The Ultimate "Original" STAR WARS Version?
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- Опубліковано 29 лис 2024
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The movie was called Star Wars. It will always be Star Wars…
Yes, I remember that when I went and saw it, it was called simply Star Wars. There was none of this new Hope episode four stuff.
It's 1977 and I'm sitting in a darkened theater in Las Vegas with my 2 brothers.
I was 7 years old and this was the greatest movie I had ever witnessed.
'77 IS MY Star Wars!
Thank you Dan for the great channel and great video!
Thank YOU!!
I saw the original back in 1977 as well. It is a true masterpiece through and through
Lucas even refused the Library of Congress when it inducted Star Wars into the film registry saying no copies existed of the original movie. But they could have the Special Edition. LoC said no way and used the original copyright print that Lucas submitted in 1977. Don't know what shape that print was in, but one did exist -- in the Library of Congress.
The worst part about it is that by today's standards the Original Releases are the better looking movies. Practical effects and models hold up much better than CGI.
Yeah, especially the cartoony motions of the animated CGI characters do not match The Original, which otherwise looked very realistic to begin with....
So true. Just look at Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Looks like a cartoon.
I'm a 1977, 1980 and 1983 Star Wars man. I was also 9 yrs old when I saw it at the theaters. The original won 7 academy awards and deserves to be available to all. I'm not a big fan of CGI unless it's accompanied by good acting and a good script. Modern movies depend heavily on CGI due to their lack of creativity, good story and quality actors. Thanks for another excellent video.
@@proto-geek248-I agree. The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Perfect example. Also, “Terminator 2-Judgement Day”. One of first movies to incorporate CGI.
I saw Star Wars in 1977 (78?) at a drive in theater!! Imagine that HUGE screen, at night, when the opening crawl starts!!! I was in a galaxy far, far away.
Honestly, I can't imagine a worse way to see Star Wars, than at a drive-in with a tinny speaker hooked to your window. Of course, that is the way I saw Jaws.
Okay, I'm sold. I love this channel. You had me at "Han was the only one to shoot"
Haha that's awesome :-) thanks so much for writing, Dan
"Han was the only one that shot." I have been saying that for YEARS!
Another great video. Holy cow your subscribers are skyrocketing! I saw Star Wars as a child in 1977 on its opening weekend. There were very few people in the theater. Months later it was still playing at that theater and you had to wait in a long line to get in. I related to a comment you made - Star Wars fans have argued with me that the title card always read “episode 4 - a new hope” while my memory on that opening weekend is that it only read Star Wars on the movie screen. FYI, there was an earlier home media release of the 77 film before your VHS. Not sure if it was officially licensed though. I remember being in a NYC camera shop around 1980 (or very early 80s) and seeing the complete film for sale on Super 8 movie film. It was on a bunch of 400 foot reels. They had it in a glass case, I believe the price was $99.95 which was way beyond my means. The reason I question its licensing is that I recall the cardboard boxes (there was one for each reel) were plain white with no graphics. I’m sure this was a very unaltered version of the film, but based on the time period, it was probably printed on Eastman color stock which would be badly faded today. Thanks again for the great videos you’ve been putting out.
Right? Subscribers are crazy going up - mostly due to the "Lost in Space" content I assume.... thanks for the info!!
I have 4K 77 and the Despecialized version. My pick is Despecialized. When I first saw that version, it just clicked and I said to myself, "Myself, this is how I remember seeing it back in 1977 at the Menlo Cinema in New Jersey." The Project 4K 77 version is good, but something is just a bit "off" - I really can't put my finger on it. Both are excellent, but the Despecialized version is my go-to choice. And here's something interesting - there are DIFFERENT versions from 77 - for year when R2 plugs in and tells where Ben can go to shut off the tractor beam, there was a line of dialog missing - it was added back to the Special edition version. BUT I heard it back in 77, and I even bought an audio cassette someone recorded of the audio to the film and that line was there. I believe someone said that line was on the mono soundtrack to the film, but I saw it in 77 on a 70mm print - can't believe that print was mono. So it's possible that it was on the 70mm soundtrack, not on the 35mm stereo track, but on the mono track. Also, I saw the film over 100 times back then, and after it went to other theaters, I went to them to see it, and I recall saying to myself, "Myself, that shot was a closeup and now it's a long shot..." So there are likely slightly altered versions out there as well, dating back to 77 and 78. There's a UA-cam video of some of the altered audio from the mono / stereo mixes. Interesting stuff.
