Disney To Release Original Unaltered STAR WARS Blu-Rays

As a major Star Wars fan, I have to say that this is the only good to come out of Disney buying Star Wars.

Awhile back, they released the the altered "special editions" movies on DVD. But, with each movie came a bonus DVD of the original unaltered version. I happily paid a little more than I should have just to get a three pack of the unaltered versions of the movie on DVD. Glad that they are coming to Blu Ray.


ETA, I know that LucasFilms is now owned by Disney and Fox has distribution rights for the first three movies until 2020. The deal also said that Fox had to distribute the films at LucasFilms will and that they would get a cut of the profits. But, now that LucasFilms is owned by Disney, might that change anything?

Updated On: 3/14/15 at 12:58 PM

Jordan,

I say that because I feel it to be true. When Lucas reissued the original films as the special editions, I honestly felt that he was someone who didn't know when to leave well enough alone. Yes, he piloted a lot of special effects that are now commonplace today, but it always bothered me that he couldn't realize that and had this need to go in and tinker with them showing the world what could have been rather than enjoying what great work he did.

With the prequels, they were just not needed nor well done. The prequels themselves created their own little universe totally different from the ones of the original. That's fine, I get it, they happened earlier in the timeline from the original films. But, (now maybe this one's just a pet peeve of mine) with the prequels came the Cartoon Network show The Clone Wars. I teach and when one of my young students came into class wearing a Star Wars backpack, I initiated a conversation with him about Star Wars and clearly the Star Wars I grew up knowing and still loving to this day, was different from the one he knows.

Now, I know that the new one is not being directed by Lucas but rather J.J. Abrams. Still though, it gives off the vibe that I got when Lucas did the special editions and prequels. There's really no need and gives of the same "not leaving well enough alone" vibe that I mentioned earlier. And, yes, I'm aware that it's two different directors, but I think that that feeling's coming from not Lucas this time but form Disney.

Didn't Spielberg start the whole thing with Close Encounters: Special Edition released to theaters?

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But it's all part of the Lucas and Spielberg cash factory that sold things to people and then sold it to them again and again and again. The two of them were the first of the post-studio directors to do that and it was sort of a backlash against the great '70s filmmakers who tried to do things against the system. Those two bought right in.

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Actually I think there's a pretty big difference between Spielberg and Lucas. And I remember reading an interview with Spielberg where he talked about his regretting the tinkering he did with ET.
Lucas, to my knowledge has never waivered. In the documentary The People Vs George Lucas it talks about how it was his preference that the original version of Star Wars never to be seen again.

As another major Star Wars fan, I think Disney buying Star Wars was the best thing that could've happened to it. Mostly because it removed it from Lucas's hands.

I can give you a big example with Spielberg to show you the difference.

When E.T. was about to be released on DVD for the first time, Universal wanted to package the original theatrical version only in their very pricey "special" box set, costing upwards of $75.

The double disc DVD was only going to carry the revised version (with the walkie-talkies replacing the guns, etc.).

When they showed the final home video versions to Spielberg only a month or so before they were to be released, he asked them, "Where's the original version?" when they showed them the 2-disc set.

They told him it was only going to be available in the pricey version.

He said, "You can't do that to the public. You have to give them both. That's not right."

Universal had to recall all of their 2-disc sets and redo them to add in the original theatrical version. They knew Spielberg had final approval of the releases, but nobody told him about the plan in advance.

He thought it was greedy and told them to change it.

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But, correct me if I'm wrong. I am under the impression that while there were changes made to Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spielberg didn't hide the original version from the public the way Lucas has with Star Wars.

I don't know why he's so "unhappy" with his original releases, particularly the visual effects.

I love them, and they were ground-breaking in their day. 1977 was the game-changer with both "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters." If you think about it, the year before that, "Logan's Run" picked up the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. That's 1976, not the 1950s.

But everything took a giant leap forward in 1977, just one year later. Not since 1968's "2001" had VFX made an advancement like that.

Yes, it's not up to par with today's effects, but why should it be?

I would absolutely hate it if someone went in a redid the tornado sequence in "The Wizard of Oz" or did some CGI to replace the witch's melting. (The recent 3D conversion was entirely respectful of the original visuals.)

People embrace these movies (or don't) when they come out. Especially the "classics" that stand the test of time.

Lucas cares more about what he wants than what his fans or audiences want. That's a shame. He also thinks that technology was the reason these movies are still being talked about today. He's wrong again. It's the story. That's why his second trilogy essentially sucked. He was so caught up in his technical jungle that the story line suffered big-time.

At the very least, he should offer both versions.

The "Close Encounters" Blu-ray has all three versions of the film accessible via branching on the same disc.

Lucas could do the same thing if he wanted to ... but he doesn't.

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Yes, he told everyone that he cut into his original negatives to make the special editions.

Regardless, either a duplicate negative existed, an answer print, or at the very least true HD masters.

That, I know of without question. I saw them myself. That was many years ago.

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I actually think the effects in the original films hold up very well, especially in today's CGI-crazy production world. There's something just genuinely more convincing about having the ships, droids, and creatures being physically present with the actors on set. Even the matte backgrounds lend authenticity. It creates the sense of a very lived-in and credible galaxy.

Also, those practical effects and costumes play much better on smaller screens than CGI.

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The prequel trilogy is slick and shiny but looks totally devoid of genuine life. The relatively small assault on the Death Star in A New Hope is far more exciting, harrowing, and credible than the swarm of pixels at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith. The world-building of the original trilogy is unparalleled in cinema.

I really miss practical effects in sci-fi. I can't think of any modern sci-fi films whose worlds are as compelling or credible as the original trilogy. Or in Alien and Aliens, or 2001, or films of that caliber.



There's a very, very good critical analysis of the prequel trilogy- and why the films fail as films- on Red Letter Media. They're hourish-long videos delivered by a film critic who is playing a sociopathic old man, so they're part extremely insightful, thoughtful analysis and part bizarre character study. Very strange, often hilarious, but very, very good film criticism. Probably some of the best on the internet. Just in a very weird package.

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