I was WRONG about the Star Wars Special Editions (Watching 4K77)

[@sonnyhale]

Brave Blade I’d appreciate it if you could pin/heart this comment so that it reaches the widest audience. Here are instructions on how to access the projects: 1. Click on the link in the description and click onto the forums. 2. Scroll down and click on the thread looking for Project 4K77/4K80/4K83 etc. 3. Click on the thread saying you need to register before you can see these forums. 4. Register with the invite code in the thread. 5. Wait for your account to be activated. 6. Get Downloading!

[@BraveBladeProductions]

I should have given more specific instructions in the video. Thank you very much @sonnyhale, I'm sure a lot of people will appreciate this.

[@christophermiller3031]

I had 3 vhs with original star wars no edit that I loaned out and never got back... nonetheless watching the original star wars on vhs no cgi was amazing. I will be screenshottng this comment and checking it out. I will probably be making my own vhs. I don't care about the value of my original vhs... it's the experience I miss.

[@mishynaofficial]

@@uatu_the_watcher Forums -> How To Download -> How to download -> follow the instructions in the forum post.

[@montehasspoken]

@bravebladeproductions great video, would appear that the invite codes are rarer than a politician keeping a promise though :(

[@sonnyhale]

⁠@@montehasspokenFollow the instructions in my pinned comment and you will find these ‘rare’ invite codes.

[@Rawbtube]

In 1977 I was 8 years old and I saw Star Wars 9 times in the theatre. It was my total focus. When I saw 4K77 for the first time and saw C-3PO's colour, my stomach flipped over. I didn't remember it, it was imprinted deep inside my psyche, and I realized I hadn't seen him look like this in over 40 years.

[@busydadscooking001]

Yeah. The color changes give it a subtly different feel. I think they wanted to align with later movie's color look, but it's not the sun bleached desert planet that it was in 77, or the castle-white look of the star destroyers that originally grabbed you. I get this is a personal preference.

[@SuperVstech]

I’m same age, but my dad was in the Air Force, and we were moving a lot when SW came out. I never even heard about SW until 78 when I was already out of the country… but I did see ESB and ROTJ in theaters and agree, 4K looks amazing.

[@johto]

Yes, the color timing is so important ! I was born 1977 but i already started watching these at very young when they were still fresh and only just came to VHS. Here in Finland, VHS back then was very rare. I grew up playing this trilogy on a loop. At least the color timing on VHS were pretty accurate. I did went and watch the special editions to the cinema, but something was "off". The bluray was a ugly mess. Getting watching these a on projector with good sound, these 4k77 etc versions were like a time capsule back in my childhood + cinema experience. I cherish these very much, and you bet i have these backed up very safely ! LOL

[@AronRoss72]

So how did the color timing of the original trilogy special editions compare to these 4K 35MM scans?

[@KD--jz5zi]

Same but even younger at 6yrs of age at the cinema in 1977. Harmy got the ball rolling with this and I also like his edition too.

[@GrackAlaciN]

I screened 4K77 at a movie theater a couple of years ago just for the staff. It was a great experience seeing it on a big screen with film grain. The theater is one of the few left in my country that still screen 35mm.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

That’s unreal, so lucky.

[@johnnycashlesscomedy8616]

I recently built a 220” high gain screen and 4K77 looks fantastic. Being powered by a Sony xw6000 projector that looks as good or better than an actual theater. It looked amazing.

[@mattburnett4185]

@@johnnycashlesscomedy8616 Home cinema projectors are so good these days

[@Specterno1]

Wish I could do this to show my kids

[@wingflanagan]

I'm among those old enough to have seen the original _Star Wars_ (before it was rebranded as _Episode IV: A New Hope)._ I also had the great fortune to be living in LA at the time and got to see it in the historic Chinese Theater. It's hard to explain to someone who has never known a time without _Star Wars_ what an astounding experience it was. No one had EVER seen ANYTHING like it before. To our eyes the effects work was perfection itself. The closest anyone had come before it was _2001: A Space Odyssey,_ which was relatively static by comparison. _Star Wars_ took it not just to the next level, but a couple of levels beyond. Then there was the story, the acting, the dialogue...flawless. It was so involving that even without the special effects, it would have been a fantastic film. You left the theater feeling like something fundamental had changed in cinema itself. It just can't be overstated. All props to George Lucas, but I don't think he ever really understood that his later tinkering just struck my generation as a kind of desecration. Good to see the original experience is available again!

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Wow what a time to be alive!

[@andrewsloan4228]

Comment Perfection.

[@HabitualJoker]

Very jealous!

[@Wordalot]

Star Wars, KISS, and the Dallas Cowboys. Sprinkle in Smokey and the Bandit and Close Encounters - 1977 was a hell of a year. I was very lucky to be a kid that summer.

[@JoseyWales44s]

I 100% agree with everything you said. I truly feel sorry for fans who did not see it during the summer of 1977. It was an entirely different experience. I was 10 years old and rode 60 miles to San Jose, CA, with my parents to see it in 70mm at the giant Century theaters, very much like the Cimerama Dome in LA. The 2-3-hour wait in line only fueled our excitement and anticipation. It was truly a magical experience after the lights went out. When the lights came back on, my mother, never known as a huge sci-fi fan, looked at us and said, "Let's stay and see it again". We made the trip to San Jose many times over the following thirteen months.

[@originaldarkwater]

It's so weird how Lucas is such a proponent of film conservation for OTHER movies, but is so adamant about burying the original theatrical releases of Star Wars. If Blade Runner can have 5 different versions available on Blu-ray for the connoisseurs, why not Star Wars?

[@BraveBladeProductions]

EXACTLY!

[@scottb3034]

because marcia lucas gets royalties for the original movies and he doesn't want her to see any money from his work for cheating on him while return of the jedi was being made.

[@darthbigred22]

@@scottb3034 That's totally understandable. But the SE hate came in with the over the top GL ruined my childhood nonsense that led to Disney atomic bombing our childhoods.

[@scottb3034]

@@darthbigred22 Lucas sold his companies and Star wars because fans were relentlessly hating on the prequels. If they were given the reception they have now, he might not have sold them. Then again, maybe he would have so he could focus on raising his kid.

[@ericbaker8781]

@@scottb3034he probably should have tried making better movies then.

