I worked with I.L.M. from 1990-2000. I was chosen to be 1 of 4 Troopers to be in A New Hope 1997 remake. All extra's were I.L.M. employee's. What fun we all had back then. Thank You George for the memories.
I think it was one of Lucas's original ideas, to film Episode VII to IX in the Nineties and then in case proceed with the prequels. Who knows what we would have gotten
@@TBStudios91 When Lucas first thought to expand the series into prequels and sequels the plan was to release the prequel trilogy from 1986 to 1992, and then release the sequel trilogy from 1995 to 2001. A complete 9-part saga told over 24 years.
My dad had both the original vhs release and the special edition vhs. And he would let me borrow them as a kid. I spent a lot of time watching this featurette and swapping the tapes to look for all the changes. It’s safe to say my love of filmmaking came from this special feature.
His appearance in ANH is fun and all, but completely unnecessary from a story perspective. Most of the dialog is taken word for word from the Greedo sequence which makes the Jabba interaction seem a bit extraneous. I think seeing him for the first time in ROTJ is way more effective.
@@eagl3yeStar Wars often repeats dialogue. Take Palpatine when he's egging Luke along. He mentions his father's lightsaber twice in separate scenes. Another is when Qui-Gon and Watto are talking about the Queen's ship. Important information is repeated often.
Star Wars 77’ won oscars The academy wouldn’t touch Star Wars : episode 4: a new hope special editions 97’ with a 50 foot pole. The razzies on the other hand...
Neither do I. Looks like we're the minority though. I like all the clean up work they did. And s few extra connective and world building bits are ok with me. But he did go to far with A New Hope.
@Reunite The British Empire Star Trek The Motion Picture came out 2 years after Star Wars. it's not a really fair comparison, because Star Wars had to go through the challenges of doing shots that never been done before while Star Trek didn't have to.
marco thommen well the film was badly deteriorating so while digitally fixing it the added scenes they could or had to cut it has not changed the movie it’s still a great movie
Here’s something I don’t get: “It’s like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I’m sorry if you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it,But I want it to be the way I want it to be.” -George Lucas,2004 How is that not an @$$hole-ish thing to say to the world?
I miss these behind the scenes. Whether the changes were needed or not I grew up with the special editions and watching the behind the scenes before the movie started was what wanted me to be a film maker
These type of making of documentaries is what got me to enjoy special feature on DVDs, and to be honest, the prequel DVDs have the best special features.
I can only imagine how outraged fans must have been in the 80s when they attended the premiere of Return of the Jedi and realized it did NOT feature a musical number by cartoon animals! I'm glad George decided to put that in.
I was disappointed when Greedo didn’t shoot at Han, and Han didn’t break his neck when he dodged Greedo. I’m glad that the listened to the fans and added it in.
it's such a shame these films were so underappreciated in their original release... Lucas could have made a lot of money, and maybe even developed a loyal fan base - if only audiences had been spoonfed all this megalomaniacal subpar digital overkill back then.
I guess there would have been two problems. One: George Lucas was getting the prequels ready and two he wasn’t willing at the time to make more Star Wars movies after Jedi.
@@snko92 I mean, yeah. Someone lived before you as well. The word cringe has been used since the 1200s, I wasn't claiming it was irregular for people in the past to use that word, it just _feels_ that way.
Gokubond 007299 that would have made a lot of business sense and I’m sure that a lot of people would have still bought the Special Editions with the theatrical cuts still on the market ,though I’m pretty sure the Theatrical cuts of the OT would’ve still made more money, but now you can guarantee that they are going to make more money than the Special Editions.
whys that a problem? originals look absolutely horrible in comparison.. youre only saying that for nostalgia reasons, any sane person would look at the two compared and know that the special edition looks so much better
You’re not too far off... the Irishman is an uncanny valley cg mess from start to finish and it’s even got the same cast. It’s like watching 3 1/2 hours of ps4 cutscenes except somehow... even stranger.
"Back then we just didn't have the technology to put an obvious cartoon monster in a jazz band in Jabba's palace. You gotta remember, Who Framed Roger Rabbit was years in the future at that point. George originally wanted the monster's uvula to wiggle when he sang and, well, that just wasn't possible. But now, thanks to the new digital technology, that uvula is right in the audience's faces."
I love him claiming that it was his “original vision” lol how embarrassing. I Like the idea of him on set with the puppets asking the puppeteers if they could make sy snoodles belly jiggle more and if they could brake the fourth wall in a song and dance sequence, and the director and everyone else on set being like “no, George we don’t have that kind of technology yet”
@@brandontidwell9531 Actually, CGI x-wing test footage was created during the making of Empire Strikes Back. They knew what the technology was and its potential. Likewise, there were plenty of stories about Lucas being upset with how cheap some of the costumes looked on the original film during shooting. He's not just making stuff up
@@histguy101 I get the sense that George is making ~some~ stuff up. The claim that he originally intended for Jabba to be a creature which would be added on top of the in-scene actor in post production seems dubious when considering several factors. Rather than lay it all out here, I recommend Googling "secret history of star wars jabba the hutt scene" and reading the first result. It's a fascinating argument that Jabba was initially intended to be a human. Of course, I can't be 100% sure what George Lucas was actually thinking back in the 1970's, but I find the argument on Secret History of Star Wars to be compelling.
@@somecatdad There may have been some point where he was intended to be human, but not by the time A New Hope was being made. He's not human in the script or novelization.
You know the thing is this. I would be totally ok with him doing these special editions as long as he gave us the original films unaltered cleaned up to the same fidelity.
@@orlandofurioso7329 Except it isn’t the same original Star Wars? This entire video is about how they’ve changed it from the theatrical release. It’s infuriating that Lucas looked at this and cringed because of bad outdated practical effects, when now I watch it and it’s full of bad outdated cgi effects. They broke ground with much of this movie’s effects, and now they’ve practically erased them from history.
@@theunknowncommenter725 Yes and no. Star Wars was the highest-grossing movie of 1977 and considered the movie of a generation and should be preserved for that reason. It was one of the 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry its first year, but the latter never got a copy as of 2014! This was set up in 1989 after films started being modified by pan-and-scan for TV and home video as well as colorized and modified. The hypocrite, Lucas, actually gave a speech to Congress about the importance of film preservation in 1988: "Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder." "People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians." "American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history." -George Lucas.
@@theunknowncommenter725 It's not his movies anymore, he released it to the public and he asked money for it, he got the money the public got the movies, it is part of their memory and of their culture and Lucas accepted this, he didn't told them the movies are half ready, he told them this is it and the fans made him rich. He should have done what Da Vinci did with the Mona Lisa, Da Vinci didn't sold that picture, he continously worked on it and changed it, it was his. Lucas sold his movie, he cashed in and accepted how his movies went into preservation to the Film Registry as part of the american culture. He has no right to try to erase part of the world's history even if he made that history.
For the record, I actually like some of the changes, especially the improvement of the picture and sound. The x-wing battles on the Death Star in A New Hope are probably the best change of them all, followed shortly by the additions to Cloud City in Empire. Most of the changes in Jedi are bad and totally unnecessary but I do love the final celebration theme that John Williams wrote. Ultimately it just comes down to what you prefer, and maybe someday we’ll get the original versions and ever other version as a sort of branching thing on a Blu-ray, but only time will tell.
Star Wars Episode 4 - A New Hope despecialized archive.org/details/star.wars.1977.despecialized.720p.x264.ac3.5.1_20200123 5 and 6 thepiratebay.org/search.php?q=star+wars+despecialized&cat=0
I went to see Return of The Jedi Special Edition when they put them in the theaters in the late 90s, it was the only one of the original movies I got to see in a theater, but I have fond memories of it, especially the speeder bike scenes on the big screen. I don't think I had seen that movie up to that point.
Chris C he still looks like shit... and Han looks like shit when he steps on his tail. He not only ruined the pacing, but the character development of the original films. Maclunkey
The initial point was that it was a celebration of the 20th anniversary. The original plan (as of about 1993) was to just re-release the original versions in theaters. But after seeing Jurassic Park that year, George was inspired to use the trilogy as a testbed for CG content that was going to feed into the prequels, which of course it did.
@@GreifvogelSGE Yeah it barely had screentime, They added the closeup shot of it noticing and approaching Luke and then the closeup of wampa flailing with his stub that was left.
@@TitanosaurusFan75 Yea, I remembered correctly then. The reasoning was to build more tension by actually seeing the monster that's about to eat the hero, which is good imo. Not all "upgrades" are as bad as many people here make them out to be. The Bespin makeover is also very fitting imo. Also remember that in the theatrical release of ESB, Ian Mcdiarmid wasn't the Emperor (and I much prefer him!)
19:33 One of the good things about the special editions. Say what you will about models vs CGI, but digital compositing does look better. Great documentary overall.
Watching this made more pissed off at the fact that the talents of Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill have been wasted for decade in the J.J. Abrams Star Wars.