What really pissed me off, was when Lucas decided to change the ending of the original 'Star Wars ' trilogy....in order to superimpose the face of the actor who played Anakin in the sequels over the top of the original's face, when they were being shown in their sprit forms.
I couldn't agree more :-)
Superimpose is right they used unused footage of Hayden from Episode III, Lucas didn't specifically shoot new footage, they cg Hayden over Shaw and badly. Fine you want Hayden in Jedi shoot new plate footage and matte it in don't be lazy. You could also replace Shaw on death star II with Hayden as he is now the right age, if you wanted to i don't see the point but it is possible.
In the 90s, George never heard "Art is never finished, only abandoned.".- Leonardo DaVinci
I bought a 3-disc Bluray set of Harmy’s “Despecialized Edition” trilogy on ebay a few years back and it’s the only version of the original trilogy that I’ll watch now.
13 years old when Star Wars came out. My age in the year BSW77 (before Star Wars) & ASW77 (After Star Wars)
Life was never the same after Star Wars came out!
Same here :-) I probably watch it once a month at least
Same!
I saw it in 77.
Many years later, when the "improved" ones came out I was pleased that the franchise was alive again and not just some forgotten summer childhood fun.... And we got to see it on a big screen again.
So, while not perfect, something was way better than nothing.
P.S. Your voice sounds like Casey Kasem.. the sound of summer radio in 1977.
Thanks for this video. Your channel is great! I was 22 back in 1977 when I first saw StarWars. Many people today don't realize that when this movie came out, there was almost ZERO hype preceding it. There were some publicity articles in SF magazines, but mostly it was assumed to be "just another sci-fi movie". Intended for the usual "Sci-fi geek" audience (like myself). So when I walked in the theater in July '77 with my friends, we expected a mildly entertaining movie evening. Then suddenly John Williams magnificent orchestra opens the titles, followed by that unforgettable shot of the Star Destroyer filling the screen. The audience was stunned! Nobody had ever seen anything like this in the movies. Two hours later, walking out to the street, I LITERALLY felt I had just been "in a galaxy far far away". Kids and young people like me were actually running down the street, jumping in the air. It was crazy, I know. But you got to remember NOBODY back then had ever seen movie magic like this. It was an experience I've never had since.
@@delavalmilker I went to see Gene Roddenbury speak at the Salt Palace in SLC Utah in late '76 or early '77 and hot handed a flyer for a 'B' looking movie called Star Wars . 😏
Han Shot (first and Greedo not at all) was a visual character development establishment, it makes his return to bail out Luke at the Death Star that much stronger a plot point. I’ve seen the outtakes, deleted scenes, and edits, of the original film before it became the film we love. The only scene worthy of inclusion which adds to the battle of the Death Star better involves Luke’s friend from Tatooine, during the battle asking where he was and his friend’s death more poignant.
In 1977 I was in the military and three of us took a taxi from base to the next city (back when cabbies did such things) to see this. It was awesome.
I'm that 7 year old kid, who saw it in an old(100+ year Old) theater and still remeber to this day, the reaction of the audience when that ship came down from the top of the screen and went on from there to blow us away. I even saw the short movie that came with it originally.
It will ALWAYS be Star Wars. No episode IV, No New Hope.
You young'un! I was 15 when Star Wars opened at the theaters.
I remember forking out a lot of money for the "definitive collection" on LD, a huge box set of the trilogy. Then shortly after buying it, the special editions were announced. Those who bought the box set felt cheated because we thought it would be a better remastering, recompositing , something like that. Well, needless to say, after seeing the so-called special editions, we felt better about getting that set. I still have it to this day. And I think the included book was never available elsewhere to this day.
