Star Wars blu ray in September

[Yarko]

I don't think this was a necessary change at all, the scene was perfect as it was... but it doesn't really disturb me too much. The scene will still be that awesome. But it might be kinda distracting... you know, we will be thinking "and now that's where they added that new line" while watching the film, instead of just enjoy it.

About the Ewoks eyelids... I'd rather have them CGI erase the complete ewok species from the films and add some wookies. Actually, even gungans would do for me.

I actually enjoy to have new editions of Star Wars with new stuff added... I'd just rather have useful changes that really enhance the movie, like a new sword fight for old Ben Kenobi, some scenes of Alderaan in Ep. IV, etc. But having new versions of the movies from time to time makes me feel like I am watching it for the first time again, even if I've seen them trillions of times.

Anyways, while I'm a fan of the special editions (I grew up with them, never cared about the originals that much until the release of the SE) I really think that long-time fans who watched the original release deserve to have the movie they saw and loved as much as my generation deserves to have the new ones.

I really hope George Lucas decides to make them available some day , even though I would not be watching them.

 

[cayman shen]

We get it you hate, go be miserable on your own.

Yes, alone with all the other thousands upon thousands of fans clamoring for the unaltered OT. All alone in our deluded worlds where we don't make any sense at all. Just the thousands of us, all alone.

 

[micdavis]

Yes, we want them we just don't whine about it anymore.

 

[Mr Webber]

Yes, always good to have the awful stuff in higher resolution. :rolleyes

To me, such a small detail does not detract from the expectation of seeing everything else in a format as yet unexperienced. I dont like it when people wave their movie diplomas around at other fans.

 

[cayman shen]

Yes, we want them we just don't whine about it anymore.

Public discourse, or as you call it, "whining," is actually a pretty good way of effecting change. That and terrorism, but I'm not that angry yet.

 

[micdavis]

If it's about civil rights it public discourse. :lol

Sorry, it's fanboy whining.

But you go stand a post. Keep up the fight.

 

[Lutso]

That and terrorism, but I'm not that angry yet.

Someone will get that angry some day, though. One morning a SW fan is going to wake up peeved at George, and he'll snap and shoot up a McDonald's or something. There's already been a few SW-related "public disturbances", hasn't there?

It's like that with anything that has a devoted fan base, though. Just look at "World of Warcraft". A fella actually killed himself over that at one point...
And of course, "Applemania". I'm sure that's been the cause of dozens of crimes.

Makes you wonder how the creators of these franchises feel about some of the reactions to their products.

 

[JD]

We get it you hate, go be miserable on your own.

There's a whole other thread for them to be miserable in.

Oddly enough, they're all just vocalizing their "Nooooo." (Well, figuratively vocalizing...) :lol

 

[niennumb1]

Save Star Wars
The Holy Grail for Star Wars fans.

That was quite amazing to see. I sure miss the old simple green text that said "A LUCASFILM LIMITED PRODUCTION" That was the original.

That looked like a damn fine print even just watching a small web video. Clean that baby up and put it on Blu-Ray. Real nice!

At least Spielberg was decent enough to recognize the purists out there and make the regular edition of ET available alongside the 20th anniversary one when it hit DVD.

 

[ShadowX81]

Public discourse, or as you call it, "whining," is actually a pretty good way of effecting change. That and terrorism, but I'm not that angry yet.

Wait until you see the Blu-Ray of ANH. I hear Chewbacca has been digitally replaced with Jar Jar.

 

[Timmythekid]

Ok, explain how it's dumb. You admit it's what he's thinking (?), but you other than calling it "dumb," you don't rationalize your thought at all. It's not the long, droning moaning 'no' from Episode III, it's just 'no,' a quick note, the little proverbial light bulb going off in Vader's head vocalized.

I didn't say I liked it... it just didn't come off as that bad or that big a deal to me. I've definitely seen worse through the other releases over the years.

Right, if that's your feeling on it, we'll line you up a nice Ric Olie commentary at every major point in the movies to help explain to you what's happening:
"Look! There's Darth Vader, he's thinking about killing the Emperor. There he goes throwing him down a big-ass hole!"
"Oh look! Luke is sad becuase his adoptive parents are charred skeletons. I bet he's going to go to Alderaan now."

