So crazy to think that year saw the most definitive official home video release of Star Wars and has never quite been topped except for an odd silent variation I'm sure your cover in the early 90's ;-) But as a single release that was widely available, that was it. The gold standard for officially owning Star Wars happened and never again been matched. Thank you Laserdisc and Japan and of course you Nathan
Great Video-- Your expertise on the subject matter is outstanding. And I really appreciated and enjoyed seeing all the video formats you displayed. Beta, VHS and especially CED and Laserdisc-- and even VHD from Japan. I always love seeing the artwork on those larger formats -and Star Wars films always had great artwork. I had picked up a couple of VHD"s some years ago (not Star Wars-one being the Bond movie, "Moonraker") just to see what they looked like up close as they were never marketed in the U.S. --very cool indeed.
Some quick aspect ratio help: So 35mm film has a ratio fully open of 1:37/1/33, 1:66 & 2:00. When you see those ratios the film is shown as much as was photographed as possible. 1:85, 1:77/1:78, 2:35 & 2:1 are all ratios that’s are achieved by matting the image so you essentially zoom in the image to the desired ratio the director/ cinematographer wants. When tvs were 4x3 aka 1:37/1:33, they would either open up the mattes allowing the full image on the negative/ print to be seen which is fullscreen. Some films that have ratios like 2:35 are anamorphic which means depending on the lens used to film could be spherical or flat. If it is flat they can open up the mattes to make an alternatively frammed image drastically different from the widescreen but not open matte since the full image you’d seen when properly projected is completely different. Lastly we have the pan & scan which takes these already zoomed in image to the desired ratio but than zooms it in until the picture is fully within the screen distorting the image vastly beyond what it was ever intended to be. A good 2/3rds of releases from before the 90s when widescreen transfer became normal, are pan & scan only 1/3 were open matte or alt frammed for us to actually enjoy unique versions of movies while seeing all the director intended plus more. Films that are pan & scan would be: back to the future trilogy, Jurassic park and the lost world, Forrest Gump, Star Wars films original 6, Indiana jones trilogy & Friday the 13th part 3 Some alternate framed films are: the abyss, terminator 2, true lies, jaws 4, trick or treat, cry wolf & 300 Open matte films: a nightmare on elm street series, alien v predator, alien resurrection, tales from the hood, creepshow series, piranha 2, the terminator & the Texas chainsaw massacre 1,2 & 4 While all of them are fullscreen and even some say pan & scan on the cover that are not that so it really is up to people online to tell you. The term became so misleading because no one used the 3 versions of fullscreen properly so they all just became it. Some films like the godfather trilogy, gremlins duology,& so the right thing will get their initial releases at their proper ratio, these being 1:66, to only have all modern versions zoom in the image slightly zoomed it to 1:85. Even some like the abyss, Star Trek 6 & the lost boys get open ratios of 2:00 only to get more shrunk down as the modern 4K are at 2:35 matting much of the image that was shown previously. Ratios are important and it took the original Star Wars until 1994 to get a release with a proper ratio in the USA. It’s a shame people aren’t more aware of this issue
1986 was the year that CED videodiscs was the End of the Line, and “Return Of The Jedi” 2-CED set was the last of the “Star Wars” original trilogy on CED, and that complete the “Star Wars” original trilogy on CED. The final CED was “The Jewel of the Nile” by CBS/Fox Video, and the last one was “Memories of Videodiscs” which was produced by RCA where they announced their format’s swan song, a farewell to CED Videodiscs.
Case in point for Widescreen vs. Pan and Scan, there's a shot in Ghostbusters (1984) where, when I first saw it on VHS, Peter, after talking to Dana at the Lincoln Centre fountain, puts his arms out and starts spinning across the plaza. If you put on your Media Studies Hat you can infer from this certain things about his character; he's enamoured, has butterflies, because who wouldn't, so just starts spinning, to coin a phrase, giddy as a teenager. But no, in the original widescreen presentation and entirely cut off by the pan and scan, there's a guy on roller skates up by the fountain, dancing and spinning, so actually Peter's spinning can be read as being simply a sneering mockery of that guy than being the result of any fluffy emotional storytelling.