[@tribaltroll]

My favorite thing about the 4K77-83 scans is that the movies actually *look* like movies from their respective era. The film grain and overall quality looks like movies from that time. It adds to the experience. Watching the newer Blu-ray or Disney versions, the video quality is just excessively modern and clean. It actually looks *too* good. Just my two cents.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

A bit of grain is nice, recent releases try their best to get rid of it entirely and it sucks.

[@tombraiderstrums09]

I think the Blu-Rays look worse than the VHS. The special effects just weren’t made for that hi-res of a screen.

[@johto]

Yes indeed, and when watching with a projector with big screen and big sound, its like transported to that era cinema. Good analog technicolor film grain !

[@satnav1980]

They removed the film grain from one of the Blu-ray releases of Predator. It is abysmal looking. People look weird. I'm so glad I got the better version on Blu-ray.

[@mishynaofficial]

Exactly my thoughts. When a film is true to its aesthetic, it allows you to immerse yourself deeper into the film. This is especially important for Star Wars, which is primarily escapism. The CGI "enhancements" take me away from the film because they differ stylistically and tonally. And can I say that I love the original style of the 70s and 80s? It definitely adds nostalgia.

[@D2SProductions]

Don't get me wrong I like both the original theatrical versions and the special edition version, but I wonder why they made some of the changes they made. For example in the theatrical version of Empire Strikes Back, after R2-D2 gets spit out by that swamp creature, in the original theatrical version Luke cracks a bit of a joke saying something like, "it's a good thing you don't taste very good," and in the special editions they changed Luke's dialog to something like, "you were lucky you got out of there." I'm not sure why they changed that dialog, but I always liked that little joke.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

The Special Editions go too far in some places.

[@timothymchugh4852]

I remember that! I thought that was a poor choice, too. After a couple decades I thought maybe I had imagined it. Thanks for confirming that I'm not crazy. :D

[@dragons_red]

Because Lucas is obsessive to a fault

[@mishynaofficial]

Because George "too much" Lucas. In 1997 they re-released the original trilogy and many of the changes are a marketing ploy to make the new version even more different. "Come see the new Star Wars because we've changed everything!" Just change for the sake of change. It's a pity, there was no one nearby to restrain his ruthless creativity, as in the 70s and 80s. As for the joke, George probably wanted to make the movies even more accessible to children and therefore thought the joke was too dark for children. Marketing, marketing, marketing.

[@chrisc_1012]

​@@BraveBladeProductionsI wish there was a halfway house No CGI extra or reworking if dialogue - But a pristine 4K version with the correct colour balancing, rather than exact replica of as-released originally

[@TightPantsJack]

The hallway chase scene in A New Hope worked in the original because the Stormtroopers realized that, in order to get the drop on Han, all they had to do was TURN AROUND. It was funny, completely logical and practical. It made SENSE and it was perfect for the entire five seconds of screentime that it took. Then the Special Edition comes along, and someone in charge thought “y'know, there should be more guys there because I don't get it."

[@splat-trainproductions]

I thought the new version of the hallway scene was both better & funnier than the original because of both Han's reaction(his scream when seeing the hundreds of troopers), & the reveal of the hundreds of troopers.

[@JoseyWales44s]

That and they had reached a dead end and could flee no further.

[@KevyNova]

That “someone” was George Lucas. Personally, I like the new version better. It got a huge laugh in theaters in ‘97.

[@jj-sc1kq]

Personally, I like both. But I feel like the turning the corner and running into reinforcements made sense on such a huge station, and it gave the retreating troopers a reason to regroup and get back in control of the situation.

[@oildalejones567]

The single most baffling change in the first special edition release was Leia’s blaster sound before the chasm swing. Making her blaster sound like Dirty Harry’s magnum was an important change that Lucas was unable to address in 1977? Of course he changed it back in the subsequent special edition version.

[@chrisking3729]

The 4k projects are amazing. The DESPECISLISED editions deserve a video on their passionate projects. They make the trilogy a sort of 1.5 choosing some upgrades to keep and theyre own colour grade. I got to show friends the 4k set as they'd never watched the original trilogy. When i showed the changes like a cgi rock to hide r2d2 in a cave, they were baffled. Thank you 4k for making a new hope and revenge of the jedi watchable again

[@Keithustus]

Please compare 4K editions to Despecialized? I've watch them but not the 4Ks.

[@captain02rex]

@user-zw9co9vd9h Petr Harmy (the creator of Despecialized) recently released a 3.0 version of Despecialized RotJ and its in 4k. Just look up the video on his channel called: "Harmy Despecialized August 2023 update" for download instructions and so on.

[@ShadowCthulhu]

i have not been able to download the 4k77/4k80/4k83 after several attempts.

[@nopenope2550]

What passion? It's just a whiny fanboy's Frankensteined approximation of the films in his head rather than the films that actually existed.

[@chrisking3729]

@@nopenope2550 Frankensteins creation was a pretty big passion project

[@bobwhite6999]

I remember waiting outside the cinema in 1977. And after seeing that movie on a HUGE SCREEN My life changed that day.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

What a time to be alive!

[@faerieknight2298]

IMO, the problem with the Star Wars Special Editions was not that they existed. I saw them in the theater when they released, and they were fun. It's that they replaced the original version of the movie in all future release, and that George Lucius kept altering them in bizarre and idiotic ways, such as changing the cantina scene so that Greedo fires first and Han awkwardly moves his head in an unnatural way to dodge the shot.

[@HabitualJoker]

The correct answer. George has been so weird about the Special Editions. He has been a gatekeeper, really. I can’t wait for Disney to green light remastering the Originals and rereleasing them.

[@thedys70]

@@HabitualJoker Might have to wait until ol' George drops off the perch first. We are thinking it was stipulated in his contract with Disney; no original versions until he is no longer with us.

[@HabitualJoker]

@@thedys70 yep, you’re 100% right.

[@scottb3034]

he had very obvious reasons for it if you bothered to look into his personal life from the era.

[@TheAgentAssassin]

Calling it "A New Hope" gets under my skin. I was 8 yrs old it was 1977 I sat in a theater and watched a movie called Star Wars. It wasn't titled "A New Hope." That's it that's the name of it and always should be the name of it.

[@Some_Scott]

Mouth breathe much?

[@jessechristensen6028]

For me the special editions are the novelty and the originals are the originals.

[@Some_Scott]

Wow. You're right. The originals really are the originals. And the Special Editions are like some kind of Special Edition. Amazing.