@@ChristianFrates1997 What about all of the Star Trek shows and movies made after Gene Roddenberry's death? Do those not matter? Is it possible for you to separate the art from the artist?
Be thankful the 3D re-releases of the Star Wars Saga was postponed because of Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012. Can you imagine how worse the close-up of CGI Sy Snoodles' and that hairy creature's mouths would be in 3D format?
You know, in spite of the poor and unnecessary contributions to the original films, I can't help but give credit for the technical achievements and world building George sought to implement. It changed the film industry in a big way.
I kinda love the change in the hallway with all the storm troopers but I can’t decide which is funnier, Han running into a room with an entire army, or his immediate fear and turn around once even a couple blasters are pointed in his direction... Eh both versions of that scene are gr8
@@obscure.reference It does though. There are two different jokes being told: The original has Han in the place of a barking dog. The sudden burst of courage might drive biggers dogs to run, like the stormtroopers did, but once they look at themselves and what they are being chased by, they realize their own stupidity and turn on Han. The special edition tells a simpler joke of numbers. The stormtroopers aren't confident without a great advantage over Han. One could defend both, but they are different.
@@theendisnear6351 Both jokes are good but seeing the two side by side I think the original is better, it makes Han's character a little bit more interesting, he is not a classic badass character, he is in the run from the start of his introduction, and he is in the run because he throw away his cargo when he was chased, he is not a guy who would go against 6 stormtrooper and easily win so yes the original version is more fitting. It really looks like Lucas forgot what was these movies about. Luke screaming in the end of the Empire show he doesn't understand Luke, Han shooting second and he is better than 6 stormtrooper show he forgot who Han was.
When I was 1 year old, my dad got me the complete special edition of the original SW trilogy on VHS. I never understand the behind-the-scenes clips in the beginning of those films back then, but I was amazed with those re-dos and the CGI sequences they put and kept ever since that year.
It's insane that they had to recomposite every visual effect to restore and re-release these movies. Imagine having to go through and fine every visual effect pass on every single asteroid in the ESB asteroid field chase? Nuts
@@WreckItRolfe you partially right, For example "The Abyss" was released 8 years earlier and it didn't visually degrade a bit. It's not important what kind of effects you use, but is very important how you use it. Effects must be perfectly merged with scene and story. Movies like Terminator 2, The Abyss and original SW trilogy are masterpieces.
I watched these clips so many times as a child. When I was 8 I got the Special Edition Trillogy on VHS. This beginning part of the tape became so worn out and grainy it looked like a herd of buffalo in a snowstorm!
ZackFelcen fun fact Star Wars Saga was remastered for the 2011 blu ray, not a big remaster they just fixed jabbas eyes and fixed the CGI, watch a comparison
7 років тому+9
not at all. imagine looking at the original effects in 1080 or 4k. jeez. lucas was and is right by going CGI. Don't care if you hate it and would rather have the original blown up to 4k res and show all the major imperfections that would arise. i atleast got it improved and can enjoy the movies with new effects in blueray. haters are always gonna hate
A few changes were good, but I would say a lot were bleh. I like the "cleaned up" parts obviously (fixing black lines, transparent snow speeder, etc.), the new ending, and a select few scenes (NOT the Jabba scene or dance scene).
Most of my hatred revolves around the musical number and the change to the music at the end of Jedi. I know that doesn’t matter to most people, but that ending Ewok song was what meant the finale to me as a kid. Now when I watch, it just feels hollow. Silly and sentimental? Probably. But the ending never feels the same.
I am one of the many official Star Wars generation kids being 12 years of age when Star Wars came out . Everything, I mean EVERYTHING! was Star Wars from department store ads, fast food, toys, TV shows, TV commercials, clothing , food , music, lunch boxes, Christmas tree ornaments and the list just goes on. I am so glad I lived in those decades. The decades of absolute block buster movies that still today are enjoyed and built on. Star Wars, Jaws , Close Encounters, E.T. , Superman, Star Trek, Aliens , terminator , Predator to name a few. We lived in the last of the best decades in America and were very lucky to experience the explosion of technology that took us into the 21 CENTRY !
@@jeneraljax29 Oh, you guys are fucking psychologists now...where did you get your degrees? Off Twitter and Instagram? You guys are pathetic with your "George Lucas is a hack and had nothing to do with Star Wars success" conspiracy. Because of morons like you we got Last Jedi and Disney Wars.
Andy Wenner George has always been a very cocky person even dating back to the original trilogy. Sure the first Star Wars movie was written and directed by him but if you look at old behind the scenes you can see it was clearly saved in editing yet George acted like he made the whole movie what it was himself. The first Star Wars movie was a collaborative effort, yet George acts like it was all him. He also refers to the entire original trilogy as his “baby”, even though he didn’t even direct Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. Do you ever frequently hear Irvin Kersher or Richard Marquand get talked about or credited for directing Empire and Return? No it always come down to the fact that it’s Lucas’ “babies”, it pisses me off so much. I respect Lucas for having a significant part in creating the world of the original films, but he has to stop acting like it was all his work.
It really blows my mind that we never got the blu ray of the original trilogy WITHOUT these changes !!!! I know there’s a fan made version of it but it’s not official !! And i guess I’ve seen George Lucas said it would cost a lot to make the original versions in high definition quality......... and to put most of these unnecessary and ridiculous effects later didn’t cost anything???? I’m not against 100% (almost everything I really don’t like lol) the changes he made in the special edition but it’s not how the films were made originally. By the way, thank God I’ve ordered that limited edition double disc on dvd containing the original theatrical versions without these changes !!
You know I'm willing to bet these Special Editions wouldn't nearly be as hated if George had just released the original theatrical editions for people to compare them against. But for whatever reason he didn't and only allowed these versions available. You know other film makers like James Cameron and Ridley Scott have done their own special editions of their own movies like Aliens and Blade Runner, but the original theatrical version is still made available regardless. For whatever I see Lucas loyalists defend the Special Editions with the excuse of: ''Well they were Lucas's films so he could decide what to do with them''. This isn't a very strong argument to make. Okay they were Lucas's films but that doesn't mean therefore he was incapable of making bad decisions for said films. By that logic if Leonardo Da Vinci had one day decided he was no longer satisfied with his original Mona Lisa and decided to destroy or hide the original painting from the public eye to create a new Mona Lisa that wasn't nearly as good would this be acceptable? You certainly wouldn't see anyone trying to add in CGI monkeys and Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz or CGI in films like the Dark Crystal or Labyrinth. Hell when Spielberg made that special edition of ET, and the public reacted negatively towards it, he re-released the original version and apologised for his mistake. People for years had voiced their disdain for the new editions of the classic trilogy but Lucas rubbed off their criticisms regardless. Lucas clearly has no understanding of the phrase: ''if it ain't broke don't fix it''.
Anomaly Inc Are you saying that if Salvador Dalí could come back to life, he should walk inside a museum, take down The Persistence Of Memory, a painting that millions of people know and love, and just because he discovers photoshop, he should be able to scan a dancing clown in the middle of his masterpiece?
Darkseid Thats exactly what ive been saying for years! But sadly George is an hypocrite...people forget that its the same guy who fought against Hollywood when they wanted to restore and add colors to old black and white classic movies! He was the one saying it was a crime to do such thing, that they should never alter old classics, that they should be left alone so the fans could enjoy them the way they were created!! Thats how much of an hypocrite he is! And by the way, he doesnt care about what the fans wants, he only care about himself. And the worst part is, it would be so easy to release the original unaltered versions alongside the special editions, everybody would be happy and on top of that he would make a shit load of money! It infuriates me because its us the original fans who made him a millionaire, its the original/unaltered versions that made him a millionaire, not the crappy special editions...and yet its us the original fans who get fucked the most in this, we are not allowed to watch the movies we grew up with! Besides, the unaltered versions are a million times better than the crappy special editions, its not even a debate! Anyone who says otherwise dont know shit about movies, and its not a matter of taste here, its a fact that most of the changes in the special editions dont make sense at all. The special editions are vastly inferior compared to the original versions. Anyone defending George and his refusal to release the original unaltered trilogy are complete morons, theres no reasons to defend George, hes in the wrong here. Period.
Also we all know that if it was announced that the original version of Star Wars would be made available it would make a shit ton of money, we all know that. Fans from all over the world, myself included, wants to see what people in 77 saw, and fully understand why it recieved all the Oscars it did in that year and not because it was later "ehanced" (yes under quotes cause George screwed lots of things with these special editions).
"The thing I remember most clearly is when the door also broke my door damn leg off" Morbidly ironic hearing him talk about dealing with "closing doors".
the subtle cg retouches (the death star equator revamp, x-wings, planet atmospheres etc) work really well in my opinion, you can see what Lucus had in mind. The larger-scale edits, such as the dewback & jabba, ended up ageing far worse, although they didn't look bad for 1997. That huge, giraffe-like creature in the most eisley exterior scene worked the best imo, one of the only major additions/changes I prefer.