My aunt took me and my cousins to see Star Wars. I had no idea what it was about. I just knew we were going to the movies. I came out of that theater just buzzing. That was the most incredible thing I ever saw. Spent the rest of the summer flying my x-wing fighter, pretending to use the force and making light saber sounds. A friend of mine got one of the first subscription tv services I think it was called ON tv. It was only available in the evening from 8 to 11 o'clock. They were showing Star Wars as a special event on a Saturday night. He had about fifteen or twenty people over to watch it on a 19 inch tv. It was still awesome.
It's just Star Wars. Preach.
I was twelve in '77, and yeah... it's JUST Star Wars! Thanks Dan!!👍👍
4K77, 80 & 83 allow me to watch my favourite trilogy since childhood, without cringing. Warts and all, it's the way I want them.
The Project 4K team are heroes.
I had the original cut on VHS, but GOT RID OF IT when I got the DVD! I was so pissed! 🤬
I love the 4K77/80/83 versions. I think they will continue to work on them until they force Disney to release that actual original films in 4/8/16k. I'm a film grain person myself. Really enjoying your channel.
Han wasted Greedo to keep from getting blastered himself. He was not going to let anyone get the first shot off on him.
There’s an old proverb in painting, never retouch a finished picture. There’s another in film making never give J(ar) J(at) Abrams a film franchise to reboot, he only retouches (retells) badly a previous picture…
@@proto-geek248 Truer words were never spoken.
THANK YOU!!!
I also refuse to call STAR WARS …. “A New Hope” ? Nope
It’s STAR WARS … and I saw it 48 times in 1977
Thanks 🙏 again
I saw the original at sheffield uk 2-3 times a day by simply not going to school for two weeks., R2 sabotages the red one. when princess leia takes r2 to one side to record the message, she speaks the first line of the message in full before it cuts away.
c3po is taken into the crawler up a ramp on the side after it takes ages to cross the sand to him.
when it was shown on TV i thought the missing little cuts were for run time but it seems with the release of 'everything' these clips are not in, but I know what I saw.
I saw first run: the original Star Wars as an adult; I saw a number of homages to old films (and the THK1138 Reference), The Empire Strikes Back and thought it just gets better and better, and although the last Film of the Trilogy was overwhelming in specialFX, it wasn’t an improvement over that which came before, although still enjoyable. Sometime later I read that George Lucas’s wife was uncredited in both films in improvements to the story and film editing, but wasn’t involved with Return of The Jedi. The initial title was Revenge of The Jedi which is rumored to have changed Revenge of Khan to Wrath of Khan, the former SWs title being changed as Jedis getting revenge was incongruous with a group that doesn’t have anything to do with the Dark Side.
Then there’s the Midi-chlorians intelligent microscopic life forms that lived symbiotically inside the cells of all living things that Lucas pulled out of his arse with his little finger that completely removed any spirituality or mysticism from the force and only watched the rest of the prequels on DVD. As much as George Lucas films had his shortcomings after his ex left him (the quality did take a hit), I knew that Disney and J J (I just re-tell stories and not as well) Abrams would botch the final trilogy. The spin-offs by Disney fared better however from what I am told.
Class of '77 BABY!
I was 13 when Star Wars came out, missing the New Hope tag. In 2015 or so, Lucas got tired of people "complaining about they loved the original version." He and Fox briefly released a single disc of each movie, no features, offering the original and redo versions. I bought all three for the origional. They are original, but do look like some enhancement has been done. These were only out for a month and were pulled so you could only get the new versions. They do turn up at used dvd stores...if you can find a used dvd store. The originals are the best. Dan, you info is perfect to hear and listen to. Thank you. 6:10
When I watch the original version, I'm transported. I can almost feel the presence of God's Eyes and macrame hanging in the rust colored shag rug'd wreck rooms of homes across America! A presence I have not felt since...
