Star Wars Blu Ray including deleted scenes

[Jedi Master Carr]

This is very cool
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-deleted-scene-leads-a-slew-of-good-news-for-star-wars-fans.html

I am glad we are going to get the Wampa attack and the sandstorm scene finally. I am definitely picking it up.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

At last we don't have to watch Spike TV to see Star Wars in HD!

Or, we won't, anyway. :)

[Darth Turbogeek]

How the hell is this cool? We just see a few "added" bits of crap that probably should have stayed on the cutting room floor and oh yes we get to pay money all over again for the wrong editions - there is something seriously wrong with this picture.

Jorge doesnt get a cent more out of me until he apologies for the Prequels and he gets his head out of his ass and releases remastered ORIGINAL versions of the trilogy, instead of his shat upon version of reality that adds zero to the value of the OT in general.

[Jedi Master Carr]

How the hell is this cool? We just see a few "added" bits of crap that probably should have stayed on the cutting room floor and oh yes we get to pay money all over again for the wrong editions - there is something seriously wrong with this picture.

Jorge doesnt get a cent more out of me until he apologies for the Prequels and he gets his head out of his ass and releases remastered ORIGINAL versions of the trilogy, instead of his shat upon version of reality that adds zero to the value of the OT in general.

Well don't blame Lucas for this, every studio is re-releasing movies on Blu Ray. LOTR just came out and they are going to release the Expanding versions on blu Ray as well. This is nothing new with every new format come new versions of movies. You either buy them or stick with the old format. I will get them because I rather have them on Blu Ray and in HD.

[Droo]

I think what Mark is referring to is all the shoddy touches that keep getting added to the original trilogy with every re-release, just because Lucas gets a boner everytime someone mentions CGI. Things like Hayden Christensen turning up as Anakin Skywalker's ghost in RotJ, for example, that's the kind of thing I think he has issue with, and so do I.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think what Mark is referring to is all the shoddy touches that keep getting added to the original trilogy with every re-release, just because Lucas gets a boner everytime someone mentions CGI. Things like Hayden Christensen turning up as Anakin Skywalker's ghost in RotJ, for example, that's the kind of thing I think he has issue with, and so do I.

Well in this case the extras will be added as deleted scenes and won't be added to the movie. I don't really see the issue. All the movie studios do this WB is doing the same thing with the Harry Potter extended versions.

[Droo]

It just boils down to taste, in that, as far as I'm concerned, Lucas has none. He's a kid who wants to show off his fancy toys and repeatedly, relentlessly, tamper with something that people loved the first time around.

[Crusader]

Do they want to include this scenes into the film or is this bonus material? I must admit I liked a lot of the changes in the Special Edition since they just broadened the focus of many scenes. Other things were unnecessary and dull.

I like the new Mos Eisley shots in ANH since they really add to the atmosphere. All the additions in the background are pretty nice actually.

Han Solo not shooting first? Seriously George? Being Han Solo is about shooting first and being a jackass in general.

The reintroduction of Biggs in ANH really makes the whole battle of Yavin better for me since now there is not the fat guy and red one exploding but a guy from Luke's childhood.

I always wanted to see the anchorhead scene included in the OT since it gives a lot more inside in the way the Empire is influencing the galaxy.

I think the extended Wampa scene in ESB was a good idea but you can always tell when a ILM CGI guy is trying to do the job of a puppetier...epic fail.

I really liked the Max Rebo Band scene in ROTJ and the expanded victory celebration but adding Hayden Christiansen into that scene is wrong. If they wanted to add someone it should have been Liam Nieeson and Samuel L Jackson.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

This is very cool
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-deleted-scene-leads-a-slew-of-good-news-for-star-wars-fans.html

I am glad we are going to get the Wampa attack and the sandstorm scene finally. I am definitely picking it up.
Ok I finally read the article and it says we're getting the one deleted scene for sure and that fans can only hope that the other deleted scenes we know about are available as well.

So that at the end is just wishful thinking on the part of the article writer. Still, I'm sure we'll probably pick it up.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Do they want to include this scenes into the film or is this bonus material? I must admit I liked a lot of the changes in the Special Edition since they just broadened the focus of many scenes. Other things were unnecessary and dull.

I like the new Mos Eisley shots in ANH since they really add to the atmosphere. All the additions in the background are pretty nice actually.

Han Solo not shooting first? Seriously George? Being Han Solo is about shooting first and being a jackass in general.

The reintroduction of Biggs in ANH really makes the whole battle of Yavin better for me since now there is not the fat guy and red one exploding but a guy from Luke's childhood.