It's totally inane, is the only problem. It's less effective storytelling than letting the editing, score, and physical performance tell the story entirely visually at this moment, as they have for 30 years. It's also not just a little quick note, it's very much like the RotS "nnnnNNNNNNNOOOOOOOoooooo!!" in fact, because, along with the "no" from "No, leave them to me", it IS the RotS "nnnnNNNNNNNOOOOOOOoooooo!!". It's been slightly modulated, but it's the same reading of that line.
And seriously, "I've seen worse"?! Isn't that somewhat akin to "well, he hit me, but this time he didn't break my jaw, so I'll take him back"? I mean, obvious hyperbole, but the sentiment is the same. Are we now just so bludgeoned by these pointless inane changes which weaken something that didn't need to be touched, that we're just happy it could have been worse somehow?

 

[micdavis]

The Ark of the Covenant is going to be sitting on the deck of the falcon next to the chess board, proping up a computer console.

 

[JD]

Right, if that's your feeling on it, we'll line you up a nice Ric Olie commentary at every major point in the movies to help explain to you what's happening:
"Look! There's Darth Vader, he's thinking about killing the Emperor. There he goes throwing him down a big-ass hole!"
"Oh look! Luke is sad becuase his adoptive parents are charred skeletons. I bet he's going to go to Alderaan now."

It's totally inane, is the only problem. It's less effective storytelling than letting the editing, score, and physical performance tell the story entirely visually at this moment, as they have for 30 years. It's also not just a little quick note, it's very much like the RotS "nnnnNNNNNNNOOOOOOOoooooo!!" in fact, because, along with the "no" from "No, leave them to me", it IS the RotS "nnnnNNNNNNNOOOOOOOoooooo!!". It's been slightly modulated, but it's the same reading of that line.
And seriously, "I've seen worse"?! Isn't that somewhat akin to "well, he hit me, but this time he didn't break my jaw, so I'll take him back"? I mean, obvious hyperbole, but the sentiment is the same. Are we now just so bludgeoned by these pointless inane changes which weaken something that didn't need to be touched, that we're just happy it could have been worse somehow?

No, it's akin to it's not a terrible change. It's not Greedo shooting first.

Likening to it a man breaking a wife/girlfriend's jaw is just a terrible thing to do. You're taking a movie, a fictional movie, with changes being made by its chief creator/writer and comparing it to domestic abuse. I've seen lots of screwed of things on this forum... but, this is just totally outrageous.

You are a shining example of fanaticism and someone who needs to step back and re-examine your stance on these movies if you liken changes to Star Wars by George Lucas to a husband/boyfriend breaking a wife/girlfriend's jaw.

 

[JD]

I wish I had more time, was running late for work. Can't edit the typo's from my phone... But I think the gist is there.

 

[Solo4114]

JD,

I dunno. To me, it's every bit as ineffective a storytelling choice as having Han shoot second, or sticking Hayden at the end of the films. It's not a total undermining of the character, granted, but it does...I dunno...sap the oomph from the moment. If it was this anguished cry of frustration or raw emotion, maybe it'd work (this is, after all, Vader's son), but as it is, it's an unnecessary addition that in at least some small way detracts from the moment by overstating/reiterating what's already clear from behavior alone.

Now, all that said, the change may still not bug you that much. Some changes and creative choices bug me more than others, some bug me less than others. That's just a matter of personal taste. But I do think that you can say in some objective way that making a change that makes something that was already perfectly obvious even MORE obvious by "saying" it instead of "showing" it is a weaker choice even if it doesn't necessarily rub you the wrong way.

Some examples of film moments that didn't need anything extra, but which you could add a little teeny bit to that would weaken the moment:

- "We came, we saw, we kicked its ASS BECAUSE WE CAUGHT THAT GHOST!!!"

- "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn because I don't love you any more."

- "THIS IS SPARTA AND WE DO NOT TAKE KINDLY TO BEING DICTATED TO!!!!!"

- "We'll always have Paris, even if we can't be together because you love another man."

- "...is 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya, punk? Because I might just shoot you now!"

- "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown. You know how corrupt this place is."



All minor changes. They barely add a thing to the scene...except a restatement of the obvious which simultaneously robs the moment of its power. Now, admittedly, THIS moment isn't (to me anyway) on the same level as some of the moments above, but still. Sometimes adding to a scene actually detracts from it.

 

[JD]

Dan, you're taking major, well known, major lines from movies and changing them. Last time I checked, Lucas isn't changing huge, major bits like you're suggesting... It's not 'may the midichlorians be with you,' Vader is still Luke's dad, we still 'have a bad feeling about this,' and Obi-wan still gets whacked by a lightsaber.

