[Give Me The Originals Dammit]

Hi folks! Just thought I'd introduce myself to the community. I'm so happy to see a group of so many like minded individuals who indeed like Star Wars but do not hold George Lucas in the highest regards with his constant fiddling with his classic movies. A lot of my displeasure comes from what seems to be outright disdain George Lucas shows his fanbase which has given him so much wealth. I'll agree they are his films (as far as the rights are concerned) and he can fiddle around with them as much as he pleases, however I also feel that these films belong just as much to the public as they do to him. I remember being in absolute awe watching the original trilogy in the theatres as a child, so I will obviously have a sentimental attachment to the films, so is it really so much to ask for a release of the originals on DVD without any of those added scenes from the special editions or the new DVD release? I guess the answer is yes. Some of the changes from the original are positive while sadly many are just outright pointless or just plain stupid. Anyway I know that I'm not covering any new ground here, but I guess I'll just add my 2 cents on what I think about certain added scenes from the special editions and DVD releases both positive and negative. I know I'm griping about changes which are years old now, but hey I really really want the originals brought back.


ANH

1. Greedo shoots first: Although a somewhat minor change it really does alter the drama of the scene. It's still best when Han blasts the sucker first.

2. Jabba's introduction: I'm not a big fan of this scene, only for the simple fact it really kind of takes the air of mystery away from Han Solo's character. Throughout the original series we're left wondering who this Jabba the Hutt is until the final confrontation in ROTJ. With Jabba's introduction it just takes away that dynamic.

3. Biggs and Luke talk before the big attack of the Death Star: Does anyone else think this scene was totally unnecessary? seeing as how this is the first time we ever see Biggs on the screen was I supposed to get all sentimental when he dies? Hell, I had more of an emotional repsonse when Porkins bought the farm!

ESB

1. Seeing the Wampa before attaking Luke: Just don't care for it, It takes away from the drama and peril Luke was in.

2. The added backgrounds to Cloud City: WOW! My first positive comment! It really did add to the granduer of Cloud City. It didn't effect the dynamic of any scenes. Funny how the best changes seem to be the minor cosmetic ones as opposed to added scenes.

3. Luke's Yelp: Horrible nuff said

4. Removing Luke's Yelp: Good call

5. Changing Boba Fett's Voice: Why was this necessary?


ROTJ

1. Sarlac Pit: At first I hated it, but now I do indeed like it, the scenes aren't as static as it once was.

2. The Musical Number: I just really, really, really hated this scene. No other explanation other than that.

3. The Ending Celebration: I thought the teddy bear picnic and the music in the original were much better, The new music just didn't seem to really capture the same spirit and did not really go well with the added scenes.

4. The Ending Celebraton: GunGuns' added!! Why For the love of God! I didn't think it was possible to make a race of aliens more hated (loved?) than ewoks. Please leave those things in the prequels where they belong.

Well thanks for listening to my inane ramblings of things that have been covered time and time again on this forum. guess I just needed to vent a little!

[barend]

2. The added backgrounds to Cloud City: WOW! My first positive comment! It really did add to the granduer of Cloud City. It didn't effect the dynamic of any scenes. Funny how the best changes seem to be the minor cosmetic ones as opposed to added scenes.

yeah, at the movies in 1997 i was willing to let that one go to... i thought it was cool too. not neccary but it was inoffensive enough to let by.

for what lucas said about making the film more to his original vision... if it had all been stuff like that (i still would have been offended) but it would have made him less of a lier.

either way though... comming back to a film 20 years later to add crap to it is still on the top of my list of 'how not to make a good film'

[barend]

oh yeah and welcome...

even though your going to get roasted for starting this thread... but everyone does.... so don't get to offended

[Michel Orla]

Hi folks! Just thought I'd introduce myself to the community. I'm so happy to see a group of so many like minded individuals who indeed like Star Wars but do not hold George Lucas in the highest regards with his constant fiddling with his classic movies.

That's the same reason I decided to start posting after browsing this forum the last few months. I couldn't keep my feelings bottled up towards the evil Lucas anymore.

This post has been edited by Michel Orla: 23 September 2004 - 11:42 PM

[Give Me The Originals Dammit]

oh yeah and welcome...

even though your going to get roasted for starting this thread... but everyone does.... so don't get to offended

Yeah I know I'm making myself an open target for roasting! LOl, I guess I just wanted to have my say in the matter. Hope I didn't upset to many people with this thread!