I always wanted to see the anchorhead scene included in the OT since it gives a lot more inside in the way the Empire is influencing the galaxy.

I think the extended Wampa scene in ESB was a good idea but you can always tell when a ILM CGI guy is trying to do the job of a puppetier...epic fail.

I really liked the Max Rebo Band scene in ROTJ and the expanded victory celebration but adding Hayden Christiansen into that scene is wrong. If they wanted to add someone it should have been Liam Nieeson and Samuel L Jackson.

It sounds like just bonus material which isn't a big deal since most DVDs and blu rays have deleted scenes on the second disk. Really the main reason SW fans should be buying the Blu Ray is because it will be HD now. It will be my main reason, the bonus material is just gravy.

[Darth Turbogeek]

I think what Mark is referring to is all the shoddy touches that keep getting added to the original trilogy with every re-release, just because Lucas gets a boner everytime someone mentions CGI. Things like Hayden Christensen turning up as Anakin Skywalker's ghost in RotJ, for example, that's the kind of thing I think he has issue with, and so do I.

Nailed it. Yes, this


It just boils down to taste, in that, as far as I'm concerned, Lucas has none. He's a kid who wants to show off his fancy toys and repeatedly, relentlessly, tamper with something that people loved the first time around.


Exactly. The added scenes add nothing - and in the case of several detract. The Mos Eisley scene in the origional shows a grimy, dirty sleepy shithole that just worked. The SE shows far too much and a banthas ass, plus wasnt there some pointless gag thrown in? Too much going on and breaks the atmosphere. There was nothing wrong with the original.


All the movie studios do this WB is doing the same thing with the Harry Potter extended versions.
Usually extened versions add things that are dropped because of time restraints. Jorge is adding shit because he wants to play with CG toys - people need to watch the RLM reviews of TPM and AOTC to really see exactly why this is a bad thing. Literally all he's done in too many scenes in the SE is just add shit and it becomes too dense.

The best films are the ones he had the least power over. ANH might have been directed by him, but he had the studio up his ass, his now ex-wife editing, a bunch of people tellign him when shit would not work - ESB had different director and a studio riding his ass as well as someone who could write a story.

The other thing is that the more I learn about what actually makes a good film, the worse the PT gets and the worse the changes to the OT get - How the fuck did we get so deluded in thinking the PT was even watchable, when it's movie excretement? Hell, I just watched ROTS and.... fuck it's bad. Yet when I watch the OT originals I just want to rewind and watch again because they are genuinly good art.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think what Mark is referring to is all the shoddy touches that keep getting added to the original trilogy with every re-release, just because Lucas gets a boner everytime someone mentions CGI. Things like Hayden Christensen turning up as Anakin Skywalker's ghost in RotJ, for example, that's the kind of thing I think he has issue with, and so do I.

Nailed it. Yes, this


It just boils down to taste, in that, as far as I'm concerned, Lucas has none. He's a kid who wants to show off his fancy toys and repeatedly, relentlessly, tamper with something that people loved the first time around.


Exactly. The added scenes add nothing - and in the case of several detract. The Mos Eisley scene in the origional shows a grimy, dirty sleepy shithole that just worked. The SE shows far too much and a banthas ass, plus wasnt there some pointless gag thrown in? Too much going on and breaks the atmosphere. There was nothing wrong with the original.


All the movie studios do this WB is doing the same thing with the Harry Potter extended versions.
Usually extened versions add things that are dropped because of time restraints. Jorge is adding shit because he wants to play with CG toys - people need to watch the RLM reviews of TPM and AOTC to really see exactly why this is a bad thing. Literally all he's done in too many scenes in the SE is just add shit and it becomes too dense.

The best films are the ones he had the least power over. ANH might have been directed by him, but he had the studio up his ass, his now ex-wife editing, a bunch of people tellign him when shit would not work - ESB had different director and a studio riding his ass as well as someone who could write a story.

The other thing is that the more I learn about what actually makes a good film, the worse the PT gets and the worse the changes to the OT get - How the fuck did we get so deluded in thinking the PT was even watchable, when it's movie excretement? Hell, I just watched ROTS and.... fuck it's bad. Yet when I watch the OT originals I just want to rewind and watch again because they are genuinly good art.

I still don't have problem with what he does. All the movie studios do the same thing. They are greedy bastards so why does it matter? Money is what drives the industry. As for the Blu Ray the reason it should be bought is because it is in HD. Of course I disagree with you about the PT. I still enjoy ROTS but I am not going to argue its merits as entertainment.

