Taking a break from politics-business events, but unfortunately no less maddening :)
I
have the unaltered SW Eps 4-6 in .avi format if anyone wants them
(low-res only, sorry), since you can't buy the original films anymore.
In this
case, I am happy to bootleg and "steal" from Disney and Lucas - it's
morally justified like Robin Hood. I can't believe how mad I still am at
Lucas for
what he did to these films, and it's been over a decade haha. Well, he
keeps poking us in the eye with horrible Eps 1-3 and more recently
selling out to
Disney.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/02/george-lucas-donate-4-billion_n_2067145.html
This
ticked me off too... Lucas is trying to "buy his way to the good side,"
even if the bulk of his "charity" will likely go to the education
nonprofit that he runs.
Well no matter how many of his superfluous billions he gives away, it
doesn't change that fact that he made that loot by raping a
cherished piece of Americana, sci-fi history, and cultural identity for
millions. As a friend told me, Lucas is the "best and worst thing to
happen to Star Wars". I know this is an unfair comparison, but if Vlad
Putin uses his own money to build an orphanage, sure that is nice of
him,
but it doesn't absolve his other sins. I wonder if his cognitive
dissonance and Death Star-sized ego permit him to realize how unhappy he
has made the fans that he once filled with emotions and wonder. That
betrayal will ultimately be his legacy.
We can respect Lucas for being a smart businessman/generous
philanthropist, AND acknowledge that he is a total A-hole for ruining
cherished Eps 4-6 and epic failing on Eps 1-3. If
he was truly generous, he would have given the SW franchise to a nonprofit
fan foundation, to make sure future content stays true to the mythos.
His decision to sell to the likes of Disney nullified his giving ("blood
money"). So it seems clear that Lucas has done nothing good for SW or
humanity since 1983. He just helped himself and his investors at the expense of a major part of US film and cultural history.
----------
If you're desperate for a good version of the original, you should torrent this guy's despecialized version of Ep 4-6:
http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Harmys-STAR-WARS-Despecialized-Edition-HD-V25-MKV-IS-OUT-NOW/topic/12713/
Basically, he started with the Hi-Def versions that were
released later, deleted all the dumb George Lucas later additions, and
cleaned up some things even George Lucas missed (such as light saber
colors being wrong), and remastered the sound.
For people that have seen it, it's basically the
ultimate nerd version of Star Wars; high def but true to the original
(Lando shoots first!).
Even the viewing order has been challenged by fans online:
http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2011/11/11/the-star-wars-saga-suggested-viewing-order/
- basically, this guy argues the best viewing order is IV - V - II -
III - VI. Now that the Editor Strikes Back has been released, I think
you could make a good argument for IV (despecialized) - V
(despecialized) - Editor Strikes Back - VI (despecialized) as more or
less how Star Wars was meant to be experienced in a perfect world.
I guess in this day and age of Internet
collaboration, there's just no way that George Lucas can try to keep
sole creative control over something that nerds the world over cherish -
fans will route around his ham-handed attempts to "improve" the
originals.
http://www.tested.com/art/movies/384046-star-wars-despecialized-edition-remastered/
----------
Thx! I know I can always count on a fellow true fan for
empathy and resources. Sadly I don't torrent (ignorance rather than
respect for IP, LOL), but I will look into it. I found a
guy on eBay
who is selling unofficial DVDs of the unaltered trilogy, so I got that
as a post-Xmas gift for myself. :) But mostly it's "historical record"
for my daughter, so when she gets older, she will be able to experience
the real SW the way we did (before Lucas and Mickey destroy all the
surviving copies of the original trilogy).
---
Yes,
it was eating me up inside that the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi didn't
have blinking eyes. That really detracted from the realism of a battle
where a galactic imperial army was soundly defeated by talking care
bears. Sure, the Ewoks were by far the worst part of Eps 4-6 (an early
attempt at commercialization and youth targeting), but changing them now
is even dumber.
