CT STAR WARS LEGACY EDITION - RESTORATION OF THE 1977 ORIGINAL STAR WARS

There have been many discussions online whether Lucasfilm should restore the unaltered versions of the original trilogy. Some doubt whether it is even possible. Put your doubts aside, because it has already happened. Over the last 15 years Mike Verta, a composer, and visual effects artist, has completely restored the first Star Wars using five 35 mm prints, including the rare Technicolor print. This restoration called Star Wars Legacy surpasses the bluray in detail. He has documented his progress on his website and his vimeo channel. He not only shows the restoration process, he also makes comparisons with the official bluray.

For more info visit:

www.starwarslegacy.com

For the restoration videos and comparisons:

https://vimeo.com/mikeverta/videos

 

Awesome.
Is it better than Harmy's Despecialized Edition?

 

It is scheduled to be finished on September 7th. From what I've seen in the videos it is indeed better than Harmy's Despecialized Edition, because it is a genuine restoration from 4K scans of original 1977 35 mm prints. It is in a sense what any professional restorator would use if the original negative were no longer available or damaged beyond repair. Harmy's Despecialized Edition is great, but it remains a reconstruction from various sources of varying quality, that still includes some minor Special Edition changes.

These two videos shows the quality of the restoration, as Mike Verta restores two of the scenes in the original Star Wars that always looked in poor shape in any of the home video releases, whether it be VHS, Laserdisc or the bonus DVD:

The Sandcrawler shot removed for the Special Editions:



Mos Eisley shot, altered for the Special Editions:

 

These two videos are very interesting for those members interested in how this restoration compares to the official bluray release.

The first video shows how the cleanup and color timing of the blurays removed details that are visible in the 35 mm prints:



The second video shows some of the color issues with the official release:

 

this guy's really good and he makes a great point. most of the severely re-done shots were the most degraded shots. so it makes sense when gl wanted to improve shots.

 

Interesting. I broke my OOT ESB DVD, and I'm about to continue watching the ESB SE disc in a moment.
Only thing I can't stand is the Boba re-recorded voice.

 

This video is interesting for two reasons. First, it shows the restoration of a shot removed for the Special Editions. More importantly it shows why some of the special effects shots used are historically unique to the 1977 Star Wars, and why it is sad that these shots were replaced by CGI.

 

Outstanding! Just today I watched an extended trailer for the Despecialized Edition, which uses the 1993 LD port, the 2011 BRDs and other sources, and I was keen on acquiring that. However, once I watched the above videos and understood how Verta is painstakingly restoring every frame of actual film scans, I knew I had to get this version instead. Bravo!

 

I've come across this guy's vimeo page several times before, and he's done some fantastic, painstaking work restoring the film. To anyone that insists, "The original versions of the film would look garbage in HD god bless the special editions," no, this is the way it's supposed to look, and it's wonderful. If Disney doesn't announce an OOT restoration/release at D23 next week, I'm pretty much giving up hope of seeing it released officially until the 40th anniversary in a couple of years. In that case, I'll download this and give it a watch as soon as it becomes available.

DrDre Do you have a source for the Sept. 7 completion date, and will it be uploaded on the same day? I've checked the official website but I can't seem to find anything about that.

 

Mike Verta is not releasing Legacy to the public. He simply can't without permission and has already been warned about it from the powers that be. Besides, the only reason he was able to obtain such amazing sources in the first place is because of this very fact. Many private collectors are very hesitant to loan out their original prints, especially since Fox has had "destroy orders" for years on any such prints.

There have been some updates recently with the project. Check out the official site for details.

 

That whistling sound was all the air being let out of my balloon

 

The Legacy site says "Coming Soon". Is Verta lying to us?

 

"Coming soon" does not mean he is going to release it online. I've been following the project for years. Releasing it was never the plan. You can read all about it on his forum or at originaltrilogy.com

 

Color me annoyed. I just discovered this today, only to learn I will never see it. WTHuh?

 

interesting. so what's the point besides having a copy for himself?

 

The fact is that a complete restoration of the film exists. Mike believes that there is a chance Disney/Fox will release it. Considering it is a free lunch for them, I consider it a real possibility.

 

The point is to restore it for posterity. The original elements, negatives, and prints are all fading. Given enough time a restoration probably will not be possible anymore.

 

Oh please dear god yes, I'd love if they just decided to pay him for it and released it officially. Whatever it takes to make the film available in its theatrical format legally. Just so long as he somehow convinces them to get someone/him to restore The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as well.

 

I would love for this to be available for all. Sadly, I am becoming disillusioned to the possibility of Star Wars ever being available again. Disney and Lucasfilm needs to make an official stance once and for all. The demand is there, they need only take action.

This is nice, but its only for him. The film might as well be lost.

 

I'm currently operating under the assumption that in this case, silence speaks volumes. We've yet to receive a stance on an OOT restoration/release from the new Lucasfilm regime in the nearly three years it's been active. I mean, having Clive Revill appear at Celebration and selling new Sebastian Shaw Force ghost Anakin pins at the same event can't be a bad thing, right? It's small, but I can't imagine either of those things occurring between 2004-2012.

 

I first read that as Clive Revill coming to Celebration to sell Sebastian Shaw pins! Now THAT would be a sight

 

Unless I missed something, this doesn't seem like an actual, faithful reproduction of the "original" Star Wars. From the FAQ on the website:

Sounds to me like he's just gone and created his own personal Special Edition. Who is he to decide which flaws were "production missteps" and which flaws were a natural and organic part of the filmmaking process circa 1977? If technological constraints don't represent a legitimate subversion of the artist's vision, then neither do special effects oversights caused by money and time constraints.

I applaud the work this guy put into the restorations and don't fault him for making a fan edit of the films for his own enjoyment, I think it would be wrong to represent this as in any way being a true restoration of the original version of the film. It doesn't seem like he cares all that much for the true original version, except for where it happens to conform to his own personal tastes. Much the same as Lucas, really--the main difference being, of course, that it's actually Lucas's movie.

 

Actually, those statements are in the archive section from about ten years ago, early in the project. Later he revised his goal to reconstruct the original 1977 negative. In the videos, which were all posted over the last year he makes abundantly clear he doesn't want to make another special edition. In the Mos Eisley shot for example he leaves the blur in the shot and orange blob below the speeder, as it was on the original negative. Watch the second video in the third post of this thread. He adresses this point at 6:45 into the video. So, yes it is correct to represent this is a true restoration.

Currently, he has nearly finished one true faithful 1977 restoration with "flaws", and may create one personal edition, where he removes some of the garbage mattes etc.

 

Two more interesting videos, that adresses some of the (technical) challenges of doing such a monumental restoration: