CT Will Disney Re-Release Theatrical Cut Of The Original Trilogy?

Which is all I have ever said. Is it possible? Sure as they haven't ruled it out.

I believe totally that there are rumours. There have been for years now. There does seem to be something to it.

The strongest thing though was that some people were expecting new versions of the SE's probably for 3D and/or 4K one would think.

I don't know where this "impossible" to restore idea comes from though.

Doing a restoration is actually not all that difficult to do.

Not when you have what we have every expectation that they have from the O-Neg of the SE to the other O-Neg elements taken out plus the separation masters plus all the original elements preserved etc etc.

That fans can take the sources they can find and create what they have then Lucasfilm itself has access to actual original source material can do far better.

Yes reveals are part of the story. The prequels continue the reveals all the way through and what's more they cause further revelations to flow into the OT that were impossible to see.

Yet once something is revealed especially in the movies it's kind of hard to keep it a secret. The secret is out and the reveal is everywhere so while it is possible to present the movies to one's children it's really difficult and TFA has made that all the harder. Kids watching Rebels can get that reveal in a different way. That Anakin becomes Vader in the first place is a reveal of it's own.

Not at all. That's still the story for them in any form outside of the context of not just the prequels but so many others things since the secret is out and has been for almost 40 years now.

The thing is though that nothing has changed because change of design from Lucas is the thing that he kept the same. ANH was not intended to be the first in a trilogy about about Luke vs his father. So one might as well talk about how TESB changed the design of 'Star Wars' and remade it into Episode IV: A New Hope. When he was doing TESB it was not intended to wrap things up in the next movie. That new design was crafted after the second movie.

So the original trilogy (which was not meant to be one the way it existed from when it started to when it ended) was a fractured design. It was no longer The Adventures of Luke Skywalker now it was part of the Rise, Fall and Redemption of Anakin Skywalker aka The Tragedy of Darth Vader. So as it was IV-VI it was an incomplete story. The prequels as I-III completed the new design that Lucas came up with.

Sorry but the story was altering all over the place all of the time but back then no one noticed or paid much attention. The reveals can't be reveals once they are revealed. The very nature of doing reveals like that instantly changes the story. You can't recapture the reveal. You can remember it and try to hold onto that memory but once you found out that Vader is Anakin then it's impossible to see TESB and not know that Vader is Anakin. It changes the story because Vader's motives are revealed. Before you thought he was doing what he did for reasons other than what you now know to be the case.

I get that. I was one of those who was part of the reveal in 1980. That was great but now it's even greater because we can't un-know what we know but now we know what we didn't back then. Who Anakin Skywalker was. The OOT version or the SE versions is irrelevant to this aspect of the story. Knowing who Vader is makes the whole story and situation greater. Now we know where Luke came from. How he is his mother's son and what that must mean to Vader.

I always see Anakin's face and hear his voice behind the mask.

All these debates where nice theory for the past number of years but TFA has largely negated all of that already and it's not going to hold any better going forward. Lucas knew that over time all that was going to matter was the actual story order which is why as per his design the OT turn into sequels.

What's more TFA by it's nature also sets itself up as a sequel to the PT due to it's adherence to reset the story to where ANH starts off.

Exactly. To better align with his own story. Just like erm... you know that "I am your father" twist.

So it comes down to as ever this change in story is fine because of approval but his change in story doesn't because of non-approval but a certain segment of fans.

When it comes down to it what are the only really and truly significant changes in the SE? To me their are only 2 the Emperor in TESB and Anakin in ROTJ and the story is still the same.

 

That's only true in your own experience and your own small little world. It's still new to the next generation of fans, and the generation after that as history and these very boards are showing. And they're just as impactful to those people are as they were to us when we first saw them. They shouldn't be deprived of that experience just because "Qui-Riv-Brid" already saw it.

 

Ahhh but don't you realize that Sidious is the Devil? Obviously Anakin made a pact with him such that he had to sell is soul. Sidious then kept Anakin's soul in the freezer in order to stop it from aging...you know, obviously. And then when Anakin killed Sidious and became good again, his soul still doesn't return to him because it wanted to remain young it's still trapped in the freezer! But when he finally died, Obi-Wan and Yoda gave him the key to opening that darn freezer to get his soul back and activate his ghost powers. I mean, come on. This is all very clearly and obviously in the movie! Weren't you paying attention????

