The DVD of the original 'Star Wars' trilogy is getting released. The term 'original' is rather confusing because George Lucas is releasing the altered versions we saw for the 20th anniversary in the late '90s. With the new fangled special effects surreptitiously inserted all over the place. The truly original originals are now consigned to the dustbin of history as a kind of early draft. Many people object to the 'rewriting' of the Star Wars experience. My landlord for one entirely despises some of the editorial changes and supports the 'South Park' crew's horror at the alterations. Personally, I am rather more sympathetic to the film-maker's plight that motivated George Lucas to do what he did. A very telling comment is found in this article where he is interviewed:
Yeah, I understand that part of it all too well. I'd like to throw rocks at George Lucas for his sad-ass efforts at directing that still net him gazillions; even though 'Star Wars' was one of my earliest movie loves, I can't bring myself to forgive the guy for what his films have done to cinema. In fact, this is the problem I have with Both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg: How come if they're so great, I only like their old shite? To quote a great phrase from Regurgitator, "I like your old stuff, better than your new stuff". Why is that?AP: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?
Lucas: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on
VHS, if anybody wants it. ... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore. It's like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm sorry 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. I'm the one who has to take responsibility for it. I'm the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they're going to throw rocks at me, they're going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good, or at least something I think is not finished.
I used to put it down to how I grew up and it wasn't so great in retrospect, but I tell ya 'Jaws' is still a kick-butt film, as is 'Raiders...' in a way that 'Minority report' is not; 'Star Wars' and 'Empire...' are still miles more exciting than 'the Phantom Menace' or 'Attack of the Clones'. I don't think it's me; it's them! All their pathetic attempts to grow up has revealed that they never had grown up themselves, and here we are sitting and waiting for the moment cinema re-appears as an artistic expression rather than a hostage to marketing departments. So let me be the first to throw rocks, George, for if nothing else but for cinema itself, you do deserve it from all of us. Aim for the head guys.
- Art Neuro
1 comment:
While each of us agrees with the other regarding the talent of Lucas, we diverge on reason.
The brilliance of Star Wars is not in the Lucas elements. The brilliance arises not because of the Eastern Philosophy in a Western world, but because the theology, such as it is, isn't the story. The story is not about 'The Force.' The story is about growing up. The failure of the franchise to capitalise on this and the success of marketing over taste is reflected in later films.
Lucas does not know what it is that he touched on. He is proud of his mysticism. In turning the stories so that they dwell on the crap, he is devaluing his property.
Really, what should have happened, after Star Wars, was that someone should have ended his sad assed life. Then he could have practised his sad assed philosophy in hell.
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