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DVD Review *** Official HTF REVIEW & Discussion Thread: Star Wars Trilogy, pt. 1 (1 Viewer)

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Calvin_Su

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quote:This was always my favourite film of the trilogy and Lucas’s most hated of his films.




Lucas said "I think [Empire is] a better film than the first one" in the latest Movie Magic issue.



Where did he ever say or imply that Empire is his least favorite?
 

Greg_S_H

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ANH and TESB are so close it doesn't really matter--I love the interplay between Han and Luke in ANH--but I guess I'd go with Empire. I love the environments, the score, the interactions between Han and Leia on the Falcon. It's just a great film.

Re: the interplay between Han and Luke I mentioned above. They have one of my favorite exchanges in the trilogy here:

"This is not going to work."

"Why didn't you say so before?!"

"I did say so before!"

:laugh: :emoji_thumbsup:
 

Nick Sievers

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Great review and despite being very disappointed about changes made to the trilogy I am still looking forward to the 21st. To answer Michael's question in the review, Empire is hands down the best of the trilogy.
 

MatthewLouwrens

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quote:Getting back to the picture quality of these discs, I was under the impression that the rebel troops at the start of Star Wars always wore black vests with gray shirts. They looked like this. However, there are some shots where the shirts are clearly blue, like this one. Sometimes they just change between cuts like here and here. This didn't happen on previous transfers and it certainly didn't happen theatrically. Can this just be poor color correction?
Do you know, you're right. Probably is colour correction - the flesh tones in the blue shots are completely out as well.
 

Michael Osadciw

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Hello Everyone

Thank you for all of your comments.

Regarding the audio changes, for the few scenes I compared when switching audio between my Laserdiscs and DVDs at the same time (on the same scene), they sounded the same to me. I know there have been more changes than I've listed and I'm not going to take the responsibility to list every single one - I have to let you have some fun too!! When changes in audio happen I do notice - but the reference in my mind is to the ORIGINAL trilogy since those are the ones I've seen over 100 times. I haven't watched the '97 editions in a long time, and have only watched them twice. That is why I can't remember many of the additional audio changes on that release compared to this 2004 release.

Now you mention it, I do remeber Leia's gun making a "bang" - I'm glad that's changed!

I do wish the trimmed down shooting of prison guards and stormtroopers in A New Hope was restored to its full blaster shot.

Glen - Re: -3dB drop in audio - this applies only when matrix EX decoding is applied to the 5.1 discrete audio. This doesn't apply when listening to the soundtrack in 5.1. When "pro-logic" decoding is added to the rear channels for EX center surround decoding, this processing in my pre-amp drops the surround channels by almost 3dB. This may not be an issue with other preamps or receivers.

Enjoy the set when it comes out!

Mike
 

Brendon

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Michael,



Excellent review, much appreciated!



I'm hosting a day long viewing session for a few friends of the trilogy in a couple of weeks time: I was planning on re-callibrating my system for the event (picture and audio). Is the "under-pumped" 5.1/5.1EX surround issue something that anyone else has noticed ? My system is EX capable, but I'm using it with a vanilla 5.1 speaker setup. Would the THX Optimizer on the disc possibly account for this issue as part of the calibration routine ?
EDIT: Just got answered by Michael's second post.


And favourite film ? A New Hope! Aged 5 years old, it was the first time anyone had taken me to the cinema. The impact of that first viewing is pretty much responsible for my love of film, going to the cinema. The 94 PAL VHS reissues and the 95 THX VHS Executor boxset are responsible for my buying an AV system. The 97/98 SE laserdisc set caused me to buy a laserdisc player.



This is not to take away from TESB or ROTJ - both films I love and cherish dearly (yes, even despite the Ewoks).



Thanks again,



Brendon
 

GeorgePaul

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After all of these years, Carrie Fisher’s face has never looked so smooth to me. For the first time I felt like running the back of my hand down her soft cheek.




Did Harry Knowles write this review?
wink.gif




Seriously, really thorough review Michael. Many thanks on a truly objective job. Just for your notes, though, Jason Wingreen was the (uncredited) original voice of Boba Fett--Jeremy Bulloch only performed him. I wouldn't have known that little tidbit but for the previous discussion threads on this forum.



Empire rules. No question. The first film I ever saw in theaters on my own, it will probably hold the platinum standard for sci-fi/fantasy stories in film for the rest of my lifetime, at least. A miraculous accomplishment on myriad levels, this iconic sequel's only downfall is that it raised our expectations of film too high.



I had SO much respect for Ben Burtt. To me, he has always been among the top in his profession along with Randy Thom and Walter Murch.