[Jedi Master Carr]

This comes out next month and here is some additional info about minor tweeks mainly to the quality of the film.
http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/star-wars-gets-tweaks-blu-ray-release-232658967.html
The first one was probably the worse along with the lightsabers from Jedi. I will pick them up, mainly because they are worth owning in Blue-Ray format, although all the archive footage and commentary should be very cool.

[Darth Turbogeek]

As said before, Jorge does not get another damn cent from me until I see the ORIGINAL unadulterated classics, enough with his dumb changes that do absolutly nothing for the film

[Jedi Master Carr]

The changes are very minor to me, kind of like some of the stuff I have seen in the Back to the Future blue Ray where they just fixed VFX mistakes. I think it is worth owning for me because it is on blue-ray

[Yog]

The changes are minor to me too. Yes, the change in the Greedo scene and Hayden Christensen as ghost is stupid as hell, and does not make sense. They should be changed back. But these are 5 second shots in 2 hour + movies. Some of the added cgi is over the top, but overall it's not such a big deal. These are not glaring issues. They are not changing the story narrative.

Unless you suffer from amnesia, or view VHS tapes with rose tinted glasses, the visuals overall improved (visual effects such as light saber battles, X-wing trench battle, death star explosion etc springs to mind).

In fact, I'd go as far to say ALL the changes in ESB (http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-wars-the-changes-part-two.html) were an improvement (which is ironic, because you could argue it is highlight of the OT). Ian McDiarmid instead of chimp lady in the hologram? About damn time. Darth Vader's shuttle? Hell yeah. Wampa makeover? Cool! Cloud City 100% improved? Yes, please! Not to mention the digital remastering of the video and audio, which quite frankly was an absolute necessity in order to prevent a piece of film history dying away with the fading negatives.

Yes, Lucas really need to stop meddling around with cgi in these great classics, but that is not going to stop me from enjoying these movies in Digital Theater Sound on my THX surround system in 1080p. The critics can swoon about the chimp lady for all I care, those suckers!

:: activates shield generator to repel incoming rotten tomatoes ::

:D

[Droo]

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Allegedly the audio is real, someone just synched it up to the footage to show what is, again allegedly, on the blu-ray. I'm dubious, but still... :lol

[Yog]

^^ Hot damn, now that right there ranks with Greedo shooting first and Hayden Christensen's ghost. So Lucas apparently thinks it is a brilliant idea to make a reference to the scene in ROTS, as Vader learns Padme is dead. The birth and death of Vader? Ok, I get the symbolism. It actually makes some sense. It might even worked if it did not sound cheesy as fuck, so cheesy I cannot help laughing at it. But seriously, Lucas, what are you thinking? It is the most iconic and beloved scene in ROTJ, perhaps in the entire saga. You cannot mess with that in any shape or form.

[Crusader]

The more I read about this the less I feel the urge to own a blu ray player at all.

[Dasquian Belargic]

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[Morgan Evanar]

^^ Hot damn, now that right there ranks with Greedo shooting first and Hayden Christensen's ghost. So Lucas apparently thinks it is a brilliant idea to make a reference to the scene in ROTS, as Vader learns Padme is dead. The birth and death of Vader? Ok, I get the symbolism. It actually makes some sense. It might even worked if it did not sound cheesy as fuck, so cheesy I cannot help laughing at it. But seriously, Lucas, what are you thinking? It is the most iconic and beloved scene in ROTJ, perhaps in the entire saga. You cannot mess with that in any shape or form.I'm GEORGE LUCAS I'LL DO WHATEVER I DAMN WELL PLEASE. TRY AND STOP ME NERDS HAHAHAHAHA.

All the way to the damn bank. The man is his own worst enemy.

[Darth Turbogeek]

^^ Hot damn, now that right there ranks with Greedo shooting first and Hayden Christensen's ghost. So Lucas apparently thinks it is a brilliant idea to make a reference to the scene in ROTS, as Vader learns Padme is dead. The birth and death of Vader? Ok, I get the symbolism. It actually makes some sense. It might even worked if it did not sound cheesy as fuck, so cheesy I cannot help laughing at it. But seriously, Lucas, what are you thinking? It is the most iconic and beloved scene in ROTJ, perhaps in the entire saga. You cannot mess with that in any shape or form.

Care to take up the debate about my "STOP FUCKING WITH IT LUCAS" stance again?

