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Mos Eisley in the OOT and the Special Editions

Discussion in 'Classic Trilogy' started by Biel Ductavis, May 17, 2018.

  1. Biel Ductavis

    Biel Ductavis Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2015
    Which version do you like more? It's not about the cantina scene or if Han shot first but about the general appearance of the spaceport.

    For me the original version was way better. It had a much better atmosphere and looked far more real than what was done in the special edition.
     
  2. C.Roach

    C.Roach Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 3, 2018
    I prefer the original, untampered version. There was no need to turn it into a bustling centre of activity.

    I didn't like the CGI additions at all. They weren't needed and don't convince.
     
  3. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 1998
    CGI cartoon "humor" didn't add the right vibe to the atmosphere, and it just wasn't funny.
     
  4. Qui-Riv-Brid

    Qui-Riv-Brid Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 18, 2013
    The opposite for me. The original is quaint but looks too much like what it is. That being narrowly shot movies sets because they couldn't do anything while the additional work made it seems like it was always supposed to be. A busy space port area with creatures and beasts that was a fully active 360 world (or as close as they could get with what they had) add to that the extra Stormtroopers scene and the new Jawa shots and the like.

    And yes I saw the original in 1977 and grew up with that but it's just nowhere near as good to my mind.
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2018
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  5. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 25, 2013
    Both have their advantages over the other

    The OOT Mos Eisley scene gives that sorta minimalist "middle of nowhere" feeling where there's not much to do, which, while not the intention, has a certain charm to it
     
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  6. oierem

    oierem Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2009
    Both have their advantages indeed. However it is important to remember that the original version was definitely not what Lucas originally wanted to achieve (it was supposed to be a BIG spaceport, full of illegal activity, an outlandish extravagant place that allowed Luke to leave his old world behind). In fact, the original idea behind the SE was just to redo Mos Eisley and add Jabba's scene.
     
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  7. Alexrd

    Alexrd Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2009
    Special Edition, by far. It's an active and populated spaceport with the respective scale, as intended.
     
  8. L110

    L110 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 26, 2014
    A deserted ghost town versus an actual populated spaceport as always intended? Hm, tough call.
     
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  9. Biel Ductavis

    Biel Ductavis Jedi Master star 4

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    Aug 17, 2015
    For me it's not so much about what George wanted to achieve but about what's more atmospheric and memorable. I really like the small desert town feeling of the original while the Special Edition Version looks way to unreal and changes the tone of the movie too much imo.
     
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  10. Qui-Riv-Brid

    Qui-Riv-Brid Force Ghost star 5

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    Apr 18, 2013
    Well it's supposed to because that tone was completely wrong for the scene. The entry into Mos Eisley is really out of place compared to when they shift into the Cantina and afterwards.

    The original shot Cantina scene was also as sparse and small town because quite frankly the creatures were lousy and he couldn't use them much. So then they had to add those in reshoots back in the U.S.

    Now it all flows together. It supposed to be a stark change Mos Eisley shouldn't be a slightly larger Tosche station but a place for the scum of the galaxy to hang out.
     
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  11. Biel Ductavis

    Biel Ductavis Jedi Master star 4

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    Aug 17, 2015
    For the change to make sense, George should have inserted the Anchorhead scenes into the ANH Special Edition. So one could have seen the contrast between Luke's de facto hometown and Mos Eisley.
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2018
  12. Qui-Riv-Brid

    Qui-Riv-Brid Force Ghost star 5

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    Apr 18, 2013
    It does though from nowhere's-ville to Mos Eisley as opposed to from there to what looks not too much more to after they enter then leave and suddenly there are supposed to be spaceships all around. The entry now looks like a place you'd find a ship. It really doesn't line-up with the intent or even the original matte painting.

    The idea of going into a sleepy western town is nice except that isn't what it's supposed to be and never was. It only was due to not having the budget and time to do so. That for Lucas it was the one major thing he wanted to change all along (including Jabba) is telling since he also changed it as much as he could at the time.
     
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  13. Darkside Floyd

    Darkside Floyd Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2008
    When I think of Mos Eisley, I think 'wretched hive of scum and villainy'.

    The Cantina scene itself invokes that feeling while the Original sparse exterior shots better reflect that mood to me, that one should tread carefully here.
     
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  14. Slicer87

    Slicer87 Jedi Master star 4

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    Mar 18, 2013
    I prefer the SE version, as the old western towns with rail heads were very busy places. Also the SE version has a nice Casablanca mix with being a busy and slezly marketplace full of refugees trying to escape.
     
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  15. Avnar

    Avnar Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2007
    I hate cgi additions in most circumstances...but...I like the SE more than the original. Just feels more alive :cool:
     
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  16. Darth Bridge 167

    Darth Bridge 167 Jedi Padawan star 1

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    Nov 13, 2017
    The OOT version of the Original Star Wars is a much grittier version in many respects, and Mos Eisley is a perfect example.
     