I never seen it in 77, I was 8 at the time. In 1978 they reran it through the summer, this is when I seen it. Before that I had the "Star Wars Story Book" and had read it maybe 10 times. It had Biggs in it and I was shocked he was not in the movie till the end. It also had the squad leader telling Luke he knew his father... The biggest difference for me was the battle at the end was alot longer. The battle in the "Special Edition" has so much removed it seems choppy now. Great videos you are making.
I was also 9 when the original Star Wars came out. I was lucky enough to see it in my local theatre. When the Force Awakens came out, I went back to that same theatre (it's still open!) and saw it! Unfortunately the theatres where I first saw Empire and Return have closed.
Those are great memories :-) thanks for sharing.
I'm with ya brother!!! I was 16 when it was released in 1977, saw it first in a theater and the local drive it ran it for like 6 months where me and buds watched it like 20 times, usually in the back of a pickup with a keg of beer (you could get away with that back then).
As someone who saw star wars in ' 77 at the Oakland drive-in , and watched it one million billion times since, the original version is a treasure and treat to behold. 😂❤ the remastered versions have some good things but they detract from the original. And don't lend story wise vey well,😂
Yes, it's called STAR WARS.
What is A New Hope?
I would love to see the very first cut of star wars, the one that george lucas has locked away.
The version that made him look at it back in the 70's and reshoot scenes.
This version apparently was so bad and made no real sense, but for nostalgia sake, would be a real trip to watch.
I'd like to see it, too. But that always strikes me as fan hype. Another way to bash George Lucas, saying that his wife saved it in editing. A work print is never meant to be the final movie. People obsess over Star Wars. If we saw the work print "long cut" of other "classics" we'd think they were bad.
I was 13 when Star Wars came out and I got to see it. I was on board when Han shot first, made sense to me.
Damn straight, it's called "Star Wars"!
Will never forgive Disney for killing off my man Han Solo. Are you kidding me. Still furious every time I think of it. 😖
or how about turning Luke into a depressed hermit without any purpose just to kill him off too - or how about making 3 Star Wars movies that literally have no plot or meaning or substance lol. They had all the money and best talent available. They could've produced 3 of the greates movies ever made - like Lord of The Rings, instead they choose empty superficial garbage - cold, corporate, emotionless and empty movies with sole purpose of speading woke political ideology. So sad....
Sorry, the percentage of people who die in real life is pretty high. I think it's 100%.
Actually, I did find the original cuts on DVD. One of the releases came with a copy of the original cut and the special edition. I am one of the ones who agreed that Han shot first. If Greedo shot first, there is no way Han would have survived. If they shot at the same time, the same result. I understand why they replaced Vader with a younger Anakin, but still, it was a shame.
I had those as well, but they are not anamorphic so there are black bars on all four sides and they don't look very good zoomed in on today's larger TVs.
I share your disdain for the mouse, Dan.
Well, now I’m going to have to hoist the Jolly Roger and get 4K77.
But I have to wonder if in a few years we will be talking about 8K77.
We were spoiled as kids, those of us that got to see Star Wars during it's original release in 1977. If you can imagine, it was like seeing a UFO landing. No new motion picture from that point on will ever match the ground breaking experience that it created. And the best way to experience it, if you didn’t mind poor audio, was at a drive-in theatre. What a time to be a 7 year old.
Thanks Dan, I'm going to do some digging! I loved when the remastered Lost in Space came out a few years back. I love being able to see the wires holding the Jupiter 2 in place. I loved the summer of 77. I ponyed up my $2.50 and spent two hours being amazed.
Great!
Luckily I have the double DVD sets of the movies, each movie comes with the unedited original movie on one disc and the special edition on another. I never watch the special editions
Another Original Generation here. Saw the 1977 cinema release ( actually saw the last 20 minutes first as I walked into the wrong showing..didn't spoil a thing though) So pleased to find this. Can't wait to hear Vader growl "Bring my Shuttle" instead of “Alert my Star Destroyer to prepare for my arrival” Thanks for all your content and please keep up the great work.
