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Star Wars Comes To DVD
The day much of the DVD community has been eagerly anticipating has finally arrived. On February 10, 2004, Lucasfilm issued an official press release announcing the impending release of the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD.
Most of us in within review circles knew the announcement was coming, but the big question remained: which versions of the films would Lucas give us?
To date, the films have been presented in two versions. First, we have the original theatrical releases. Second, are the special edition versions, recently tweaked by Lucas to add more advanced visual effects. There are also rumors of a third version of the films, adding even more upgraded effects and possibly even additional scenes meant to cure inconsistencies between the original films and the prequels.
Fans want the original releases, the films untouched by "enhanced" special effects or new scenes.
I'm not going to beat around the bush any longer. If you haven't heard by now, here it is: This ain't gonna happen any time soon -- if ever at all.
The press release is clear in stating that the upcoming DVDs will be the Special Edition films only. The outpouring of disappointment and outrage has already begun.
Those of you who visit this site regularly probably have noticed the OriginalTrilogy.com links here and there. The guys at OriginalTrilogy have organized a petition to plead with Lucas to release the original theatrical release of the films. We know that Lucasfilm at the least (if not the big man himself) is aware of the petition. [Edit: I have removed the banners, since the films are on DVD now and the chances of the original cuts ever surfacing again seem slimmer and slimmer. However, the site is still up and apparently still in support of the effort, so the link remains live here and in the Links section of this site. -- May 26, 2005]
As I write this, the petition has received almost 50,800 signatures. That's over 50,000 people dedicated enough to the original films that they were willing to sign a petition. That's over 50,000 people who would be virtually guaranteed to purchase a DVD set containing the original films. Over 50,000 people who would be camping outside of their local Best Buy, waiting for midnight, September 21st, so they can buy their copies of the films.
Using the retail price of the Indiana Jones DVD set as a model (the Star Wars set will be similarly packaged), that translates into over 3.5 million dollars in sales -- guaranteed sales. That's quite a hefty pile of cash and doesn't take into account everyone else who will likely buy the set. (Keep in mind, this number is total sales, not profit, but still, we're not talking chump change.)
I have said on this site that I firmly believe that Lucas has the right to do whatever he wants with his films. I still stand by that. However, there is also something to be said about doing what you can to please those who gave you your success.
Lucas has said in press statements that the films no longer exist in their original versions. If this is the case, then it is because he has intentionally destroyed them. In order to restore the films for the special editions, the original film masters had to be scanned in and digitally restored before any enhancements could be made. I, for one, don't buy it that those original versions no longer exist.
But so be it. Lucas claims they don't and that they will never be released.
We now know that the films, the Special Edition versions, will be coming to DVD. So now we are left to wonder, what next? By that, I mean, what other tinkerings will Lucas attempt? He has mentioned that he views the Special Editions as the final versions of the films and yet we know that he still wasn't satisfied with them. He has created inconsistencies with the prequels and has even gone so far as admitted to filming at least some additional footage to reinsert back into the original trilogy.
There are many rumors concerning the extent of the new or remade footage Lucas will try to add. I won't even pretend to know the specific details of what he does or doesn't have planned and I'm not willing to speculate (at least "on the record"). What I am willing to speculate about, however, is the future of the original trilogy.
Given that the DVD format has gone for about 7 years without seeing a hint of the original Star Wars films, it may be hard to recall that Lucasfilm has a history of releasing and rereleasing the films to home video. I can't tell you how many VHS versions of the pre-Special Edition versions are out there. I own at least two and I know there were many more. And for a while following the Special Edition releases, it seemed as though Lucasfilm was hell-bent on putting out a newly packaged box set about every week.
Given the track record, I can virtually guarantee that the September 21st DVD release won't be the only release. For now, Lucasfilm has only confirmed a widescreen box set release. They will almost certainly add a full frame version. They will also almost certainly repackage the discs for individual sales.
Also, my gut tells me that Lucas isn't satisfied to leave well enough alone and we will see even more tweaks and enhancements to the films as he tries to fit them together with the prequels. I'm pretty sure that if or when more additions are made that we'll see another theatrical run, likely of all six films.
Unfortunately, I really don't see Lucas caving in to the pressure and restoring the original theatrical editions of the films -- that is, unless something very drastic happens. By drastic, we'd be talking about massive boycotts of the films and let's be realistic here, that just isn't going to happen. Maybe some fans will stay away, maybe even a lot of fans, but there are a lot more people out there who just don't care. They'll just be happy to have Star Wars, in whatever version Lucas wants to release.
Still, I will continue to support the efforts of OriginalTrilogy.com. Will it help? Who knows? At the very least, Lucas and Lucasfilm representatives will have heard from the fans.
Will I be boycotting the DVD release? Hell no. Maybe I don't like the Special Editions as much as the original theatrical releases, but you know what? It's still Star Wars. To refuse these DVDs would be a little like a kid refusing to go to an amusement park because he can't sit in the front seat on the way there.
Robert Wurth
2 /11 / 2004
