Star Wars: Episode IV | This September: Original Unaltered Trilogy on DVD:
“‘Over the years, a truly countless number of fans have told us that they would love to see and own the original version that they remember experiencing in theaters,’ said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd. ‘We returned to the Lucasfilm Archives to search exhaustively for source material that could be presented on DVD. This is something that we’re very excited to be able to give to fans in response to their continuing enthusiasm for Star Wars. Topping it off with a new interactive adventure makes September 12 a red-letter day for Star Wars fans.’ “
Hmm. I am torn as a consumer. On the one hand, I was one of those “truly countless number of fans” that yelled, screamed, and held my breath till my face was blue that the original films needed to be relased on DVD. For a while, Truffin.com even carried a banner asking visitors to sign a petition to let us see “Han shoot first.” So, in that sense, as in the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory debacle, I am gratified that the voice of the people has been heard. We have said, “We desire to spend our money on Product X,” and the producer has given us what we want. For which he will be richly rewarded. It’s the good ol’ American Free Market at work.
On the other hand, speaking as a person who has owned, let’s see, 5? copies of the trilogy in various formats, George Lucas’s entire approach has been the most craven of the DVD double-dipping that one can name. I’m often accused of being cynical, and, quite frankly, if there be any truth to that, it’s things like this that have driven me to it. When the DVDs of the Star Wars trilogy were being readied for release, the consistent message out of Lucasfilm was that the unaltered versions of the films simply didn’t exist. DIDN’T EXIST. And now, here we are, a year and half later, hearing that “Oh, by gum, look what we found.” In fact, given the time needed for restoration and production, the work on the unaltered trilogy had to have begun less than year after the original DVD release. So, Mr. Lucas, I’ll give you credit for revolutionizing special effects in film. I’ll grant that by some miracle you were able to create a fictional world that has mythic staying power in the popular imagination. And I’ll even say that your work on the original Star Wars trilogy and Indiana Jones had a permanently shaping effect on how I view the world. But I’ll also say that between the dreck of the prequel trilogy and your handling of the Star Wars home versions have shattered any positive image of you I may have held of you.
And yes, I’ll most likely plop down my $50 on September 12 and get the new set. Anyone want to by some slightly used Star Wars DVDs?
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