Lucasfilm Defends DVD Changes from SF News of the Week...
#1
Posted 14 September 2004 - 03:45 AM
ucasfilm spokesman Jim Ward told SCI FI Wire that the company strongly defends Star Wars creator George Lucas' right to make controversial alterations to his beloved original trilogy of films in the upcoming DVD release. "It comes down to what [Lucas] has said constantly, which is that he very strongly believes in an artist's right to have his work presented in the way he wants it presented," Ward said in an interview at the press preview of the DVD set in Los Angeles. "In terms of your own personal art, and how you want it to be presented, the artist has that right."
The DVD set of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi includes changes to the 1997 so-called "special editions" of the movies, which were released theatrically. Those films in turn significantly altered the original release versions of the movies. But Ward, vice president of marketing and distribution at Lucasfilm Ltd., said, "With the '97 version of the film, or what he feels is closer to his original vision, he couldn't accomplish [certain things] back in 1977, and people either like it, or they don't. We respect that point of view. But at the end of the day George feels very strongly about artists' rights."
SCI FI Wire obtained an early copy of the DVD set and confirmed reported changes that have been made to the films since the 1997 release, when Lucas used state-of-the-art computer technology to make what he considered improvements to the original movies' visual effects. The new changes, detailed below, are largely revisions to earlier edits or changes made to include actors and character developments unveiled in the prequel films Episodes I-III. Among the changes:
•In Episode IV: A New Hope, the controversial confrontation in the cantina in Mos Eisley has been changed yet again. The villainous Greedo now fires shots at Han Solo (Harrison Ford) at the same time Solo fires back. In the original film, Solo fired first; in 1997, Lucas changed the scene to have Greedo fire first.
•Also in Episode IV, 1997's added computer-generated footage of Jabba the Hutt appears to have been improved, with more fluid motion.
•In Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the hologram image of the Emperor has been altered to feature Ian McDiarmid, the actor who played the Emperor in Return of the Jedi and appears in all three prequel films. The scene's dialogue has also changed to clarify the progression of Luke Skywalker's training as a Jedi, as well as to acknowledge the relationship between Luke and Vader. In the original release of Empire, the Emperor's image was played by an unbilled old woman wearing prosthetic makeup, with chimpanzee eyes superimposed in post-production into darkened eye sockets, the official Star Wars Web site reported. The original voice was provided by Clive Revill.
•In Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker is added as a ghostly image in the final scenes of the film, alongside Yoda and Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi. But Sebastian Shaw remains as the face of Darth Vader/Anakin in the scene in which Luke removes Vader's helmet, and not Christensen, as had been rumored.
#3
Posted 14 September 2004 - 05:11 AM
#4
Posted 14 September 2004 - 07:54 AM
Buy the New LittleHorse CD, Strangers in the Valley!
CD Baby | iTunes | LittleHorse - Flight of the Bumblebee Video
Chefelf on: Twitter | friendfeed | Jaiku | Bitstrips | Muxtape | Mento | MySpace | Flickr | YouTube | LibraryThing
#6
Posted 14 September 2004 - 08:29 AM
- J m HofMarN on the Sand People
#8
Posted 14 September 2004 - 01:51 PM
After that, I'll try to forget about Star Wars. I'll only remember the unedited OT (of which I only have ESB and ROTJ. I lost Star Wars a few years ago... or maybe I have to rummage a bit more on Video collection) as interesting series of Sci-fi movies that are totally unrelated to the contemporary 'Star Wars' stuff that Lucas craps out every few months.
A good thing here is that I seem to be recovering from my writers block, as I'm writing the next chapter of my story with no hassle or lack of motivation. That's a good sign when I need to start creating my own worlds and writing stories in them.
#9
Posted 14 September 2004 - 10:27 PM
JEsus, someone ask that fucknuckle if the beatles had held off releasing all there stuff on CD until today, and then as remixes by ministry-of-sound types how would you feel about?
huh mother fucker?!? huh!?!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jariten, don't bother defending this motherfucker anymore!!!
he's not worth your loyalty!!!
Also: The Chefelf.com Lord of the Rings | RoBUTZ (a primative webcomic) | KOTOR 1 NPC profiles |
Music: HYPOID (industrial rock) | Spectrox Toxemia (Death Metal) | Cannibalingus (80s style thrash metal) | Wasabi Nose Bleed (Exp.Techno) | DeadfeeD (Exp.Ambient) |||(more to come)
#10
Posted 15 September 2004 - 12:25 AM
IF
you could get the originals on DVD or HidefDVD... I think that thing that pisses everyone off is that he won't acknoledge his children as they were made.. only as the result of sending them off to the plastic surgeon.
#11
Posted 15 September 2004 - 12:54 AM
he's not worth your loyalty!!!
but...I...must...obey...my master...
#12
Posted 15 September 2004 - 02:25 AM
Obey your master
Your life burns faster
Obey your master
Master!!!
Also: The Chefelf.com Lord of the Rings | RoBUTZ (a primative webcomic) | KOTOR 1 NPC profiles |
Music: HYPOID (industrial rock) | Spectrox Toxemia (Death Metal) | Cannibalingus (80s style thrash metal) | Wasabi Nose Bleed (Exp.Techno) | DeadfeeD (Exp.Ambient) |||(more to come)
#13
Posted 15 September 2004 - 03:14 AM
Well, I'm all for that.
#14
Posted 15 September 2004 - 03:47 AM
yeah Lucarse is all about the 'artists rights'
where's your god now Jar?!?!
This post has been edited by barend: 15 September 2004 - 03:48 AM
Also: The Chefelf.com Lord of the Rings | RoBUTZ (a primative webcomic) | KOTOR 1 NPC profiles |
Music: HYPOID (industrial rock) | Spectrox Toxemia (Death Metal) | Cannibalingus (80s style thrash metal) | Wasabi Nose Bleed (Exp.Techno) | DeadfeeD (Exp.Ambient) |||(more to come)
#15
Posted 15 September 2004 - 04:16 AM