George Lucas - Why the Vitriol?

[J.T.B.]

They're his films he can change them if he wants to it. You and I may not like it but such is life.

But that's not the whole issue. From what he's said, it seems like Lucas would prefer it if the original theatrical versions deteriorated into nothing, and the sooner the better. Regardless of whether someone has the right to make changes, the "Special Edition" of Star Wars is not the film that people lined up to see again and again in 1977. It's not the film that changed movie making. IMO that film does not deserve to be erased from history.

We've all heard of classic movies that were re-cut, not preserved or suppressed in some way. We've all heard of film historians and preservationists tracking down original prints to a basement somewhere so an original version can be restored. Why consign Star Wars, in advance, to that kind of fate? It could all be done now, and wouldn't take anything away from the SE version. I can't understand Lucas's position on that, I just don't get it.

BTW, IMO history will be kinder to the original cuts than the SEs, they are better movies.

 

[RandyS]

I wonder if a condition of sale mandated by Lucas to Disney was that the Holiday Special will never see the light of day.

The one thing concerning which Lucas has stuck to his guns that I completely agree with.

Actually, I'm hoping we'll get a Special Edition DVD of The Holiday Special, complete with new CGI effects.

You know, the way it was originally intended....

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

While Jar Jar was the worst character of all time, C3PO was rather annoying in the PT as well.

C3PO always annoyed me, even in the OT. While Jar-Jar may have grated at times, at least he was a nice guy at heart, not a stuck-up jackass like C3PO.

 

[Set Harth]

I wonder if a condition of sale mandated by Lucas to Disney was that the Holiday Special will never see the light of day.

The one thing concerning which Lucas has stuck to his guns that I completely agree with.

Actually, I'm hoping we'll get a Special Edition DVD of The Holiday Special, complete with new CGI effects.

You know, the way it was originally intended....

You will believe a Bea Arthur can dance with a Walrusman!

 

[crookeddy]

While Jar Jar was the worst character of all time, C3PO was rather annoying in the PT as well.

C3PO always annoyed me, even in the OT. While Jar-Jar may have grated at times, at least he was a nice guy at heart, not a stuck-up jackass like C3PO.

The problem with Jar Jar is that there is simply no purpose to his existence within the movie. C3PO was there to translate R2D2, so at least he had some purpose.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Actually, Jar-Jar did have a purpose. That was to be the final vote in the Republic Senate which authorized Palpatine to create the clone army. Jar-Jar, in all his innocence, had no idea he was being manipulated. That was the end purpose of the character.

 

[crookeddy]

^ Actually, Jar-Jar did have a purpose. That was to be the final vote in the Republic Senate which authorized Palpatine to create the clone army. Jar-Jar, in all his innocence, had no idea he was being manipulated. That was the end purpose of the character.

Did you get the sense that this was always the plan, starting from TPM? I sure didn't. He was kind of presented as a moron in that movie.

 

[Set Harth]

Even then he was at least used as a plot device to move characters from point A to point B, and then his reference to the Gungan army becomes important in the final battle.

 

[Trekker4747]

^ Actually, Jar-Jar did have a purpose. That was to be the final vote in the Republic Senate which authorized Palpatine to create the clone army. Jar-Jar, in all his innocence, had no idea he was being manipulated. That was the end purpose of the character.

That's the purpose he ended up with but I highly doubt that was the intended purpose and it still makes the character incredibly dumb as all he was in TPM was low-brow childish comic relief. Hate all you want on C3P0 but we didn't get long, extended, scenes of him just being a complete comic-relief doofus stepping in poop.

 

[Mister Fandango]

For everyone who hates it there's one for loves it.

That's not even close to being true regardless of what you're talking about.

Oh hey. Regardless of what you're talking about, it's absolutely true.

