Best theatrical Star Wars DVD option?

[nick daring]

Currently, what is the best version of the orignal theatrical version of Star Wars that can be watched at home?

After being grumpy about the prequel stuff I kinda stopped caring about Star Wars. It wasn't until finally reading Rinzler's "Making of Star Wars" a few months back that the itch started again. I'm dying to revisit these movies again in there original forms but aparantly that's harder than I had hoped.

From what I've read the official "theatrical" DVD set from lucasfilm was taken from the Laserdisk master in a non-anamorphic form and has the black bars burned into the screen. This blows if true.

Also, there are several fan edits that have tried to recreate the "perfect" Star Wars but I'm not sure where to start there.

Any insight on the subject would be awesome.

Nick

 

[cayman shen]

The versions released as the extras in the 2 disc sets are non-anamorphic, right off the laserdiscs. They're still a billion times better than the SE. You see horrible garbage mattes, unfortunately, but better than nothing. If you can't get a good bootleg, pick these up anyway, is my suggestion.

 

[Solo4114]

Chances are even the bootlegs will be LD rips.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

The best option would be the 1990's pre-SE widescreen VHS tapes, and I think even those have a little editing on 'violence'.

 

[Solo4114]

I think I have a copy of those. The letterbox THX editions. The problem with those is they'll be seriously low-res by comparison even to the LD versions, and the LD versions aren't exactly monuments of clarity themselves, at least not by modern standards.

It's a shame that the 2004 SEs were done as poorly as they were. I still can't get over some of the color issues in ANH and the flipping of the rear audio channels. I mean, putting aside the various SE changes, there is, to my way of thinking, simply NO excuse for those kinds of defects.

Likewise, the toying with colors also is problematic in ESB. For example, in one sequence on the bridge of a Star Destroyer, the color goes from super-bright almost cartoony to highly muted just as the scene is about to end. It's not the shot fading out either. It's as if the editors felt it necessary to pump up the red balance and brightness just up to the point before the action is ABOUT to end, and then they simply stopped editing. I noticed it the very first time I watched the disc, without even having to slow the footage down. I went back to slow it down, and it's like someone flips a lightswitch at one of the frames. All of a sudden, muted colors (which actually look FAR more natural to me).

Unfortunately, there is simply no really GOOD quality version of the original films. Although, "original" is kind of a nebulous term with ANH at least. Even between theatrical releases there were differences, and even among contemporaneous theatrical releases there were differences in things like the sound mixes and such.

 

[brainiacfive]

I did a DVD conversion of the VHS THX WS tapes in the early '00's, but I got the SE discs a few years ago that had the LD pre-SE versions as an extra, and that's probably the 'best' source of those 'lost' films now. Good enough for me, anyway.

There are tons of 'preservationist' versions out there, if you do a little searching. I did at the time, though I can't vouch for the existence of any of these sites anymore: originaltrilogy.com, myspleen.net, fanedit.org.

It all depends on what you are looking for, I guess.

 

[Treadwell]

The best option would be the 1990's pre-SE widescreen VHS tapes, and I think even those have a little editing on 'violence'.

No, the violence editing started with the SE.

 

[Eopie Herder]

I think I have a copy of those. The letterbox THX editions. The problem with those is they'll be seriously low-res by comparison even to the LD versions, and the LD versions aren't exactly monuments of clarity themselves, at least not by modern standards.

It's a shame that the 2004 SEs were done as poorly as they were. I still can't get over some of the color issues in ANH and the flipping of the rear audio channels. I mean, putting aside the various SE changes, there is, to my way of thinking, simply NO excuse for those kinds of defects.

Likewise, the toying with colors also is problematic in ESB. For example, in one sequence on the bridge of a Star Destroyer, the color goes from super-bright almost cartoony to highly muted just as the scene is about to end. It's not the shot fading out either. It's as if the editors felt it necessary to pump up the red balance and brightness just up to the point before the action is ABOUT to end, and then they simply stopped editing. I noticed it the very first time I watched the disc, without even having to slow the footage down. I went back to slow it down, and it's like someone flips a lightswitch at one of the frames. All of a sudden, muted colors (which actually look FAR more natural to me).

