CT Star Wars 1997 Digitally re-mastered ANH

Big fan of the 1997 digitally re-mastered version of Star Wars. Introduced me to the Sage. The one aspect that I don't understand is why Lucas decided to put that scene with Jabba and Boba into the upgraded film. It was fine without it. I prefer the theatrical version. No spoiling the later two films by having silly cameos. What do other people think? Not getting into the any of CGI debate only the scene which we see Jabba in ANH. Overdone or perhaps he could have slipped another scene instead. The stalker who was following Obi Wan, Luke in Mos Eisley. Depict him chatting with Stormtroopers.

 

The Special Edition was essentially Lucas' showcase to illustrate what (then) modern CGI could accomplish (and IMHO a warm-up excercise for the upcoming prequel trilogy).

While he discarded the original scene (probably to trim the pace of the story further, Greedo had already provided the relevant information), by 1979 the latest he decided that he wanted Jabba the Slug instead of the human actor.

Thus, the Special Edition provided him with a golden opportunity to visualize the scene how he would have liked it from 1979 on, and it added previously unseen ANH footage (like the Luke-Biggs re-encounter) to generate additional appeal for audiences.

I agree, it didn't add anything of significance to the actual film, but frankly, this is the general Achilles Heel of the Special Edition additions and erasures, IMHO (with the exception of the Luke-Biggs Encounter, finally enabling audiences to understand what Luke's "Beggars Canyon" quote could have meant).

 

I quite like the addition of Jabba the Hutt after the 2004 version. We get an extra scene with Han Solo and Chewbacca. Putting Jabba in Star Wars is a nice way of connecting the entire six episode Star Wars saga. Han stepping on Jabba's tail is a weird, but I like the rest of it. The "Wonderful Human Being" line is funny.

I also like the subtlest of Boba Fett Cameos. He's there, and we know what that means.

The 1997 version of Jabba looked so weird - it didn't look like Jabba that Hutt. The 2004 version cured any issue I had with the scene except Han stepping on Jabba's tail. But even that was made much better. Why couldn't they just cut away when the tail bit happend?

All of that is true. Also the Special Editions were done on the cheap when it came to the effects, which is sort of interesting. And the Special Editions had to have paid for the prequels - Episode 1 at the very least. In a way they let us have the other three movies.

 

Does anyone notice in the SE (this is the 97 version and it's stuck to this day) where Biggs is talking to Red Leader about Luke and a guy walks by carrying a hose or whatever and Red Leader tells Luke "You'll be great". I think that was one of the earliest usages of digital editing to "cover" an edit in the film (it's fairly common now, if you're watching a scene of people in a crowded room and some out of focus person walks infront of the camera, that's probably to cover an edit). In this case, Red Leader said in the script (and what was shot) that he flew with Luke's father. But that went RIGHT out with the dude walking infront of them.

 

It's distracting if you are looking at R2 in the background, who is being hoisted up to the ship (and jumps suddenly after the cut)

 

oierem

I see what you mean: http://starwarsscreencaps.com/star-wars-episode-iv-a-new-hope-1977/68/

 

Special editions are an abomination.

 

What about the 2005 or 2011 cuts?

 

I chose the plural "editions" to include all of them.

 

Yeah, I agree with this. I have no issue with the existence of the prequels, and I've been having something of a turnaround in regards to my feelings for them, but the special editions are just the devil. I really wouldn't mind so much if they weren't the only versions officially available.

 

PymParticles they should not be the only versions available however the special effects in the case of audio, visual and additional animatronics are top notch. The later versions can be accused of unnecessary additions to background making the atmosphere appear phoney.

 

That is where disappointment for the PT turned into outspoken hatred. People were fine to just ignore it because they had the OT, their head cannon and could pretend it never happened. But GL crossed the line for a lot of fans by forcing the narrative of the saga to chronological only by plugging in Hayden in ROTJ and other characters/symbols from the PT, along with using the OT as an experiment to see what he could do with CGI. Well within his rights to do so but the fact remains that the OT was the world-wide phenomenon that everyone loved for years and is the wellspring for everything that came after. To desecrate those and tell the fans that made them (and the PT) such a success "tough sh**", well the backlash was inevitable. He should have wrote a better story that tied in with the OT rather that using gimmicks so that the trilogies would fit together while still standing on their own. That was what led to things like the RLM reviews and other vids/articles ripping them apart. We owe him a debt of gratitude for giving us the OT and SW, but he is directly responsible for the infighting among the fanbase also. Here's to hoping we get those originals released for good.

 

95% of the OOT has already been released.

 

Well here's hoping the OOT is given the respect it deserves and we get 100%.

