[OT] Star Wars Ep 4-6 on DVD and for sale already?

[John Crichton]

Exactly. Just like Peter Jackson. Oh wait. He's been editing and reshooting and doing post-production for his films and releasing the DVD's (both theatrical and special editions no less)for two straight years now.

Yes, and Lucas has been releasing the DVDs of the movie he is currently working on as well.

And then there's Spielberg. Found the time to make TWO WHOLE MOVIES (Minority Report and Catch Me if You Can) during the time the definitive E.T. DVD was in development.

Sure, he's had time to do all that but as mentioned Lucas is a control freak and wants his hands in all aspects of his Star Wars universe. Speilburg did some work on the E.T. DVDs and moved on. And I'm pretty certain that it was in production for a while. Whatever the case is, Speilberg has always worked on multiple projects at a time. I think it's not always a good thing. Maybe if he slowed down a bit and thought about it we wouldn't have gotten the mess that was AI and had a better, balsy ending to Minority Report. I can't say anything about Catch Me If You Can as I have not seen it but it didn't seem like there was a ton of post-production on it in the way of special effects, etc. I digress.

Lucas works much slower and more methodically than Spielberg and this has always been the case.

Lucas can easily release the DVD's. Nobody cares about "double dipping" with bare bones and loaded DVD's later. Where was the outrage when the FOTR SE came out? Nowhere. He's dragging his feet, most likely because he wants to wait and add several NEW musical numbers and fart jokes to the original films before releasing them.

No one cares about double-dipping? Oh sure they do. I didn't complain about the 2 versions of FotR because I like having both cuts of the film plus both contained different sets of extras. Now if I had to buy a version of Star Wars which was the same version only with more extras I would be a little cheesed and I'm positive I wouldn't be the only one.

I think folks are loosing track of a vital fact: If the DVD format was popular before Lucas started his work on the prequels we would already have the DVDs. It was in its infancy at that point and he just finished with the SEs. Sure, he could just say, "Okay boys, whip up some menus slap the SEs on the DVDs and get that sucker out the door in time for Christmas. Throw a few of my interviews on there and we're good to go. I'll just release my definitive version when I'm less busy creating the rest of my vision." But he isn't. I don't want to have to buy the DVDs again. I want him to get them right the first time. And I am more than willing to wait.

 

[Welverin]

No one cares about double-dipping? Oh sure they do. I didn't complain about the 2 versions of FotR because I like having both cuts of the film plus both contained different sets of extras. Now if I had to buy a version of Star Wars which was the same version only with more extras I would be a little cheesed and I'm positive I wouldn't be the only one.

Don't forget that we knew about the extended version before EITHER version was released and were thus able to decide which version we wanted before hand.

So long as Lucas releases both the original and SE versions of the movies I really don't care about much else and certainly don't mind waiting for him to do it right. I will not buy multiple copies of the same movie just for extras, even though they're the type of thing I can't resist. If there's a special/collectors edition and regular edition, I get the special one.

 

[Kai Lord]

I don't want to have to buy the DVDs again. I want him to get them right the first time. And I am more than willing to wait.

Unfortunately, unless Lucas changes his stance on never ever releasing the original versions of the films on DVD, he'll never get them "right."

 

[Kai Lord]

Lucas works much slower and more methodically than Spielberg and this has always been the case.No one cares about double-dipping? Oh sure they do.

I certainly hope you aren't citing some meaningless grumbling about multiple DVD versions of films by consumers as a legitimite reason Lucas is holding off on releasing them. Not a single re-release in history has generated anywhere near the irritation publicly expressed in God knows how many petitions, messageboards, letters...even boos to his face at university appearances(!) due to his not releasing them at all.

 

[John Crichton]

Don't forget that we knew about the extended version before EITHER version was released and were thus able to decide which version we wanted before hand.

So long as Lucas releases both the original and SE versions of the movies I really don't care about much else and certainly don't mind waiting for him to do it right. I will not buy multiple copies of the same movie just for extras, even though they're the type of thing I can't resist. If there's a special/collectors edition and regular edition, I get the special one.

Agreed on both counts. That was the right way to handle the LotR DVDs. And same for the Star Wars DVDs. I'd buy both but not multiple versions of the same movie.

 

[John Crichton]

I certainly hope you aren't citing some meaningless grumbling about multiple DVD versions of films by consumers as a legitimite reason Lucas is holding off on releasing them. Not a single re-release in history has generated anywhere near the irritation publicly expressed in God knows how many petitions, messageboards, letters...even boos to his face at university appearances(!) due to his not releasing them at all.

There was never any mention of him not ever releasing them. Not to my knowledge and therefore it hasn't influenced a single thing I have said. Even if he did say that the movies would never be released on DVD I wouldn't believe it. He would have eventually done so.

As for the rest of your statement, I'm not sure I entirely follow you.

Perhaps you are talking about the originals vs. the SEs. In that case, yes I have heard of the outcry. I also believe that just like the changes that were made to E.T. that the original cut and the SEs will be made available. If not right away then eventually.

As for them not coming out now, I believe I have made my point clear. I do not believe I am making excuses for Lucas nor do I need to. There is a reason for everything. Or maybe I'm just willing to wait.

 

[Welverin]

Or maybe I'm just willing to wait.

Maybe we're the only ones who paid attention to the lesson on patience in jedi school?

 

[John Crichton]

Maybe we're the only ones who paid attention to the lesson on patience in jedi school?

LOL!

Maybe I picked that up in between all that time messing around with my training lightsaber. I kept whacking the dude next to me because he looked 'like one of those dark side kids' ....

 

[Tsyr]

Don't get your hopes up, to everyone who wants to see the original version as an extra or option...

I think of the film as The Special Edition. I don't think of it as the early version, any more than I would put early rough cuts on. I could put four or five rough cuts onto the thing and say, 'This is how it advanced.' I consider The Special Edition as being the final version at this point. I don't even worry about the other ones, because it went through a lot of incarnations to get to the final stage."

From Lucas' mouth... And in other places he has basicly stated that he will never, ever release the "classic" version again. As far as he is concerned, it never existed, it's just a raw cut of the movie before he got around to finishing it.

 

[KenM]

I also hope Lucas puts out the original versions and special edtions on DVD. The thing I did not like about the special edtions is how Lucas changed some of the diaolgue. I also agree with whoever said Lucas is a control freak. Anyone remember the epiosode of south park where they sneak into skywalker ranch to get the final print of Raiders of the Lost ark from being destroyed? They found tape "my wedding', then, "my wedding, special edtion" and "my first child's birth" and "my first child's birth, special edtion". Why do I think thats not far from the truth?