No Jabba still looked terrible in 1997. I was in middle school when the special editions came out and bought them on VHS and I thought Jabba looked terrible even back then. I hated how different he looked compared to Return of the Jedi. Greeto shooting first looked stupid back then too. I didn’t care that he did it, I hated how fake it looked. The rest for the most part I agree we’re enhancements but Jabba and the bar scene looked like poo even when they came out. Also hated the big mouth added to the sarlacc pit.
The Special Editions...I couldn't care any less. I understand George Lucas's original vision for the original trilogy not fully realized because of the limited amount of time and technology. Besides, all of these are minor changes, the story is still the same and that's all I care about.
I personally disagree about all the changes being minor; scenes like the new Mos Eisley sequence and ‘Jedi Rocks’ are very substantial. I like some of them, but others I find obnoxious. If they had released both the originals and Special Editions in high quality, I wouldn’t mind it.
1:26 ... Okay......somebody explain this to me........... The original celluloid film deteriorated badly. It faded and turned blue. But the film that was used to film how Star Wars was being made (1:55) survived without any apparent damage. No fading or fuzzyness or anything. And that was a "wet" celluloid film, too......... You'd think that Lucas Film had the sense and money to store their precious film properly, but neglected to do so. So how did this happen? How did the film turn out so faded ?
telescopereplicator to quote John Lowery, “generally, the more successful a film is, the worse condition it’s in.” So one could say that the original three films were victims of their own success.
@@computerkid1416 we had the option, the 2006 bonus disc, it is the most consistent version with the original since it's unaltered and not recomposited or edited like the Harmy or TN-1 versions
No, they weren't. It was a bastardisiation of the originals. He felt the effects of the original looked dated. They did. He used effects from the 90s. And now they STILL look dated, and worse. He should just have left the movies as they were. All he did was make the problem worse.
"Digital technology is the thing that's going to allow that whole medium, which is science fiction and fantasy in film, to flourish as it never has before." Anyone following the MCU can't say Lucas wasn't dead-on with that statement. And he said that back in 1997.
I think movies today just dont look that good, especially the MCU. So im not sure lucas was right. It has give more flexibility. But i wouldn't say movies are better.
@@Knightmessenger There's no such thimng as "better" in movies. it's all subjective. Personally I think CGI has done more for the film industry than people realise. Most folk see the cheap and bad CGI then assume it's all like that when in fact 90% of CGI is unnoticeable. Most vehicles, streets, cityscapes, and all the other thighs we take fro granted in film and TV are often all CGI, which saves the production a LOT of money and time on permits and multiple takes. Sci-fi movies are all pretty much guaranteed to look stunning, and that's a huge boon for the genre. A few ropy digital shots when the technology was still maturing is no reason to write off what is an incredibly powerful storytelling tool when it's used right - and it is most of the time.
oddly, there's hardly any sci fi movies these days besides super heroes. We have the tech to do just about anything now, and we don't. Look at how paltry this particular list (movies set in the _future_) is getting: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_set_in_the_future
Thank you for posting this fascinating video. I like the updated edition but you cannot beat the original version since it still tells the story so well.
I felt like the reverse was somehow true for THX 1138. George had beautifully broadened the scope of that underworld society. The rearranging of certain scenes and the new edit for the first dialogue between both THX and SEN were much better for the story as well.
Yeah, that's why they did faithful adaptions of things like LORD OF THE RINGS or HARRY POTTER or Marvel Comics with just practical effects...oh wait. Lucas was EXACTLY RIGHT what he said at the close of the video about digital tech allowing filmmakers to put their stories on screen without compromise.
The peak of my childhood nostalgia factor was seeing the original trilogy on the big screen and discovering this documentary on the making of the 1997 Special Edition. It's still facinating to revisit despite the criticisms of 'fixing' the films. At the time, this was a big deal. I happily embraced 90% of the changes let alone seeing the films in a much better restored condition on the big screen. I'll never forget the experience.
Mark, Harrison and Carrie look great in these clips. The sequels should have been made between 1997 and 2003. As it is, they all looked too old and tired in Force Awakens and Last Jedi.
Han was great, absolutely great in the force awakens, Harrison actually tried with a role for the first time in a while. Leia should be tired in universe, makes a lot of sense for someone who has gone through so goddam much. Luke was great in TLJ, when projecting to crait they de-aged him somewhat, he was agile and I thought it too was great.
Return of The Jedi Special Edition Laserdisc Side 9 chapter markings. Chapter 54 at 0:00 Chapter 55 at 2:42 Chapter 56 at 8:07 Chapter 57 at 11:54 Chapter 58 at 15:49 Chapter 59 at 17:49 Chapter 60 at 22:35 Chapter 61 at 26:09 Chapter 62 at 29:02
I think Rick McCallum misses the point about Mos Eisley, and maybe SW altogether. Back in the day when the film first came out we did feel that Mos Eisley was a big space port because we used our imaginations to fill in the gaps, we didn't need to see everything, sadly a bit of a curse with some of the visuals in the prequels. Often less is more.
@@anthonyreed3682 It's not about today. The original trilogy is an important part of cinema history and should be preserved in its original form for future generations to see. Now today's kids will be confused because modern CGI didn't exist during the late 70s/early 80s.
@wespozo It's not better. It's failing to realize that once the work is finished, it now belongs to the ages. For example, nobody hears of James Cameron wanting to update the T-1000 in Terminator 2. It's classic the way it is despite any technical flaws.
i like the 2004 versions,which puts them closer and more technical to the prequels.they add temuera morrison's voice to boba to make him sound more like a clone and i am sure we appreciate that he appeared in the mandalorian.
I saw all 3 Special Editions of the films when they came out at the theatres starting with A New Hope as it wasn't just celebrating the series 20th anniversary but it was also my 20th birthday because like I said in a previous comment I was born the same year the original Star Wars came out in 1977.
I grew up with SE too(that one from 1997 then 2004 dvd) and i still think its look shity i remember i even asked my dad why these monsters looks so crap since i get Despecialized Edition i dont watched special edition even once
@@guitaristshawn you need to check websites like torrent Despecialized Edition is fan made which means you cant buy it but its amazing looks like legit version made by proffesional studio
Wow....this featurette was filmed 27 years ago......I remember watching it on TV during the hype that followed the 20th anniversary. It makes me feel old....
I think some of these changes are bad but there are also some very good ones. My personal fave is the ending of ROTJ. I think the 1997 version (the one without Hayden but with the new montage) is the definitive version of that scene. It closes the gap between both trilogies and feels more epic. "Yub Nub" is a good song to end a good trilogy but "Victory Celebration" is the perfect song to end a saga. I hope J.J. reuses Victory Celebration on Rise of Skywalker.
28:27 I watched these documentaries every time I popped my copies of the Special Editions into my VHS player back in 1997. But there definitely wasn't a clip of Dennis Muren eluding to the prequels...
Everyone’s hoping of course that Disney is going to release the original trilogy as was released in the 70s and 80s. Fans WANT it! I don’t want the Special Edition. It was cool to go to movie theaters and see the changes that were made. It was like a novelty but I don’t want to only be able to watch those for the rest of my life. I WANT to see the compromises I WANT to see the ingenuity of limitations and the way they got around them in the 70s and 80s. Those movies are classics and won Academy Awards for special-effects and sound and to take them and all of that Genius and hard work and just erase it is a sin.
Grego The Dago Yep, i totally agree with you! Ive been saying it for years, its a crime and an insult to the fans and especially to the first fans who paid to see the original trilogy in 1977,1980 and 1983, we are the ones who made Star Wars what it is today. And preventing everyone from being able to watch the original trilogy the way it was released in the first place is a crime imo! I also heard that George refuses to release them because of his ex-wife! She supposedly has the rights to the original versions of episodes 4-5-6 or something like that, and if he releases them, she will makes a lot of money out of it, so thats the reason why he refuses to do it...which if true, is even worst imo! Because if he really refuses to release them for the fans because of reasons like that, well theres no other way of saying it than, hes a complete asshole who puts personal matters before and over the fans!! Anyway, ive got tired of waiting, so i downloaded the “unaltered trilogy” on bluray, and im telling you, they are absolutely AMAZING! They are the exact same movies that were released in 1977-1980 and 1983! They are literally perfect, theyve turned everything back the way they were originally, absolutely everything..even the color tones of the original movies are back the way they were! Oh and they are in HD too! So dont wait and go download them, they are totally free and if youre like me, you wont watch the “special editions” ever again after watching this amazing unaltered trilogy!
I heard they are going to re-release the original trilogy, however, they have digitally removed sir Alec Guinness and added Kathleen Kennedy into everyone of his scenes, so it can be more diverse and have lesson old-straight-white-men in it. Also, Luke is a girl but is actually transgendered in an extended scene.
I get what george was doing he wanted to perfect his vision of star wars and damn I believe he did but not having the OG available for fans that want them is a big problem.