I was 11 years old when Star Wars came out. I remember being in Sears at Sunrise Mall in Massapequa probably in 1978 and a movie projector was playing Star Wars. Apparently the reels were for sale and I believe it was a set of four. I wonder if those reels exist somewhere. It would have to be the original version.
Ultimate for me was when I saw it first week first run at a drive in. Original version.
That's too funny :-) the first time I saw Star Wars in the driving on the original run, I actually fell asleep lol
Hey, I was at the theater when it first came out! Due to waiting a long time outside some of the crew did a light saber skit based on the movie to the pleasure of the audience outside. Also the movie was WORTH IT!!!!
I have the Despecialzed Editions and I love them (before that all I had were the VHS tapes and the bonus discs from the 2004 (?) DVDs, which are just the the old laser disc versions).
I've recently heard of the 4K 77 project, and I will definitely get the trilogy again.
My second youngest best friend new a man that worked at a florist and gardening taped. all 3 Star Wars radio programs and I got to listen to them when he got them.
The Star Wars radio shows were awesome :-)
Finally watched 4K77, 4K80, 4K83. Such a completely wonderful experience. Ben mimicking the Krate Dragon sound, the original songs in Jedi. Just perfect!
I'd love to hear the original 70mm mix for Star Wars. Its probably the only holy grail left. All the theatrical cuts have been saved by fans except the 70mm print of Star Wars 77.
4K77 is truly awesome, even Harmy says it's the best version. I've seen the no-DNR and DNR versions. The no-DNR version is really meant for projection as it's very bright but the DNR version isn't too scrubbed.
Unless stories are true that the original "Star Wars" negative was destroyed during the making of the (not very) Special Editions, or there's something in George's deal with the house of mouse, it seems bizarre that being a company who's struggling financially and loves to squeeze the last dollar out of us, doesn't release it. Put it at a premium price point, once again (as they did on VHS and DVD) say it's the last time to buy. It is a bizarre decision not to sell.
I grew up with the orignial Star Wars like you. I alos had the Hair Style in the 80s like Luke in the Jedi Returns!
Thank you Dan for teleporting me back to my 14th birthday party in Seattle. The film had just opened. We were soooo blown away- The theater was practically empty, it was later that the lines started forming. I didn’t know about the 4K77 version, thank you! I have the VHS around here somewhere, with no player any more.
I'm with you, the original grainy 1977 movie with the original effects was the real and best Star Wars. The newer version is tainted by Lucas's dream of his true dieas of what he says he originally wanted in 77 but couldn't accomplish in that era. Personally I don't think that to be the case what I believe is he wanted a reworked movie to feed the modern masses, and that is what ruined a great cinimatic legend of a sci fi movie.
I was six when I saw it in theaters in 1977. Blew my young mind .loved the toys and merch.still do.
Nicely said. I loved the original version, mainly because of knowing how it was put together with basically cardboard, duct tape and baling wire. While the Dykstra-flex camera system was a tech innovation for its time, there was no CGI and everything felt more convincing because of that. I was amazed by Harmy's restoration. I saw a clip that supposedly was from the new 4k version and I thought it looked degraded compared with Harmy's. But maybe that was just the clip. I'll see if I can track down the new one.
I still have all three on VHS. I bought them at the Norton AFB BX around 1982 when I was serving in the USAF at the time.
That's awesome :-) I think I still have my laser discs somewhere lol
VHS machines themselves are becoming somewhat scarce, I can remember vhs tapes being incredibly expensive at the time
George Lucas always said of the "special editions" that they were the movies he wanted to make. My response to that is "but they aren't the movies you actually made!"
The end of "Jedi" is the most significant change to any of them. Not only putting Hayden Christiansen as the Force ghost of Anakin but also replacing the Ewok song! Replacing the "yub yub" song is, for some reason that i can't explain, the change that bothers me most out of all three movies. Okay, he also added footage of people celebrating on other planets in other systems so, in that regard I can understand the change in music but, it still bothers me!