[@joetunon]

As a 59 year old (as of this post) who saw it again and again in 77, and then after a lifetime of Star Wars obsessive fandom cringing with every increasingly worse degradation of each re-release, 4K77 is an absolute answered prayer. So many years of telling people "that's not what it looked like!!!" are finally vindicated. I almost cry tears of joy watching 4K77. Luke's zits in the cantina, the clarity of the smoke of the lightsabers lingering during the duel, the dust and dents on R2's dome, the original THIN PINK laserbolts in 77 that degraded into overly saturated red bolts that everyone thought is just the way they were supposed to look. "NO, NO, NO!" I would tell them to confused faces. It NEVER looked like that. R2's dome never looked THAT blue. The Tantive corridor was never THAT dark. The Death Star had a cool greenish hue to it, NOT the neutral grey/blue you see on video. The troopers yelling "Close the blast doors!" before yelling "open the blast doors!" (killing the whole joke), and just so many more instances. I could just go on and on. God bless George Lucas for Star Wars, but also Lord have mercy on him for allowing Star Wars to get tampered with so badly that it lost so much of its original charm! And thank you, Team Negative One for bringing our beloved greatest movie ever back to life. I thought I was going to have to go to my grave never seeing Star Wars the way I remembered it, the way I grew up with it.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Damn straight.

[@kevinhinds1250]

It was cultural vandalism what he did. The special editions was what killed Star Wars for me. It was unwatchable in my opinion. I have been upset with George for years over this. If he would have preserved the originals, and then released a new edition and let us have the originals I wouldn't have batted an eye. I'm so happy about this project and I commend the team on them. Bravo fellas. Bravo.

[@scottb3034]

@@kevinhinds1250 go back to 1982, tell his ex-wife not to cheat on him and you will have your prayers answered. Or you can keep hating george for killing the original versions because he doesn't want his cheating ex-wife (who was left by the man she cheated with shortly after) to see a cent for his work.

[@Some_Scott]

4k77 also isn't what it looked like. It's simply the authors' preferred version of what certain prints of certain cuts looked like.

[@Some_Scott]

@@kevinhinds1250 They're literally his movies. He literally owned them. Fans are in no way entitled to what you seem to think.

[@noheroespublishing1907]

I always thought the Alien Series did it right, keep the originals in tact and release the special editions/directors cut/assembly cut for the purpose of giving the audience the ability to see both for different reasons. Honestly, I think the idea of "adding" to established movies should be done within scenes that had been partly filmed but weren't feasible at the time; Empire Strikes Back had scenes like that, as did the first Alien film.

[@bobson3014]

That's the problem with Return of the Jedi. There were a tonne of things in A New Hope that Lucas couldn't do in 1977 that he got to add to to the SE, and there were a few issues that he wanted to make to Empire such as making Cloud City more convincing and adding a better suit for the Wampa, but Jedi was only a decade old when they did the Special Editions. All it needed was a few minor teaks to the effects, but he had to change something or people would feel cheated, so he added completely random nonsense.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

The problem there is you are looking at a scenario where Ridley Scott doesn't control the films, the greedy studio does. Star Wars is one of the rare cases where the filmmaker actually owned the rights to his own film

[@noheroespublishing1907]

@@officialmonarchmusic Doesn't matter so long as artistic history is preserved.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

@@noheroespublishing1907 I'd argue they are as it is

[@gregwesson8815]

Harmy's Despecialized Editions are great as well. Lots of passion in those.

[@Bl00dwerK]

That's what I watch.

[@Some_Scott]

They're one random fan's interpretation. I'll take Lucas' version, thanks.

[@BuckNaked2k]

​@@Some_Scottsaid no one, ever.

[@liamsemicolon]

​@@Some_Scott your comment applies more to something like adywan's edits. harmy's despecialized editions seek to be as accurate as they can get to the original versions if they were to be restored from the source rather than the theatrical print approach of the 4kxx project.

[@captianmorgan7627]

My introduction to Star Wars was watching a 4:3 version on the local TV station. I could never figure out where that Sand Person was that Luke saw through his binoculars.

[@TheABElia]

Haha! Nice callback. I remember that too. I was like, “I don’t see anything?”

[@Chomper750]

TIL there were Sand People in that scene. I’ll have to watch it on 16:9 to see for myself.

[@GuyDude-hk8uy]

I highly doubt it was, but if that was intentional, it would be a clever meta joke.

[@taste_is_sweet]

I saw the original version in theaters when I was five. It was literally life-changing.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

I’m sure it was earth shattering.

[@andrewsloan4228]

Then came the toys!!! 😮😀👍

[@NextExiter]

@@BraveBladeProductions Alderaan, to be exact.

[@msh6865]

I was 9...the target age for SW. Can vividly remember my emotions seeing the intro and scrolling text with that epic text. I like to say it was as stunning as the B&W to color transition in Wizard of Oz.

[@stuartanderws5705]

"Dad what are the ships wings doing?" "I don't know, watch the film" I was 6.

[@passingrando6457]

I grew up with VHS copies of both the original cut and the special edition. Overall, I think my opinion was similar to yours, the special edition edits to Empire were pretty good, almost exclusively edits that felt natural, but was not a fan even as a child of all the out of place effects in New Hope and Jedi. In either case, my single most hated edit to any of the movies was Vader yelling "No!" In Jedi, from the 2011 DVD edit. Him silently making his decision and sacrificing himself was a more emotionally powerful moment, in my opinion.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Lucas just went too far.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

@@BraveBladeProductions I'm not sure about that. The only overall poor decision was Jabba, and even that is explainable from the conditions in which the film was made

[@laneneely1077]

That scene with Vader choosing Luke over Palpatine is my favorite in the whole series. I prefer it without the no.

[@HappyAccidentVideos]

What blows my mind is that this wasn’t done earlier. Harmy went through an insane, painstaking restoration process. Why didn’t anyone just snag a copy of a 35mm print?

[@BraveBladeProductions]

I imagine they would be wildly expensive.

[@blindnerd4871]

It's also the fact that an original print is not just probably extremely expensive, but maybe rare. Heck, I would like to see someone try and find a copy of a 70mm print of any of the original trilogy films, that would surprise me more if someone was able to find one of those.

