There is a great disturbance in the Force. The last time I felt it was back in 1997 when the Star Wars trilogy was re-released in theaters in celebration of the original’s twentieth anniversary.
The Star Wars trilogy, or what is now being referred to and, in many ways, rightfully so as “The Classic” trilogy that includes "Star Wars" (1977), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983) are finally coming to digital video disc (DVD) Nov. 4, 2004.
Speculation that the most popular science fiction series was possibly coming to DVD in Fall 2004, or should I say, “Rebel Rumblings”, began surfacing in late October last year on various Star Wars fan/toy websites such as Yakface and Rebelscum. The news was finally verified at a private conference Nov. 5, 2003, at the Presidio in San Francisco, Ca., Lucasfilm’s newest base of operations.
The invite went out only to various companies the studio had done business with over the years and wasn’t the kind of invite one gets in an envelope. The invitation included a figure of Darth Vader attached to a glossy black acrylic block with a brushed metal plate that read, “LORD VADER IS PLANNING A MAJOR ASSAULT. HE SUMMONS YOU TO SHARE HIS TOP SECRET BATTLE PLANS.”
The announcement may come as a delight but is it going to please everyone?
Speculation exists that what fans will see on Nov. 4 this year will not be the original 1977, 1980 and 1983 versions of the Star Wars trilogy; editions of which director/creator George Lucas has gone on record saying, no longer exist and will never see the light of day again.
“Return of the Jedi” was the sequel in what some said was the most disappointing finale in the series that benefited from the changes. “Jedi” ended on a more dramatic note showing celebrations on various planets. Gone was that embarrassing “yuck-yuck” song sung by those annoyingly, cute teddy bears called the Ewoks.
Could Lucas react the same way and give the fans what they want? There is a part of me that hopes so. His decision against it is the only reason why I still own a VCR and still have the original videocassettes. If nothing else, those movies will be collector’s items; a part of film history now gone forever replaced by computer enhanced editions.
Then again, November is still barely ten months away. Marketing strategies as to how the films will be packaged and sold whether in a box set like the Indiana Jones series or sold separately are still being discussed.
Perhaps Lucas really does have some “top secret battle plans” up his sleeve and doesn’t want to divulge everything until he is ready. The studio’s recent decision to extend Hasbro license to continue making Star Wars toys until 2012 possibly suggests that when the yet untitled Episode 3 comes out May 25, 2005, that it may not officially be the final Star Wars movie.
Lucas’ original plan was to make nine films. Since 1999’s “Star Wars - Episode 1: The Phantom Menace,” the filmmaker has maintained there will only six. Internet rumors continue to circulate, however, the director may hand episodes 7, 8 and 9 over to other filmmakers and screenwriters.
It may all just be wishful thinking on the part of the die-hard fans who simply aren’t ready to see the franchise come to an end next May.
To quote a wise little green, pointy eared Jedi Master, the future is difficult to see. “Always in motion is the future,” said Yoda.
One thing is for certain. The Star Wars trilogy DVDs will no doubt be a top seller in 2004. What’s uncertain is whether their long-awaited release will be a cause for celebration or one that’s truly disturbing.
©2/11/04
The Star Wars trilogy, or what is now being referred to and, in many ways, rightfully so as “The Classic” trilogy that includes "Star Wars" (1977), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983) are finally coming to digital video disc (DVD) Nov. 4, 2004.
Speculation that the most popular science fiction series was possibly coming to DVD in Fall 2004, or should I say, “Rebel Rumblings”, began surfacing in late October last year on various Star Wars fan/toy websites such as Yakface and Rebelscum. The news was finally verified at a private conference Nov. 5, 2003, at the Presidio in San Francisco, Ca., Lucasfilm’s newest base of operations.
The invite went out only to various companies the studio had done business with over the years and wasn’t the kind of invite one gets in an envelope. The invitation included a figure of Darth Vader attached to a glossy black acrylic block with a brushed metal plate that read, “LORD VADER IS PLANNING A MAJOR ASSAULT. HE SUMMONS YOU TO SHARE HIS TOP SECRET BATTLE PLANS.”
The announcement may come as a delight but is it going to please everyone?
Speculation exists that what fans will see on Nov. 4 this year will not be the original 1977, 1980 and 1983 versions of the Star Wars trilogy; editions of which director/creator George Lucas has gone on record saying, no longer exist and will never see the light of day again.
Instead, what fans and DVD/film aficionados will get are the 1997 special editions which featured various changes Lucas and his team at Industrial Light and Magic made to the original prints with newly digitally enhanced footage. Personally, it was the opportunity to see all three movies on the big screen again after so many years, not the additional special effects sequences.In the cases of the “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back” special editions, the digitally enhanced scenes ruined what was already considered flawless products to begin with. Some scenes as when Harrison Ford’s Han Solo met a computer-generated Jabba the Hutt for the first time brought cheers from audiences as did shots of X-Wing fighters attacking the Death Star from different angles instead of in a straight line. Others like the infamous “Greedo shoots Han” first sequence in the cantina not to mention the additional visual effects shots in “The Empire Strikes Back” ruined the flow of certain scenes and messed up the musical soundtrack.
“Return of the Jedi” was the sequel in what some said was the most disappointing finale in the series that benefited from the changes. “Jedi” ended on a more dramatic note showing celebrations on various planets. Gone was that embarrassing “yuck-yuck” song sung by those annoyingly, cute teddy bears called the Ewoks.
The original ’77, ’80 and ’83 versions are what 48,000 plus fans want to see released on DVD, however; those who’ve signed the online petition at www.originaltrilogy.com that is. The petition went online over a year ago when Lucas made it known that the originals would never be seen again.Will Lucas reconsider his decision? Film buffs made their negative reactions known when director Steven Spielberg announced that only the revised 20th anniversary edition of “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” would be available on DVD and not the original 1982 version. The Oscar winning director heard their protests and the end result was both the ’82 and 2002 editions were released on DVD by Universal/MCA Home Entertainment over a year ago.
Could Lucas react the same way and give the fans what they want? There is a part of me that hopes so. His decision against it is the only reason why I still own a VCR and still have the original videocassettes. If nothing else, those movies will be collector’s items; a part of film history now gone forever replaced by computer enhanced editions.
Then again, November is still barely ten months away. Marketing strategies as to how the films will be packaged and sold whether in a box set like the Indiana Jones series or sold separately are still being discussed.
Perhaps Lucas really does have some “top secret battle plans” up his sleeve and doesn’t want to divulge everything until he is ready. The studio’s recent decision to extend Hasbro license to continue making Star Wars toys until 2012 possibly suggests that when the yet untitled Episode 3 comes out May 25, 2005, that it may not officially be the final Star Wars movie.
Lucas’ original plan was to make nine films. Since 1999’s “Star Wars - Episode 1: The Phantom Menace,” the filmmaker has maintained there will only six. Internet rumors continue to circulate, however, the director may hand episodes 7, 8 and 9 over to other filmmakers and screenwriters.
It may all just be wishful thinking on the part of the die-hard fans who simply aren’t ready to see the franchise come to an end next May.
To quote a wise little green, pointy eared Jedi Master, the future is difficult to see. “Always in motion is the future,” said Yoda.
One thing is for certain. The Star Wars trilogy DVDs will no doubt be a top seller in 2004. What’s uncertain is whether their long-awaited release will be a cause for celebration or one that’s truly disturbing.
©2/11/04