I don’t hate the Special Editions, but I do prefer the theatrical version of the Original Trilogy. I get what he was going for in a lot of these changes but where I feel he epically f up was in not keeping the unaltered version in the market, leaving us with these versions. The Special Editions are no longer the Special Editions, they’re the final cut. If George Lucas had a time machine and could replace the original one with the Special Edition back in 1977, he would.
Coming back to this comment after some time can still say that I stand by most of what I said, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’ve come to appreciate the idea of what the special editions meant to George Lucas and in the end his intentions were never bad. With that said I still feel it was a huge mistake not letting both versions coexist with each other, but I don’t hate every change. Every technical change (i.e. sound, lighting, and small correction here and there) to enhance the quality of the film is a welcomed change in my eyes and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I did like seeing the wampa and an improved scene with Vader and Palpatine in Empire and some other changes I don’t mind too much. I don’t mind the battle of Yavin having some CG shots for example and the beak on the Sarlaac pit, but others are just too big to be ok with it. I don’t wanna see an unnecessary extension to the mos eisly space port scene with dumb CGI nonsense, I don’t wanna see Greedo shooting at all, I don’t wanna see an unnecessary scene with a CG Jabba the Hutt, I don’t wanna hear dumb and unnecessary line changes or people voices change from one actor to another, I don’t wanna see some ugly CG puppets singing and dancing to cringe worthy music and I don’t wanna see one being replaced by another one in the last scene of the movie. I rest my case.
Sloid haha the “need” to put a cgi rock in front of r2, oh and the desperate need to fill the entire frame up with a blurry cgi Dino leg for several seconds in the mos eisley scene. Oh and the need for cgi slapstick comedy. They definitely needed to show that one aliens cgi uvula and tonsils close up. Yeah these movies were really suffering without these changes I’m glad the movies are watchable now that they added these necessities. The story really didn’t work before.
@@brandontidwell9531 you are talking about at most two minutes of footage compared to the whole remastering of digital shots that aged poorly, that's a very bad comparison
I don't mind the special editions, george said he wanted to make some updated that he couldn't do because of stress and money, so that's what he dead and I love the special editions, and I say they're all good in my opinion.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![Fox TV Special -- "Star Wars: The Magic and the Mystery" (1997), [RAW]*](/img/n.gif)
I worked with I.L.M. from 1990-2000. I was chosen to be 1 of 4 Troopers to be in A New Hope 1997 remake. All extra's were I.L.M. employee's. What fun we all had back then. Thank You George for the memories.
That would have been fun. Cool.
That would be perfect.
Glad you had a good time, Shame the Special Editions are crap.
@@WesTheHunter Shut up, a##hole.
i have a slide picture from that time... i never seen that image publish. ( 4 troopers on top of a dune)
How young the original cast looked in 97 - shame the sequels weren't shot then.
A fundamental mistake to make the prequels then.
I think it was one of Lucas's original ideas, to film Episode VII to IX in the Nineties and then in case proceed with the prequels. Who knows what we would have gotten
Mark Hamill, in 1983, said Lucas wanted the sequels to start in 2011, but obviously Lucas was too old by then. So he sold it a year later in 2012.
It was a shame the sequels were shot at all.
@@TBStudios91 When Lucas first thought to expand the series into prequels and sequels the plan was to release the prequel trilogy from 1986 to 1992, and then release the sequel trilogy from 1995 to 2001. A complete 9-part saga told over 24 years.
Personally I think jaba the 1982 puppet aged better than these 1997 graphics....15:46
Defiantly, the 1997 Jaba looks like crap. 2011 Jaba doesn’t look much better.
yep they really failed it...early 3D suck
hash tag me #Too
The Puppet is still good today.
@wespozo No
Its so weird seeing the actors as "semi-old"
Brinley you mean older than they were in the films but younger than they are now?
@@izzymaedavidson1974 yep
You will be there someday too, Kiddo
@@ravenwear let's see if I can become a space wizard on the way
George still has a little colour in his hair.
My dad had both the original vhs release and the special edition vhs. And he would let me borrow them as a kid. I spent a lot of time watching this featurette and swapping the tapes to look for all the changes.
It’s safe to say my love of filmmaking came from this special feature.
Not letting the audience see Jabba until the 3rd film was genius
He did intend for him to show up in anh but the stop motion wasn't ready , so he decided to scrap it
@@anthonygarcia8749 the scene still sucks, whether he always wanted it to be included or not
His appearance in ANH is fun and all, but completely unnecessary from a story perspective. Most of the dialog is taken word for word from the Greedo sequence which makes the Jabba interaction seem a bit extraneous. I think seeing him for the first time in ROTJ is way more effective.
@@eagl3yeStar Wars often repeats dialogue. Take Palpatine when he's egging Luke along. He mentions his father's lightsaber twice in separate scenes. Another is when Qui-Gon and Watto are talking about the Queen's ship. Important information is repeated often.
@@anthonygarcia8749Indeed. It's an important scene. Especially since we're already introduced to him in TPM during the podrace.
I do not HATE the special edition, however, the effects form '77 made Star Wars that huge hit!
Almost all of them still remain in the special edition
Star Wars 77’ won oscars
The academy wouldn’t touch Star Wars : episode 4: a new hope special editions 97’ with a 50 foot pole.
The razzies on the other hand...
Neither do I. Looks like we're the minority though. I like all the clean up work they did. And s few extra connective and world building bits are ok with me. But he did go to far with A New Hope.
@Reunite The British Empire Star Trek The Motion Picture came out 2 years after Star Wars. it's not a really fair comparison, because Star Wars had to go through the challenges of doing shots that never been done before while Star Trek didn't have to.
marco thommen well the film was badly deteriorating so while digitally fixing it the added scenes they could or had to cut it has not changed the movie it’s still a great movie
I still own the original cuts on VHS baby
Laserdisc yo! I made DVD back-up copies in case my LD player died too.
@@wado1942 Any idea how to make backups of the SE VHS cuts? Need to make a back up of mine too...
@@themightythor1160 Backups of Special Edition VHS tapes? I used a Hauppage WinTV-HVR-9xx series USB device for my Laserdiscs.
@@wado1942 care to share?
Here’s something I don’t get:
“It’s like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I’m sorry if you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it,But I want it to be the way I want it to be.” -George Lucas,2004
How is that not an @$$hole-ish thing to say to the world?
I'm happy the special editions were made, it gave kids in my generation a chance to see the original trilogy in the theater.
I miss these behind the scenes. Whether the changes were needed or not I grew up with the special editions and watching the behind the scenes before the movie started was what wanted me to be a film maker
I may despise the changes made to these films, but goddamn if this ain't some fascinating shit to watch.
Mark Chapman would shoot Lucas for being
*A PHONEY*
These type of making of documentaries is what got me to enjoy special feature on DVDs, and to be honest, the prequel DVDs have the best special features.
@@nathanyoung7587 yah that's the dumbest thing i heard in my entire life
@@nathanyoung7587 no i don't enlighten me😂
@@nathanyoung7587 I'd call them about even. They both serve the same end result: bastardizing three perfectly good movies.
5:55 is why this movie worked. Lucas struck gold with this trio of actors.
I can only imagine how outraged fans must have been in the 80s when they attended the premiere of Return of the Jedi and realized it did NOT feature a musical number by cartoon animals! I'm glad George decided to put that in.
I'm glad they added the other singer who looks like an insect. He is a valuable addition to the Star Wars canon.
Now 23 years later you can still enjoy those effects
I was disappointed when Greedo didn’t shoot at Han, and Han didn’t break his neck when he dodged Greedo. I’m glad that the listened to the fans and added it in.
I very much preferred the original Lapti Nek that Jabba's band jammed.
it's such a shame these films were so underappreciated in their original release... Lucas could have made a lot of money, and maybe even developed a loyal fan base - if only audiences had been spoonfed all this megalomaniacal subpar digital overkill back then.
Omg , the new movies should of been filmed at this time... Carrie looked amazing... Luke and han were looking great..
Yeah, they really should have
I guess there would have been two problems. One: George Lucas was getting the prequels ready and two he wasn’t willing at the time to make more Star Wars movies after Jedi.
Lucas had a plan to film the sequels in 2011.
11:03 I don't know why but hearing someone say "Cringe moment" in 1997 is bizarre.
@@snko92 I mean, yeah. Someone lived before you as well. The word cringe has been used since the 1200s, I wasn't claiming it was irregular for people in the past to use that word, it just _feels_ that way.
@@snko92 I think you're missing the point here
I agree
Star Wars has always been ahead of its time.
This was all very exciting back in 1997. Little did we know it would be the only version going forward. And that's the problem.
Agreed. I never understood why people hated George Lucas... but now I do!