[@HappyAccidentVideos]

@@BraveBladeProductions Group buys are a thing, and the Star Wars fandom is massive enough to fund that effort

[@axladam1063]

"Just getting a 35mm print" isn't the problem. It's the quality of that print; how many copies is it away from the original 35mm print? The original is in the hands of the studio/license holder/whatever. It's like copying VHS tapes over and over. Imagine you get a copy of a copy of a copy from the original VHS. For the best 35mm scan you'll need the original reel.

[@shain6946]

My uncle has a copy

[@FDLink]

It’s heartening to see that even the young’ns can come to appreciate the original versions of these films, and their historical significance. Thanks for spreading awareness and educating like-aged fans.

[@The_Blue_Otaku]

Yeah same im only 22 and I grew up watching both the special editions on DVD and the THX enhanced 1995 VHS copies of the Original Trilogy are what I grew up watching as a kid

[@wavion2]

I was born in '80, so I never got to experience the originals in the theater, but as a kid I watched the heck out of them on my VHS tapes on our crap tv. Later, I got to see the modified "special" versions in digital widescreen (dvd), then HD (blu-ray), and ultimately 4k. Each time was nice, but it never came close to bringing that joy I had as a child. 4k77 did. I just want to give my sincerest thanks to those behind it for finally giving me the theatrical experience I always wanted but never thought I'd have.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

It’s a great project.

[@Some_Scott]

Absolutely. The only TRUE Star Wars are the fullscreen pan and scan VHS version. Because that's what you, one random nobody, remember as a kid. Stunning.

[@wavion2]

@@Some_Scott Idiot. Completely missed the point. It has nothing to do with the picture format, it's the fact that the versions after the VHS versions were modified. With crappy CGI and modified scenes like Han not shooting first. The "special" versions are objectively worse.

[@wavion2]

@@Some_Scott Completely missed the point. It has nothing to do with the picture format, it's the fact that the versions after the VHS versions were modified. With crappy CGI and modified scenes like Han not shooting first. The "special" versions are objectively worse.

[@Some_Scott]

@ You missed the point. The version you wanna watch exists on older formats. Stop crying.

[@hufnaaratnaaf]

to be honest, Disney could make a re-release of all three movies with updated CGI that would be more cohesive with the original film material (models, textures, film grain simulation etc) - then it wouldn't be such a sore view to the eye. Because let's be honest, if Lucas made those changes because he wasn't happy with the technological limitations of 70/80s we now could retouch it again, making it the final vision of George Lucas.

[@mainstreetsaint36]

I wouldn't be surprised if George put in the stipulation that they couldn't release the unaltered Original Trilogy, at least not until some years after his death.

[@moscanaveia]

The funny thing is the fanbase was so toxic around the changes to the OT, and CGI in the Prequels and all those other things that he sold Star Wars to Disney and now it's not his problem anymore.

[@anadthebarbarian]

Saw Jedi in the theater back in '83, so 4K83 is an instant go-to. Depending on what mood I'm in, I will say Adywan's Revisited saga and Harmy's DeSpecialized are also in rotation. There really isn't any other version[s] that you need tbh.

[@lopezjose568]

i was born in 1984, so im on that middle ground of growing up watching the "unaltered versions" on VHS first, and watching the first Special Edition when i was still a kid, so i'm oddly feel nostalgia for both versions..., but the original editions still the bests 🤣

[@BraveBladeProductions]

The OG Versions rule.

[@extofer]

I was born in 79 and have the same feelings. we didn’t get to see them on the big screen and vhs was never going to be the grand experience that others had in the 70’s/early 80’s. That’s why the special editions were so amazing for our generation. We got to see the films for the first time with special effects that, at the time, were amazing. So I also can’t help but still feel some attachment to the special editions but at the same time appreciate the originals as superior.

[@ezehogan]

Also born in ‘84. The Special Editions would be cool if they were just that; Special Editions. As an alternate cut I kind of liked the variety. What I didn’t like was that the originals were buried never to see the light of day again. Now I go out of my way to watch the original releases.

[@busydadscooking001]

The originals are visually more pure, focused on the storytelling without adding extra stuff that clutters up the scene and adds nothing except distraction. I saw a new hope on a VHS when I was maybe 5 on a cold weekend morning in New Hampshire, and the special edition adds and all the color changes sort of ruin it. I'm frustrated not that Lucas wanted to improve on his work, but that he actively walled off any access to the original versions even though people preferred it.

[@Veldtian1]

Concerning George, talk about living long enough to see yourself become the villain hey? What a sh*tbag move.

[@scottb3034]

@@Veldtian1 the sh*tbag move was his wife cheating on him, forcing him to sell pixar to pay off the divorce settlement and not relinquishing royalty rights to the original trilogy which is why he walled off those movies forever. she didn't stand to make a cent off his work then he'd probably allow it. instead she gets to cheat and get paid. now you look like a punk for saying that don't you?

[@scottb3034]

look into why he walled them off instead of just asking why. it's a very logical and human reason.

[@valrond]

It's amazing that someone so young appreciates the original versions. I grew up watcing them on VHS, I still have the tapes.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Gotta respect history.

[@kchrules775]

I too watched the special editions growing up, but also had VHS tapes of the theatrical cuts. It was always so interesting to me that the films were changed, but never upset me. It wasn’t until I found out Lucas doesn’t want the original cuts out that it made me like them more, but it’s almost a Streisand effect. Think of blade runner, there’s like 5 different cuts of that movie, and the theatrical version that is generally not liked is available. What do most fans like? The directors cut and “Final Cut.” It’s not like Ridley Scott buried the theatrical cut.

[@mrbubbles6468]

Blade Runner is a bad example. Because everyone likes the Final Cut, which was the director vision. But people do not like Lucas’s Special Editions which were his vision.

[@UberNoodle]

I hate it when movie studios try to remove the grain from films. It's a really weird thing to want to do. Grain is the image. Grain is to film image as pixels are to a digital image. Trying to remove the grain is like trying to remove the film. And I understand that some film stock is grainier than others, and some productions have more grain because of the lighting they used and so on. But that's part of the story of the film. It would be like trying to remove the brush marks from an oil painting.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Stop changing films I say.

[@marklechman2225]

It’s frustrating that there are people who have never seen the original cuts and want to desperately, but can’t because Lucas. I got to see the originals back in the day. Why shouldn’t my kids get to see them too? The amount of work put into these editions by fans (who aren’t even getting paid, btw) is staggering. Disney needs to clean up the originals and release them for all to enjoy.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

God bless the fans.

