i cannot believe he's trying to gaslight the hundreds of millions of people who saw han shoot first.
I know, it's like someone needs to tap him on the shoulder and say "um, actually, these are the droids we're looking for, thanks." But, as has been pointed out above, he has maneuvered himself into a position where this will never happen.
i've never seen the various "revisions" and have no interest in seeing them.
I've watched each of the revised versions of Star Wars once, on television, because I will never give him any more of my money.
The first time I saw American Graffiti I was too young to know it was made by the Man Who Made Star Wars, and was mostly concentrating on the fact that the bloke from Close Encounters AND the bloke from Happy Days were in it (how could such a thing be?). Maybe those people helped make it better? Or maybe it was just better for the same tired reason: because there were people around him then who would curb his worst excesses and keep him focused on the thing he originally said he wanted to do.
― trishyb, Friday, 10 February 2012 09:12 (twelve years ago) link
A good line in Peter Bradshaw's Guardian review of the re-release:
Watched again now, Phantom Menace seems flat rather than actually objectionable: there is something almost exotic in its intricate dullness, and characters like Jar-Jar are now too boring to be offensive.
― good luck in your pyramid (Neil S), Friday, 10 February 2012 09:38 (twelve years ago) link
apparently the version in the registry is the 1997 or whatever "special edition." its kind of a disgrace.― the jazz zinger (s1ocki), Friday, February 10, 2012 12:22 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― the jazz zinger (s1ocki), Friday, February 10, 2012 12:22 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
well there isn't really a "registry" that holds actual copies of films, as far as i understand. it's just a way of establishing preservation priorities and to highlight the importance of film preservation and restoration in general. and since star was "inducted" in 1989, before any of the revisions, i think we can assume it's the original version that they had in mind.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Friday, 10 February 2012 13:23 (twelve years ago) link
star WARS i mean
am you should write an op-ed and subit it to the times or something
― max, Friday, 10 February 2012 14:52 (twelve years ago) link
im serious -- i never really thought about star wars' "historical importance" but i think youre totally right
Yeah you could say the historical important mostly lies in the special effects, which were hand-crafted in-house and started a number of companies that have dominated the industry for decades. And yeah it's shitty to say "ah, that was no good" and go in and replace it w computers.
The funny thing is, every time I see any of the SW there are a bunch of things that are still wrong that they could easily fix rather than doing stupid stuff like the rock in front of R2. For instance there's a bit in SW where Darth Vader is talking to one of his men and after he is done talking the actor is still gesturing. That seems like a pretty simple fix. There's plenty of little bits here and there where the voice overdub is just a little too long for the reaction shot that follows it, etc.
Looking forward to this RLM stuff.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 10 February 2012 16:04 (twelve years ago) link
I recommend http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com/ if you dare to take the geekiest plunge of your life. Really gets into GL's headspace.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 10 February 2012 16:07 (twelve years ago) link
the saddest thing for me personally is that while i grew up with & used to love these films, i now kinda fucking hate them and everything about them.
part of that is prob the geek culture over-embracing of SW (helvetica minimalist fan posters etc), part of it is the fact that you can't even see the original films now.
― the jazz zinger (s1ocki), Friday, 10 February 2012 16:20 (twelve years ago) link
Ok that 3D review is just the old one with a fake 3D filter and a very few extra cheesy 3D bits thrown in.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 10 February 2012 16:22 (twelve years ago) link
that's the joke
― Number None, Friday, 10 February 2012 16:25 (twelve years ago) link
exactly! if you're teaching a history of the past several decades of american cinema and wanted to talk about special effects--or dolby sound for that matter-- well star wars is a key film, the key film in some ways. but of course you won't understand the nature of its contribution if you see the revised versions.
indeed the extent to which the effects are "flawed" or obvious is itself an important part of the history. teachers have to able to explain the processes by which they were made and how that is and isn't revealed on screen.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 11 February 2012 00:34 (twelve years ago) link
sometimes i think we should have some kind of patrimony laws that allow for the preservation and availability (at least to researchers/teachers) of stuff -- a legal "right" that trumps the rights of the author. but that will never happen.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 11 February 2012 00:36 (twelve years ago) link
man i wonder how much vintage 35mm prints of star wars go for these days.
most of 'em are probably pretty beat up.
stalinist lol from that interview ned linked:
If you look at Blade Runner, it’s been cut sixteen ways from Sunday and there are all kinds of different versions of it. Star Wars, there’s basically one version — it just keeps getting improved a little bit as we move forward.
― the "intenterface" (difficult listening hour), Saturday, 11 February 2012 01:40 (twelve years ago) link
"improved"
― Janet Snakehole (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 11 February 2012 04:20 (twelve years ago) link
RLM has put out an actual new thing - commentary track for Episode 1. Might be worth saving for the next time I'm home for the holidays and stuck on the couch and cable is showing the marathon of all these goddamn movies.
― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 11 February 2012 06:10 (twelve years ago) link
Lucas' late 70s plans for a Bondesque franchise are actually all kinds of awesome. Can't be bothered to dig up the quote, but I would love to see the minimal dialogue droids only film he proposed.
― Inevitable stupid samba mix (chap), Saturday, 11 February 2012 06:32 (twelve years ago) link
And you can sense his excitement in those early interviews for being the creator of a fun, quirky, unexpectedly mega-popular new thing, as opposed to the later burdened beard-faced Keeper of the New Western Myth.