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  17. The_Phantom_Calamari

    The_Phantom_Calamari Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 10, 2011
    When I hear "wretched hive of scum and villainy" I think of a bustling port filled with outlandish characters cavorting about and getting into scuffles in the streets, not a half-deserted ghost town with a few extras milling around.
     
  18. SlashMan

    SlashMan Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 5, 2012
    An effective moment courtesy of the editing and reshoots is the seemingly sleepy town is immediately turned on its head with the boisterous, alien-filled cantina giving it all the more impact. Like Seagoat said, this is one of many moments in Star Wars that works, if only by accident.

    The SE version is not without its merits, and I completely understand the reasoning behind bringing Mos Eisley back to its intended look. For me though, the only thing holding it back is that it takes away from the pacing a bit. I think The Phantom Menace really had the budget to pull off what kind of environment George wanted with Mos Espa; the huge sets and exotic inhabitants all blend together seamlessly.
     
  19. Qui-Riv-Brid

    Qui-Riv-Brid Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 18, 2013
    How so?

    You mean this maybe?

    A type of realism, usually invoked by films and documentary. Strangely enough, "gritty realism" is only perceptible to media and film critics. The term is hardly ever used by anyone else.

    Maybe you mean gritty in the sense of the so-called "used universe" yet I'd contend that the SE is far more used.
     
  20. Nate787

    Nate787 Jedi Master star 3

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    Jan 29, 2016
    "A wretched hive of scum and villainy" is a place where few dare to go without a little backup. A place where shootouts happen in bars and everyone turns the other way. The OOT reflected the right amount of activity and tone that Obi Wan described. Not some booming metropolis where any goofball would stroll through by themselves. SW has plenty of appropriately placed moments of silly humor. That was not one of them. Another example of Lucas loosing touch with his own work.
     
  21. darkspine10

    darkspine10 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Dec 7, 2014
    I dunno, the tone of the cantina scene was never 'dark menacing town where you have to always watch your back' to me. It was 'look at all these goofy aliens, like a wolfman, or a lizard with a bong', and light jazz plays throughout the scene. It's not a particularly menacing section of the film. Even Greedo is a laughable incompetent, and Evazan and Ponda are ridiculously over-sensitive. One gets the feeling that Mos Eisley is scummy, but not scary.
     
  22. The_Phantom_Calamari

    The_Phantom_Calamari Force Ghost star 5

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    Nov 10, 2011
    Mos Eisely is like any city. You can pass through the main streets just fine during daylight if you watch your step and mind your own business. But you should stay out of the back alleys and cantinas unless you know what you're doing.

    The Mos Eisley as visually presented in the OOT doesn't make any sense with the surrounding filmic context. Ben talks about it in such impressive terms, accompanied on the soundtrack with booming fanfare as the heroes observe its majestic outline in the distance. Then they drive into it and it's just this boring collection of a few adobe buildings with some drab pedestrians strolling around.

    The entrance into Mos Eisley is clearly supposed to be Luke's "going from the farm to the big city" moment. The SE--for whatever faults you may find with specific elements of the addition--accomplishes that more effectively than the original. It's now this crowded, overwhelming place with zooming spaceships, pugilistic dock workers, congested traffic, and merchants leading dinosaurs on leashes.
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2018
  23. Biel Ductavis

    Biel Ductavis Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2015
    "Well, if there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."
    - Luke about Tatooine in ANH

    Are both versions of Mos Eisley true to that statement?

    No, in my opinion only the original.

    How does a thriving metropolis like Mos Eisley in the Special Edition fits in the picture described by Luke's above mentioned words?
     
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  24. The_Phantom_Calamari

    The_Phantom_Calamari Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 10, 2011
    [​IMG]

    It ain't exactly Coruscant, dude. I live in a city barely anyone's ever heard of, but Mos Eisley makes it look like Chicago. But compared to what Luke is used to and what we've seen so far, it's a big change. Unlike the original version.

    Remember that Tatooine is also a den of crime and home to one of the heads of the notorious Hutt Cartel. Despite Luke's whining, there's activity there, even if it's of the sordid type and mostly happens only in the isolated ports scattered across the planet. The fact that Tatooine is far from the centers of government power and "in the middle of nowhere" is precisely why that element thrives.
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2018
  25. Nate787

    Nate787 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 29, 2016
    You will NEVER find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We MUST be cautious."

    Crime deals done over drinks in a public place. One scene we see a guy get his arm cut off and another shot dead at his table and everyone turned away like that stuff happens every day. How is that NOT a dangerous place where you always have to watch your back?