Rumor - Lucas has "subtly" altered the original Star Wars trilogy

Source: Internet Movie Database

"The Sept. 21 DVD release of the original Star Wars trilogy will be
accompanied by a fourth disc that includes a two-and-a-half-hour
documentary...Some of the actors who appeared in the prequels have
reportedly been inserted into some of the scenes in the original
films, and Lucas has also introduced "subtle changes" into additional
scenes."

(I sure am glad I kept my laserdisc player and discs of the original
trilogy, before Lucas mucked them all up...)

 

"subtle" changes?

RO"FLMAO

John Harkness

 

Well there's always the chance he might accidentally make them LESS
STUPID AND BORING. Okay, maybe not.

 

There was already an event, people have the discs. There is no rumor, Lucas
put boy toy Hayden in Return of the Jedi.

 

Seen it with my own eyes.
/shudder/

 

Anyone else with a DVD player might want to download the TR47 version,
ripped straight from laserdisc. I found mine (and it was quite watchable) at
www.myspleen.com and the torrents are well seeded.

They also have a goodly amount of cartoons and other cool weirdness for
download.

 

I'm surprised that they didn't just put the younger Obi Wan and Yoda in
there as well.

 

He should've "subtly altered" the first two of the current trilogy before
they even hit the screen... say, in the screenwriting process.

Lousy, drab, wonderless pieces of drivel.

 

That would have made too much sense.

 

If that's the case, I'm sure Lucas will wait 10 or so years, then
reshoot the ending with an older Hayden... probably repeating the
process every 10 years until he feels he has it right.

 

Ditto. I respect the rights of directors to have final cut on
their work, but Lucas has lost all credibility with hard-core sci-fi
fans, first by churning out the (largely inferior) Special Editions,
and now these new "super special edition" DVDs. Just remember: Greedo
never shot first.
It breaks my heart to know that my kids will never get to see the
version of "Star Wars" I grew up with on DVD. Unless, of course,
Lucas churns them out in a year or so, and makes us all buy the films
yet again. Sheesh.

Joe

--
Joe Barlow -- Author of "100 Nights in the Dark: A Collection of
Contemporary Film Reviews & Essays" (available at bookstores
everywhere)

To join CINEMASLAVE, a free e-zine devoted to quality cinema,
send a blank e-mail to:

 

I cant wait till he redos the prequels and deletes Jar-Jar from them.

 

TheDigitalbits.com has a solid review on the changes made, including several
screen grabs of the before-and-after differences.

 

Well, you could not buy them the first time, then you wouldn't be
buying them again.

Lucas has you guys by the nuts, doesn't he?

John Harkness

 

I agree. I'm an original fan from '77, and I LOVED Star Wars, seeing it
13 times in the theater that summer. But the DVD that's coming out isn't
the movie I saw, and I'm not planning to buy it. My sister has her
laserdisc of the original, untouched film, and I have my VHS widescreen
tape set from 1996 which are also of the original versions. Next time I
want to see any of the movies, I'll be watching those.

I'd love to think Lucas may one day release the original versions, but I
highly doubt it will ever happen. Every interview I've read indicates
that he thinks the new versions are the 'real' versions, the films he
wanted to make, and the original versions will never be released again
in any form. But to me, the 'real' Han never would have let Greedo get
off the first shot, and so I suppose I'll have to stick with what I've got.

Sue

 

[..]

I'm glad I still have my VHS tapes for the same reason.

 

What was it that Gore Vidal said about the corporations/government wanting
us all to be docile workers and loyal consumers?

 

Not completely untouched.

In the original cinema version, Vader's fighter was still spinning
away out of control. The very first of Lucas's updates showed Vader
stopping the spin and regaining control, and this version was what
first appeared on video. Also, the final shot of the film zoomboxed
into the closing titles rather than the current quick fade, suggesting
that something might have been changed in the credits sequence.


Jerry Brown

 

Thanks for the pointer. Unfortunately, Bit Torrent doesn't work well for
everyone, especially me. I have satellite internet and for some reason,
Bit Torrent is slower than even dial up so I don't use it. Newsgroups
fly by comparison. I can only assume it's because of the technology
used in providing satellite internet that limits access to Bit Torrent so
I'm kinda outta luck.

An example of how slow it is for me to download the TR47 verion of
Episode 4 --- 487.6 hours..... now that's sloooooowwwww, my friend.

Hopefully someone will post it in one of the star wars newsgroups.

Thanks,

Bubba Gump

 

Interesting! I hadn't remembered that they had changed that, though I do
know that Aunt Beru's voice is different from the version I saw in
theaters, as is the sound of the warning siren in the very beginning of
the film (a friend of mine smuggled a tape recorder into the theater and
taped it; I listened to it so often that I could detect these subtle
differences. Pathetic, yeah, but I was only 13...). As has been stated,
the movie did not have the 'Episode IV' title either, it was just 'Star
Wars'. Why they changed Beru's voice and the siren I have no idea, but I
know that this VHS tape is the closest I can possibly come to owning the
movie I saw in 1977.

By the way, for those interested, looks like there's a cool special on
Star Wars on TV Sunday night: A&E is showing 'Star wars: Empire of
Dreams' from 8-10:00. Looks like a making-of/retrospective. Should be cool!

Sue

Sue