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A couple of days ago I was quietly relaxing on the lounge with my son - he was watching Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and I was reading.

Anyway, I have only ever watched bits and pieces of Episode 1, as far as I'm concerned, the first three, or is that the last three?, were the best and Lucas shouldn't have bothered with the last three, or is that the first three? . I mean really, what's Star Wars without Han solo and Luke Skywalker? Without Han Solo and Princess Leia? Without Han Solo and Chewbacca? Did I mention Han Solo?

Where was I? O.K. Anyway, my son says something about Yoda and Luke Skywalker. Finally, he gets my attention. He's telling me that Yoda looks like Luke. Of course, I think he's either joking or he's been drinking too much red cordial. "Look Mum, look," he says. So I do. And funnily enough I can see a strong resemblance.

So, has anyone else noticed this? It really is quite bizarre!

No,

I can't honestly say that I do see it, but I will double check. Many people are currently upset with Mr. Lucas. Lucas announced that he will never release the original theaterical release of the original trilogy on DVD.

Best,

Lance Man

Never say never. The only reason why I can think he doesn't want to release SW 4-6 on DVD is that the special effects would look cheesy by today's standards. But, even Lucas can't ignore all the cash that could be raked in if they were released on DVD. Eventually, they will be on DVD.

TomSpeed wrote:Never say never. The only reason why I can think he doesn't want to release SW 4-6 on DVD is that the special effects would look cheesy by today's standards. But, even Lucas can't ignore all the cash that could be raked in if they were released on DVD. Eventually, they will be on DVD.

I don't know, they might not be ever released in their original cut. Luca$ for some god forsaken reason thinks that his "fixed" versions are much better. And if he also wants all six movies to work perfectly together with a minimum of plot holes than he will make sure they never see a legit dvd release.

I personally am anti-bootleg for the most part, the only way I will ever buy bootlegs are if they are not available in a way that I can watch. For instance I buy some bootleg anime because I can't speak Japanese and most R2 japanese dvds aren't released with subtitles. Though I do buy Japanese R2s when they do have english subs, to support the cause, though my wallet hates the 50 USD it costs per dvd. I am getting to a point here lol , I plan on buying the bootleg Star Wars DVDs because I do believe that they will never see the light of day. And if by some weird chance they do it wont be until , at the very least, 2006. I will of course buy them legit if they ever did come out in any region.

Otherwise if my VHS tapes that I bought of Star Wars prior to his changes to them look good enough and I can get a clean digital version of them I will be making my own DVDs of the original trilogy (when I get my DVD-RW). God I hope I was smart enough as a kid to get the Widescreen version , I haven't looked at them in atleast 8 years so I can't remember.

Look how long it take Luca$ to get anything out. The Indiana Jones movies are just coming out sometime later this year.

If you are really desperate you can find halfway decent quality bootlegs of the OT.

Yoda's in Luke's family tree? I'm sure any resemblance is coincidental.

TomSpeed wrote:Yoda's in Luke's family tree? I'm sure any resemblance is coincidental.

Ditto on that, but I really wouldnt put it past Lucas to do that

Next you'll be saying Luke and Leia are brother and sister ... ... oh wait...

lance wrote:No,

I can't honestly say that I do see it, but I will double check. Many people are currently upset with Mr. Lucas. Lucas announced that he will never release the original theaterical release of the original trilogy on DVD.

Best,

Lance Man

Travesty. I have been waiting for years. My husband has them on VHS, but he won't let me open them. They are still wrapped. It's torture!

fnordboy wrote: Look how long it take Luca$ to get anything out. The Indiana Jones movies are just coming out sometime later this year.

i can understand the Lucas bashing, but you have to respect the fact that he wants to do it right. in an artical he said that he wants to worrie about EP 1-3 before he works on the DVD's for 4-6. and some of the Special edition is an improvment IMHO. Jedi was a bit over the top.
if anyone is looking to get excellent copys, buy a laser disc player and the Star Wars Ultimate Edition. it was put out before the Special Edition, and looks amazing. player run about 50 bux, and the set will probably be another 50, but its worth it.

sid_barrett wrote: he said that he wants to worrie about EP 1-3 before he works on the DVD's for 4-6. and some of the Special edition is an improvment IMHO. Jedi was a bit over the top.

