Star Wars Trilogy DVD

Being the completist that I am, I went out and bought the damn trilogy during my lunch break. When I went into Best Buy, I could tell that I wasn't the only one...they looked to be almost sold out of the collector's tin already.

Good GOD, this makes 6 versions of the OT that I now own, counting vhs and ld. Please kill me. I'll watch them all (the original versions) over the course of this week and give you a better answer as to the quality.

If we kill you, can we have your Star Wars collection?

Don't feel so bad. I was flipping through the tv last night and came across some show about "Babyland General" which is where you can go to adopt Gabbage Patch babies.

I thought, oh, my daughter will be all into going there and adopting a doll.
But as I watched it, it was all old people...

Then they started talking to some of the proud "parents" and these freakazoids had "adopted" hundreds and even thousands of Cabbage Patch dolls.

THOUSANDS.

So, yes, you're a dupe for buying these dvd's, but in the great scheme of freaky fandom, it could be worse.









And yes, I await word on how they look.

I hear they look a little bit funny on those new, fancy, "wide-angle"-type televisions.

Actually, my local Wal-Mart broke street date on these last Tuesday. The ones with the added graphic novels. I might give $30 for all three in a second, but $20 a pop is a bit much, since there aren't any added bonus features, save the game demo.

I've been there. It's HORRIFIC. Few things can rival the absurdity of how seriously that place takes itself.

I swear I spent the last two weeks saying I wasn't going to buy them.

So at about 5:30 today I found myself walking out of my local Best Buy, exclusive collector's tin firmly in hand. I'm such a slappy.

Haven't watch them all the way through, and I'm not an expert on DVD quality, so the best I can say is that they look better than VHS, but are grainier than the 2004 releases. I don't have a widescreen TV, so they could very will look like ass on those. I will say that there's kind of a weird charm to them this way though. Not sure how to explain it.

They're just too bare-bones for me to justify spending another $50 on the whole thing.

That's exactly where I'm coming from with these. Unless someone buys the set for me, I can't see myself shelling out that much money for something I can already watch on Laserdisc.

It's in my will that, if I die, I'm to be cremated by a fire using my entire Star Wars collection as kindling. Sorry. You can bring marshmallows to roast, though.

I'm confused. How is this release news? I've been seeing individual DVDs of the Original Trilogy in the used bin at EB Games for months now. Did I miss something?

These are the non-special edition DVDs.

Oh. Well, don't I feel a fool?

I was pretty much the opposite. I always assumed I would buy them, and then today comes and I don't think twice about not getting them. I just thought, you know, I've got way too many copies of this already, and I'm tired of throwing my money away. And then there's the fact that Star Wars has basically been ruined for me to the point where I'm scared to rewatch the original movies for fear of not enjoying them as much because of the prequels.

So yeah, I am not buying these DVDs, and the only way I will ever find them in my hands is if someone buys them for me for Christmas or if they cost $5 each on Black Friday.

I hate to say this, especially considering I've double-dipped more than a small handful of discs, but I don't commiserate anyone foolish enough to fall for this scam. We've all known shortly after the announcement of this release that the fans were getting the shaft concerning the non-fucked-with versions of these films, and Lucas himself refers to them as nothing more than supplemental features. We've been bitching about it on a thread created when the announcement was made. So many posters there stated plainly that Lucas had squeezed his last dime out of our pockets, refusing to buy this unacceptable compromise - and yet, here are some of you, heads bowed and kicking the ground as you admit defeat. Even if you don't have 2004s DVDs of the OT, this release is so out-and-out offensive to the standards of the the format and the integrity of the original films themselves I can't believe anyone who truly considers themselves a fan is seriously buying into this utter, utter bullshit.

But then I remember, "Ah, that's right.... it's Star Wars, isn't it?".