However, if Burtt was in charge of that absolute butchery of John Williams' AOTC score, and the OT music is as muted as Neil claims on these DVDs, that will rank as my biggest disappointment in the changes to the OT.



I mean, WOW...this is music of John-fricking-WILLIAMS at his PEAK! To say, "This sequence would be better with no music"...in one of the original Star Wars films...is like someone saying Sergio Leone's "Ecstacy of Gold" sequence would be better without Ennio Morricone's score. In other words, a totally illogical, arrogant lapse of judgment in cinematic art.
furious.gif
 

Bill Hunt

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quote:Tell me about it. I have 4 pages of notes regarding changes to the sound of "The Movie Formerly Known as Star Wars".



Perhaps you should write a book on the differences between all the various versions over the years.
 

Brandon Conway

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Michael - Very nice review. I have my own opinions about the changes that differ from yours, but then again, doesn't everyone have a unique stance on them?



Anyway, one thing I noticed that you might want to fix - A New Hope is definitely not 104 minutes long. I think you might have meant 124 minutes.
 

Ronald Epstein

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I was in New York City yesterday and one
store had their copies out on the shelves already.

Great review Michael. Thank You.
 

Robert Harris

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Michael...



A very well written and unbiased review.



You may well wish to consider making the care and feeding of home theatre systems your avocation and make a move toward reviewing.



A couple of technical points which may serve as a bit of background to the amount of work done by LucasFilm and Fox for this release.



The three films, and especially the first, were released during a period when 70mm prints were still best derived from camera originals, and thus the Onegs were used for much of this large format release printing. This added wear and tear (and dirt) to the original elements. This occurred not because of anything improper at deluxe, but rather as part of the technology of the era.



The same problems can be seen on the elements of films as disparate as Funny Girl and Dr. Zhivago.



There has been a great deal of press surrounding this release trumpeting the work by LDI to bring these films back to life after apparently being kept in a dirt pit for thirty years, where they were heavility scarred and filled with over ten million bits of detritus.



Whatever LDI did to help clean up these releases, and with no desire to diminish their contributions, it should also be mentioned that two of Hollywood's highest quality facilities earlier had a hand in working witih the elements.



Both YCM Laboratories, which created new preservation elements, and Pacific Title, which was heavily involved with the preservation efforts and upgrades performed for the 1997 release, had a hand in helping the elements along during the intervening years.



Lastly, and from a philosophical point of view, I would suggest that these new releases be viewed much as Disney's newest incarnations of their classic animated features to DVD --



As entirely new editions, the changes in which will (hopefully) not supplant the earlier, which should remain available at least for historical purposes and toward the study of film and the Lucas legacy.



It has taken a long time for these films to make it to DVD.



I'm pleased they've arrived in style.



RAH
 

Matt_W_M

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Great review. Can someone who has seen the DVDs comment on the appearance of Luke's lightsaber in A New Hope. Varied reports have it being blue in Obi-Wan's hut, but ranging from white to pale blue to aqua to green in the training scene on the Millenium Falcon.



Also, were earlier reports of Vader having a vibrant pink-cored lightsaber during the duel in ROTJ true? Thanks.
 

Mike_G

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quote:

Perhaps you should write a book on the differences between all the various versions over the years.




Josh Ling and I started working on one a few years back. It got so complicted and messy that we gave up, and this was BEFORE the SE's! It would probably be less work to list what WASN'T changed.



Apart from that, you really need a good, clean system to hear all the changes. Some are subtle, some would "blend in" with a system that doesn't support EX, some need a good sub to hear, and in my case, I never heard the 70mm mix of the 70's so that's a whole soundtrack I can't compare with.



Mike
 

Heinz W

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I'm somewhat surprised that the most recent film (Jedi) has the "worst" picture quality of the three, though Michael covers this a bit.



My favorite is Star Wars. Without it there would have been no Empire, no Jedi. Empire is great and one of the best sequels ever, but Star Wars will always be #1 in my heart.



Katie S, you'd do better to send Craig or Ron a PM since posting the names of retailers that break street date are frowned upon here at the HTF. We don't want to get anyone in trouble by revealing them publicly and possibly put an end to any early releases in the future.



Thanks to RAH for his comments on this set. Robert, have you seen the DVD's? If so, what do you think of the restoration job done, especially for the original film?
 

Richard Kim

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quote:Hmm... that new Krayt Dragon sound is stupid.... doesn't fit the look of the creature at all.


Interesting, considering nobody's ever seen a Krayt Dragon before.
biggrin.gif


The new scream actually sounds like the brachiosaurs from Jurassic Park.

Off to see Empire of Dreams & ESB tonight.
 
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