No, it really isn't. It's the thing the people with unpopular votes try to delude themselves with in order to make them feel better. If it were true, then *every* vote ever would *always* be 50%/50%. There wouldn't even be a point in voting, in fact, because for everyone who hates something, someone else loves it.

Pure bullshit.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Even then he was at least used as a plot device to move characters from point A to point B, and then his reference to the Gungan army becomes important in the final battle.

Oppa Gungan style?

 

[NuFan]

The OT is not all that. The second one has no ending and just suddenly stops, and the third one is just bad.

 

[MacLeod]

They're his films he can change them if he wants to it. You and I may not like it but such is life.

But that's not the whole issue. From what he's said, it seems like Lucas would prefer it if the original theatrical versions deteriorated into nothing, and the sooner the better. Regardless of whether someone has the right to make changes, the "Special Edition" of Star Wars is not the film that people lined up to see again and again in 1977. It's not the film that changed movie making. IMO that film does not deserve to be erased from history.

We've all heard of classic movies that were re-cut, not preserved or suppressed in some way. We've all heard of film historians and preservationists tracking down original prints to a basement somewhere so an original version can be restored. Why consign Star Wars, in advance, to that kind of fate? It could all be done now, and wouldn't take anything away from the SE version. I can't understand Lucas's position on that, I just don't get it.

BTW, IMO history will be kinder to the original cuts than the SEs, they are better movies.

But which is closer to his original vision the original versions of the Special Editions? Perhaps the technology did exist when he was creating them to create the scene how he envisioned it. Now perhpas it does. So the additions/alterations are closer to how he wanted it to be orginally.

Sure limitations can make a film better i.e. Jaws

But it would be uncommon for creative people to think back to earlier works be it film/TV/novels etc.. and think I wish I could go back and change that.

 

[J.T.B.]

But which is closer to his original vision the original versions of the Special Editions? Perhaps the technology did exist when he was creating them to create the scene how he envisioned it. Now perhpas it does. So the additions/alterations are closer to how he wanted it to be orginally.

So what? The movie was completed and released and became part of history. If the director wants to revisit it and change things that's fine, but why not keep the original version available?

 

[The Old Mixer]

Hate all you want on C3P0 but we didn't get long, extended, scenes of him just being a complete comic-relief doofus stepping in poop.

The whole droid factory/arena sequence in AOTC was CGI-3PO reprising Jar-Jar's role in the previous film.

 

[Trekker4747]

Hate all you want on C3P0 but we didn't get long, extended, scenes of him just being a complete comic-relief doofus stepping in poop.

The whole droid factory/arena sequence in AOTC was CGI-3PO reprising Jar-Jar's role in the previous film.

But we've already established the PT were slapsticky bullshit.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ YOU say.

 

[MacLeod]

But which is closer to his original vision the original versions of the Special Editions? Perhaps the technology did exist when he was creating them to create the scene how he envisioned it. Now perhpas it does. So the additions/alterations are closer to how he wanted it to be orginally.

So what? The movie was completed and released and became part of history. If the director wants to revisit it and change things that's fine, but why not keep the original version available?

Because that's not the film the director wants.

Besides the original versions of the episodes IV-VI were made available on DVD.

 

[J.T.B.]

So what? The movie was completed and released and became part of history. If the director wants to revisit it and change things that's fine, but why not keep the original version available?

Because that's not the film the director wants.

That's hardly a reasoned defense of the position.

Besides the original versions of the episodes IV-VI were made available on DVD.

The problems with those were already discussed. And that does not address the issue of the historical preservation of the originals.

 

[MacLeod]

^I disagree it's a perfectly reasonable defence.

Director of a movie prefers version B of his movie to version A. Sure some films have the original theatricl version and a directors edition. I think the difference is for the majority of the films the studio not the director holds the rights to the film. In the case of SW as Lucas owned Lucasfilm he owned the rights to his movies. So he could choose which version he would rather have out there.

You and I might agree or disagree with his position but as long as he holds the rights he can do what he likes with them.