This has nothing to do with how good of a secret it is. It has to do with preserving the original story. In the original story, the Vader revelation is a plot twist. And that's that. It's unfortunate that people will get spoiled before watching it, but that's life.

Again, the secret being out doesn't change the story. This is really not a good argument lol

Right, it was actually intended to be the audience's introduction to the galaxy far far away.

Wrong again. Adding the numbers was done for two reasons: 1.) to convey that there was an untold backstory to all this (which does not imply that the existing story is incomplete), 2.) to give the story a feeling that we were jumping in "in the middle of things" which is an experience you might get with old Flash Gordan serials.

The specific moments where we get certain information were very meticulously decided upon when making these films. The simple act of adding "Episode V" doesn't change that fact.

Sorry, but it was only retcons that were happening, and those are part of the story. They're totally different from altering an existing film to make it fit better with newer films. And again, your point about already knowing the reveal is completely irrelevant because...well...the story is the story....until it's altered and no longer available in its original form.

You know what's funny? I was actually someone who was spoiled before watching TESB. So I knew all about the revelation going into the movie. But I still recognize that the twist is part of the original story.

Again, that's all irrelevant. All you're saying is that you look at the films differently after having seen everything already. But that's true for anyone. After watching ROTJ, when I go back and watch ANH, I am definitely thinking of how Vader is Luke's father and how things might take on a different meaning. But that's an appreciation I've gained after having already watched the trilogy. I certainly wouldn't want a scene added into ANH where Vader is talking about how he used to be Anakin because that's just not the story of that movie!

I'm not sure why you're mentioning TFA. TFA existing does not change what the original story for the OT was. I'd still recommend release order regardless of TFA.

Wrong again. Retcons and alterations to older works are two separate things. Stop treating them as if they're somehow comparable.

 

Here is the bottom line, if you watch the PT first then it spoils much of the OT. If you watch the OT first, it spoils much of the PT.

That's why it will never be a true 1-6 linear story because the PT would have been written differently if Lucas really made an effort to close up every detail.

For example, we should never see the twins born in the PT, as the audience should only know that Padme was pregnant. That will preserve the 'revelation' in ROTJ when Leia is revealed to be Luke's sister.

Darth Vader should have never been mentioned or shown in ROTS. The audience should see Anakin burning up on Mustafar and think he's dead. When Darth Vader appears in ANH, they would think he's a new apprentice for the Emperor like Darth Maul. Then he reveals who he is to Luke and its preserved.

So I say go with 4-6 first because that's the way they were written. Lucas had a chance to write a truly 1-6 linear story, but there are too many wink-wink's in the PT that only work cause we saw the OT first.

 

I really don't think that preserving the twist is the issue. I mean, ESB still works in terms of dramatic irony. The ancient Greeks knew the twist in Oedipus Rex, but that's what gave the play its power.

The issue is that many OT fans feel that the PT now subtracts those twists without giving much in return. Had the PT been emotionally powerful additions that seamlessly tied in with the OT, I think most people would be fine with a chronological presentation.

And this all relates back to the OOT vs SE debate. It's this sense that the OT, which is a cinematic and cultural landmark, was modified both contextually (via the addition of the PT) and with overt re-editing and digital augmentation in the service of three films that, on balance, are generally not that well regarded. Removing the OOT from circulation was a passive-aggressive way of demanding that the PT be given the same cultural standing as the OT. It didn't work.

 

I respect that view. I, for my part, feel that the two trilogies do tie in seamlessly with each other and I strongly believe that the escalating tension and climactic mega-twist of Anakin's Trilogy will spellbind any newcomer, but there are always at least two ways to look at things.

At the end of the day, what suits one viewer may not necessarily suit the other - and all episodes/viewing orders have generated new Star Wars fans.

 

Those last two sentences nailed it.

 

Well, true, which is why viewers should be given a choice.

 

In theory yes, provided the O-neg is in good condition, but it's not just about having good source material. The quality of the digital cleanup is going to seriously affect the final result. There's already enough evidence, that Mike Verta's restoration is far more detailed, than the current bluray release, which is based on a scan of the O-neg. So, at this point in time it is Fans - Lucasfilm: one - nil.