---
Supposedly Lucas (who is more of a
merchandiser and effects wizard than a pure storyteller and filmmaker)
was not happy with the state of the art in 1977, but had to keep Ep 4 on
schedule, so the film released without all the cool effects that he
wanted. The industry just wasn't ready for his vision. Fair enough, but
since when has any work we've had to deliver under time pressure
satisfied us 100%? I know Hollywood directors are infamous
perfectionists, but at some point you just go with the best you have
ready, and leave it at that. No "do overs" later (or leave it to the DVD
bonus features at least, don't alter the original work!).
Say all that is true, and the special edition is Lucas' "true
vision" for how he wanted the trilogy to look and feel. So he really
believed that CG mini-Jabba, a rock in front of R2-D2, and Han shooting
2nd made the movie complete? If he "did it right" the first time in
1977, then SW would have become an even bigger hit? I call BS. He just
used the special edition as an excuse to invest in more tech, showcase
ILM effects, and sell more DVDs. Seriously, the changes are as if Lucas
asked his 12-year-old child for advice. First off, you don't need to
change what is fine, or in fact nearly perfect. Second, if you do decide
to change what is already fine, then your change should at least be an
IMPROVEMENT and not a distraction/detraction/joke. Like adding color to
later releases of Hitchcock movies is more defensible (but still
controversial to many). The feel of Eps 4-6 is of a raw, gritty,
lived-in universe (apart from the sterile, polished, but oppressive
imperial settings). The sharp and artificial CG fillers add no value and
really hurt the mood of some scenes (like the stupid alien band in
Return of the Jedi playing a kiddie song while the green slave girl was
eaten). The low-IQ response to innovation/improvement is "let's just add
more stuff." A shot with so much irrelevant and unimportant noise going
on doesn't benefit the film, and is too much for the typical viewer to
process/appreciate anyway (
example
from Ep 2). It's sad that so many artists had to work long hours to
deliver such garbage that no one will remember. Whereas Sir Alec
Guinness probably just needed a couple takes to deliver a 10-second line
that became film immortality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hFWz145aJc.
Much worse are the "continuity changes", where the Eps 1-3 are
clearly to blame. Vader has to yell "Nooooo!" the same way in 2 movies
(even though it is not authentic and ruins both scenes). Hayden
Christiansen has to have a cameo in a film that was made before he was
born. Why? To give Eps 1-3 more legitimacy at the expense of the far
better Eps 4-6? If Lucas thinks his audience is so dumb that they need
to hear the same line or see the same face to make the mental connection
across 2 movies, well that shows his respect for the audience.
But overall, I think it is totally OK that a
film has certain aesthetic limitations and flaws, as long as the
WRITING, ACTING, and PLOT are great (stuff that Lucas totally took for
granted in Eps 1-3, or is just inept). You know, film school 101 stuff.
But that is the problem when the creative process is dominated by a
past-his-prime icon who is mentally lazy, unqualified, and doesn't
encourage collaboration. I won't go into all the ways Eps 1-3 were
horrible, and as some YT reviewers have said, they aren't even really SW
films. Just because they have lightsabers, space ships, and a hero
named Skywalker doesn't make them SW if they lack the signature
dialogue, captivating characters, and imaginative adventure of the
predecessors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJM5Citn3rY
But
going back to Eps 4-6... you don't love your partner because they're
perfect or in spite of their flaws, you love that their flaws make them
who they are. Most fans never lamented about a certain SW mistake, or
wished a new effect was included in the films (partly because the
existing effects were already so dazzling). It's fine that the
stormtrooper hits his head on the door, or that the Death Star has a
totally illogical vulnerability. They are barely relevant to the larger
story arc, feelings, and themes, which is what stays with you years
after you've seen the film. I wish modern Hollywood would stop fixating
on getting everything so perfectly stunning visually, and instead invest
that much effort on the truly critical parts of a good film (the
mental-emotional parts!). Otherwise we will keep getting more Eps 1-3.
Lucas was lucky that he leveraged the SW brand to make those crap films
into huge financial successes, but not everyone can be so fortunate.