 

The Original authentic Trilogy should be re-released available to all fans. Like wise the special additions the 1997, 2006 and 2011 are part of the SW universe and should be treated as such.

 

Agreed. No section of the fanbase should be alienated.

 

I didnt like the Jabba scene with Han stepping on him either. Makes him seem less respected and as you said, ruins the surprise. I also do not like most of the CGI during the sequence when Luke and Obi-Wan ride into Mos Eisley. Especially the infamous one which takes up the whole screen for a couple seconds

 

The Jabba scene is, in my opinion, the worst things about the Special Editions. It bothers me even more than Greedo shooting first, the new Mos Eisely establishing shots, the replacement of award winning VFX during the Battle of Yavin, the new Emperor in TESB, Jedi Rocks, or the new Force ghost for Anakin.

Why? For one, it just looks awful. It's so very clear that this poorly animated Jabba, who doesn't look like the Jabba that appears in RotJ (even the freaking eyes are the wrong color), doesn't appear on the set of this movie filmed in 1976. It's just completely anachronistic, and it throws me out of the movie each time. Second, it makes Jabba look like a chump, instead of the feared crime lord the dialogue in this film and TESB make him out to be in advance of his introduction in RotJ. Third, it repeats almost verbatim dialogue from the Han/Greedo scene, meaning it's utterly superfluous and effectively just slows down the pacing. Fourth, why is Boba Fett just hanging around? It makes him look like a lackey or a henchman who follows at Jabba's heels. I can accept him unwinding in the palace in RotJ; I can't accept him as part of Jabba's back-and-call entourage. Fifth, and I see this brough up the least becasue it's more subtle, but it completely ruins the introduction of the Millennium Falcon. Instead of seeing it being a reveal, seen for the very first time through Luke's eyes, and his "What a piece of junk!" telling us more about this world by contextualizing what this ship looks like to people like Luke, it's now revealed by being background dressing for a pointless scene.

Honestly, the Jabba scene is just the absolute worst.

 

PymParticles I couldn't agree more with you.

 

PymParticles wrote

Fifth, and I see this brough up the least becasue it's more subtle, but it completely ruins the introduction of the Millennium Falcon. Instead of seeing it being a reveal, seen for the very first time through Luke's eyes, and his "What a piece of junk!" telling us more about this world by contextualizing what this ship looks like to people like Luke, it's now revealed by being background dressing for a pointless scene.

A very good point. It's especially strange considering that Lucas featured no hyperspace scenes in the PT because he wanted the audience to experience that first through Luke's eyes.

And the least thing I would have expected from the S.E. was to put the dish on the Falcon when Luke says "What a piece of junk".

 

the 97 SE is epic. I don't care what haters say. The movie is decades old, spoilers aren't a issue, especially if you're on this website. Don't act like seeing jabba in ANH ruined his scenes in ROTJ.

 

Sometimes I wonder when the last time people watched the original cuts was. ANH has many SFX shots bordering on pathetic, on the wrong side. I think they should be released on blu-ray unaltered for historical value, but they pale in comparison to the SE. The special editions take the original trilogy to the next level. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

 

I last watched them in December, but that was Harmy's Despecialized, which isn't perfect but as good as it gets. As for an official high quality release, well, no one has actually watched them in high quality in... I don't know, however long it's been since they were last in theaters. Watching them on a VHS or the crappy 2006 DVD (which is from he same 1993 master) does the effects no favors, considering what we're used to. The image is so faded that everything ends up looking flat. Looking at stuff like progress reports from Mike Verta's Legacy restoration show just how good those effects look when the footage is properly cleaned up and restored.

But it's kind of annoying to me that you're giving flack to a 40 year old film for its effects, effects than won it an academy award and were not just mind blowing in 1977, but still genuinely impressive looking now. That they did any of that 39 years ago, let alone as well as they did and on the budget they had, is a massive feat.

And I'm going to be honest, time hasn't been kind to a lot of the updated effects. They're late-90s CGI thrown into a late-70s film. On top of being completely anachronistic and clashing horribly with the film's original visual aesthetic and stylistic feel, they now look far more dated than what they replaced, and juxtaposed against the "reality" of the original shots, look far less convincing and far more fake.

The SE did take the OT to the next level, it just wasn't a good one.

 

For me I grew up with the Special Editions and don't want to see them thrown away because it's how I got introduced to Star Wars. But I think they should release the oot to bring back some of the hardcore fans because they have been alienated for so long. So if they want the 2011 editions to be cannon so be it but release the oot on blue ray so we can have a choice of want to watch. Plus a lot of these old timers would spend a lot to see the oot so it can bring in a lot of revenue. Finally I think a lot of the hate would be gone if they released it