The changes to the first film...the scene with Han and Jabba was unnecessary but, I won't balk at that as much. Adding creatures that weren't in the original simply to have a different visual from the original just because you can?
And changing visual effects to have a bigger explosion? While I understand the desire, it's pointless and also a bit insulting to the work of the special effects artists that worked on the originals, often inventing a way to achieve what they were after because, often no one had done those effects before that!
Yeah but then he made the prequels...
I seen the origonal Star Wars in the summer of 1977. One thing that I noticed that had changed, almost right away, was in the origonal when Vader cuts Obiewan in half, Vader used the tip of his light saber to poke through the pile of cloths because Obiewan's body is missing. The next time I seen it, Vader used his foot to stomp on the cloths. I remember this because my friends had asked me why Vader could push the cloths around with the blade tip and not burn them. I told them that the 'lazer sword' had a projected, focused force-field mirror that reflected the blade light back to the hilt. That is why the blade length slowly grows to the full length and not just appears. The force field is projected from the collar of the hilt moving outward when the blade is activated (one of the dial settings on the hilt is for blade length). I guess that too many people asked the same question for the George to handle, and he changed it (or maybe he knew that Hans would not be able to stab a pack animal in the next movie if he left the force field in place).
I love Harmy's versions. I have not have seen the 4k77 yet. I do have the 16mm versions of star wars 1977, The Empire Strikes Back 1980, Return of the jedi 1983. They are called the puggo versions.
You have a 16mm projector to play them on?
You realize how fortunate you are?
Those are getting expensive!
I downloaded the 16mm versions from the Internet Archive website some years back. I hope that they are still their on the Internet Archive.
Did you know that their was 16mm versions?.
Awesome awesome awesome: An anamorphic widescreen preservation of the best pieces of (2) 16mm prints of the original Star Wars.
What is the "Puggo GRANDE"? It is my telecine transfer and restoration of an old 16mm print of Star Wars. The film was borrowed from a source who wishes to remain anonymous, and who for now will go by the name Jaxxon. Actually, Jaxxon provided me with two prints, both of which have the original crawl. One of the prints has Swedish subtitles and the mono mix! I used the Swedish version as a source for the mono mix and for a few video segments when needed to patch damaged frames.
For the video capture, I used a 16mm Workprinter manufactured by Roger Evans of Moviestuff. The Workpriter was further modified to capture more of the frame, to more effectively capture the scope print. It also needed additional adjustment of the positioning of the lens to avoid chopping the corners. For the optical audio tracks, I used an EIKI Slimline 16mm projector. I used CoolEdit to clean the audio, and Vegas Video to sync the tracks.
For additional post-processing, I used the following:
# Virtualdub - CMYK filter (RocketJet4 Tools) for color correction,
# Vegas Video - various masking and corrections to reduce edge effects,
# PhotoStudio - to build a curved border
# Vegas Video - chroma keying the border, resize, and very light sharpening,
# TMPGEnc for encoding, and
# DVD Lab for authoring.
I took this from the Internet Archive I hope you might like too read this.
$5,000 would be nice too have lol.
@@WayneShelley-p8e
That’s extremely fascinating, and yea I wish I had the money for the physical reels myself too 😂
I'm sorry you miss understood me I don't have $5,000 but I do have those 16mm versions yes from a download from Internet Archive
Hi Dan. I must have missed this one. Yes "Star Wars" I was there May 25th, 1977 -- I was 13. In all fairness some of the shots in the original needed to be fixed, such as the Millennium Falcon taking off and the X-Wings / Y-Wings from Yavin, but, Lucas went to far. Keep up the great work.
I remember seeing Star Wars at the Hollywood Chinese Theatre back in 1977. I just want to say thi one point, Han shot first and the audience erupted into laughter when he ended Greedo. Why they altered this is an abomination.
Wow, you certainly are the original fans :-) that's awesome that you got to see it there back in 77. Yeah, from what I found out George Lucas didn't want Han to be portrayed as an assassin. So he changed it. Gee, I don't know. I thought that's what Han was? Have a great day :-) Dan
@@MoviesMusicMonsters Yes, I am aware of Lucas's motivations to soften Solo ( strange since we still have Indiana Jones gunning down a sword swinging challenger in Raiders of the Lost Ark ) and I think the man's mind was influenced by the many children that came into his life down the road. Lucas basically neutered Han Solo.