If they released it along side the original but restored in HD I wouldn't have a problem with the special editions
I have the originals along with the special edition. They belonged to my sisters ex who cheated on her, so I kept them. *Score*
Gokubond 007299 that would have made a lot of business sense and I’m sure that a lot of people would have still bought the Special Editions with the theatrical cuts still on the market ,though I’m pretty sure the Theatrical cuts of the OT would’ve still made more money, but now you can guarantee that they are going to make more money than the Special Editions.
whys that a problem? originals look absolutely horrible in comparison.. youre only saying that for nostalgia reasons, any sane person would look at the two compared and know that the special edition looks so much better
Next: More CGI Mobsters added to The Godfather.
This comment needs much more likes.
and a CGI Shark in Jaws
You’re not too far off... the Irishman is an uncanny valley cg mess from start to finish and it’s even got the same cast. It’s like watching 3 1/2 hours of ps4 cutscenes except somehow... even stranger.
Brandon Tidwell I loved The Irishman but you are not wrong
Jabba the Hutt in The Godfather would actually be amazing
"Back then we just didn't have the technology to put an obvious cartoon monster in a jazz band in Jabba's palace. You gotta remember, Who Framed Roger Rabbit was years in the future at that point. George originally wanted the monster's uvula to wiggle when he sang and, well, that just wasn't possible. But now, thanks to the new digital technology, that uvula is right in the audience's faces."
I love him claiming that it was his “original vision” lol how embarrassing.
I Like the idea of him on set with the puppets asking the puppeteers if they could make sy snoodles belly jiggle more and if they could brake the fourth wall in a song and dance sequence, and the director and everyone else on set being like “no, George we don’t have that kind of technology yet”
@@brandontidwell9531 Actually,
CGI x-wing test footage was created during the making of Empire Strikes Back. They knew what the technology was and its potential.
Likewise, there were plenty of stories about Lucas being upset with how cheap some of the costumes looked on the original film during shooting. He's not just making stuff up
@@histguy101 I get the sense that George is making ~some~ stuff up. The claim that he originally intended for Jabba to be a creature which would be added on top of the in-scene actor in post production seems dubious when considering several factors. Rather than lay it all out here, I recommend Googling "secret history of star wars jabba the hutt scene" and reading the first result. It's a fascinating argument that Jabba was initially intended to be a human.
Of course, I can't be 100% sure what George Lucas was actually thinking back in the 1970's, but I find the argument on Secret History of Star Wars to be compelling.
@@somecatdad There may have been some point where he was intended to be human, but not by the time A New Hope was being made. He's not human in the script or novelization.
Yes because the incredibly fake looking, stiff, cloth, muppet with visible strings, looked so much better
It’s glad we can see his real vision. I totally understand why it wasn’t feasible to have maclunky in the original cut
You know the thing is this. I would be totally ok with him doing these special editions as long as he gave us the original films unaltered cleaned up to the same fidelity.
@@TheMovieHowze disney really should release that footage although it could happen especially with Star Wars vintage a thing now.
@@simond7225 funny thing is, he kinda did they just couldn’t get the puppet to move the way he wanted it too
@@TheMovieHowze the movies are not that different honestly. We still have 99% of the original film
Yes, it’s totally understandable that he couldn’t put a rock in front of R2D2 when he’s hiding from the sand people, that was just too advanced.
These were the first versions I saw as a kid. I always loved watching these behind the scene clips before the movie!
James Cooper Me too.
So you saw the shitty special editions first? That sucks
@@_Boobear_ it's still the original Star Wars dude
@@orlandofurioso7329 Except it isn’t the same original Star Wars? This entire video is about how they’ve changed it from the theatrical release. It’s infuriating that Lucas looked at this and cringed because of bad outdated practical effects, when now I watch it and it’s full of bad outdated cgi effects. They broke ground with much of this movie’s effects, and now they’ve practically erased them from history.
@@AaronfromQueens for ten minutes of footage in 6 hours of movies?
What they achieved with the technologies which was available in 70's is mind blowing!
And Lucas spoiled nearly all of that when he dubbed the Special Editions the “official versions” of the films.
"They were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." -Ian Malcolm
Lucas finds a way
Star Wars memes with Jurassic Park templates - we speak the language of gods xD
They are George's movies, so he should make/change them the way he sees fit.
@@theunknowncommenter725 Yes and no. Star Wars was the highest-grossing movie of 1977 and considered the movie of a generation and should be preserved for that reason. It was one of the 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry its first year, but the latter never got a copy as of 2014! This was set up in 1989 after films started being modified by pan-and-scan for TV and home video as well as colorized and modified.
The hypocrite, Lucas, actually gave a speech to Congress about the importance of film preservation in 1988:
"Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder."
"People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians."
"American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history." -George Lucas.
@@theunknowncommenter725 It's not his movies anymore, he released it to the public and he asked money for it, he got the money the public got the movies, it is part of their memory and of their culture and Lucas accepted this, he didn't told them the movies are half ready, he told them this is it and the fans made him rich.
He should have done what Da Vinci did with the Mona Lisa, Da Vinci didn't sold that picture, he continously worked on it and changed it, it was his. Lucas sold his movie, he cashed in and accepted how his movies went into preservation to the Film Registry as part of the american culture. He has no right to try to erase part of the world's history even if he made that history.
Shockingly, the 50th anniversary of Star Wars is in just seven more years.
Now it’s only 3 years!
Rick McCallum's eyebrows look like they're about to fly off his face.
They're so dense, every single hair on his eyebrows has so many things going on
THEY DO
What is it with ricks
In the special edition version of Rick McCallum, they removed his eyebrows.
each stanza kind of rhymes with the previous
- George Constanza (probably)
I remember popping in the special edition VHS tapes as a kid and listening to this at the beginning as I fell asleep! Left an imprint on me
For the record, I actually like some of the changes, especially the improvement of the picture and sound. The x-wing battles on the Death Star in A New Hope are probably the best change of them all, followed shortly by the additions to Cloud City in Empire. Most of the changes in Jedi are bad and totally unnecessary but I do love the final celebration theme that John Williams wrote. Ultimately it just comes down to what you prefer, and maybe someday we’ll get the original versions and ever other version as a sort of branching thing on a Blu-ray, but only time will tell.
Star Wars Episode 4 - A New Hope despecialized archive.org/details/star.wars.1977.despecialized.720p.x264.ac3.5.1_20200123
5 and 6 thepiratebay.org/search.php?q=star+wars+despecialized&cat=0
joão thanks for the info but I’m aware of the despecialized versions. I just hope that one day we’ll get an official release
@@TrentPruitt1997 👍
The y-wings in the special edition of Star Wars was too wide and looked stretched. Terrible CGI.
I went to see Return of The Jedi Special Edition when they put them in the theaters in the late 90s, it was the only one of the original movies I got to see in a theater, but I have fond memories of it, especially the speeder bike scenes on the big screen. I don't think I had seen that movie up to that point.
Well those CG effects dated fast!
I saw the special editions of A New Hope & The Empire Strikes Back in theaters. The CGI looked bad even back then.
@@robertherrick6703 Yup. I face palmed when they showed Jabba.
@@robertherrick6703 The Jabba has been redone again for the Blu Ray release. He looks much better now
Chris C he still looks like shit... and Han looks like shit when he steps on his tail. He not only ruined the pacing, but the character development of the original films. Maclunkey
Some, not all. Space scenes are generally on the easy side, but creatures/characters in plain sight/daylight are always problematic.
It's not bad that he added scenes, it's that so many of the bold ones were for comedy.
He should have just done this after Revenge of the Sith.
The initial point was that it was a celebration of the 20th anniversary. The original plan (as of about 1993) was to just re-release the original versions in theaters. But after seeing Jurassic Park that year, George was inspired to use the trilogy as a testbed for CG content that was going to feed into the prequels, which of course it did.
But they say in the video that the original 1977 negative was deteriorating and was saved at the last minute
Goodbye, Carrie fisher.
She was always hotter sober.
*-INCAZZARE-*
Good ridance
I really didn't care for the special editions, but. . . It did revive Star Wars and brought some cool new merchandise out.
Hoth Wampa was actually one of the better add ons to the original movie
Makes it less mysterious
Wasn't it on the original film?
@@darthdavlo9516 I think it was but it had less screen time
@@GreifvogelSGE Yeah it barely had screentime, They added the closeup shot of it noticing and approaching Luke and then the closeup of wampa flailing with his stub that was left.
@@TitanosaurusFan75 Yea, I remembered correctly then. The reasoning was to build more tension by actually seeing the monster that's about to eat the hero, which is good imo. Not all "upgrades" are as bad as many people here make them out to be. The Bespin makeover is also very fitting imo. Also remember that in the theatrical release of ESB, Ian Mcdiarmid wasn't the Emperor (and I much prefer him!)
19:33 One of the good things about the special editions. Say what you will about models vs CGI, but digital compositing does look better.
Great documentary overall.
Watching this made more pissed off at the fact that the talents of Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill have been wasted for decade in the J.J. Abrams Star Wars.
I hope the ST will get better appreciation over time, like the PT has.
GameStation3 maybe Disney’s 10, 11 and 12 installments of Star Wars will get the job done
@@uscman I'm already 51 years old. I hope they do make them better than the last 2 before I die.