 

Here's a comparison between the SE bluray and one of the Technicolor prints Mike Verta used for his restoration, which shows that even a single 1977 35mm print has greater detail than the bluray, that was sourced from the O-neg:

 

I love reading reasonable responses from the other side instead of just "no no no, IV-VI is incomplete & it's my way or the highway!"

I hope I'm wrong but get ready for a response that ignores all reason and goes something like this:

"Not at all.

Anything that fans do is inferior to what Lucasfilm can do, if they want to.

All Verta has are prints which are a copy of a copy of a copy.

Lucasfilm has the original negative which is the highest quality.

Large segments of fans sometimes think that what they do matters, but it actually doesn't because they don't have the sources that Lucasfilm does

If Lucasfilm wanted to release the OOT, they would have done it already because restorations are not that hard

Clearly this shows that the demand is not there and that we should cease all positive discussion about it because I said so"

 

I personally believe Mike Verta's restoration will beat any official restoration effort, because let's face it, Lucasfilm does not have the greatest record when it comes to the restoration of it's classic material. Mike has invested 15 years into this restoration, and few people, that were not involved with the creation of this film, know it as well as he does. He's also not just some fan. He's worked for Lucasfilm, and has been given unprecedented access to props and other material, because of the good relationship that he has with many of the people involved in the making of this modern day classic.

I personally hope, that even those that prefer the SE will embrace this restoration, as it provides an excellent starting point for creating a new 4K master for the SE, that will be more detailed than any released in the past.

 

Yes so everyone can move on with their lives

 

Well, to answer the question easily and quickly and would say: yes, why not? I'm not against the release of the theatrical cuts of the OT as a bonus disc along with the SE. But I feel somehow, in all this debate, that some people are being too consumed by all of this...

 

With all due respect, but how consumed would you be, if Disney decided to scrap the SE, in favour of the OOT?

 

Well the OOT was a cultural phenomenon that the whole world was consumed by, so that's no surprise nor is it a bad thing. Passion is what makes life worth living.

And no, it does not need to be packaged as a bonus disc with the SE's. That was done already. Time for the SE's and the PT to stand on their own and stop piggybacking off the original. They aren't bonus material - they're the wellspring for everything SW that we have now and there's absolutely no reason they can't be sold by themselves. They deserve that respect. Certainly the best way to give the most options to the fans and see what most people truly prefer.

 

Fortunately for fans of the SE's, they've already been restored so they'll never have to know what it's like to search the ends of the earth and internet to find someone who poured their heart and soul into saving and restoring what they love.

 

See now why I've said that some people are too consumed by this? And here it goes again...

The general audience nowadays and the casual fans don't care about the PT vs SE vs OOT debate. But I've kept saying that and despite this fact, some people here are transforming this into a fan vs fan debate...

*Sigh*

I would better leaving this thread for now...

 

Yes, but to be honest, the bonus disc remark invites such respones. If we're speaking of the general audience or casual fans, they also don't care about which version of the films is canon or not. The reality is, that there are two versions. One version that is historically the most relevant, and one that the creator prefers.

 

I was speaking of the general audience also. Of course they "don't care" because they don't know of the other option. They can't exactly make a choice if you don't give them all options to choose from can they?

 

I think in the spirit of the original title, the altered title should read "WILL Disney Re-Release...?" Current one encourages too much unnecessary bickering when it was originally meant share info and positive conversation about the possibility of a release. The OP wanted to know if it was happening, not if it should happen. Just my humble opinion.



Edit: sorry for the double post. Screwing this up typing from a phone.

 

I'm going to reply one last time to this thread, so if someone here replies back to mine, don't expect an answer from me.

You see, this is one of the main reasons why I've been absent from this thread until now. The tone and and the way this reply above has been said looks more to me like an ideological discourse than some sort of argument for a debate: "Time for this", "Time for that", "Enough of this", "Stop that", "They deserve that", "Respect", etc...

I usually don't adhere to ideological discourse in my everyday life since, even if it may not have been the intention here, those kind of discourse usually push aside those who don't agree with others' opinion and it shows also one's state of mind. And in this case, since some here were very fast to reply back to my earlier post, I sense a big fracture...

But I won't be derailing this thread further. So peace...

 

Average people don't care about the OOT you say? Then why do videos about Harmy's despecialized edition have millions of views? Same goes for the videos that show the differences between the OOT and SE versions of the films.