comment #1

JoeGreenia says ...

I definitely won’t be pre-ordering these, but waiting for word on the transfer quality. You can rest pretty easy that there will always be another set of some kind down the road.

comment #2

D.Z. says ...

There are rumours that George will put out good transfers of the OT on the next-gen dvd format.

comment #3

Nouvelle_Vague says ...

Here's the outcome: They will sell very, very well. Lucas will make a ton of money. There will be so many future releases of these films, your head will spin. I find it baffling that so many people don't undertand Lucas' plan for unending profits.

comment #4

JoeGreenia says ...

The cover art is pretty grating as well. I don't know if I want that in my house.

comment #5

L.B. says ...

Oh, I don't think it's so much a plan as a man taking his incredible cash generating machine for a spin around the block. Like a Morphine drip, you just can't stop pushing that button.

comment #6

Cory says ...

The transfer will not be even remotely close to the 2004 Boxset and he doesn't care. In his mind, he's already spent money on the versions he prefers.

This is just a little bonus that cost them relatively nothing.

Also, there is a Saga Boxset already in the works for next year's 30th Anniversary of the original Star Wars film. And there will be more changes to the films.

The Unaltered Original Trilogy may or may not show up in that boxset.

comment #7

lesterg says ...

I'll wait for the HD versions. Despite my lack of love for the prequels, they look phenominal in high-def.

comment #8

Cory says ...

The Star Wars Films will in fact be shown in November in HD on Cinemax. But, the actual HD disc format is going to be years away, I bet.

It took Lucas 7 years to finally put the Original Trilogy on DVD. I expect at least a four year wait for them on HD.

comment #9

royfromage says ...

Heard these transfers were just ported from an old laserdisc version and WILL NOT be anamorphic, so they'll look worse on a widescreen tv. A horizontal letterbox within a vertical letterbox, if you will.

comment #10

Cory says ...

^Quite true. Again, Lucas was serious when he said he wasn't doing anything special for this release.

comment #11

Edward says ...

Let's just boycott Lucas and all his future projects; he's made enough money for multiple lifetimes and has lost whatever creativity he may have once had.

comment #12

blythecummings says ...

"I mean, why not send out screeners?"

Because any DVD reviewer worth his special features will shit ALL OVER these discs for the non-anamorphic, fuck off presentation they contain.

Again, this new box set is George Lucas giving the middle finger to his fanbase. Hell, if you look at the discs, truthfully it's just a simple reissue of the 2004 discs, with the "originals" just a DVD extra on the second disc - THAT'S how much Lucas hates to be wrong.

comment #13

Cory says ...

I like George Lucas alot but blythe is completely right here.

You can have the unaltereds but you're going to pay for the Special Editions yet again to get them....

comment #14

lesterg says ...

Cory, thanks for the Cinemax info. I've never had an opportunity to watch the originals in HD, so I'll definately tune in. I just hope they broadcast the proper aspect ratio...

comment #15

Cory says ...

lesterg,

From what I've read, this is the first time the Original Trilogy and Episodes I and II have even been shown in HD. Episode III was recently shown on HBO HD earlier last month, in it's proper aspect ratio.

I wish I had Cinemax...sigh.

comment #16

christian says ...

what is this, like the 25th fucking version of SW on video?

comment #17

lesterg says ...

Cory,

HBO and Cinemax have been running Episode II in HD for the past few years. The problem is that you never knew what aspect ratio you're getting. Sometimes it's correct, sometimes it's modified to fill a 16x9 display.

I haven't caught too many airings of Episode III, but the airing I DVR'd was presented properly and looked terrific. Hopefully they'll treat the original trilogy with the same respect.

comment #18

Cory says ...

lesterg,

I didn't know that about Episode II. Either way, here's hoping that all the films will be presented in the right ratio in November.

Either way, I'm skipping this release in a few weeks. I'm one of the few that prefer the Special Editions and with the 30th Anniversary coming soon and that Boxset on the horizon, it makes sense to spend my money on that than this release....no matter how much I'd like to have the Unaltered films just for collecting purposes.

comment #19

frankko says ...

I haven't seen word one way or the other, but I'd wager that when Episodes IV-VI are shown on Cinemax HD, it'll be the SE versions.

If the argument for not providing anamorphic versions of the unaltered trilogy is that they don't have higher definition transfers of them (and don't want to spend money on them; Lucasfilm is tight on cash these days, right?), then they obviously can't show HD versions of the unaltered first trilogy on Cinemax.

Here's to hoping that the only thing missing for me to like the musical number in Jedi is that I needed to see it in HD...

comment #20

Dan Revill says ...

I've already given enough of my money to Lucas this year, via collecting the occasional Hasbro figure from the OT. I won't buy the OT until it's released properly - anamorphic and cleaned up.
I have LD rips on DVD already, so why bother with having basically the same thing, plus the discs I already own again? Meh...
If he releases the non special edition in HD all cleaned up in the future, that may be the straw that breaks this camel's back in switching over. I don't think Lucas will release any SW film in HD DVD or Bluray until a format wins out anyhow...I can wait.

comment #21

LOGGEDINguy says ...

There's been plenty of talk and rumors about this release, my favorite (and the one I believe the most) has always been:

http://www.starwarz.com/tbone/index.php?categoryid=22&p2_articleid=458

comment #22

rr3333 says ...

Now, if I could only have American Graffiti in its original state, where both Ron Howard and Richard Dreyfuss are bald and Harrison Ford wears a turbin instead of a cowboy hat ...

But seriously, these Star Wars nuts will never be satisfied with anything EVER, and Lucas will reap the rewards by releasing 'newer' versions every 6 months, because these same silly fanboys who whine need something else Star Wars related to buy.

comment #23

MPNeeb says ...

I bought the inital release of the DVDs and I already own bootlegs of the early version. With the "New Release" already a port of Laser Disc transfers, why should I lay out $60 for an inferior tarnsfer?