@@gamestation2690The Disney Trilogy won’t because it wasn’t made by George Lucas.
@@ChristianFrates1997 What about all of the Star Trek shows and movies made after Gene Roddenberry's death? Do those not matter? Is it possible for you to separate the art from the artist?
"I thought it would be funny in the middle of a Star Wars movie" -- George Lucas
Well..it wasn't funny.
Actually, it was. Just not in the way Lucas intended.
I love that scene. There's nothing like it in other big space operas.
Cringest scene of the original trilogy.
I really didn't need that hairy thing yelling in my face
Be thankful the 3D re-releases of the Star Wars Saga was postponed because of Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012. Can you imagine how worse the close-up of CGI Sy Snoodles' and that hairy creature's mouths would be in 3D format?
You know, in spite of the poor and unnecessary contributions to the original films, I can't help but give credit for the technical achievements and world building George sought to implement. It changed the film industry in a big way.
The changes enhanced the films.
That's so adult.
I kinda love the change in the hallway with all the storm troopers but I can’t decide which is funnier, Han running into a room with an entire army, or his immediate fear and turn around once even a couple blasters are pointed in his direction...
Eh both versions of that scene are gr8
Grass Board Nerds agreed. The changes seem totally unnecessary there, but both scenes are great.
the scene does not change at all regardless of how many storm troopers there are
@@obscure.reference It does though. There are two different jokes being told:
The original has Han in the place of a barking dog. The sudden burst of courage might drive biggers dogs to run, like the stormtroopers did, but once they look at themselves and what they are being chased by, they realize their own stupidity and turn on Han.
The special edition tells a simpler joke of numbers. The stormtroopers aren't confident without a great advantage over Han.
One could defend both, but they are different.
There is at least 6 stormtroopers there, if you have to fight against 6 people you will lose.
@@theendisnear6351 Both jokes are good but seeing the two side by side I think the original is better, it makes Han's character a little bit more interesting, he is not a classic badass character, he is in the run from the start of his introduction, and he is in the run because he throw away his cargo when he was chased, he is not a guy who would go against 6 stormtrooper and easily win so yes the original version is more fitting.
It really looks like Lucas forgot what was these movies about. Luke screaming in the end of the Empire show he doesn't understand Luke, Han shooting second and he is better than 6 stormtrooper show he forgot who Han was.
When I was 1 year old, my dad got me the complete special edition of the original SW trilogy on VHS. I never understand the behind-the-scenes clips in the beginning of those films back then, but I was amazed with those re-dos and the CGI sequences they put and kept ever since that year.
Even 20 years ago they all look so much younger; especially Carrie.
It's insane that they had to recomposite every visual effect to restore and re-release these movies. Imagine having to go through and fine every visual effect pass on every single asteroid in the ESB asteroid field chase? Nuts
I blame Fox and other studios for not caring about preserving old film reels.
This is why shooting in digital is better for preservation
The CGI in Jurassic Park looks better, and that was released nearly 5 years before.
The CGI in Terminator 2 is even better and that was released 6 years earlier.
The CGI in Terminator 2 only looks good because it was liquidesque.
@@WreckItRolfe you partially right, For example "The Abyss" was released 8 years earlier and it didn't visually degrade a bit. It's not important what kind of effects you use, but is very important how you use it. Effects must be perfectly merged with scene and story. Movies like Terminator 2, The Abyss and original SW trilogy are masterpieces.
There's only 15 minutes of dino footage in that movie
The Abyss, T2, Jurassic Park and this were all done by the same people.. pretty funny
I watched these clips so many times as a child. When I was 8 I got the Special Edition Trillogy on VHS. This beginning part of the tape became so worn out and grainy it looked like a herd of buffalo in a snowstorm!
Bravo Sierra maaan.
Same, got them at about 5 or 6 I think and watched them hundreds of times.
That CGI Jabba looked so off.
lincolnlobster it was fixed in the 2012 blu ray
YodaIAm 69 It was not fixed 😂
ZackFelcen fun fact Star Wars Saga was remastered for the 2011 blu ray, not a big remaster they just fixed jabbas eyes and fixed the CGI, watch a comparison
not at all. imagine looking at the original effects in 1080 or 4k. jeez. lucas was and is right by going CGI. Don't care if you hate it and would rather have the original blown up to 4k res and show all the major imperfections that would arise. i atleast got it improved and can enjoy the movies with new effects in blueray. haters are always gonna hate
It's not needed but I'm glad they went back and finished that scene.
A few changes were good, but I would say a lot were bleh.
I like the "cleaned up" parts obviously (fixing black lines, transparent snow speeder, etc.), the new ending, and a select few scenes (NOT the Jabba scene or dance scene).
@@BoiseBlue75 aweful
Yes I appreciate cleaning up the film and enhancing some scenes. But adding new cgi characters and over stuffing scenes with none since is stupid
Most of my hatred revolves around the musical number and the change to the music at the end of Jedi. I know that doesn’t matter to most people, but that ending Ewok song was what meant the finale to me as a kid. Now when I watch, it just feels hollow. Silly and sentimental? Probably. But the ending never feels the same.
I agree it wasn't nessecary to do anything more
I am one of the many official Star Wars generation kids being 12 years of age when Star Wars came out . Everything, I mean EVERYTHING! was Star Wars from department store ads, fast food, toys, TV shows, TV commercials, clothing , food , music, lunch boxes, Christmas tree ornaments and the list just goes on. I am so glad I lived in those decades. The decades of absolute block buster movies that still today are enjoyed and built on. Star Wars, Jaws , Close Encounters, E.T. , Superman, Star Trek, Aliens , terminator , Predator to name a few. We lived in the last of the best decades in America and were very lucky to experience the explosion of technology that took us into the 21 CENTRY !
funny how whenever there's something good, George says "I did" but when describing something he didn't like, he says "they couldn't"
Shut up stupid
Yeah shut the fuck up dumbass.
I disagree with these other 2 numbnuts, don't listen to them. That's a very inciteful psychological observation.. well done!
@@jeneraljax29 Oh, you guys are fucking psychologists now...where did you get your degrees? Off Twitter and Instagram? You guys are pathetic with your "George Lucas is a hack and had nothing to do with Star Wars success" conspiracy. Because of morons like you we got Last Jedi and Disney Wars.
Andy Wenner George has always been a very cocky person even dating back to the original trilogy. Sure the first Star Wars movie was written and directed by him but if you look at old behind the scenes you can see it was clearly saved in editing yet George acted like he made the whole movie what it was himself. The first Star Wars movie was a collaborative effort, yet George acts like it was all him. He also refers to the entire original trilogy as his “baby”, even though he didn’t even direct Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. Do you ever frequently hear Irvin Kersher or Richard Marquand get talked about or credited for directing Empire and Return? No it always come down to the fact that it’s Lucas’ “babies”, it pisses me off so much. I respect Lucas for having a significant part in creating the world of the original films, but he has to stop acting like it was all his work.
awesome, love the changes! thanks george, i always loved your vision.
Target aquired
Ernie prepares to commit a hate crime
I think you should leave.
I don't hate the Special Editions, they got me into Star Wars. But I do hope we get the original versions someday.
It really blows my mind that we never got the blu ray of the original trilogy WITHOUT these changes !!!! I know there’s a fan made version of it but it’s not official !! And i guess I’ve seen George Lucas said it would cost a lot to make the original versions in high definition quality......... and to put most of these unnecessary and ridiculous effects later didn’t cost anything???? I’m not against 100% (almost everything I really don’t like lol) the changes he made in the special edition but it’s not how the films were made originally. By the way, thank God I’ve ordered that limited edition double disc on dvd containing the original theatrical versions without these changes !!
Can't we just focus on how adorable George's hair is in this?
This is a pretty neat documentary, i have this on laserdisc.
Matthew Gaudet laserdisc. Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. A long time...
@@himynamelscolin if you hung out with me you'd hear it a lot.
16:23 Jabba says "Paska" = "sh*t" in Finnish
You know I'm willing to bet these Special Editions wouldn't nearly be as hated if George had just released the original theatrical editions for people to compare them against. But for whatever reason he didn't and only allowed these versions available. You know other film makers like James Cameron and Ridley Scott have done their own special editions of their own movies like Aliens and Blade Runner, but the original theatrical version is still made available regardless. For whatever I see Lucas loyalists defend the Special Editions with the excuse of: ''Well they were Lucas's films so he could decide what to do with them''. This isn't a very strong argument to make. Okay they were Lucas's films but that doesn't mean therefore he was incapable of making bad decisions for said films. By that logic if Leonardo Da Vinci had one day decided he was no longer satisfied with his original Mona Lisa and decided to destroy or hide the original painting from the public eye to create a new Mona Lisa that wasn't nearly as good would this be acceptable? You certainly wouldn't see anyone trying to add in CGI monkeys and Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz or CGI in films like the Dark Crystal or Labyrinth. Hell when Spielberg made that special edition of ET, and the public reacted negatively towards it, he re-released the original version and apologised for his mistake. People for years had voiced their disdain for the new editions of the classic trilogy but Lucas rubbed off their criticisms regardless. Lucas clearly has no understanding of the phrase: ''if it ain't broke don't fix it''.
