New Star Wars Despecialized documentary

[Werewolf]

I like the additions of the Academy Awards footage. I feel It really stresses how culturally significant and historically important the original film is and how much it added to the art of film and not just visual effects. But also music, sound design and editing. Much of which has been altered or lost in the special editions.

[noelani72]

I will have these at MM this weekend....bring your thumb drives.

[mickeymoosemego]

Lucas will never deliver the original to the NFR. He lost his marbles somewhere along the way

[enyawd72]

This documentary is all well and good, but until everyone can enjoy the films this way legally, all the work they did is kind of pointless.
Disney should just buy the restoration from this guy and release it on Blu-ray and DVD

[Allie Fox]

It looks as though Fox has staked its claim.

Here is another version of the Despecialized Edition sources:

[Werewolf]

Bummer. Hopefully enough people saw it before it was pulled. It was very good.

[mego73]

That's nuts. I thought the Congress did have a copy of the original version.

[megoscott]

Fascinating process they went through. Such love and dedication.

I can never understand why a film history fan like Lucas has this attitude.

[Werewolf]

I can never understand why a film history fan like Lucas has this attitude.

It is hard to believe that Lucas was once a staunch preservationist that made an impassioned speech before congress about the moral imperative of film preservation and protecting our shared cultural heritage. It was Lucas who inspired me to really think and care about film preservation. It's depressing on so many levels.

From his 1988 speech before Congress:

"American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history."

"People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society. "

"Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder. Tomorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with “fresher faces,” or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actor’s lips to match. It will soon be possible to create a new “original” negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires. The copyright holders, so far, have not been completely diligent in preserving the original negatives of films they control."

"In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be “replaced” by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten."

"Attention should be paid to this question of our soul, and not simply to accounting procedures. Attention should be paid to the interest of those who are yet unborn, who should be able to see this generation as it saw itself, and the past generation as it saw itself."

[Hedji]

He is an enigma. I believe he truly thinks on a different level than just about any other filmmaker out there. I can't agree with his choices to change the films, I prefer the originals, like most of the vocal minority.

However, nothing will change my opinion that the man is a Genius with a capital "G".

[megoscott]

Wow. That's stunning.

I guess the flip side for him is HE was the one doing the alterations, it's his work of art, he can do what he wants. He wins an Academy Award for makeup and creatures but it ****es him off for 30 years that they had to use rubber masks. You can admire his perfectionism and stubbornness.

But still...preserve the original!!!!

It is hard to believe that Lucas was once a staunch preservationist that made an impassioned speech before congress about the moral imperative of film preservation and protecting our shared cultural heritage. It was Lucas who inspired me to really think and care about film preservation. It's depressing on so many levels.

From his 1988 speech before Congress:

"American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history."

"People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society. "

"Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder. Tomorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with “fresher faces,” or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actor’s lips to match. It will soon be possible to create a new “original” negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires. The copyright holders, so far, have not been completely diligent in preserving the original negatives of films they control."

"In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be “replaced” by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten."

"Attention should be paid to this question of our soul, and not simply to accounting procedures. Attention should be paid to the interest of those who are yet unborn, who should be able to see this generation as it saw itself, and the past generation as it saw itself."

[mego73]

He can rework the heck out of all his movies and I would not mind, it's his insistence of keeping the originals out of circulation that I do mind.

I have never seen anything but the tinkered with THX 1138, for instance. And even American Grafitti has a change (a nice sunset sky instead of a gray sky for the opening credits.)

[Werewolf]

Wow. That's stunning. I guess the flip side for him is HE was the one doing the alterations,

Yes, but he stressed in his speech that film history and our shared cultural heritage does not belong to a studio, copyrite holder or one man. It belongs to us all and must be protected and preserved for future generations. So, it is still very hypocritical.

it's his work of art, he can do what he wants.

I've never disagreed with that and I have zero problems that the special editions were made. I saw the 97 special editions in the theater and still have them on VHS. I only have issue with him trying to rewrite and suppress history by replacing the originals and calling them lost to time.

[Werewolf]

However, nothing will change my opinion that the man is a Genius with a capital "G".

A genius can still make mistakes and have poor judgment.

So many changes are absolutely nonsensical. Not even getting into controversial stuff. Just weird things like adding the CGI rock in front of R2 in Star Wars. If he really wanted a rock there that badly during filming in 76 he could have easily had a prop guy put one there. He didn't need CGI for that. The technology was there to move a rock. It just doesn't make any sense and doesn't enhance the film at all. Or making the film pink tinted in 2004? I find it hard to believe all these years it irritated him to no end that the movie wasn't pink tinted and oversaturated. It makes no sense.

[Hedji]

Yes.

But...

He's still a Genius.

His ideas were "weird" back in 76. His ideas are weird now. Perhaps we've changed and he hasn't.

I'm playing a bit of devil's advocate, all in good fun. I agree, his changes are so obnoxious and esoteric, you can't help but throw your hands up. I watch the Harmy version as my go-to version now. Don't touch the Special Editions anymore. I too think he should do what he wants, but keep the original in circulation.

I skip Revolution9 on the White Album, but I think the Beatles are Genius too.