― Inevitable stupid samba mix (chap), Saturday, 11 February 2012 06:47 (twelve years ago) link
it's great that he uses the Blade Runner example. For the blu-ray release, we got 6 (I think) versions of the movie: original, director's cut, restored with new effects, workprint etc. And Scott was appreciative of how fans could have their different favorites and no one was "definitive."
― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, 11 February 2012 07:01 (twelve years ago) link
yeah that's a great counterpoint to the way lucas has handled star wars. in fact i know folks who have compared the different versions of blade runner in class -- so the fact that they are all easily available (and on blu-ray, no less) is a godsend.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 11 February 2012 07:56 (twelve years ago) link
i don't think any of the versions of B.R. have new effects though? there was the original workprint, the original scott cut that went unreleased, the version released in 1982, an edit scott made for a 1990s release which is a reworking of his original cut, and finally the so-called "definitive" version that scott put together a few years back. i'm not aware that any of these have new effects work. i thought it was different edits, essentially--and a revised soundtrack.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 11 February 2012 07:57 (twelve years ago) link
the bluray has new effects, but it's very subtle. Sprucing up the lighting in the cityscapes and stuff.
― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, 11 February 2012 07:58 (twelve years ago) link
there's not like, little monkey shaped aliens running around in the background or anything.
― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, 11 February 2012 07:59 (twelve years ago) link
ah, i see.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 11 February 2012 08:08 (twelve years ago) link
they didn't add a fat funny-accented replicant sidekick for comic relief?
he added in a whole new scene of Deckard wearing a negligee jerking off over a photo of his maybe-mom...changes EVERYTHING
― Janet Snakehole (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 11 February 2012 08:13 (twelve years ago) link
that does make sense of the final scene where edward james olmos
spoiler
leaves an origami version of deckard's mom in the hallway. i always wondered what was up with that.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 11 February 2012 08:41 (twelve years ago) link
'improved'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np6vAuS0KNs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd7Wh4vrVyk
― piscesx, Saturday, 11 February 2012 09:09 (twelve years ago) link
Yub-Yub: Gone but not forgotten.
― Millsner, Saturday, 11 February 2012 14:40 (twelve years ago) link
The GF and I saw TPM in 3-D tonight, mostly because we couldn't think of anything better to do.
I really wish we'd have thought of something better to do :(
― Millsner, Saturday, 11 February 2012 14:41 (twelve years ago) link
Hopefully you guys got well lit before the show.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 11 February 2012 16:36 (twelve years ago) link
fucking yub nub
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Saturday, 11 February 2012 20:16 (twelve years ago) link
;_;
― Janet Snakehole (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 11 February 2012 20:28 (twelve years ago) link
― Millsner, Saturday, February 11, 2012 8:41 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
spending a night on the toilet due to diarrhea is probably preferable to seeing that film again. at least you can get some reading done.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 11 February 2012 20:48 (twelve years ago) link
re. those clips i don't think return of the jedi is really any better than the prequels.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 11 February 2012 20:50 (twelve years ago) link
oh c'mon
― Number None, Saturday, 11 February 2012 20:53 (twelve years ago) link
like on a visual level alone...
― Number None, Saturday, 11 February 2012 20:54 (twelve years ago) link
http://neofilm.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/return-of-the-jedi-poster.jpg
http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/star-wars-the-phantom-menace-movie-poster-01.jpg
― desperado, rough rider (thomp), Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:02 (twelve years ago) link
it's amazing how consistently awful the visual design of every single thing in the new trilogy is: padme's costumes, jar jar, darth maul's makeup, liam neeson's face
― desperado, rough rider (thomp), Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:03 (twelve years ago) link
http://dyn3.media.forbiddenplanet.com/products/17726540.jpg.size-300_maxheight-300_square-true.jpg
http://di1-3.shoppingshadow.com/images/pi/1e/d8/c7/46478690-260x260-0-0_Hasbro+Star+Wars+Episode+I+Sebulba+s+Pod+Racer+Wit.jpg
― desperado, rough rider (thomp), Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:05 (twelve years ago) link
"we" got 6 versions of Blade Runner, eh
$ucker$
― Literal Facepalms (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:05 (twelve years ago) link
imagine how much better it would have been if Neeson played Qui-Gon like his character in Taken
― Number None, Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:06 (twelve years ago) link
xp i don't want my 'thing' to be to pop into fantasy threads and explain how the fictions people are talking about fail at realism, but it's interesting how there's a strong vein of form-follows-function in the originals. vs stuff like the pod racers, which come on.
even darth vader's costume (!) was a series of devolopments like: well, he needs a ventilator. and armor, also. so what if the ventilator and the armor are joined. huh that looks kind of cool. -- whereas darth maul's is just so plainly the result of straining to invent a 'cool villain look'
― desperado, rough rider (thomp), Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:09 (twelve years ago) link
liam neeson and ewan mcgregor got so shafted when they agreed to do those movies, i think
― desperado, rough rider (thomp), Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:10 (twelve years ago) link
like how long do you think you're attached to fuckin' star wars before you get a script
by that point how far past too late is it to call your agent and go 'hey maybe i don't want to be a jedi, you know'
and then when you've made one horrible film and you know you're stuck there for two more
― Number None, Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:12 (twelve years ago) link
I still remember a reporter breaking the news to Ewan McGregor that the second film was going to be named Attack of the Clones and his subsequent shock and disbelief. I think he had no idea of what he was getting into.
― Nicole, Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:19 (twelve years ago) link
― Literal Facepalms (Dr Morbius), Saturday, February 11, 2012 3:05 PM (42 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i paid $12.50. they overproduced that thing, and you can get copies for nothing.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 11 February 2012 21:50 (twelve years ago) link