But it was broke lol
The originals are inferior to the special editions
Anomaly Inc Are you saying that if Salvador Dalí could come back to life, he should walk inside a museum, take down The Persistence Of Memory, a painting that millions of people know and love, and just because he discovers photoshop, he should be able to scan a dancing clown in the middle of his masterpiece?
Darkseid Thats exactly what ive been saying for years! But sadly George is an hypocrite...people forget that its the same guy who fought against Hollywood when they wanted to restore and add colors to old black and white classic movies! He was the one saying it was a crime to do such thing, that they should never alter old classics, that they should be left alone so the fans could enjoy them the way they were created!! Thats how much of an hypocrite he is! And by the way, he doesnt care about what the fans wants, he only care about himself. And the worst part is, it would be so easy to release the original unaltered versions alongside the special editions, everybody would be happy and on top of that he would make a shit load of money! It infuriates me because its us the original fans who made him a millionaire, its the original/unaltered versions that made him a millionaire, not the crappy special editions...and yet its us the original fans who get fucked the most in this, we are not allowed to watch the movies we grew up with! Besides, the unaltered versions are a million times better than the crappy special editions, its not even a debate! Anyone who says otherwise dont know shit about movies, and its not a matter of taste here, its a fact that most of the changes in the special editions dont make sense at all. The special editions are vastly inferior compared to the original versions.
Anyone defending George and his refusal to release the original unaltered trilogy are complete morons, theres no reasons to defend George, hes in the wrong here. Period.
@Mark Legend
Calmly expressing an opinion isn't crying, you idiot. 😂
Also we all know that if it was announced that the original version of Star Wars would be made available it would make a shit ton of money, we all know that. Fans from all over the world, myself included, wants to see what people in 77 saw, and fully understand why it recieved all the Oscars it did in that year and not because it was later "ehanced" (yes under quotes cause George screwed lots of things with these special editions).
I don't hate the special editions I just think we also need the theaterical versions
"The thing I remember most clearly is when the door also broke my door damn leg off"
Morbidly ironic hearing him talk about dealing with "closing doors".
the subtle cg retouches (the death star equator revamp, x-wings, planet atmospheres etc) work really well in my opinion, you can see what Lucus had in mind. The larger-scale edits, such as the dewback & jabba, ended up ageing far worse, although they didn't look bad for 1997. That huge, giraffe-like creature in the most eisley exterior scene worked the best imo, one of the only major additions/changes I prefer.
They did succeed on that part with the prequels, they do feel far larger than the originals (much more lively planets)
No Jabba still looked terrible in 1997. I was in middle school when the special editions came out and bought them on VHS and I thought Jabba looked terrible even back then. I hated how different he looked compared to Return of the Jedi. Greeto shooting first looked stupid back then too. I didn’t care that he did it, I hated how fake it looked. The rest for the most part I agree we’re enhancements but Jabba and the bar scene looked like poo even when they came out. Also hated the big mouth added to the sarlacc pit.
And your point it's, Old will Tmp?
@@coreyfisler8663 idk bro I wrote this 3 years ago wyd
This is like Michael Jackson re-doing his face so many times until he finally just looked like a monster. 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
dwalden74 That’s IGNORANCE!
@@Kalle72 Allegedly, allegedly
👨🏾🦱>👦🏻>🧟♂️>👽 sham-one hee hee
Did he also add a cringey musical dance number ?
Georges did not stopped there. The 4k versions are the best IMHO. THANK YOU GEORGES !!!
The Special Editions...I couldn't care any less. I understand George Lucas's original vision for the original trilogy not fully realized because of the limited amount of time and technology. Besides, all of these are minor changes, the story is still the same and that's all I care about.
I personally disagree about all the changes being minor; scenes like the new Mos Eisley sequence and ‘Jedi Rocks’ are very substantial. I like some of them, but others I find obnoxious. If they had released both the originals and Special Editions in high quality, I wouldn’t mind it.
Still have these special editions on VHS in a box set in impeccable state.
11:55 where it all starts to go wrong.
“ we show mos eisley in a much grander scale”
Meanwhile there’s a couple of cartoon robots doing slapstick comedy on screen
The idea was great, and in 2004 version it looks good
1:26 ... Okay......somebody explain this to me...........
The original celluloid film deteriorated badly. It faded and turned blue. But the film that was used to film how Star Wars was being made (1:55) survived without any apparent damage. No fading or fuzzyness or anything. And that was a "wet" celluloid film, too.........
You'd think that Lucas Film had the sense and money to store their precious film properly, but neglected to do so.
So how did this happen? How did the film turn out so faded ?
telescopereplicator to quote John Lowery, “generally, the more successful a film is, the worse condition it’s in.” So one could say that the original three films were victims of their own success.
I'm guessing that the behind the scenes stuff either was shot on video, or was also film and was restored and regraded the same way the film was.
I can only guess that before Lucasfilm became Independent Fox did not care enough to preserve the prints, happens more often than you think
The Special Editions were amazing additions to the films. Thanks George!
I would agree if it weren't for the fact that they erased over the originals. I wish we had the option to watch both.
@@computerkid1416 we had the option, the 2006 bonus disc, it is the most consistent version with the original since it's unaltered and not recomposited or edited like the Harmy or TN-1 versions
No, they weren't. It was a bastardisiation of the originals. He felt the effects of the original looked dated. They did. He used effects from the 90s. And now they STILL look dated, and worse. He should just have left the movies as they were. All he did was make the problem worse.
Say what you like about the additions, I actually like the new Wampa footage for Empire. The creature looks great and the footage fits perfectly
"Digital technology is the thing that's going to allow that whole medium, which is science fiction and fantasy in film, to flourish as it never has before."
Anyone following the MCU can't say Lucas wasn't dead-on with that statement. And he said that back in 1997.
I think movies today just dont look that good, especially the MCU. So im not sure lucas was right. It has give more flexibility. But i wouldn't say movies are better.
@@Knightmessenger There's no such thimng as "better" in movies. it's all subjective.
Personally I think CGI has done more for the film industry than people realise. Most folk see the cheap and bad CGI then assume it's all like that when in fact 90% of CGI is unnoticeable. Most vehicles, streets, cityscapes, and all the other thighs we take fro granted in film and TV are often all CGI, which saves the production a LOT of money and time on permits and multiple takes.
Sci-fi movies are all pretty much guaranteed to look stunning, and that's a huge boon for the genre.
A few ropy digital shots when the technology was still maturing is no reason to write off what is an incredibly powerful storytelling tool when it's used right - and it is most of the time.
@@Knightmessenger I agree. Let's compare T2 to Dark Fate
oddly, there's hardly any sci fi movies these days besides super heroes. We have the tech to do just about anything now, and we don't. Look at how paltry this particular list (movies set in the _future_) is getting:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_set_in_the_future
Thank you for posting this fascinating video. I like the updated edition but you cannot beat the original version since it still tells the story so well.
I felt like the reverse was somehow true for THX 1138. George had beautifully broadened the scope of that underworld society. The rearranging of certain scenes and the new edit for the first dialogue between both THX and SEN were much better for the story as well.
Those mechanical practical effects are way more impressive than any of George's computers could ever be.
Yeah, that's why they did faithful adaptions of things like LORD OF THE RINGS or HARRY POTTER or Marvel Comics with just practical effects...oh wait. Lucas was EXACTLY RIGHT what he said at the close of the video about digital tech allowing filmmakers to put their stories on screen without compromise.
@@peterthx dude are you blind? CGI is everywhere now... doesn't mean it always works... case in point...
good bye carrie Fisher.😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔
Cgi wasn't so great at the time
The peak of my childhood nostalgia factor was seeing the original trilogy on the big screen and discovering this documentary on the making of the 1997 Special Edition. It's still facinating to revisit despite the criticisms of 'fixing' the films. At the time, this was a big deal. I happily embraced 90% of the changes let alone seeing the films in a much better restored condition on the big screen. I'll never forget the experience.
I am glad that George had the opportunity to upgrade his classic work. Most filmmakers never get that opportunity.
and that is good. look at the mess he made.
@TeylaDex Okay, crank.
I find it funny how the music changes are either atrocious, like Jedi Rocks, or emotionally beautiful, like Victory Celebration.
Mark, Harrison and Carrie look great in these clips. The sequels should have been made between 1997 and 2003. As it is, they all looked too old and tired in Force Awakens and Last Jedi.
Han was great, absolutely great in the force awakens, Harrison actually tried with a role for the first time in a while. Leia should be tired in universe, makes a lot of sense for someone who has gone through so goddam much. Luke was great in TLJ, when projecting to crait they de-aged him somewhat, he was agile and I thought it too was great.
They could have adapted the Thrawn trilogy by that time.