Hi Nathan. I'm interested in buying your book and I wanted to ask: should I get the second edition? What's the difference from the first? Usually I love grabbing the first edition of something, but maybe there have been some revisions or additions. thank you for reading
That's great to hear. The First Edition isn't available anymore outside of resellers, as it was taken out of print when the Second Edition launched. The First Edition in 2017 was one volume of about 300 pages, including 300+ grayscale pictures. It was only available in paperback. The Second Edition in 2021 is now three volumes with approximately 1,000 combined pages and 1,500+ full color images. All three volumes are available in paperback (regular paper but still color), a sort of deluxe hardback (glossy paper, cover actually printed on the hardcover, not a dust jacket), and then a more affordable (and lossless, as not on paper) print replica Kindle ebook version for devices that can handle that format (like a Kindle tablet, the Kindle app, but not an eInk only device like a Kindle Paperwhite). Basically, the Second Edition vastly expands on the First to the point where the First almost feels like a proof of concept now more than anything else.
@ChronoRadio Thank you for the clarification. I'm a long time fan of your helpful videos. I'm an aspiring home video collector and these videos really knock it out of the park. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Best wishes!
If you're on FB, there's a guy selling a sealed (slight shrink wrap tears) 1990 VHS copy of ROTJ in the Star Wars Home Video group that I help moderate. It's not this first round from 1986 but still pre-SE if that's the main target.
I'm guessing that the 1980s idiots who thought widescreen was inferior to full screen are the same ones who thought that a 1/3 lb. burger was smaller than a 1/4 lb. burger.
Is the Kindle an eInk reader like a Paperwhite? The book isn't compatible with those readers because it's so image intensive (and thus in print replica format). If using a reader app, you would likely need to purchase via the website in a regular browser that will then add it to your app library.
Nathan, i hope to source your books down under. Hard to find them at reasonable prices; I'm not a kindle person. Do you sell direct, sans middle man? ❤❤ Yes, you have a fan down under. Also, has ANYONE found any easter eggs/hidden features on the 2010 or subsequent blu rays of the saga, Rogue One or Solo; other than the Holiday Special Boba Fett animated segment? ❤❤
So crazy to think that year saw the most definitive official home video release of Star Wars and has never quite been topped except for an odd silent variation I'm sure your cover in the early 90's ;-)
But as a single release that was widely available, that was it. The gold standard for officially owning Star Wars happened and never again been matched. Thank you Laserdisc and Japan and of course you Nathan
Great Video-- Your expertise on the subject matter is outstanding. And I really appreciated and enjoyed seeing all the video formats you displayed. Beta, VHS and especially CED and Laserdisc-- and even VHD from Japan. I always love seeing the artwork on those larger formats -and Star Wars films always had great artwork. I had picked up a couple of VHD"s some years ago (not Star Wars-one being the Bond movie, "Moonraker") just to see what they looked like up close as they were never marketed in the U.S. --very cool indeed.
Some quick aspect ratio help:
So 35mm film has a ratio fully open of 1:37/1/33, 1:66 & 2:00. When you see those ratios the film is shown as much as was photographed as possible.
1:85, 1:77/1:78, 2:35 & 2:1 are all ratios that’s are achieved by matting the image so you essentially zoom in the image to the desired ratio the director/ cinematographer wants.
When tvs were 4x3 aka 1:37/1:33, they would either open up the mattes allowing the full image on the negative/ print to be seen which is fullscreen.
Some films that have ratios like 2:35 are anamorphic which means depending on the lens used to film could be spherical or flat.
If it is flat they can open up the mattes to make an alternatively frammed image drastically different from the widescreen but not open matte since the full image you’d seen when properly projected is completely different.
Lastly we have the pan & scan which takes these already zoomed in image to the desired ratio but than zooms it in until the picture is fully within the screen distorting the image vastly beyond what it was ever intended to be.
A good 2/3rds of releases from before the 90s when widescreen transfer became normal, are pan & scan only 1/3 were open matte or alt frammed for us to actually enjoy unique versions of movies while seeing all the director intended plus more.
Films that are pan & scan would be: back to the future trilogy, Jurassic park and the lost world, Forrest Gump, Star Wars films original 6, Indiana jones trilogy & Friday the 13th part 3
Some alternate framed films are: the abyss, terminator 2, true lies, jaws 4, trick or treat, cry wolf & 300
Open matte films: a nightmare on elm street series, alien v predator, alien resurrection, tales from the hood, creepshow series, piranha 2, the terminator & the Texas chainsaw massacre 1,2 & 4
While all of them are fullscreen and even some say pan & scan on the cover that are not that so it really is up to people online to tell you. The term became so misleading because no one used the 3 versions of fullscreen properly so they all just became it.
