Did Lucas ever release the original films to DVD?

I'm talking about the films as they originally aired in theaters...not the enhanced versions.

yeah in 2006
but i dont think they are anamorphic which is kinda silly

>but i dont think they are anamorphic which is kinda silly
explain, please.

Yes the OGs were released on DVD. 2006 sounds about right. I haven't watched them in a while but just checked the back of the box. Each film is a 2 DVD set - digitally remastered cut on one + unmodified OG cut on the other.

a widescreen movie that is anamorphic will only have the actual video as the screen. so it will fit into a widescreen TV for instance. if it doesnt fit exactly, your tv will put its own black space above and below the image

non-anamorphic discs have black bars inserted above and below the image. it makes it so the size of what is being shown will be at the 4:3 ratio of tube tv's. like they used to do widescreen VHS tapes. it's still a 4:3 image, but appears widescreen

thanks guys!

Now, the next question is
how many new effects have been added to each film?

I assume there is a list somewhere...

which leads to the question -
How many different versions are there of said films?

Thankfully, fewer than Blade Runner.

Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't the unicorn dream at the beginning of the film the only footage created after the fact?

So all the other footage from Blade Runner that was added or cut from the various versions was made during the original filming; not after the fact, years later.

As far as versions go fo the original triology I think there's only 3, miiiight be 4 though all off the top of my head.

- Original Releases
- 1997 Special Edition (new Jabba in ANH, new Death Star Explosion, Greedo Shoots first, etc .)
- Special SPECIAL Edition (the DVD releases updated the crappy CGI from the first special edition, added Hayden Christensen as a ghost vs. Sebastian Shaw, all sorts of other useless bullshit.)

There may have been something else but those are all I remember. I have that DVD set just for the old versions, I've never watched the new special special editions.

I have the dvd set featuring the (OG) Laserdisc versions. They have good audio/video for bootlegs...also cool cover art!

Blade Runner Final Cut is phenomenal. Includes outstanding making of segment.

I have the laser discs themselves.....and no where to play them anymore.

Against expectations, I think it really is the best version of all. The five-disc set makes for an interesting contrast-and-compare experience. Probably best enjoyed over a long period of time so you don't burn out on it.

Something that's interesting about the original-version Star Wars laserdisc is that you can see how badly some of the original elements used to make it had deteriorated, and that was what? ... fifteen or twenty years ago or so. I don't have the technical vocabulary to explain this properly, but you can see progressive black boxes added at some point as different elements were layered, especially in the space battle sequences. I can see why things like that needed to be corrected for DVD release, but honestly, the "special editions" were done to reinvigorate interest in Star Wars with an eye to the forthcoming prequel trilogy. Lucas is more about money than art. For years he thought that THX1138 was a failure because it had failed to make any money.

There's this weird-trade off for fans in having two different versions of the original SW trilogy at this point. You either have the better movie in the original format, or the better-looking movie in the "special" versions, except with annoying added elements and a certain game-changing error about who-shot-first in a certain sequence.
Was "New Hope" (I still hate that ex post facto title) improved by the idiotic scene with too-small Jabba's tail being stepped on? No, that was just thrown in to get people to pay yet again to see the film. Was "Jedi" improved by a musical sequence featuring a new CG muppet and choreography by Michael Smuin? Of course not.

It would have been great if Lucas had waited a bit longer for technical advances, and had simply brushed up the appearance of the original trilogy without adding any CG elements or new sequences. But again, Lucas' point has never been dusting off old classics for nostalgia's sake or for historic film preservation in the Criterion sort of context, rather perpetuating cash cow revenue.

Agreed - I can't call it that. It's Star Wars.

One thing that Lucas benefited from the most regarding the Special Editions was that they served as a test bed for what he wanted to accomplish in the prequels, effects-wise. Scenes like the hangar confrontation with Jabba gave him the opportunity to figure out the best way for his team to add digital characters into existing footage. Plus he was having his team build all of the models that he wanted to use later like Tatooine scenery, Jabba, Dewbacks, etc. Saved him a shitload of money and more importantly, time when he finally decided to make the prequels.

Wow I didn't know there was a 5 disc set - that's hardcore! Well, if any film deserves that treatment, it's BR. I've seen the original, directors cut, and final cut, and I think where they deserve kudos is they're not just tinkering and "updating" the film, but putting it out the way it was originally intended by Scott.

But for me after seeing the FC, it's like watching LOTR extended editions. Once the definitive top notch cut of a film has been released, I stick with that one. It's like drinking Kirin and then taking a sip of Bud or Carlsberg or Corona...the horror!

The super-deluxe BR set comes in a suitcase (like Deckard's) and has a die-cast spinner and metal version of the origami unicorn. Pretty sweet.

He changed it to "A New Hope" fairly early though, like in the 70's. I think it was re-released in theaters around Christmas or something and that's when it got shoved in there but no one cared/noticed at that point. It's not some new fangled Special Editon title he slaped on.

I can't say "Star Wars" cause then anyone I know, even older people, will say "well which one?!" So I have to say "The first real one" or "A New Hope" or "Episode IV" or something like that. To say "Star Wars" would just be like saying "Lord of the Rings" so I never got into that trend, even as a little kid.

Not a fan at all of the crapquels, but after seeing Lucas talk for an hour or so at Celebration III, my respect for the man went up a lot. He's a really thoughtful guy. Doesn't excuse what he did with the franchise, but still...

What he did to Star Wars was frustrating, but I was never a huge fan.
When it was happening I was always thinking "to bad, just don't touch thx-1138" Well... CGI monsters and a car chase later... grrr...

I don't think so. I mean, it's lame, but I can also choose not to watch the updated versions or Ep I-III. What he ended up doing doesn't ruin the original 3 for me at all. I just don't watch the crap I dislike. It's like with toys, a few releases hit that people aren't fond of and then they don't like the earlier stuff for some reason, I don't get that logic. "It was ruined man!" How? Just ignore the new shit you don't like! It doesn't mess with the old stuff to me.

FURTHERMORE I'm glad all the new stuff makes money because new toys and things based on the old stuff comes out still because there's a market. I love new toys and garbage I don't need with Chewy and friends on it!

i watch the BR 5 disc-er every so often. its one of my favorites.

the best part of that set is the Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner disc.

Just throwing this in here for those that might be interested.
It's about the restoration process that they went thru in 1997. its pretty meaty stuff and long

http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com/savingstarwars.html