Original Star Wars trilogy on blu ray?

[Brian G Turner]

I noticed the local supermarket had a Star Wars trilogy boxed set on DVD/blu ray, with the following cover:

However, it didn't say if these were the original releases, now remastere for blue-ray - or whether they're the George Lucas edited versions.

I noticed that Amazon has it listed in a product section that has varied between the original and tinkered versions:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003AQCAZE/?tag=brite-21

Additionally, it was only £25 in Sainsburys, whereas it's $37.50 on Amazon.

Anyone any idea which version this is? Still the changed one, or the original re-released and remastered without the silly bits added?

 

[Vince W]

Those are the diddled versions repackaged.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars_(Blu-ray)

 

[Siberian]

I like some of the "Silly bits". Like "tractor beam" - that always cracked me up. Or seeing the emperor in TESB instead of some woman in mask. And cleaned up special effects, of course. If they just fix Greedo and remove Vader's NO in ROTJ, I'll be fine.

There's some rumor Disney is planning re-release the unaltered versions but it's not very likely - restoring them will probably be too expensive, cause more confusion and generally not worth the effort.

 

[Bugg]

Has anyone here tried the 'Despecialized' versions? They are the original trilogy in their original theatrical versions, with all of Lucas's Special Edition nonsense removed, in 720p with multiple soundtracks (including DTS 5.1 and several commentaries, isolated score etc). I watched Star Wars this way last night and I don't think I've enjoyed the film so much since back in the 90s when I got the Executor VHS box set. Had a big grin on my face the whole way through

 

[Jeremy M. Gottwig]

If they just fix Greedo and remove Vader's NO in ROTJ, I'll be fine.

I'll add removing ghost Hayden Christensen from the end of ROTJ and restoring the original actor. This change has always bothered me, because Luke wouldn't know young Anakin from a sack of potatoes. Heck, on that note, I'd be happier if they replaced Hayden Christensen with an overgrown potato.

 

[soulsinging]

There's some rumor Disney is planning re-release the unaltered versions but it's not very likely - restoring them will probably be too expensive, cause more confusion and generally not worth the effort.

I doubt this, a release of the originals would sell like hot cakes, and the bulk of the footage has already been remastered for bluray so I wouldn't think it THAT prohibitive to do the rest. I'd buy these in a heartbeat. I don't even own a bluray of ANY of the films because of the edits. I just have the dvd set that had the originals but with poor/smaller picture as a "bonus" disc to his remastered/edited versions.

 

[Gonk the Insane]

I don't think this release is commercially available, but there's an article showing how one group has restored the original Star Wars from a 35mm theatrical print. There's some good pictures showing the difference here:
Fans Restored Star Wars To Its Former Glory And Now It Looks Amazing

And the source of those lovely comparison pictures seems to be here (also referenced in the above):
Team Negative One completes 35mm Restoration of Star Wars | The Star Wars Trilogy

I'm hoping that maybe one day the originals - i.e. without Lucas' re-working of scenes like Han shooting Greedo, Hayden Christensen et al appearing at the end of Jedi etc - might be released, but whether that day will ever come or not is anyone's guess

 

[Denise Tanaka]

I learned about Team Negative One's efforts just recently, and I'm VERY excited. I'm old enough to remember seeing Star Wars in the theater when it was first released. I was kind of naive, at first, when George released his digitally remastered (a.k.a. f----'ed up) versions that the original versions would continue to be available somehow. It was during this whole era of pushback against Ted Turner for colorizing old black and white films, the screams heard far and wide about how he ruined them, etc. I regret never buying the original VHS tapes. Somehow I expected they would always be there. It's not just the weird additions of CGI Jabba and Hayden C.'s ghost that bother me. It's the elimination of all the fun bloopers that my friends and I gleefully counted. Remember the smudge of face makeup on Harrison Ford's stormtrooper costume?

I'm worried what the copyright laws have to say about TNO's efforts. It's straddling the thin ice of fan fiction, fan art, fan costume recreation, and fan merchandise.

 

[Denise Tanaka]

I spoke too soon! I just saw this announcement that Team Negative One has disbanded: Team Negative1 has disbanded | The Star Wars Trilogy

 

[kythe]

There's some rumor Disney is planning re-release the unaltered versions but it's not very likely - restoring them will probably be too expensive, cause more confusion and generally not worth the effort.

I believe restoring them has already been done. The numerous alterations over the years do not require remaking the movie from scratch - they used the restored "original" and just keep tinkering. This implies the original has been restored. It just hasn't been re-released in its original form. I can't imagine that releasing a restored original would be more confusing than the numerous updated versions over the years. Many fans have asked for it over time. And Star Wars is such a popular franchise, money can't be an issue either. I really don't know why officials haven't given fans what they want.

 

[soulsinging]

I believe restoring them has already been done. The numerous alterations over the years do not require remaking the movie from scratch - they used the restored "original" and just keep tinkering. This implies the original has been restored. It just hasn't been re-released in its original form. I can't imagine that releasing a restored original would be more confusing than the numerous updated versions over the years. Many fans have asked for it over time. And Star Wars is such a popular franchise, money can't be an issue either. I really don't know why officials haven't given fans what they want.

The bluray's just launched a few years back and they just released the first movie. I suspect the originals on restored bluray will be available when it makes sense for marketing. TFA on bluray this summer, then maybe the originals right before the holidays to rejuvenate some hype for Rogue One in spring 2017 (which will be a prequel to A New Hope).