I have the first Star Wars movie on videotape, and I’d like to replace it with a DVD. But I’d prefer to get the exact same version that I have on tape:
Han shoots first
Mos Eisley is mostly deserted
There’s no Jabba in the hanger and Han does NOT step on his tail :rolleyes:
In other words, the exact version I saw in the theater many many years ago.
Does that version exist on DVD?
yes, I have that version. Mine is part of the 6 disc set. Disc 1: Greedo Shoots Disc 2: Han Shoots
and it’s the same for ESB and RotJ
you can also get those versions on laserdisc
Yes, I bought mine at Wal*Mart for $5.
HAN SHOT FIRST! 
Yeah, they released it on DVD. I assume you want the theatrical cut.
You can get it here. They sell the other 2 as well.
It is:
Not anamorphic widescreen. On a widescreen TV, if will only play in the middle.
Not remastered. It’s crackly quality film and the sound is original.
It’s also the versions I watch.
Rocketeer, not only did Han shoot first, but he fired the only shot. Greedo never fired a shot in the original movie. That scene was changed twice, the video you are talking about was the first change.
Greedo did not shoot at all in the original theatrical release of Star Wars.
Does the version from the box set have “Episode IV” in the opening crawl?
That has been consistently on every version since 1981.
Darn, I didnt even know that bit had been changed. What was the reason for changing it (I dont mind anyway, always thought the first Star Wars was rather dull)?
So… you only discovered the internet last month?
The reason, ostensibly, was because George Lucas didn’t want Han Solo to be a cold blooded killer, and instead he shot in self defence.
Yes, but not on the DVD being discussed, which is the 1977 version.
I dont really see the link between my question and internet access. Maybe you mean it’s a common discussion on the net, but it would be the first time I hear of it.
So, apparently only in the theatre released version of 1977 had Solo shoot first. And the 1981 version (I assume that would be the home video release, not a theatre re-release) had that moved to Greedo shooting first?
Three things then:
No.
1977: No episode title - the scroll starts with “It is a period of civil war.”
1981: “Episode IV: A New Hope” precedes the scroll, to match with 1980’s “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”.
1997: Greedo now shoots first.
Incidentally, there were even variations in 1977, such as later sound mixes including Threepio’s voiceover regarding the location of the tractor beam controls.
No, wrong on both counts:
(1) The 1981 re-release was indeed a theatrical one, and
(2) The only change in that release was the Ep.IV crawl alteration.
The “Greedo shot first” change was first made for the Special Edition in the late 90s.
I stand corrected. I was sure it would’ve been the 1981 re-release.
It is the most famous and controversial fanboy argument against the Special Edition versions.
The change didn’t happen until 1997, when the Special Editions came out. Since then every new release has had more alterations, and, according to insider rumour, the new Blu-Ray versions out soon will have more again.
The only change that occurred for the 1981 release was the addition of “Episode IV A New Hope” to the opening crawl, to bring it into line with the plans for a six movie series.
It’s strange. By all accounts, it’s the 1995 THX laserdisc transfer ported to DVD. While I never saw the laserdisc version of that release, I own the VHS of that same release, which was the 1981 version. Where they sourced the 1977 scroll from with a non-anamorphic transfer is anyone’s guess.
Now, that Episode 4 thing seems much more important to me than knowing who’s top and who’s bottom between Han Solo and Greedo. So, the entire “I have a whole plot in my head for a trilogy -or a 9logy-” was totally bogus? And it only came out after he really started churning out sequels?
Ok, Greedo only started shooting first after 1997. But, honestly, having Jabba move around freely in Solo’s hangar is a much more blatant slap in the face of SW fans than who shot first. Completely negates the image of Jabba as a Kingpin like creature. Impressively obese but the sense of power that came of him was because of this handicap. He didnt need to move.
Actually the thing that pissed me out the most out of the 97 release was having windows on Bespin. That, that totally fucked the claustrophobic and nightmarish aspect of the Bespin part (and the most important part in the whole original trilogy, IMO)
This is also a source of controversy. A lot of people are dismissive of those claims because of evidence like this, but I personally believe it went something like this:
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After trying several different story ideas, Lucas comes up with a story he likes ranging from rescue of Princess Leia, capture of Solo by Jabba, and defeat of Darth Vader by Luke. Decides each of those plots is big enough for a movie of their own, and so writes the first part only. Because of the failure of science fiction films at the time, he is not brave enough to commit to a trilogy, so writes the script as a stand-alone story.
As he writes, he has to establish the back story of the characters and the universe, which he files away in his head. This is when he toyed with the idea of Vader being Luke’s father, but has not committed to it.
After the unprecedented success of the first film, he waxes eloquent of his original plans to make a trilogy, and then he thinks the back story he established may make a decent trilogy as well, and heck, why not make it a trilogy of trilogies? He doesn’t have a story in mind, but he’s sure he could come up with in the next ten years.
He immediately regrets that idea, and officially scraps it after Empire Strikes Back finally comes out. Six movies only, and indeed it may only end up as three movies only (it was ten years before he decided to make the prequels, after Jurassic Park came out).
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That’s what I think happened, in a nutshell.
The other side of this arguement (or one of the other sides, i suppose) is that Han is not a cold blooded killer, but he is is a loaner who only looks out for himself. On top of that, he is associated with a criminal empire and deeply embeded in that world.
In the conversation, Greedo makes it pretty clear that 1. he’s got it out for Solo and 2. that Solo likely won’t make it back to Jabba alive.
Han shoots first because he’s smarter and more cunning that Greedo. All of this establshes Solo as a person who’s only in it for himself, which makes his actions at the Death Star attack even more heroic. He had his money and it would have been crazy to stick around, but he kind of liked the Skywalker kid and that princess was kind of cute and had a blouse full of goodies that maybe he could score on. Solo transforms into a hero through the course of the movie and having Greedo shooting first to make him more of a “good guy” cheapens that.
What, do you own your Han?
Ya know, I’ve been hearing Han shot first for a long time, and just learned today, in this thread, that it refers to an actual scene change and not just a character discussion.