Kurgan Posted September 20, 2006 Author Share Posted September 20, 2006 I still feel like this set (which I now own btw), is incomplete (from what it could have been, like including deleted scenes and other extras). But I also feel it is "broken" from what it should have been... Had the following been done, I'd be perfectly satisfied with this set (I say this because people have accused myself and others of "never being satisified" with a Star Wars release): 2004 Editions (though I dislike many of the changes, it is currently "broken" now for me): 1 - Fix the color balance/timing/saturation and brightness/contrast issues 2 - Fix the sound issues in ANH "Theatrical Bonus Editions" 1 - Make it anamorphic widescreen ("enhanced" for 16x9 displays) (I wouldn't even demand the "mono" track as an option, despite the fact that this would make it TRULY the "theatrical edition".. I mean they went to all the trouble of re-creating the crawl, why not the soundtrack as well? It might not sound as good as the Dolby 2.0, but it surely exists, if nowhere else, then on the old rental VHS, right?) Had they done that, I wouldn't be nitpicking and complaining so much (and I imagine most fans wouldn't be either). Deleted scenes and all that can go on a future bonus disc. But these are the main things I think that prevented this set from being a true "5 star release" worthy of the Star Wars name (and all the hype, since 2004). I really feel embarrassed for the folks at the Ranch too for the 2004 versions. This was supposed to be George's "ultimate" version of Star Wars (until 2007 that is!), and yet it has so many obvious mistakes in it. They just didn't devote the time necessary to do it right. Now it seems like they are just trying to get as many copies of it sold as possible to recoup any losses before they re-release it again. The trouble is, how many people are going to be willing to re-buy all six movies in order to see the fixes to those three in another 8 months? Anyway, I have yet to go through Empire, but Star Wars, and Return of the Jedi (theatrical) thus far are fantastic. If there's anything anyone wants me to check out for them, let me know, and I can check it on my new set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurgan Posted September 21, 2006 Author Share Posted September 21, 2006 Yeah. It's just the feeling that I KNOW this could be better, and the suspicion that somebody did this just to spite fans while still taking their money, because they know we'll just buy the next version that comes out. Oh well. It is the best version of the non-SE's out so far, and that makes it worth buying but still. We can dream, can't we? It's also annoying that SINCE this is Star Wars, we often lose site of the bigger picture. Other DVD fans don't put up with this kind of stuff without a fight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 They just don't buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurgan Posted September 21, 2006 Author Share Posted September 21, 2006 They just don't buy it. Exactly! We either buy it, and go "omg this sucks, Lucas molested my inner child" or we buy it and go "well, it's not that bad, it could be worse, I am still grateful to Lucas, he's my daddy, etc" It's crack, man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Source Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Last night, I bought 'Return of the Jedi'. I felt that Episode VI's edits (Little Shop of Horror's Sarlacc, Sabastian Shaw Replacement, and Ewok Ending) took away from the vintage side of the Star Wars. When it came to the 2004 edits for Episode IV and V, I thought they really added something to the trilogy. I don't agree with all the edits made to Episode IV and V, but they didn't bother me as much. As for the enhancements and sound, I find the changes weak at best. I think Lucas could have taken the 2004 versions (with the digital sound, matte fixes, color clean up), and just reverted the movies back to the original. Therefore, we got the original versions with fresh colors, modles, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurgan Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 I was watching Star Wars synched with somebody's audio recording of the mono mix from 1977 (hard to synch because it's just an audio file playing in media player, while I can't mute powerdvd's sound stream only, so I have to just minimize it's sound and crank up MPC's sound). Very interesting. It's very "raw" you get alternate takes of lines, Beru's old voice (which sounds more natural, like an actual farm hand and not some soap opera actress, though still feminine), Vader's old voice (different modulation so he sounds more like JEJ being arrogant through a filter), some of the old lines by Stormtroopers, etc. Oddly enough the "gunshot" sounds for the ST Rifles came from this mix, and the "Close the Blast doors!" and "an interruption at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave" etc. Even the scene of Chewie scaring the mouse droid is in there (I guess that wasn't removed until later releases). I'm not actually all the way through it yet sequentially. I just got to the part where they put on the stormtrooper gear and arrive at the detention block. It desynches a few times throughout though and has to be resynched up. I'd love to listen to this with a proper fan edit where it's synched with the visuals at proper volume. But still was a cool experience the first time around. Of course when I saw Star Wars in theaters, it was most like the 1981 version with "A New Hope" and the 35mm mix. Now to find the six channel stereo mix (that was released FIRST in theaters!). There were three sound mixes, after all, and the DVDs only give us one. Well I should amend that.. actually we do get the mono mix on french and/or spanish tracks, but this dolby 2.0 (which I presume is closest to the theatrical 35mm stereo release) soundtrack for english. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurgan Posted October 4, 2006 Author Share Posted October 4, 2006 http://homepage.ntlworld.com/russdawson/mono/ This site explains the differences, with clips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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