Seriously, this is EXACTLY the shit why I will refuse to buy another Star Wars thing at all and I utterly refuse this release. Unadulterated OR NOT AT ALL

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well all I will say is people need to get over it. I can't stand this crap Lucas raped my childhood. If Star Wars symbolized your childhood then you need to fucking get a life. It is a work of fiction that in the grand scheme of things doesn't matter that much. Lucas isn't the first person to have done this tinkering. He does remind me of Alexander Dumas and Charles Dickens who both released editions of their books with changes in them. Stephen King has done the same thing with The Stand, The Shining, and Salem's Lot.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I already own the movies on DVD :) I won't be buying them again. In spite of the fact that I'm a huge nerd, I am not that fussy about having HD or blu-ray quality movies.

[Droo]

Post-prequels, Star Wars just doesn't mean quality story-telling anymore, for me that is; it's all cheese and glitz and, with the odd exception, has become something of a standing joke. I've made peace with that and I've since enjoyed quality Star Wars stories here. And all these tacky changes no longer surprise or upset me, especially since I've no intention of paying for them.

[Dasquian Belargic]

There is still some good storytelling going on in the SW franchise. The Clone Wars, some of the books, some video games. I prefer when the stories that are being told don't directly hinge upon, relate to or influence the material in the movies.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

I'm with Carr on this. No reason to get worked up about it. Let Lucas alone to do his crazy old-guy stuff.

[Jedieb]

I pulled the trigger and ordered them yesterday. Lucas can, and obviously will, do anything he wants to these movies. But it pisses me off that he won't give us the original theatrical releases on blu-ray. He can and should do better than the DVD releases he gave us a few years. He owes it to us. And I can make my argument with his own damn words;



"My name is George Lucas. I am a writer, director, and producer of motion pictures and Chairman of the Board of Lucasfilm Ltd., a multi-faceted entertainment corporation.

I am not here today as a writer-director, or as a producer, or as the chairman of a corporation. I've come as a citizen of what I believe to be a great society that is in need of a moral anchor to help define and protect its intellectual and cultural heritage. It is not being protected.

The destruction of our film heritage, which is the focus of concern today, is only the tip of the iceberg. American law does not protect our painters, sculptors, recording artists, authors, or filmmakers from having their lifework distorted, and their reputation ruined. If something is not done now to clearly state the moral rights of artists, current and future technologies will alter, mutilate, and destroy for future generations the subtle human truths and highest human feeling that talented individuals within our society have created.

A copyright is held in trust by its owner until it ultimately reverts to public domain. American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history.

People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society. The preservation of our cultural heritage may not seem to be as politically sensitive an issue as "when life begins" or "when it should be appropriately terminated," but it is important because it goes to the heart of what sets mankind apart. Creative expression is at the core of our humanness. Art is a distinctly human endeavor. We must have respect for it if we are to have any respect for the human race.

These current defacements are just the beginning. Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder. Tommorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with "fresher faces," or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actor's lips to match. It will soon be possible to create a new "original" negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires. The copyright holders, so far, have not been completely diligent in preserving the original negatives of films they control. In order to reconstruct old negatives, many archivists have had to go to Eastern bloc countries where American films have been better preserved.

In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be "replaced" by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten.

There is nothing to stop American films, records, books, and paintings from being sold to a foreign entity or egotistical gangsters and having them change our cultural heritage to suit their personal taste.

I accuse the companies and groups, who say that American law is sufficient, of misleading the Congress and the People for their own economic self-interest.

I accuse the corporations, who oppose the moral rights of the artist, of being dishonest and insensitive to American cultural heritage and of being interested only in their quarterly bottom line, and not in the long-term interest of the Nation.

The public's interest is ultimately dominant over all other interests. And the proof of that is that even a copyright law only permits the creators and their estate a limited amount of time to enjoy the economic fruits of that work.

There are those who say American law is sufficient. That's an outrage! It's not sufficient! If it were sufficient, why would I be here? Why would John Houston have been so studiously ignored when he protested the colorization of "The Maltese Falcon?" Why are films cut up and butchered?

Attention should be paid to this question of our soul, and not simply to accounting procedures. Attention should be paid to the interest of those who are yet unborn, who should be able to see this generation as it saw itself, and the past generation as it saw itself.

I hope you have the courage to lead America in acknowledging the importance of American art to the human race, and accord the proper protection for the creators of that art--as it is accorded them in much of the rest of the world communities."


George Lucas 1988, what the hell happened to that guy?