You're not comparing apples to apples.

 

[JD]

It's dumb because it didn't NEED to be vocalized. It was MORE powerful for NOT being vocalized. It has no subtlety or strength, as the silent look Vader casts has. It treats the audience as idiots and turns a moment of inner turmoil into outer melodrama. *****...I'm so horrified I can barely type. I hope this isn't true...

So... It's 'dumb' because you said so? I don't read your justification of it other than "just cause."

I'm not defending the changes, but you're certainly not rationalizing your hate for them. Besides, can't you come up with something better than 'dumb'? Is this second grade?

 

[jcoffman99]

It's dumb because it didn't NEED to be vocalized. It was MORE powerful for NOT being vocalized. It has no subtlety or strength, as the silent look Vader casts has. It treats the audience as idiots and turns a moment of inner turmoil into outer melodrama. *****...I'm so horrified I can barely type. I hope this isn't true...

I totally agree with this statement. Somtimes less is more. Don't use 12 words when 3 or in the case 0 will do. In my head I always pictured Vader thinking, F this as he picks up the Emperor. It was silent, unexpected, and powerful. Now all I can think of is Kurt Russell in Tombstone waking through the creek saying, "No!!! No!!! No!!!."

John

 

[Jeyl]

I was well set in not buying the BluRays even before these changes were brought to light. I knew that all the reassurances we've been getting about the transfers being tweaked for BluRay were all rubbish. It's going to have the same color coding that we got on DVD releases with a blue Hoth and Pink Lightsabers), just in High Definition.

Lucas didn't rape my childhood. He's just telling me that it doesn't matter. If he doesn't care, I won't care.

 

[Solo4114]

Dan, you're taking major, well known, major lines from movies and changing them. Last time I checked, Lucas isn't changing huge, major bits like you're suggesting... It's not 'may the midichlorians be with you,' Vader is still Luke's dad, we still 'have a bad feeling about this,' and Obi-wan still gets whacked by a lightsaber.

You're not comparing apples to apples.

Ok, fair point, but while those other moments may be more well known, my point is more the dramatic impact of the moments being roughly comparable.


Upon further reflection, I started thinking of another side to this. In some ways, I actually can see where the change (if it's real -- and there's some real question as to the authenticity of the clip) would make sense IF we accept Lucas' new proposition that the Star Wars saga is the story of Anakin Skywalker and his ultimate redemption. If that's the case, then this moment represents THE moment of redemption for THE central character to the entire saga. This is, in essence, THE moment where Anakin -- AS PLAYED BY HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN -- "returns." If you buy that overall view, then actually adding the response makes the character of Vader far MORE like Anakin/Hayden than the silent approach. Vader wailing "Nooooooo" and chucking the Emperor down a hole is a lot closer to Hayden's portrayal (and Lucas' writing) of Anakin in the prequels. So, in that sense -- in the sense of telling the entire story as a single 6-part saga (rather than as the "PT" and the "OT"), it "works." It brings the one of OT's climactic moments more in line with the overall feel of the PT to make them far less able to be distinguished as separate stories.

And maybe that's what's ruffled folks' feathers so much. If you really really hate the PT, and you really really love the (O)OT, every little tinkering change like this is just a further reminder that the thing you love is disappearing and being replaced by the thing you hate. OMG!! The Star Wars saga IS Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader!!!! :lol



Anyway, I'll admit, this change doesn't really bother me, per se, not the way the "Han shot first" scene does. Mostly I just roll my eyes at something like this, as I do at most of the attempts to harmonize the OT with the PT. I've come to expect it at this point, and in some ways I'm actually curious about what wacky changes get made from reissue to reissue. Not that I'll pay for it, mind you, but I'm still curious. But I do think that this edit undercuts the drama of the moment as a whole by making it far more overt.

--EDIT--

Yeah, from the AICN page, if you copy the video URL to your browser and go to the one on Youtube, the caption clearly states that it is NOT from the blu-ray. Now, that could mean that a DIFFERENT "No" reading has been added, or that the whole story's a load of hogwash, but I think this gets back to the basic issue of "purist" OT fans strongly disliking the "prequelizing" of the OT, as well as the apparently needless tinkering (like, putting more rocks in front of R2 in a give scene or whatever).