[@HabitualJoker]

Fully agree. George is a gatekeeping asshat for not allowing the originals to be remastered and rereleased. The Special Editions are abysmal and he tarnished the work of hundreds of other people when he released them.

[@PaulMDavidson]

Out of respect to Lucas's wishes, they will never release the originals while he is alive.

[@HabitualJoker]

@@PaulMDavidson the Force is calling you, George!

[@flippy6553]

10 years, 10 weeks, 10 days, or 10 hours. Doesn't matter when you discovered SW, a fan is a fan. I was lucky enough to see ESB in the theater in 1980 but I'm not a gate keeper. My kids love the prequels and my wife loves the sequels. We have a lazer Disc player to watch the OT because I didn't want my children growing up in a world where Greedo shoots first. ✌🏻

[@danster4713]

Maklunky!!!!!

[@flippy6553]

@@danster4713 ☺ I forgot about the Disney+ version

[@MeanMrMustard1]

Sounds like gatekeeping to me.

[@flippy6553]

@@MeanMrMustard1 my statement "doesn't matter when you discovered SW, a fan is a fan" really drives home your statement of me being a gatekeeper. 😂

[@MeanMrMustard1]

@@flippy6553 Not allowing your kid to watch the Special Editions drives home my statement that you sound like a gatekeeper.

[@alexs7670]

I've always treasured the special edition releases of star wars. I had seen all of the movies on tape a bunch as a kid. But seeing the entire trilogy in theaters is one of the only good memories I have with my father.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

The Special Editions were great for giving people a chance to see the movies in theatres.

[@lloydshanahan154]

I for one want to see 4K 99.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Would be cool no doubt.

[@tyjuarez]

there are scans of the prequel trilogy as well as the 1997 special edition.

[@InhumanFan98]

​@@BraveBladeProductionsso only yoda as a puppet? Thats the only change

[@jozdundar]

It's definitely out there. I just recently was able to find and dl a film scan of the original '99 Episode I to go along with my 4K77, 4K80, 4K83

[@dajope66]

Hell yeah episode 1 is my favorite too.

[@favoritethings3065]

Great video…I hope 4K 80 is available soon to complete my 4K trilogy. I agree with you about watching the version you “grew up with” and for me, that’s the original theatrical versions as I saw them in the theaters when I was a kid. Commendable that you made the jump to the original versions and enjoy them.

[@worstusername22]

They released it a few months ago and are working on a version 2 from an Australian film reel they found that's better preserved

[@folfielukather8083]

the single greatest movie theatre experience ive ever had is when i saw the empire strikes back with my dad and sister in modesto someone found an original reel in an archive and had a huge event at a theater that was built in the 1930s, it was almost pristine, there were some spots that were slightly messed up, but it was barely noticeable, the reel is in a museum now

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Incredible.

[@leedobson]

I ONLY watch these fan made original replicas...I want to see the films I saw in the cinema as a child

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Exactly.

[@flipnap2112]

1:20 what software? or is it proprietary? I was 9 years old in 77 and it shook my world to the core. people need to understand our frame of reference back then. it was a very different time. funny, I distinctly remember the first time I saw it, I remember Bens lightsaber blade flickering and "dying" when it was foreshortened toward camera. Of courss I had no idea it was a technical issue with the reflective tape losing its glow, I thought the lightsabers were powered by the force and when the Jedi is close to dying their sabers start to lose power. Its crazy how this affected kids back then. When I got my Christmas present the following year it was the little handheld cartridge projector with 8mm film in it with scenes from the movie. I would lay in bed just going frame by frame watching laser bolts blast by. It was the closest thing to magic a kid could have. we didnt have VCR's back then so it was the only way to revisit the film.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Awesome story! If you want to download the movies for yourself there is a pinned comment on this video with instructions.

[@flipnap2112]

@@BraveBladeProductions I checked it out but didnt see any downloads. do you have to donate first? thanks again,.

[@FOUR22]

Btw issues with skipping around while watching the movie is because your GPU could not handle the higher bitrate of the file. The decode/encode was just not fast enough (maybe cpu as well)

[@BraveBladeProductions]

That would be the culprit.

[@treiz01]

I was born in the 80s and had the VHS tapes made before the special editions in 1997. I do remember seeing them in theatre though! Funny enough I had already downloaded the 4k projects to watch over the Christmas holidays. I opened Star Wars (no episode iv, no new hope!) to watch along with your video and I had to stop myself before I watched the rest of the film!

[@jmsparger4339]

9 years old I saw the original in the theater by myself before anyone else in town. My uncle ran the theater. I was horrified watching the special editions in the theater. There were octagonal digital black shapes around the ships that flew by.. IN THE THEATRE! The Sy Snoodle additions and Hayden replacing the original Anakin as a Force Ghost?!?!?? BLASPHEMY!! 😁 I hated the whole experience. (The theater showed all 3 SE on the same day) Then to have all my cherished memories erased permanently by Lucas... Heartbreaking.. Can't wait to get these. Thank you for bringing it to my attention... You've given this old man a new hope.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Love hearing stories like this. May the force be with you my friend.

[@Knightmessenger]

The black shapes around the ships are most likely what is known as garbage mattes, a side effect of all that optical compositing. Some have been removed in the later versions. Others might show up more visibly now on modern transfers but if it shows up now, it was always there whether you noticed it before or not.

[@thedys70]

Let's just quickly stand and applaud your uncle who ran the theater, who gave you that preview screening back in the day; he is/was a man's man!

[@KILRtv]

Although i appreciate all the restoration work being done, why has no one bothered to restore the deleted scenes? Such as Luke and his friends at Toshi Station? Or Luke building his lightsaber in ROTJ?

[@RodCornholio]

As _Star Wars_ belongs to the world (from a certain point of view). The least we could have is the ability to see it - as close as possible - to what it appeared during the year/s it was released.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

The fans deserve it!

[@HabitualJoker]

We can thank George for gatekeeping it from everyone!

[@ekahnoman7331]

"... A certain point of view?"

[@RodCornholio]

One theory is that it's because Lucas didn't want his ex-wife (who edited the 1977 version) receiving royalties which she is entitled to for every release. According to this theory, she doesn't receive payment for any of the newer versions since they are, legally, "different enough". Proving, that the true Dark Lords are women and lawyers. @@HabitualJoker

[@HabitualJoker]

@@RodCornholio I have never heard that, but I wouldn’t be surprised. I did hear that the original movie was very bad prior to Marcia Lucas editing it.