[Give Me The Originals Dammit]

That's the same reason I decided to start posting after browsing this forum the last few months. I couldn't keep my feelings bottled up towards the evil Lucas anymore.

I don't know if I'd call him evil, but he sure is a jerk. I know he these versions are supposedly closer to his "artistic vision" however this man has got to realize that there are those who love the damn movies the way it were. However, with the millions he's making from the sales of the SE and DVD's plus the new trilogy, I guess it would be very hard to argue that these films aren't even better than the originals. I have a feeling that many of the star wars purists are just out of luck, for many people any star wars is good star wars, I for one will not subscribe to that notion.

[J m HofMarN]

I'm pretty sure that when Lucas sees the fact that his box office returns and cracked out DVD sales are low he'll release the unscrewed up OT on DVD. Failure to do so really would prove evil intent.

[Just your average movie goer]

The problem comes from the enormous group of Star Wars fans who will settle for the crap. They ruin it for the rest of us.

As for the changes, I'd just like to say I liked the new Cloud City vistas... they were cool. There was one problem though when they added a window, showing lots of activity outside ... and then a few frames later, they left it out. It looked pretty dodgy.. especially as so much money was spent on this extra stuff.

Regarding the new celebration scene at the end of Return of the Jedi, I was fine with the 1997 Special Edition change. Sure, those celebrations all over the galaxy are completely implausable but I didn't really mind. The new music, while not Star Wars was better than that Yub Yub song (which is not Star Wars either). And it was nice to get off that damn forest moon of Endor, if only for a few seconds. Have I mentioned that I don't really like Return of the Jedi very much?

However, the new DVD additions of Naboo and Hayden Christensen are MOST UNWELCOME. Keep the prequel stuff in the prequels! Inserting prequel stuff into the original movies is a crime, that should be punishable by imprisonment.

[Chefelf]

Welcome all new members!

[Helena]

About the scene with Luke and Biggs: In the original script, there was a scene near the beginning of the film where Biggs is introduced and explains his motivation for joining the Rebellion. However, this was cut out for some reason. Pity Lucas didn't choose to include this in the SE instead of the Jabba scene.

[Just your average movie goer]

That damn Jabba scene doesn't do anything to progress the film. And does anyone else find it annoying that it repeats the dialogue between Han and Greedo basically word for word? I found that really painful.

When Han says "Even I get boarded sometimes, do you think I had a choice?", it just really irks me. We only heard him say the exact same thing about a minute or two earlier.

And what was bloody Boba Fett doing there?

This post has been edited by Just your average movie goer: 24 September 2004 - 08:44 AM

[Chefelf]

And what was bloody Boba Fett doing there?

That is BY FAR the worst part about the scene. I can almost stomach the Jabba scene (ALMOST) until the end when Bobba Fett just walks by the camera, stops, TURNS HIS HEAD, and mugs for the camera for a second. What the hell? It's as if Mel Brooks stepped in to direct that scene.

[Give Me The Originals Dammit]

You know for such a badass bounty hunter, Boba Fett sure is a little bitch where Jabba is concerned. What does that say for Jabba then? When any slave girl with a chain can kill a major crime lord, how badass can his servants really be. I guess it can be summed up best when Boba Fett gets defeated by a blind man swinging wildly with a stick, all the while screaming lke a little baby when he gets eaten by the Sarlac. Boba Fett sucks. How the hell did he get such a grand reputation in the first place?

[Just your average movie goer]

He was great in The Empire Strikes Back - a calculating bounty hunter who was good at what he did.

Return of the Jedi ruined his character along with Han's, Leia's and Threepio's (any probably some others that I can't remember right now).

He shouldn't have even been at Jabba's palace. He did one job for the guy. I presume he got paid .... if he didn't, why did he let Jabba have Han then? With the job finished, he should have been out looking for his next contract.

...

and yes, having him mug for the camera in that Jabba scene was one of the most cringeworthy moments I've endured, including the endless cringeworthy moments in the prequels. Actually, it's hard to use the term 'moments' with the prequels. The entire films made me cringe.

[Paladin]

He shouldn't have even been at Jabba's palace. He did one job for the guy. I presume he got paid .... if he didn't, why did he let Jabba have Han then? With the job finished, he should have been out looking for his next contract.

Maybe Jabba convinced him to stay for a while as an honored guest... or hired him as a bodyguard.

But even those don't make all that much sense. I didn't really care all that much in ROTJ that he was there and didn't make much of a deal when he 'died' by falling into the sarlacc pit.