I looked, but found no thread about this yet, which was surprising:
George Lucas has come out and said that the original versions of the original Star Wars trilogy will not be released on DVD. Only the “Special Edition” versions of the films will be released on everyone’s favorite home video format. He says that “the Special Editions are what he wanted the films to be originally, but time and money restraints way back when did not allow them to happen.”
Oh, sure. He always meant for Greedo to shoot first. To quote today’s editorial from The Digital Bits:
Damn, it’s a real shame that anyone interested in the original version will have to throw their money toward a bootlegged copy, instead of further engorging Lucasfilm’s coffers. I, certainly, will not be one of those individuals, as I can fully appreciate how Lucas’ skill at scripting and directing have matured over the years. No, I can’t possibly see how anyone could possibly prefer the original films. Why, some scenes didn’t even have CGI effects covering every square inch of the shot!
New Coke, people. New Coke. He’ll sit on the originals for another year or two, because he knows that if he offers both of them at the same time, no one will buy the new versions. Once he’s squeezed the market dry for the new editions, he’ll release the old ones and everyone who bought the Special Editions will run out and buy the originals.
In fact, the more I think about it, the more this pisses me off ('though I’m not surprised). Most of the objectionable Special Edition stuff (Greedo shooting first, that conversation with Jabba) could easily be worked around on DVD with seamless branching – you could, in substance, have both editions on one DVD. I don’t think anyone cares about the peripheral CGI work – making Mos Eisley look bigger and more bustling for example. It’s the stuff that changes characterization and story that upsets most folks, and that would be the easiest stuff to work around.
For all of Lucas’s backpedalling on his statements the “Special Editions Only. Period. End of story. Quit asking me about it.” line has been pretty consistant. Not that I don’t expect they’ll get an official re-release on some home format in the future (Lucas’s policy might reasonably outlive DVD), but this has been his statement for more than five years. I don’t get how people can keep recycling the outrage at it every couple of months when someone asks about it again.
Nah, Lucas knows he can get more money by sitting on the originals. He’ll release his “Super-Nifty Special Edition” on DVD, wait a year, and then re-release it as the “Ultra-Super-Nifty Special Edition”, wait another year, then release some Special Boxed Set that has yet another “Mega-Ultra-Super-Nifty Special Edition” along with the originals.
In other words, you’ll ultimately have to pay about $150 for the original movies on DVD.
Either our esteemed colleagues here are right, and George will release the originals when he feels that the market is totally frickin’ saturated…
…or he’s way over the edge with Digital Jabba Syndrome, and will never-never-never release them, take them to his grave, have the original prints destroyed…
…and then one of his kids, or Fox, or somebody will release the reconstructed originals on DVD after he croaks.
Still a crappy decision on George’s part, though. Must be nice not to have to give a shit about the people who made you rich…
However, the first shots of Mos Eisley had this one large creature (or 'droid? I forget) smashing its fist down on a smaller creature’s head in an almost comical manner. The scene looked so damn Disney that I place it right up there with Greedo firing first on my list of “things I wish Lucas had never done to the Special Edition”.
And despite Lucas’s $30 million makeover, he still didn’t go back and fix those few frames in the Vader-vs.-Kenobi light saber fight where it mistakenly looks like Kenobi’s light saber went out!
I really hate all the new digital creatures mugging in the background: like the stormtrooper in Mos Eisley who can’t control his… whatever the hell it is because of some cutesy little things spooking it. Why not add in the Three Stooges too while you’re at it?
Hmmm, weird. I read this and all I could think was “If that turns out to be the case, then I just won’t buy them.” Not in the over-dramatic Lucas is Stealing My Childhood! Boycott Lucasfilm Until He Caves To Our Demands! sense, but the “hmm, I really don’t care much” sense.
And then I realized that I haven’t bought either of the Episode I or II DVD’s, even though I’d intended to. I didn’t particularly like either of the movies (and strongly disliked 99% of the first), but still had intended to buy them because they said Star Wars. I just never got around to it.