Sad the CGI doesn't exist in that years or the CGI are bad
The ridiculous musical number in Jabba's palace was embarrassingly bad!
When it comes to the CGI characters, they haven't aged well, but the CGI vehicles are so much better.
Mechanics and inanimate objects are so much easier to do than creatures...that....and space scenes are generally forgiving.
- former VFX artist
Return of The Jedi Special Edition Laserdisc Side 9 chapter markings.
Chapter 54 at 0:00
Chapter 55 at 2:42
Chapter 56 at 8:07
Chapter 57 at 11:54
Chapter 58 at 15:49
Chapter 59 at 17:49
Chapter 60 at 22:35
Chapter 61 at 26:09
Chapter 62 at 29:02
So "This is there the fun begins" was Han Solo line! 😁
LOL
I think Rick McCallum misses the point about Mos Eisley, and maybe SW altogether. Back in the day when the film first came out we did feel that Mos Eisley was a big space port because we used our imaginations to fill in the gaps, we didn't need to see everything, sadly a bit of a curse with some of the visuals in the prequels. Often less is more.
But most kids today lack the imagination we had in the 70s and 80s. They have to be shown EVERY LITTLE DETAIL to understand it.
@@anthonyreed3682 It's not about today. The original trilogy is an important part of cinema history and should be preserved in its original form for future generations to see. Now today's kids will be confused because modern CGI didn't exist during the late 70s/early 80s.
@wespozo It's not better. It's failing to realize that once the work is finished, it now belongs to the ages. For example, nobody hears of James Cameron wanting to update the T-1000 in Terminator 2. It's classic the way it is despite any technical flaws.
They don't lack it. Media are dumbing it down. For everyone.
Idocracy it's on its way
J So we have a real life President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho now?
i like the 2004 versions,which puts them closer and more technical to the prequels.they add temuera morrison's voice to boba to make him sound more like a clone and i am sure we appreciate that he appeared in the mandalorian.
Jabba in Episode IV is genius!! I'm so thankful they put that in there as originally intended
Bradley Parker lol
How did the Jabba sequence ever get finaled? It looked nothing like the puppet in ROTJ.
It took a year of hard work to do, I wouldn't have the heart to tell them that it'd be scrapped completely to those poor VFX artists if I were George.
George repeating “you just fly it” to Ford is the funniest thing iv heard
Thank You Mr Lucas!
Interesting that the commentary doesn't actually discuss Greedo shoots first
I saw all 3 Special Editions of the films when they came out at the theatres starting with A New Hope as it wasn't just celebrating the series 20th anniversary but it was also my 20th birthday because like I said in a previous comment I was born the same year the original Star Wars came out in 1977.
Sure the 1997 effects don’t hold up today.... but as an eight year old watching this on VHS on a CRT television it looked amazing!
25:10-25:12 is the only part of the new musical number I actually like
3:14
RIP Carrie Fisher
I grew up watching these special editions so it didnt really bother me much
I grew up with SE too(that one from 1997 then 2004 dvd) and i still think its look shity i remember i even asked my dad why these monsters looks so crap since i get Despecialized Edition i dont watched special edition even once
ExtremePlayGames how do you get that? I've never been able to watch the original versions and it's a shwame
ExtremePlayGames shame*
@@guitaristshawn you need to check websites like torrent Despecialized Edition is fan made which means you cant buy it but its amazing looks like legit version made by proffesional studio
@@Extreme96PL will do thank you
Not every change was good, but there were more good changes than bad changes.
Thanks for this. I have the original cuts and all the DVD's but I remember this VHS version. I loved it at the time but the original is the best.
Wow....this featurette was filmed 27 years ago......I remember watching it on TV during the hype that followed the 20th anniversary. It makes me feel old....
I think some of these changes are bad but there are also some very good ones.
My personal fave is the ending of ROTJ. I think the 1997 version (the one without Hayden but with the new montage) is the definitive version of that scene. It closes the gap between both trilogies and feels more epic. "Yub Nub" is a good song to end a good trilogy but "Victory Celebration" is the perfect song to end a saga.
I hope J.J. reuses Victory Celebration on Rise of Skywalker.
28:27 I watched these documentaries every time I popped my copies of the Special Editions into my VHS player back in 1997. But there definitely wasn't a clip of Dennis Muren eluding to the prequels...
Everyone’s hoping of course that Disney is going to release the original trilogy as was released in the 70s and 80s. Fans WANT it! I don’t want the Special Edition. It was cool to go to movie theaters and see the changes that were made. It was like a novelty but I don’t want to only be able to watch those for the rest of my life. I WANT to see the compromises I WANT to see the ingenuity of limitations and the way they got around them in the 70s and 80s. Those movies are classics and won Academy Awards for special-effects and sound and to take them and all of that Genius and hard work and just erase it is a sin.
Grego The Dago Yep, i totally agree with you! Ive been saying it for years, its a crime and an insult to the fans and especially to the first fans who paid to see the original trilogy in 1977,1980 and 1983, we are the ones who made Star Wars what it is today. And preventing everyone from being able to watch the original trilogy the way it was released in the first place is a crime imo! I also heard that George refuses to release them because of his ex-wife! She supposedly has the rights to the original versions of episodes 4-5-6 or something like that, and if he releases them, she will makes a lot of money out of it, so thats the reason why he refuses to do it...which if true, is even worst imo! Because if he really refuses to release them for the fans because of reasons like that, well theres no other way of saying it than, hes a complete asshole who puts personal matters before and over the fans!! Anyway, ive got tired of waiting, so i downloaded the “unaltered trilogy” on bluray, and im telling you, they are absolutely AMAZING! They are the exact same movies that were released in 1977-1980 and 1983! They are literally perfect, theyve turned everything back the way they were originally, absolutely everything..even the color tones of the original movies are back the way they were! Oh and they are in HD too! So dont wait and go download them, they are totally free and if youre like me, you wont watch the “special editions” ever again after watching this amazing unaltered trilogy!
You can
Harmy's Despecialized Edition!
I just watch my VHS versions
I heard they are going to re-release the original trilogy, however, they have digitally removed sir Alec Guinness and added Kathleen Kennedy into everyone of his scenes, so it can be more diverse and have lesson old-straight-white-men in it. Also, Luke is a girl but is actually transgendered in an extended scene.
“We see some more beast and burden in the city”
You got that right
I get what george was doing he wanted to perfect his vision of star wars and damn I believe he did but not having the OG available for fans that want them is a big problem.
Han walking around Jabba,they could have just cut away for a couple of seconds ,much easier
I don’t hate the Special Editions, but I do prefer the theatrical version of the Original Trilogy. I get what he was going for in a lot of these changes but where I feel he epically f up was in not keeping the unaltered version in the market, leaving us with these versions. The Special Editions are no longer the Special Editions, they’re the final cut. If George Lucas had a time machine and could replace the original one with the Special Edition back in 1977, he would.
Coming back to this comment after some time can still say that I stand by most of what I said, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’ve come to appreciate the idea of what the special editions meant to George Lucas and in the end his intentions were never bad. With that said I still feel it was a huge mistake not letting both versions coexist with each other, but I don’t hate every change. Every technical change (i.e. sound, lighting, and small correction here and there) to enhance the quality of the film is a welcomed change in my eyes and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I did like seeing the wampa and an improved scene with Vader and Palpatine in Empire and some other changes I don’t mind too much. I don’t mind the battle of Yavin having some CG shots for example and the beak on the Sarlaac pit, but others are just too big to be ok with it. I don’t wanna see an unnecessary extension to the mos eisly space port scene with dumb CGI nonsense, I don’t wanna see Greedo shooting at all, I don’t wanna see an unnecessary scene with a CG Jabba the Hutt, I don’t wanna hear dumb and unnecessary line changes or people voices change from one actor to another, I don’t wanna see some ugly CG puppets singing and dancing to cringe worthy music and I don’t wanna see one being replaced by another one in the last scene of the movie. I rest my case.
I remembered that these movies are on Disney plus.
Thanks Lord, we have the Silver Screen and GrindHouse edition!
I remember owning the 3 movie set of the special editions in that beautiful gold Darth Vader box. Star Wars was still magical at this point.
This is the best documentary about the making of the Special Editions. George explains very well the need to improve the certain scenes he changed.
Sloid haha the “need” to put a cgi rock in front of r2, oh and the desperate need to fill the entire frame up with a blurry cgi Dino leg for several seconds in the mos eisley scene. Oh and the need for cgi slapstick comedy. They definitely needed to show that one aliens cgi uvula and tonsils close up. Yeah these movies were really suffering without these changes I’m glad the movies are watchable now that they added these necessities. The story really didn’t work before.
@@brandontidwell9531 you are talking about at most two minutes of footage compared to the whole remastering of digital shots that aged poorly, that's a very bad comparison
I don't mind the special editions, george said he wanted to make some updated that he couldn't do because of stress and money, so that's what he dead and I love the special editions, and I say they're all good in my opinion.