A final thought: anybody who thinks we won't be seeing another release next year, on the first film's 30th anniversary, is kidding themselves.

edit: changed the mistaken release date of the last SW DVDs

I saw them today, and there were very reasonably-priced 2-disc editions, one disc with the special edition, and one with the untainted edition. Are they sold like this in America, or is it just the untainted version by itself?

Paul, we have the 2-disc sets in America too. The front cover is a "reimagining" of the original theatrical posters in that shitty new style Lucasfilm has been using for the other DVD releases and the back cover is the original poster.

Did anyone watch Attack of the Show last night when they were debating the new DVDs? The guy from TheForce.net was actually defending the idea of using the old laserdisc transfers, rather than trying to, you know, bring the films up to a standard DVD quality appearance, because it will transport fans back to the day where things always looked like shit.

You can't beat that logic.

Fuck it, I'm gonna scrap my home theatre plans and run everything through a Kinematoscope. That's vintage Movie Magic, baby!

According to The Digital Bits, a new 6-film boxset is coming out next year, with new extra features.

If next year's set includes anamorphic transfers of the original versions, I'll buy it. If not, I have no problem waiting and enjoying my anamorphic 5.1 bootlegs in the meantime.

I don't think that the original versions will be on the 30th anniversary 6 disc set.

I do believe that they will be released again, and in a spruced up edition (anamorphic, 5.1, etc.), but it''ll be it's own set AFTER the 6 disc set.

I was surprised my how much fun I had watching these yesterday. I never really cared as much as most people -- Star Wars was fun for me as a kid, but it didn't define my childhood. I thought most of the SE/'04 changes were improvements (with the too occassional fuck-up, of course). But I got a kick out of seeing the Monkey Lady Emperor and Yub-Yub Ending again.

Of course, the Yub-Yub bit was every bit as terrible as I remembered it, so I put in the 2004 RotJ just to see the celebration bits with Williams' new score.

Looks like we won't see good copies of the OOT till Lucasfilm is boughtout from a child of Lucas after he has passed.

Thanks gravedigger!

I heard that these were only going to be available for a limited time - does that time extend to December? I have a birthday coming up, so if I can avoid paying for it myself, that would be ideal. However, I don't want it to be taken out of stock before then, and if it is, I'll just have to get it for myself.

Of course, they will be available indefinitely in a few years judging by Lucas' track record, but I can't wait that long. I crave EMPIRE like a monkey craves coconuts.

I have no insider knowledge, so this is just my theory, but it's how I see it going down:

These versions of the O-OT are available only until the end of the year, this is your only chance (wink! wink!) to get them on dvd.

Next year a 6-disc set (maybe 8?), with all six films, plus bells and whistles, will be released. The O-OT WILL NOT be on this set.

Then later, 07 maybe? The O-OT, all prettied up and with additonal bonus features, will be released in it's own set, The ORIGINAL CLASSICS! Because the "fans demanded it" or something like that.

So, buy these crappy verisons at your own peril. Again, it's just my guess, but I'm willing to roll the dice.

Lucas should create a "customize your trilogy" DVD set. Sort of a choose your own adventure, if you will. Say you want to ditch "Jedi Rocks", but you want the John Williams ending of ROTJ. You just program the DVD at the menu, and you get exactly what you want. Han shoots first, and you still get to see Biggs and Luke's scene in ANH. Let's just all agree to get rid of Jabba altogether ok?

I sold a couple of tickets I got for free to a invite only Kings of Leon show friday for 100 bucks. So I had no problem getting this set. And the fact that it isn't anomorphic isn't a problem for me, since I don't have a widescreen TV. And when I do, my DVD player has XY scaling, so I can just resize it to fit my screen myself. Haven't watched it yet though. Maybe Saturday.

Ah, dude. You should've gone to the show!

And it will look like Bantha poodoo. The biggest problem with the decision to include non-anamorphic 2.0 transfers is that it (once again) alienates the people who really care about picture and sound quality, something Lucasfilm has long sold themselves as the vanguard of. If Lucas had included anamorphic 5.1 transfers, no one would be complaining.

