Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

[pfillery]

So my early recollections of Star Wars original trilogy IV, V and VI (I watched ESB at the cinemas in the early 80s) are of the original original movies. Not the added animation and that NZ actor as the voice of Boba Fett. I used to have them years ago on VHS video tape but wondered if you can still get the plain old original trilogy new on DVD without the special edition changes because I'd like to see all the set shaking simplicity as it was originally intended.

Any tips before I start trolling internet auctions?

 

[T2SF]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

As far as I can tell no. The only true originals only made it to Laser disc and VHS before that. There however folks that have transferred the copies to DVD. I'd like to know myself. I still have a grainy VHS copy

 

[Vivek]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

The 2006 DVDs (2 Disc Edition) have the original unaltered version. But only downside is they are non-anamorphic and there isn't any real clean up or print restoration nor sound enhancements. Also they are quite pricey now.

Amazon.com: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (Two-Disc Widescreen Enhanced and Original Theatrical Versions)

Amazon.com: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980 & 2004 Versions, Widescreen Edition)

Amazon.com: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983 & 2004 Versions, Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)

 

[cayman shen]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

Holy crap, I'll say they're pricey! Time to back mine up I suppose...

These discs don't look great, but they're better than VHS and 10000000000% better than having to sit through the ****ing special editions.

 

[Timmythekid]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

The 2006 DVDs (2 Disc Edition) have the original unaltered version. But only downside is they are non-anamorphic and there isn't any real clean up or print restoration nor sound enhancements. Also they are quite pricey now.

Besides being non-anamorphic they look like poo on a modern screen. They were created from the master tapes for the THX LD release and suffer (particularly SW) from horrendous early generation, brute force DNR and dirt removal. That was done through temporal smearing. Do a quick search for "4-eyed stormtrooper" for just one example. Add to that the fact that the bitrate was pretty low in order to cram lego video game demos onto the disc, and they're a mess. About the only thing going for them is the fact that they are, sort of, the untouched trilogy (not quite - LFL was already messing around with retiming the films, so they don't look like they did in the theater).

There has been some work done to try and make something better out of them, particularly by Darkjedi over on OT.com, but given what data is on the discs, and what the masters themselves look like, they'll never look good.

 

[Deelite]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

I'm just glad that I still have a working LD Player and have the originals as they were released to LD. my vhs copies deteriorated years ago (hawaii..humidity..cockaroahces...and ants...don't mix)

 

[The Wook]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

(not quite - LFL was already messing around with retiming the films, so they don't look like they did in the theater).

Whatchu talkin bout, Willis?

 

[MooMooEgg]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

I'm quite happy with my bootleg dvds of the laserdisk versions. Sure, they're not as pretty as the blurays, but I enjoy them much much more.

 

[JediG60racer]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

THAT is an excellent contribution to this thread. ^

I agree.

I wish I had a working laserdisc player so I could watch my Definitive Collection LD's.

 

[PumpMag]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

The 2006 DVDs (2 Disc Edition) have the original unaltered version. But only downside is they are non-anamorphic and there isn't any real clean up or print restoration nor sound enhancements. Also they are quite pricey now.

I bought this back then and got the Limited BestBuy Tin Case with it.

Not restored but hey "Han shot first!"

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

My God - $70 for the 2006 2 disc-set? Then the situation's far worse than last time we went over this issue.

 

[rabbit4x]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

Man, I remember I picked this up for $7.99 each at Target! The first time something that is Star Wars has gone up in price since the wave of ROTS goodies.

 

[Shade88]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

star wars is the best series

Is this a sockpuppet? What is this, I don't even...

Looking at his last few posts, it's possible.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

If you want the reg2 versions of the 2006 dvd then you can often find them for about £25-40 on eBay.co.uk or on Amazon.co.uk for £39.99 and up - used.

 

[Darthbauer]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

Wow, I found them cheaper on laser disc than those links to the DVD's.

 

[giric thren]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

Go to Movie Trading Company, or an Entertainmart (most EM in this area closed). They were like $8 a movie. Although, the first time I saw Star Wars was in the theaters in 1997, when I was 11. So I never have had a hatred of Star Wars SE. When I watch it (before Blurays) I watched the original originals.

 

[ave4uevoli]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

 

[Timmythekid]

re: Star Wars "non special edition" DVD - can you get them?

Man, I remember I picked this up for $7.99 each at Target! The first time something that is Star Wars has gone up in price since the wave of ROTS goodies.

And that's only due to the fact that juuuuuuuust before the BD release, LFL had ALL of those sets pulled from shelves. Nice, eh? And way to demonstrate confidence in the super-deluxe versions they're floggin now.

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

Hey folks,

sorry, but we still can´t talk about bootlegs of any kind here on the RPF. Unless it´s in a thread about "POTC".

Michael
RPF staff