He needs to worry a little more IMO

The main problem comparing SW 1-3 and 4-6 is that there will never be an ensemble of actors like Hammill, Ford, Fischer, etc. If you really look at 4-6, the writing is just as bad as 1-2. However, the actors make 4-6 great. I think Lucas has balls for making the prequels. However, he was doomed to fail before he shot reel one of SW 1.

TomSpeed wrote:The main problem comparing SW 1-3 and 4-6 is that there will never be an ensemble of actors like Hammill, Ford, Fischer, etc. If you really look at 4-6, the writing is just as bad as 1-2. However, the actors make 4-6 great. I think Lucas has balls for making the prequels. However, he was doomed to fail before he shot reel one of SW 1.

I wouldnt say he has balls. Regardless of what he put out their all us fanboys would go see it and buy the DVDs. He could have wiped his ass with the film stock and projected it (which is basically what he has done ) and we all go and watch them. It is just htis whole childhood connection we all have that we have to go see them, I dont know, maybe to try and relive a moment from then.

The only time I drew the line is when he was doing the "touched up" versions. I saw the first one and I thought it was complete and utter crap and refused to see the other two.

I agree though, the writing was just as bad in the first trilogy. The actors are what made it. But they also werent as 'kiddie' as these movies are , except of course Jedi.

Oh, this'll be a long rant. Bear with me.

The inherent problem, which I'm guessing Lucas didn't realise was going to become so big, was the fact that the gargantuan story he wanted to tell in the first place was waaaay ahead of SFX tecnology from Day One (that being the minute he started writing "The Star Wars", the original script).

He makes the first movie, invents new technology in order to pull as much of it off before the money dried up, and promptly created both a franchise and a new entry into pop culture.

Then comes Empire, a film he did not direct. More progression, more cash. Ditto on Jedi. Then... nothing.

Meanwhile, the Fox Home Vodeo department keeps reissuing the Original Trilogy (OT) pretty frequently, until they ominously market the OT "for the last time".

A couple years later, the Special Editons (SE) come out, which was essentially a show-and-tell to Fox that CGI can work, and a testing ground for what will be come Episode I. It didn't really work for me. Though the end dog-fight over the Death Star was greatly improved, the constant distractions of cute new things was annoying. But hey, that's me.

It's also where it starts to get really muddled. Lucas, a man who was only going to do the first Star Wars film, then nine, and now six, has to backtrack and make the whole shebang make sense. To him, the first three still aren't quite up to snuff yet.

He gave us the ending, which was the beginning - Darth Vader and the Empire are running amok, trying to destroy the rebellion, but the long lost Jedi are about to come back in the form of a farm boy. Now he has to make all six movie look like one series.

So he makes Episode I (now forcing every SW movie to be referred to by number... ugh) and somewhat falls on his face; too slow, Jar Jar, acting too wooden, etc. But, he could care less because he owns the whole show. He's not hired help. and besides, he says that EI was simply a set-up for EII. Riiight.

What's more frightening was the revelation that the OT actually "don't exist" - they're drafts to him. Now, because Lucas has the cash and CGI, the OT are scrap paper because he wants, no strike that, he HAS to retrofit modern technology into a series that filmed between 1976 and 1983. Characters from the current trilogy will appear in the old, such as the footage of Natalie Portman shot during Episode II's production that will be inserted somewhere into the SE's.

And so on. Endless drafts and redrafts. Years from now, the IMDB will list Star Wars as 1977, 1997, 2005, 2008...

And what about the simple, charming movie that I saw when I was six? GONE. Now it's part of a massive, slick example of directors not knowing when to quit.

I suggest that if he hates the "drafts" so much, if there are so many flaws, if the two series of films don't connect quite right - REMAKE THEM. Then release the OT as they were released. They're movie history, and it wouldn't kill him to offer them.

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Yoda was eventually tied to the Skywalker family, even if I don't see a resemblance (...yet ). For all I know, Star Wars will never be finished, forever retooled, while other directors release astounding trilogies with both their original and special editions made available. By the end of this year alone, both the Matrix and Lord of the Rings trilogies will be completed. Done, and done brilliantly. Lucas is still working on a twenty-some-ood year old movie.

Yeah, they're his films, but they're also film history, as well as milestone in my life. Why not respect all of those?

Gary

Great F-ing post Gary!

Remind me to buy you a beer one day

Thanks buddy. I'll take a Diet Coke if it's okay with vous.

Gary

Gary,

Great post I think you covered just about everything.

Best,

Lance Man