedented succession in an impossibly short period of time, while successfully launching a series which catapulted Disney’s brand new streaming service into the stratosphere.

And to be fair, she was also in charge when the shit hit the fan with the production of Rogue One and Solo but money talks so her successes by far outweigh her failures.

 

[DVBRD]

Point being I don't think George Lucas and the current regime at Disney have a particularly good relationship at the moment.

Kathleen Kennedy is Lucas' hand-picked successor, but rumors have flown recently that Disney corporate wants to replace her.

Uh huh. Kennedy delivered multiple billion dollar grossing films in unprecedented succession in an impossibly short period of time, while successfully launching a series which catapulted Disney’s brand new streaming service into the stratosphere.

Yeah, I agree. Total Internet rumor. Love her or hate her, as long as Kennedy is making money for Disney, she ain't going anywhere.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

And to be fair, she was also in charge when the shit hit the fan with the production of Rogue One and Solo but money talks so her successes by far outweigh her failures.

And in the end, Rogue One was a massive hit that seems to age better with each passing year, and Bob Iger already took the mea culpa on Solo.

 

[TravisR]

Yeah, I agree. Total Internet rumor. Love her or hate her, as long as Kennedy is making money for Disney, she ain't going anywhere.

And never say never but I've been hearing that she's going to be fired since The Force Awakens so it's tough to believe a rumor that I've been hearing every month for nearly five years.

And in the end, Rogue One was a massive hit that seems to age better with each passing year...

Rogue One was trending on Twitter a couple days ago and I was happy to see someone point out how badly criticized that movie was by some fans back in 2016 and now there's a chunk of people saying it's the best SW movie.

 

[BobO'Link]

While Rogue One has its somewhat iffy/ludicrous scenes I still like it much better than any of the films in the final and prequel trilogies.

 

[TravisR]

While Rogue One has its somewhat iffy/ludicrous scenes...

I think once Rogue One gets going in its second hour, it's absolutely fantastic. The first hour is a little rocky though.

 

[Wayne_j]

Rogue One is pretty much tied with The Force Awakens for me as the best of the Disney era.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

What you define as "giving a pass" Colin, I interpret as "people caring differently for different things." Which is a fundamental individual right.

I overall agree with the principal that original versions can/should be made available. But I care about Star Wars. While I absolutely support someone's else's right to get "Film XYZ's" original version released, no one can make me care about it. I either care about a film or I don't. It doesn't mean I give Film XYZ's director a pass vs. Lucas. It's just that I'm relatively unaware and/or don't care at all about that other film.

There's no universal law that says In Order To Justify Your Desire To See The OOT You Must Go On A Crusade For All Films In Their Original Versions. And not going on about the original version of films I know or care little about doesn't mean I'm being unreasonable in my desire to see the OOT released, nor does it mean I'm giving a pass to the other director.

Now if I went out of my way to quell those who want to see Film XYZ in its original version, then I'd be a hypocrite.

You know I'm not the one who claimed Lucas has been "given a pass" on his refusal to release the OOT, right?

 

[DVBRD]

Empire @ 40: Remembering the Early 70MM Cut

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present a continuation of our 40th anniversary coverage of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, the middle act of George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy and one of the most celebrated and beloved sequels of all time. Part...

thedigitalbits.com

 

[MatthewA]

Lucas made himself look bad when he released his “special” edition in 16X9 DVD, and the theatrical version in letterboxed at the same time. Lucas’s attitude is his own worst enemy.

I remember the post-prequel fan backlash over that and the People vs. George Lucas scorned-fan documentary, which is why I'm amused at how the pendulum has apparently now swung back to his favor when he expressed some reservations about the sequel trilogy.