[@SSGTStryker]

I remember watching the first film in 1977, in both the theater and drive-in in Fort Sill, OK. Talk about life changing experience at the age of 7 years old. Then subsequently standing in line over and over again in Dayton, OH to see the rest of the Original Trilogy so many times I lost count (Dad lived next to a bijou theater, Mom next to a Cineplex). Along with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Buying everything Kenner had to offer and salivating over every Starlog and Bantha Tracks featured SW story. I need to just pull the proverbial trigger, and download the 4K Restoration versions, so my son can have the Gen-X experience (minus the latch key part).

[@onegemini420]

In my opinion, I do not mind the special editions and remastered. But we should have the CHOICE to watch the original in all its glory or the remastered ones. I want to preserve to original for the very fact that we can see that Han Solo is the ONLY one who shoots. - It is also sad to me when I watch young GenZ and Gen Alpha watch Star Wars for the first time and only get to see the remastered. Then they make the comments, "This looks good for 1977." I would rather they see the nonremastered to show how astounding it really was in 1977, how groundbreaking it was. Not the technology decades later that remastered them.

[@patrickwilson1459]

The alterations I didn’t like were changing Boba Fett’s voice Luke saying “you were lucky to get out of there” which was originally “you’re lucky you don’t taste very good” which was my favorite line, the song Jedi Rocks was pathetic, removing Yoda saying “feel like what” and of course Darth Vader yelling “NOOO”. I pick Harmy’s Despecialized Edition. Picture and sound qualities are great. I don’t mind the 2004 DVD versions, and it’s fine having those which also matches and connects with the prequel trilogy but as long as we can have the original versions too, that would be great. And I’m glad we do have both in a way, even if it was fans who did the restoration work for the original versions. Thank you Harmy.

[@canuck21]

My preferred viewing editions are D+77, D+80 and OTD83.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Great choices.

[@Dousch]

The superior choice. I still kept my copies of 4K77 etc, but I don't see myself watching them again.

[@uncletrick1]

In 1977 I was 10 when I saw Star Wars (aka A New Hope). I’ll have to download a copy and relive my childhood.

[@ajmhobby]

I was actually able to burn these to 4K discs. They look amazing!

[@johto]

I dont have these on physical media, i store thse on my movie server which is backed up multiple times 🤓

[@fgdj2000]

14:29 I think your analogy is flawed. A remake in gaming is usually made from the ground up, whereas Lucas did a laborious Restauration process and updated a number visual effects sequences with new technology and Later made some arguably small changes to bring the films in line with the prequels so they‘d work as a piece. It’s primarily artistically motivated and as you yourself pointed out in your videos, he didn’t fundamentally change the films. Now there are examples of film remakes. Ben Hur (1959) was a remake of a silent film version from the 1920s if I am not mistaken. While director William Whyler worked on that 1920s film, he was of course not the director, and basically made his own version and updated it. And that film won 11 Academy Awards. That’s more akin to modern Video Game Remakes like Resident Evil 2-4, Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy (presumably), Crash N Sane Trilogy and the forthcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta. No matter how faithful some of these try to be, they are something new created by different artists. What is really unique and doesn’t have a lot of analogues in the film world, are actually remakes like Resident Evil (2002), Yakuza Kiwami & Yakuza Kiwami 2 and The Last of Us Part I, which are remakes from the ground up made by the original artists. An example in the film world would be September by Woody Allen, who was dissatisfied with the film and reshot almost the entire thing with different actors and that’s the only version you get today.

[@negativeone7151]

Have you considered comparing the Hal9000 (partially despecialised) editions? I find them a good balance of restored original while keeping some of the better special edition visual alterations.

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

Thank god for Star Wars nerds who took on the projects of restoring the original '77 release. Amazing work. Truly a project of passion, and the results are better than any semi-interested studio would do. The fan based restorations are only way I watch them.

[@glenesis]

I was 12 when Star Wars was released. When it hit the 77¢ theatres I went to see it every day. I lost count at 33 original theatrical viewings. I've been pissed off since the VHS version came out with "A Freakin New Hope" stapled onto the crawl. I cannot describe the scale if the buzz-kill that simple change was fir me after waiting so long for a home release of Star Wars. I grabbed the 4K77 and the other scans early on. It healed an old, old wound in my soul. Get it. Just burn the 84gb of disk drive space and get it.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Great advice.

[@tagoldich]

Improvements are heinous. Whatever they first managed to get on the screen, despite deadlines and budget restrictions, is perfection that is *impossible* to improve upon. If the emperor was first seen as a nobody in a lumpy rubber mask, replacing it with the established character played by the established actor is sacrilege that ruins the movie. Improvements rape people's childhoods! Run screaming from improvements! Meanwhile, the rest of us will enjoy the Special Editions because, by and large, the extra efforts, creativity, continuity, and production values are improvements over the originals (and, if it matters to you, they integrate much more seamlessly with the prequel trilogy).

[@BraveBladeProductions]

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

[@tagoldich]

@@BraveBladeProductions Run SCREAMING from improvements!

[@andrewsloan4228]

I feel so sorry for anyone who has only seen the cgi versions. The 4k is how I remember seeing it in the cinema with my dad. Priceless memories reignited. If you haven't seen the original Star Wars then do it now. It's not a new hope!

[@andrewsloan4228]

P.S. great review 😀👍

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Glad that we can still see it.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

I'm sorry to say this, but they're more of a OT fan thing. I and most of my friends vastly prefer the 2011 blu-ray version. A lot of people don't want to (and shouldn't have to) pay a million dollars for the 2006 DVD or go hunting around for 4k 77

[@mhoroky]

@@officialmonarchmusic That's because you and your friends are Millennials or younger. You just don't get it.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

@@mhoroky That's true and that's exactly what I mean. It's great that it exists for nostalgic fans, but it's not the end-all-be-all. For future generations, the 2011 blu-ray version (And subsequent versions like 4k) will come to be recognized as the primary version. I'm glad people can live out their nostalgia, but don't try to push it on us and claim it's objectively the only true version. This person got to live out their childhood memories. Well my childhood memories AREN'T that.

[@ekahnoman7331]

Checked the link in the description and I gave up after reading one too many terms and programs that I didn't understand.