Lucas is okay with Darth Vader killing billions of people and then earning redemption, but Han Solo killing Greedo is somehow an unforgiveable offense. This doesn't make any logical sense.
I vividly remember watching the first showing of Star Wars with my older brother and we were the only two people in the theater. I am a member of the grumpy old man group that this is Star Wars.
The original version that popped up in Sweden was probably even more original than the so-called original version the reason for that was the time it took to put subtitles on it and make copies for the cinemas. The version had an effects scene that was gone a couple of years later when the original movie was released on video. It's a short clip from the scene where Millennium Falcon escapes from Tatooine just after it leaves the hangar where you can see the reflection of the ground in the underside of the Falcon's hull. The reason it was removed was probably quite simple -the Falcon's appearance in the rest of the movie is not that highly polished.
I basically had the same experience of you as I slowly realized that my version of Star Wars was being replaced. I became so disenfranchised with the SE (and the constant tweaking that somehow made it worse) that I was on the verge of just not watching them anymore. Vader saying "Nooooo!" at the end of ROTJ was the last straw for me. To be clear, I have no problem with anyone making special editions, directors cuts, etc., but don't take away the original version; that's just wrong.
Thankfully around that time I found the Harmy version and just seeing them again as I remembered reignited my love for the films. I haven't checked out these 4K77, 80 and 83 yet, but I will do that soon, thanks for the recommendation.
4K versions are amazing. They are literally exactly what we saw in the theaters. You will love them.
Agreed 100%. I saw Star Wars the 2nd day it came out at the Americana theater in MI when I was almost 12. I have Harmys versions and now the 4K versions.
I'm in the same demographic as you, bit younger but I did experience Star Wars in the theatre(twice). 1977 is the only version. I have the 4k77 version and its awesome. I'm still searching for perfect original versions of ESB and ROTJ. I still have the boxed vhs set of the THX versions, remember those?
I completely agree with you here. The original versions should be readily available to all fans, especially those of us who grew up with them that way. And I'd love to see the original trilogy remastered as well. While I appreciate George Lucas creating these masterpieces, the man went too far by altering them. If he keeps on tinkering around with them they won't even be recognizable!
Like you I'm an old man and remember that day I was 7 and immediately went back in for seconds😊😊😊😊
The vhs version (all 3 movies) came out in a nicely packaged, letterbox/widescreen with 'enhanced thx sound'. Converted to dvd, it has as close to original releases as i could get. Thanks for the info, im glad folks are on top of things, great channel!
I have this same VHS set and have no plans on selling it. 🙂
Always love the original trilogy. Harmy and project 4k are the best 2 that have given Star Wars fans what they have been looking for. Now, for the special edition, Adywans Star Wars revisited is really awesome as well. I highly recommend all of these I mentioned. May the Force be with you, always.
Good afternoon Mr. Monroe, I just want to thank you so much for your information about Star Wars 4K77 Project. I too thought that the original version was now locked away never to be seen, but with your help that is now ended. Once again thank you.
I was 2 when the original STAR WARS premiered in theaters. I'm 49 today. Being a STAR WARS fan, of course, I love it that my birthday is on MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU.
OK, so the search begins.... Thanks for the video and the information on 4K77.
It's easy to find and easy to download. Google it you'll find it :-)
Going to check them out. Personally, I want a cut that is the original theatrical cut with all of the Biggs footage recut. I have the large format comic adaptation of Star Wars, and it is based off of the shooting script, which has the Biggs scenes in it.
Also, I want the scene of Luke building his new Lightsaber in Jedi. But that's it.
I'll have to check to see if this is indeed the original 1977 version, or the 1978 re-release. There is a slight change in the end credits between the two versions. So far, I have not found a "true" 1977 version that has the original end credits. This may be because of the legal matter that caused the change, but that one little change did cause a problem with the flow of the credits.