Disney of all studios should know this, after John Carter and Lone
Ranger. Also, what happened to "know the customer"? Aren't filmmakers in
the business of pleasing audiences? It seems that too many egomaniac
directors and producers just hijack films/franchises and warp them into
their selfish, narrow vision. If they have a good vision, then maybe
it's fine. But so many of them don't. Some films are too important to
society/history to let one rich and powerful A-hole mess them up for
future generations. In that sense, it's ironic that Lucas has really
become the dark side emperor of the Star Wars franchise.
----------
Agreed, it's inspirational. Totally funny that the poor,
underground fans acting as the true custodians of the SW material are
like the Rebels, and GL and his mighty LucasFilm are the empire. Life
imitates art. It's even more impressive that many of them were born
after the original trilogy, yet still came to love it (shows how
timeless the movies are, and they live on because of the human elements,
not the effects which are clearly dated by now). And as you said, their
heroic efforts would be totally unnecessary if Lucas and his henchmen
acted with a shred of heart. As we all know, if Lucas had full control
on Eps 4-6, they would have been pretty terrible (Han with green skin,
Luke and Leia as midgets, etc.). I give GL credit for the creative spark
and taking chances, but he is terrible at execution (apart from some
effects).
The guy is just an out of touch, egocentric douche, so this is
what we get. If you watch behind the scenes clips of him directing Eps
1-3, it's really like a senile person or child at work (or worse, a smug
prick who just doesn't give a shit), but all the yes-men around him
just go along with it. And can you imagine - the BTS shots that they
released are the GOOD moments of his direction - I wonder how bad the
bad moments were! Lucas must really hire hacks at ILM as you said. In
their defense, maybe those workers are just uber fanboys who are so
desperate to work on any new SW material (like a crack addict), so they
will go along with any of GL's horrible ideas. In their gut they know
it's wrong and bad for the franchise, but I guess they'd rather toil on a
shitty project than no project at all. This is the problem when GL
finances the movies himself too, there's no one else to hold him to
account. At least the suits at Fox probably shot down all of GL's zany
ideas during the first trilogy.
I just can't believe anyone at ILM didn't have the sack to speak out
about all the superfluous scenes, shit dialogue, Jar-Jar, Noooooo!,
etc. I know they must have felt it in their guts, but self-censored.
You'd think some cocky kid would have spoken out, and then got canned by
a miffed GL. Then he tells all to the media about how bad it is to work
at ILM and how stupid GL is. But I haven't heard anything like that,
have you? Or at least Portman, Neeson, or MacGregor have the clout to
speak out (or are they in denial too, wanting to believe that they
worked on something of value?). Maybe ILM has a strict NDA or Lucas will
sue the shit out of you?
When I was younger, I longed for more SW movies too. Now with
more years under my belt, I appreciate the first 3 movies even more. And
I think the franchise deserved to rest in peace. No remastering, no
alterations... it's not like degraded Chaplin reels from the old days.
It is REALLY hard to make a blockbuster series and sustain quality
throughout (look at Star Trek after #4, or Bond after Connery). Eps 4-6
were a phenomenal accomplishment - why can't they just quit while
they're ahead? Same with LOTR and Hobbit. The fact that the Hobbit films
are clearly worse than LOTR (and just reusing LOTR material), and
Jackson chose to deviate from the spirit of the book so much, reflects
the same problem as GL. Eps 1-3 did not need to be made, and in fact
shouldn't have. I agree with that Sam kid on YT that it really doesn't
matter how the Republic became the Empire, and how Anakin became Vader.
That is the setup to Eps 4-6, nothing more. The back story is that way
for a reason, it's not as interesting as the main story! That's why I
think we've never really seen a superior prequel or origin story in
Hollywood (maybe Batman Begins, but that was a different approach and
team altogether). Actually I think it's better for all to have made Eps
7-9 instead, because then the team has free reign to craft a new
storyline. I really hope the original characters don't show up at all.
No one wants to see old Han. They accomplished their purpose in the
story already - it doesn't matter what they do later. Unless it's like
Mask of Zorro where they just pass the torch and train the next gen
(minor roles only). What do you think?
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