What makes you think Lucas cares about exceptional audio and video? It's not like the title of his directorial debut is attached to an aural quality assurance system or anything.

Oh, I have two more tickets. I'm going to the show.


But yeah, you do make a good point about them carrying the banner for audio and video presentation. I still have yet to check them out. But if they come out looking shitty, I probably won't be too pissed.

I mean hell, is it really so hard for it to be done? I mean there are shots in the SE that haven't had alterations, so original copies would just need cleanup on certain scenes.

Someone tell Lucas:
"So that daughter you fathered, and have custody of. Are you gonna destroy her baby pictures, just because she has become supposedly a better person over time? Oh what, you keep them because of memories?"

I put my bootleg copy through the hdtv I just got, and suddenly realized how stupid the situation is even more. If Lucas went to India, he'd milk every cow dry, then feedthem subpar stuff, make an okay Episode III, then continue the cycle"

So, I'd like to hear from anyone with a HDTV and the DVDs. How's the quality? I already have a set of bootlegs, but I can't imagine that it'd be on par as the official release, transfer issues aside.

I compared my TR47 bootlegs and the "new" original trilogy DVDs over the weekend.

I found the sound to actually be better on the bootlegs! The lack of 5.1 really hurts the DVD presentation, more so than I expected. In particular, the lack of bass effects was noticeable.

Of course, the menus and the fact that the DVDs booted up every time (the bootlegs could be finicky on several of my players) was a big plus.

Picture wise, I had to blow them both up on the HDTV, thus making the lack of anamorphic-ism noticeable for both. I would give the slight edge to the official copies....particularly in the area of artifacting. While both had this problem, I hadn't realized just how severe it was in the bootlegs. The picture was grainy and washed out in both of them. Colors were about on par, with the offical copies appearing to be slightly more..."correct", for lack of a better term.

All in all, I give a slight, slight nod to the original versions.

Got it, a "must have".

/Mats

It's settled then.

Actually, while I'm at the store I think I might start the line for 07's 30th-anniversary DVD reissue as well. I'll be the guy sitting next to the bicycle with the "My other vehicle made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs!" bumper sticker.

Now that my money situation is better than it was before, these bitches will be mine.

I got it and i like it alot...you get both versions...the theater one and the one they added all the new scenes....plus there is alot of cool extra's. If you like star wars id get it.

Being a fan of SW OT and *not* the SE versions, I really wanted to get this new set (even though I broken down and brought SE set last year anyway). What I wanted is all 3 movies in one package, and not individual packages. But Fox seemed to release them separately, from what I've seen.

I also can't seemed to find them in stores right now. Is it true that Lucas will only release them in limited edition, or will we soon see them in yet another edition that Lucas conjure up in near future?

Ebay will most likely have them. Cheaper too I bet.

Ebay will also have anamorphic 5.1 bootlegs of the OT.

I see them in every store I go into. In large quantities.

Next year is the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. What do you think?

It is? I guess maybe it will be a good idea to wait, because that limited edition set sure is expensive.

My local Best Buy is selling each of the new Star Wars DVD (non-SE versions of OT SW) for $14.99, and despite my best judgement, I'm seriously thinking about buying them. But I'd like to know if Lucasfilm had done some remastering of these old films, like they did for SE editions. Or will I see those non-SE versions in their old, crappy grainy selves like they were in VHS format?

That's cheap, but then again, 07 is the biggie anniversary. Gi-nourmous boxset, etc...

I know I'm probably asking for trouble but am I the only person who'd actually like to see the 1997 special edition on DVD as well?

So long as the Original Unfucked-With Trilogy™ is presented in anamorphic widescreen and at least 5.1 surround, I'd have no objection to anything else being included. Look what Warners is doing with the upcoming BLADE RUNNER boxset -- "at least" 4 versions of the film, all anamorphic according to The Digital Bits. THAT's how you do it.