[@craigjones7343]

Thank you. I never knew this project existed and now I will be able to watch the movies like I did back in the day.

[@johto]

Enjoy !

[@tecpaocelotl]

Someone did a restored cleaned up version of the holiday special. I'm impressed how cleaned they got it from 2 different version of tapes. Oddly, most copies are based on these 2 tapes. It's in HD, though.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Haha nice.

[@TheRealHoloNet]

Beautiful video, my friend! I've see all of the editions for the Original Trilogy (4K77, "Dispecialized", Adywan's fan edits...) and for me I prefer to have them all so I can watch it depending on the mood and interest I have in mind. What do you think? Big hugs!

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Fans should watch whatever version they like best, nuff said.

[@Alexwhatisit]

12:54 you mention wanting to watch the first version of the film you watched but honestly I hadn’t thought of that till now. First version would be the 90s vhs releases. So, guess I would need to track those down

[@billyj.causeyvideoguy7361]

I also love how this project introduces a lot of folk to what quality proper master files have compared to what most are used to. A gig a minute is about average for decent prores or dnx masters. Dcp masters for projection are often 2 to 10 tb. I wish they had done something other than mkv for their releases. Mkv are open source, but has a lot of issues and almost need ffmpeg to playback.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Yeah, I’ve never downloaded movie files this big in my life.

[@yommish]

You should be able to play .mkv with mpv or VLC on Windows and IINA or VLC on Mac. I’d recommend those media players in general for playing most video files. I’ve never had any issues with IINA playing the format. MKV can contain multiple audio streams and subtitles so it is preferred for movies usually. (If you were referring to using ffmpeg with a command line interface)

[@billyj.causeyvideoguy7361]

I was moreso meaning for playback within an NLE.@@yommish

[@bucksdiaryfan]

I don't mind the changes to Cloud City because it just replaced a fakey looking background with a less fakey looking background. But adding scenes to the original Star Wars makes those scenes stand out as additions after the fact.

[@GoKuVeGeTaGoHaN]

Since discovering these 4K versions I've never gone back to other versions

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Makes sense.

[@Uhfgood]

I was 2 when the original came out, 5 when empire came out, and 8 when jedi came out. So I although I do remember a few shots from empire and jedi from the theater I primarily grew up watching tv and vhs versions. When SE came out in the late 90's I THOUGHT I was going to get a cleaned up and "fixed" version of the movies. That is matte lines removed, certain dust and scratches gone, and maybe even some effects fixes, that is, things that would have been fixed had they been given the time and the money to fix them. (for instance that "Vaseline" area under Luke's landspeeder when he gets into Mos Eisley. Certain matte painting consistency corrections (when Ben is disabling the tractor beam and there's a shot of him in that room on the tower where the controls are, you can see where the live action footage was and how the color in the matte painting didn't quite match - that would have been okay to fix). Then certain things in Empire like translucent control panels, or Luke himself when he falls down the shaft). Just things like that. I have no problem with the fact they colored R2 Blue in space, because if they could have, or could have thought of a solution, they would have done it. They only made him black in space because it would interfere with blue screen. Blinking Ewoks aren't a problem either. The only real problem I had was the complete cgi replacements. And even some of the music replacements in Jedi sort of changed the tone of certain scenes. I also personally don't really like looking at a lot of film grain. Firstly because in theaters I never notice the film grain, having to do with the properties of a theater such as the screen being so big, and the lighting and what not. On tv's you have bright and consistent lighting meaning you notice "film grain" more. Also there's a tendency for grain on a blu-ray or higher to sort of be more pronounced, partly from compression, and also partly because you can see things a bit better. If they had the technology back in the day to produce 1st generation grain only, they would have done it -- because grain multiplies depending on how many layers, like using the optical printer, or during transitions. So they had a variety of ways to make sure to have as little extra graininess as possible. So even DNR is not bad when it's not taken to an extreme used subtly. I'd also expect nowadays you can have AI go in and remove grain but keep the detail. You do realize that film degrades over time that would make the film even grainier than originally. You can best most of these people that saw these when they were kids in the theaters didn't remember film grain, just how fun the movie was. So for fun I may even find a way to have a crack at fixing some effects shots just to see if I could do it, and how it would look, because I'm sure I won't get it from anybody's fan edit, or Disney or Lucas or anyone. Since everyone else is a bit fussy when it comes to keeping the originals original. I'm more of the view that I want to see it in the best way possible, which means not the modern special editions and also not what people remember (besides memory is fallible) or assume it should look like.

[@thefilmrookie3099]

I believe George Lucas still holds the creative rights to the originals and prequels. So Disney is unable to release a version of those movies without George Lucas’s approval

[@blakem15]

GREAT video! I do have a question for you though, have you ever heard of or watched the D+ Star Wars Projects??

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Heard of em never watched em.

[@blakem15]

@@BraveBladeProductions Okay, cool! So, when you choose to watch the Special Editions over the 4K Projects, is it because it’s super clear with no grain and those typa reasons??

[@frankbizzoco1954]

Its like listening to Dark Side of the Moon on vynal vs MP3. Its just a completely different experience. When watching 4k77 with no DNR and all of that sand and film grain, and reel change mark, you feel instantly transported to 1977. You might as well be watching it on a projector. 4k80 is still in beta, so it's just going to get better. I feel 4k80 needs a major volume boost. In the "side projects" section there is a version of 4k83 that has HDR, and that is my preferred version of watching that film. I think RotJ had the most offensive changes to it, with all of the cgi added to jabbed palace, blinking ewoks, and vader yelling "Nooooo!" at the end. All of the additions just feel out of place. I'm glad the younger generation can appreciate the original versions too. I initially thought the project was just for those that grew up with the originals, but it is not and I'm glad I'm wrong. Its for the love of Star Wars. I'll never watch the official releases again.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

The Special Editions do feel like a sort of remix of the Original Films.

[@grantdillon3420]

Although I will say, the latest 50th anniversary remaster that they just came out with for Dark Side of the Moon sounds fantastic.