[Darth Turbogeek]

Well all I will say is people need to get over it. I can't stand this crap Lucas raped my childhood. If Star Wars symbolized your childhood then you need to fucking get a life. It is a work of fiction that in the grand scheme of things doesn't matter that much. Lucas isn't the first person to have done this tinkering. He does remind me of Alexander Dumas and Charles Dickens who both released editions of their books with changes in them. Stephen King has done the same thing with The Stand, The Shining, and Salem's Lot.


The books you refer to are still seen in the original editions and in those cases the additions explain and expand very nicely. NONE of the changes to Star Wars are anything more than Lucas blowing his load with technology, making needless blurts where none was need

You seriously need to sit down and watch that RTM review of Phantom Menace to truly get why it's just garbage we are being shovelled and why the Originals are best left alone in this case. I *AM* a fan but it's goddamn hard to remain so when people like you give Lucas a blank cheque and we keep getting force fed utter crap and denial.

So explain to me again why we cant have the originals, unmolested but in full Blu-Ray, because I sure as hell cant see it. I *WANT* the originals. I do not want fucked over garbage by a self important fat bastard who has utterly no care about why what we saw in 1977, 1980 and 1983 was so great. Those movies changes cinema history abd became cultural icons, they are extremely important and it is disgusting all Jorge wants to leave is his altered garbage

Damn Jedieb, where did you find that?!?

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well all I will say is people need to get over it. I can't stand this crap Lucas raped my childhood. If Star Wars symbolized your childhood then you need to fucking get a life. It is a work of fiction that in the grand scheme of things doesn't matter that much. Lucas isn't the first person to have done this tinkering. He does remind me of Alexander Dumas and Charles Dickens who both released editions of their books with changes in them. Stephen King has done the same thing with The Stand, The Shining, and Salem's Lot.


The books you refer to are still seen in the original editions and in those cases the additions explain and expand very nicely. NONE of the changes to Star Wars are anything more than Lucas blowing his load with technology, making needless blurts where none was need

You seriously need to sit down and watch that RTM review of Phantom Menace to truly get why it's just garbage we are being shovelled and why the Originals are best left alone in this case. I *AM* a fan but it's goddamn hard to remain so when people like you give Lucas a blank cheque and we keep getting force fed utter crap and denial.

So explain to me again why we cant have the originals, unmolested but in full Blu-Ray, because I sure as hell cant see it. I *WANT* the originals. I do not want fucked over garbage by a self important fat bastard who has utterly no care about why what we saw in 1977, 1980 and 1983 was so great. Those movies changes cinema history abd became cultural icons, they are extremely important and it is disgusting all Jorge wants to leave is his altered garbage

Damn Jedieb, where did you find that?!?

I don't give Lucas a blank check, I just don't give a crap. They are his movies and if you don't like them don't buy them. There are a million things more pressing than Lucas changing the star wars movies. I am more worried about finding a steady job, the economic problems, the political situation, etc. Who cares if Lucas changes something. In the grand scheme of things does it very matter? Does it really change your life that much? If it does then you have serious problems. Look you might want the originals and that is your choice, but we don't get a lot of things we want. I would love to see the Red sox win the WS every year and peace in the middle east and those things won't happen. I have learned to move on and just accept it. Complaining about it and call it those who buy them fools really won't get you anywhere and find it extremely jerky. If I want to buy it it is my money, my choice (of course I probably will have to wait to get for Christmas since money is tight for me). I just don't like people telling me that I am stupid and find your attitude a little out of bounds. I would never say you should buy them that is your choice but you should accept what others want to do with their lives and money.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Mark. Calm down. If you're that upset about it, I'll send you my old VHS trilogy of the originals without any of the additions and you can transfer them to DVD. Just be sure to send them back.

[Jedieb]

Well all I will say is people need to get over it. I can't stand this crap Lucas raped my childhood. If Star Wars symbolized your childhood then you need to fucking get a life. It is a work of fiction that in the grand scheme of things doesn't matter that much. Lucas isn't the first person to have done this tinkering. He does remind me of Alexander Dumas and Charles Dickens who both released editions of their books with changes in them. Stephen King has done the same thing with The Stand, The Shining, and Salem's Lot.


The books you refer to are still seen in the original editions and in those cases the additions explain and expand very nicely. NONE of the changes to Star Wars are anything more than Lucas blowing his load with technology, making needless blurts where none was need

You seriously need to sit down and watch that RTM review of Phantom Menace to truly get why it's just garbage we are being shovelled and why the Originals are best left alone in this case. I *AM* a fan but it's goddamn hard to remain so when people like you give Lucas a blank cheque and we keep getting force fed utter crap and denial.