Can you explain more on what that legal issue was?
Found your comment very interesting
@@mro4ts457 Well, this was something that I read, don't remember where, back in 1978 when STAR WARS was being first re-released. When the closing credits start, and after they list George Lucas and Gary Kurtz, the main actors are listed. The original version stopped at Alec Guinness, but the re-release listed Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and a few others AFTER Alec Guinness. This addition caused the preceding names to be shown a bit faster than previously, and also caused John Barry's name to start mid-screen, where previously, after Alec Guinness's name, the screen faded to complete black and John Barry's name started at the very bottom. From what I read, this was because a lawsuit was brought up for failing to list Anthony, Kenny, and David in the main characters section during the end credits. I don't remember what the outcome of the lawsuit was, but it was quite apparent that they must have won because they were listed in that section of the credits in the re-release. And as trivial as it may seem, I really missed seeing Alec's name fade out, the screen turn completely black, and John Barry's name start up from the very bottom. Plus, the original end credits had an interesting sync to the music that was playing, but by having to speed up the credits a bit to add the additional names, and then John's name starting mid-screen, the sync was no longer there... or at least not as effective as it was originally.
I remember taking my friends son to see the original in 77. The line was all the way around the building.
I love 4k77, 80, 83 and I also love Star Wars revisited, which is to make the special editions what they should have been and is made by a lone guy.
You and I are SO on the same page on Han shooting and the *actual* title of the film!
4K77, does this also include the bad splice between buying the droids and lowering C3PO into the cleaning bath?
This place is there, but the severity of the slice would depend I guess on which one of the many thousands of the physical films you were viewing in your theater. I always remember that being a jaunting cut :-) nice catch
You're like a missing piece in a puzzle of nostalgia that we thought had gone. Your enthusiasm & unique commentary for this stuff Dan is amazing & boy do we need it right now while disney & co rip the heart out of these stories & characters to make money & to sell a_genda_s. A hijacking & trashing of the worst kind.
The 4K project is amazing! The pacing is so much slower than any of the later releases (there were others), and if feels so grounded and gritty.
Back in '95, maybe '96, my dad introduced the little knee-high me to Star Wars through the "One Last Time" VHS set. It was essentially the original editions, just with "Episode IV: A New Hope" added to the title crawl of the first film. The only way the 4K projects could be more perfect (for me) is if they included the "One Last Time" trailer and Leonard Maltin's interviews with George Lucas as optional opening chapters before the start of each film, as I found them fascinating and watched them religiously each time I played the tapes.
Thank you to everyone who worked on these restorations! I will treasure these versions along with my old tapes to the end of time.
Absolute 100% agree. And also real Starwarsfans reconize only 3 films👍
The widescreen limited edition DVD has the original theatrical version of Star Wars. Same one I saw in 1977.
True, but the quality is really not that good. Check out 4K 77
Yes but it is only 4:3 letterbox widescreen and not anamorphic
As it happens I have the original laser disc box set of the original prints.
Thanks for the info! BTW I also have that Star Wars lunch box located behind you. It's a classic!
I had to wait until January 1978 to see Star Wars because back then New Zealand was 6 months behind the rest of the world lol.
4K77 is like traveling back to 1977 when I was 13. I got to see not only the original star wars, but I saw all 3 original starxwars movies on their opening days, but I also seen them in 70mm. That was an experience unlike any.
You are 100% correct on everything you presented here. Great job!
I am another old fart that says it's Star Wars. Not, A New Hope. Now I'm off to find 4K77.
I'm exactly like you - was 9 in 1977 and have been bewildered by George Lucas's idiotic changing of his own masterpiece. Crazy we've had to wait this long for something that should have never gone away.
The films should be properly restored, using the best original surviving materials - with or without his input.
The original trilogy is far too important to be treated like this.
I had the original Star Wars VHS until my wife got rid of the VHS tapes at a garage sale.
perhaps mark your wife down to go, at the next garage sale