Some films like the godfather trilogy, gremlins duology,& so the right thing will get their initial releases at their proper ratio, these being 1:66, to only have all modern versions zoom in the image slightly zoomed it to 1:85.
Even some like the abyss, Star Trek 6 & the lost boys get open ratios of 2:00 only to get more shrunk down as the modern 4K are at 2:35 matting much of the image that was shown previously.
Ratios are important and it took the original Star Wars until 1994 to get a release with a proper ratio in the USA. It’s a shame people aren’t more aware of this issue
1986 was the year that CED videodiscs was the End of the Line, and “Return Of The Jedi” 2-CED set was the last of the “Star Wars” original trilogy on CED, and that complete the “Star Wars” original trilogy on CED. The final CED was “The Jewel of the Nile” by CBS/Fox Video, and the last one was “Memories of Videodiscs” which was produced by RCA where they announced their format’s swan song, a farewell to CED Videodiscs.
Case in point for Widescreen vs. Pan and Scan, there's a shot in Ghostbusters (1984) where, when I first saw it on VHS, Peter, after talking to Dana at the Lincoln Centre fountain, puts his arms out and starts spinning across the plaza. If you put on your Media Studies Hat you can infer from this certain things about his character; he's enamoured, has butterflies, because who wouldn't, so just starts spinning, to coin a phrase, giddy as a teenager.
But no, in the original widescreen presentation and entirely cut off by the pan and scan, there's a guy on roller skates up by the fountain, dancing and spinning, so actually Peter's spinning can be read as being simply a sneering mockery of that guy than being the result of any fluffy emotional storytelling.
Thanks for the history.
Hi Nathan. I'm interested in buying your book and I wanted to ask: should I get the second edition? What's the difference from the first? Usually I love grabbing the first edition of something, but maybe there have been some revisions or additions. thank you for reading
That's great to hear. The First Edition isn't available anymore outside of resellers, as it was taken out of print when the Second Edition launched.
The First Edition in 2017 was one volume of about 300 pages, including 300+ grayscale pictures. It was only available in paperback.
The Second Edition in 2021 is now three volumes with approximately 1,000 combined pages and 1,500+ full color images. All three volumes are available in paperback (regular paper but still color), a sort of deluxe hardback (glossy paper, cover actually printed on the hardcover, not a dust jacket), and then a more affordable (and lossless, as not on paper) print replica Kindle ebook version for devices that can handle that format (like a Kindle tablet, the Kindle app, but not an eInk only device like a Kindle Paperwhite).
Basically, the Second Edition vastly expands on the First to the point where the First almost feels like a proof of concept now more than anything else.
@ChronoRadio Thank you for the clarification. I'm a long time fan of your helpful videos. I'm an aspiring home video collector and these videos really knock it out of the park. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Best wishes!
Did you know that 1986 was also the year that the sitcom Alf premiered on television?
I didn't. That said, I was never a big fan/viewer of Alf. I wonder if it might have been on opposite something else I watched regularly instead.
Looking for Jedi on VHS now 🎉
If you're on FB, there's a guy selling a sealed (slight shrink wrap tears) 1990 VHS copy of ROTJ in the Star Wars Home Video group that I help moderate. It's not this first round from 1986 but still pre-SE if that's the main target.
I'm guessing that the 1980s idiots who thought widescreen was inferior to full screen are the same ones who thought that a 1/3 lb. burger was smaller than a 1/4 lb. burger.
4 out of 10 Americans are bad at math, so, y'know, a majority. ;)
Nathan, my kindle nor the app on my phone doesn’t allow me to purchase your books. Any guidance would be appreciated.
Is the Kindle an eInk reader like a Paperwhite? The book isn't compatible with those readers because it's so image intensive (and thus in print replica format). If using a reader app, you would likely need to purchase via the website in a regular browser that will then add it to your app library.
Nathan, i hope to source your books down under. Hard to find them at reasonable prices; I'm not a kindle person. Do you sell direct, sans middle man? ❤❤ Yes, you have a fan down under.
Also, has ANYONE found any easter eggs/hidden features on the 2010 or subsequent blu rays of the saga, Rogue One or Solo; other than the Holiday Special Boba Fett animated segment? ❤❤
@@davidleavitt835 They are exclusive to Amazon, but physical copies should be available via Amazon in most, if not all, regions.
Thanks mate. ❤ I shall look. I do enjoy your videos. @@ChronoRadio