So explain to me again why we cant have the originals, unmolested but in full Blu-Ray, because I sure as hell cant see it. I *WANT* the originals. I do not want fucked over garbage by a self important fat bastard who has utterly no care about why what we saw in 1977, 1980 and 1983 was so great. Those movies changes cinema history abd became cultural icons, they are extremely important and it is disgusting all Jorge wants to leave is his altered garbage

Damn Jedieb, where did you find that?!?

I can't take credit for that. Rob Bricken over at Topless Robot found it and wrote a great article about it. I don't fall into the "Lucas raped my childhood" camp, but I do believe that he owes it to us to give us quality versions of the theatrical releases. And he use to feel the same way.

[Jedieb]

Mark. Calm down. If you're that upset about it, I'll send you my old VHS trilogy of the originals without any of the additions and you can transfer them to DVD. Just be sure to send them back.

I've got that old set too, but I don't have the time or the equipment to transfer them. Heck, we don't even have a functioning VCR in the house anymore. But I really shouldn't have to go to the trouble. Spielberg realized this and included the original non-walkie talkie version of ET on its blu-ray.

End of the day, this isn't a big issue in my life, just a minor annoyance that's fun to post about. I've got lesson plans, a moping teenager, and 2 daughters to take to the pool later. Life goes on.

[Figrin D'an]

I've got DVDs I ripped of the laserdisc release from the early 1990s. Picture quality is better than VHS, sound is pretty good actually. This remains the best bet for getting the "unaltered" Original Trilogy in reasonable quality. There's lots of information on the Interwebz about how to do it.

I tend to agree with Jedieb. Lucas is going to keep tinkering, and as bad as I feel a number of the changes are, I've accepted that his attitude towards this isn't going to change. However, he owes it to the cultural lexicon to provide the original theatrical versions of the movies in a format that is more stable long term than tape-style film. That's my opinion, and I'm far beyond getting upset about it anymore.

My hope, at this point, is that after Lucas has died, the rights-holders (I'm presuming his kids) will see reason and we'll get an authorized HD-remaster of the theatrical cuts.

[Yog]

I've got DVDs I ripped of the laserdisc release from the early 1990s. Picture quality is better than VHS, sound is pretty good actually. This remains the best bet for getting the "unaltered" Original Trilogy in reasonable quality. There's lots of information on the Interwebz about how to do it.
There is an even better quality source now, with Harmy's fancut "Despecialized Edition" in 720p, which combines HDTV rips, Laserdisc and matte paintings. He skillfully edited out all the cgi and unnecessary changes (editing notes for ANH (https://picasaweb.google.com/109609428403596349302/HarmySStarWarsDespecializedEditionComparisons) and ESB (https://picasaweb.google.com/109609428403596349302/HarmySTheEmpireStrikesBackDespecializedEditionComp arisons)).

I tend to agree with Jedieb. Lucas should absolutely release a theatrical unaltered version of the trilogy on blu-ray, yet, I have for a long time recognized the fact that Lucas lives in his own little world when it comes to these things, and will just continue to do whatever he wants without listening to the fans.

Lucas is a bit like an eccentric painter. He adds a little color and small details here and there, but he is never happy with it. He will keep adding stuff to the canvas, and insist on making additional changes even after the painting was sold at an art gallery. That is his way of being creative.

Now, having seen the leaked OT rips in 1080p, I must say, despite unnecessary changes, and overdone cgi in places, it is a true joy to watch in Full HD and DTS.


These are the changes I noticed.. :rolleyes

- There is a Sebulba type of creature in Jabba's throne room.

- they added cute cgi eyes to the ewok Wicket. Yup, you can see him blinking to Leia..

- For some stupid reason, they included a cgi rock which R2D2 hides behind as the tusken raiders scavenge Luke's speeder. The rock is so big, you gotta wonder how that droid managed to squeeze inside in the first place. Then there is consistency issues, because from R2's perspective you cannot see the rock, only from the other angle, and when R2 comes out of the cave, the rock is gone (!). I'd categorize this as an outright blooper.

- Immediately after the R2 blooper, Ben Kenobi has a high pitch Krayt dragon impression, very different from the original. It sounds insane.

- And finally, of course.. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" :lol

[Jedi Master Carr]

Actually, I am sure he will release the originals one day, just to make more money off the fans.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

There will be a 50th anniversary collectors edition. Maybe then!

[Dasquian Belargic]

Here's a deleted scene between Han and Leia:

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