Unfortunately, there is simply no really GOOD quality version of the original films. Although, "original" is kind of a nebulous term with ANH at least. Even between theatrical releases there were differences, and even among contemporaneous theatrical releases there were differences in things like the sound mixes and such.

The worst part to me was the tinkering with the saber colors during Luke and Vader's fight on the second death Star in ROTJ. That shot of the sabers clashing in front of the Emperor is horrible. Anyone with basic knowledge of After Effects can do better than what was done there.

 

[cayman shen]

Yup, I agree. The ROTJ pink saber is a sacreliege.

 

[CTF]

Currently, what is the best version of the orignal theatrical version of Star Wars that can be watched at home?

Have you been living under a rock? :lol

Also, there are several fan edits that have tried to recreate the "perfect" Star Wars but I'm not sure where to start there.

Don't believe the hype 'bout the "Adywan" edits, 'cos they are worse than the Special Edition. At least George has the right to **** with the movies.

 

[nick daring]

Have you been living under a rock? :lol

What are you talking about??

The Adywan edits are what they are but like I said I'm trying to find just a good theatrical version of the original trilogy that doesn't have black bars burned in or with SE stuff.

Nick

 

[Treadwell]

Even the official 2004 DVD extras (from the laserdisc masters) have the letterbox bars burned in. The only anamorphic DVDs of the theatrical releases are fan-made, where they used the Special Edition footage for all the shots that hadn't been altered, patched with lesser sources for shots that had.

 

[bleyd]

I thought the laserdisc version was really the only TRUE theatrical release version available. Tell me if I'm wrong so I'm not passing around bad info.

 

[nick daring]

Interesting but weren't the SE color timed a little different than the originals?

Could you edit the two together to create a good looking final version?

Nick

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

What you need is all 3 of the following:

1) a fullscreen VHS tape from the 80s. This you need for the resolution, which is equal to if not better than the currently available DVD. The colour is bleached out but is in many ways, I'm certain, closest to what was seen on cinema screens in 1977. But the frame is cropped, obviously. And the opening shot is wrecked by being vertically squeezed for the opening title crawl. The sound is stereo, and sounds damn fine turned up loud. And it's odds on the mix was heard by someone in a theatre in 1977.

2) a widescreen VHS tape from the early 90s. This you need for frame composition, and for a colour remastering that is less offensive than the current DVD version. But the resolution is low.

3) the DVD (LD) version. This you need for best combination of resolution and frame composition in one viewing. But the colours will all inhabit separate universes. Though it's not too bad if viewed on an old-time TV.

My preference: not ideal, but the bloody fullscreen VHS tape from 1987 I picked up for a quid ($2) in a charity shop. Opening shot aside, it just feels the most like what I saw (5 times) in 1977.

 

[Treadwell]

I thought the laserdisc version was really the only TRUE theatrical release version available. Tell me if I'm wrong so I'm not passing around bad info.

Not quite sure what you mean.

The bonus discs of the 2004 DVD release are the "true" theatrical releases, taken from the masters used to make the laserdiscs in 1993. They even stuck in the pre-ANH crawl. The sound mix is an amalgamation, though, not purely 1977, but that's picking nits.

So yes, those are the only officially-released DVDs of the theatrical versions.

 

[micdavis]

To be very nit-picky the Laserdisc Masters (DVD Version) of ANH is not quite the original as it has the Ep. 4 label on it.

The ORIGINAL release was simply Star Wars, as it should be.

 

[HAL9000]

Someone recently handed me a blu-ray of 'Star Wars'.
And it looks awesome.

Original 77 cut.
4.0 Dolby surround
Original colour grade.

Just amazing.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Here, take your pick. I have them all.

 

[micdavis]

What none of the foreign releases?

LOL.

Wow, you've got the Super 8 film. Impressive.