[@breakfasthole]

I'm fine with remastering original film and audio. What George Lucas is doing is more like a remix though. Imagine if Pink Floyd re-released their 1970s albums with dubstep bass sounds and some techno style kick drums saying 'that's the way we wanted to make it but we didn't have the budget or technology to do it that way' and then banned their record label from ever selling or broadcasting the original versions again. That's what George Lucas did with Star Wars lol

[@officialmonarchmusic]

@@breakfasthole It's barely noticable though. Especially when you are looking at the films besides A New Hope

[@breakfasthole]

@@officialmonarchmusic I disagree (except for the part about New Hope having the most noticeable changes). There's lots of parts that stand out as a jarring difference between practical effects and CGI. The wampa scene in Empire Strikes Back worked well but I'm not a fan of much else in the special editions.

[@adamn7516]

I'd also like to see a version that only cleans up the graininess and the artifacts from the special effects such as the distortion underneath the landspeeder and mattes from around the ships as they move thru space.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Exactly

[@sonnyhale]

Great video man! Glad my instructions helped out

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Legend! Thanks for your help man!

[@johncooley4472]

What are these instructions?

[@SuperFurry100]

@@johncooley4472 YES! That would have been the most helpful part of the video

[@TF80s]

@@SuperFurry100 agreed!

[@blair9056]

Yes! How do we download this? I'd love to be able to share this with my nephews!

[@matthewhumcke3182]

I don't know if you know this, but when Lucas was making the Special Edition in the mid '90s, he spliced the new CG shots onto the original film print. that film print, assembled in 1977, is now permanently married with the 1080p rendered '90s CG shots (yes, all projects were rendered in 1080p then slapped onto film).

[@fightersweep]

Great video and have another subscriber! I really have to see these 4K projects. For years now, I've wanted to see the Star Wars I saw as a wide eyed 8 year old at the cinema in 1978 (It didn't reach the wider UK until then). After seeing it at the cinema, it didn't get released in the UK for VHS rental until July 1982. Four and a half years until I got to see it again. That's crazy thinking about it now, but the film had to live on in our imaginations until then, and that was only if you were lucky enough to get hold of a VHS rental copy. I don't mind the special editions, but you're right. New Hope in particular has been messed around with too much. I want to experience the movie as I did as a kid. Why George and Disney have denied us fans that baffles me.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

I'm just glad we live in a world were we can still experience Star Wars as it was in the cinema.

[@PatLund]

Harmy's Despesialized editions are great too. It starts with the 2011 bluray and removes the special edition changes by painting them out or using the laser disc releases when it needs to. It is color graded in a similar way to the 2011 bluray and looks great. The project 4k versions are great because they are the originals, but Harmy's version are great because they recreate the original cut in a way that feels modern.

[@dwaneanderson8039]

I saw Star Wars in the theater in 1977 when I was 12 years old. Naturally, I prefer that version. I have no problem with the later versions existing, and if people want to watch those I'm fine with it. But there's no reason to not make the original available. It was a milestone in the history of cinema; it's a travesty to not release it.

[@sergioespinoza506]

As a 7 y/o viewer back in '77 all I can say is 'These are the films you are looking for!'

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Indeed.

[@jimmyviaductophilelawley5587]

Hi I'm from the UK but don't live in London (It was originally released 26th December in selected London theatres in 77) so saw Star Wars in early 78 aged 6. The perfect age! The whole package was "If it's not this good why are you bothering?" and set the gold standard for a movie. The special editions SUCK! George Lucas STILL refuses to provide a print of the original movie for the Academy for the archives and they want the film that won 7 oscars not the redux! BTW if you're watching these for the first time on a laptop, my commiserations. I saw it in a 5000 seat theatre and it blew my mind. Great to hear the original is out there.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

A laptop may be less than ideal, but I’m just happy I can still watch the original versions.

[@colt5189]

I always found it funny back in the day when in A New Hope, Han Solo on the Death Star is running and then he runs into Storm Troopers at the end of a hallway. And then Lucas changed it to a hanger bay full of Storm Troopers and officers. Makes no sense now as there should have been a hundred Storm Troopers running after Han, but you don't see hundreds of Storm Troopers when they try getting on the Millennium Falcon.

[@ArchLars]

Why don't Disney just commission these guys to release this officially as an "Original Version", make it a physical only release initially to make a lot of money or whatever. Like I don't get it? Conflicting rights?

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Disney just don’t want to release it, although people suspect that it’s because Lucas won’t let them.

[@thedys70]

@@BraveBladeProductions They suspect RIGHT; the conspiracy is real.

[@WeesloYT]

George Lucas would hire hitmen if they ever released the originals officially

[@kellinwinslow1988]

It's actually more than that. A marketing friend of mine brought up the fact that Disney knows the original unaltered films would sell an insane amount. Even non Star Wars fans would buy them. And that's the problem. It would make the new garbage Disney has made look bad both in quality and sales. That's something they won't let happen even if Lucas did give his permission.

[@GuyDude-hk8uy]

@@kellinwinslow1988 It's unfair that people who just want to enjoy the original versions (and will happily pay for them) are made out to be criminals, and in this case all because the company that own the product frankly aren't very good custodians of the work. There needs to be a stronger separation between the act of purchasing a product, and actually procuring the work itself; then, exemptions should be made based on things like "is the owner still providing the product?" "does the work have historical significance?" "would the work likely be lost forever if it wasn't for this unofficial releasing of it?" (and before somebody quips "that's called copyright law", no, no it isn't; copyright law is total bullshit that doesn't attempt to do what proponents of it love to claim like "it protects artists!" and merely uses those "happy side-benefits" of restricting access to art via pecuniary measures, as what is essentially, advertisement. It is clearly written by money-grubbing, hand-rubbing executive and lawyer types, and if a single creatively-minded person wrote but one word of it I'd be shocked, and they frankly should be ashamed.)

[@angelogforte6971]

Thanks for letting me know this im 50 years old so these were what I seen as a child in the drive inn and cinema. I do love the new versions though but I would love to show my kids & grand kids the version I saw as a child. I loved watching the awe and passion in my kids faces when they saw star wars for the 1st time and they passed that on to their children. My Parents got me into scfi and when a new star wars movie comes out or star trek all 4 generations of my family go together to watch.

[@elijahd.techgnostic]

I am interested in seeing these versions from a historical perspective, but I still feel like it's important to understand why Lucas did what he did with these films. I'd point towards a particular video from Rick Worley about this, but I'll just say that despite what fan's personal feelings on the subject are, Lucas, as the creator of this entire story, most certainly had every right to change the films as he saw fit.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Lucas has a right to change the films they are his creations. He doesn’t owe the fans anything.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

Absolutely. I think we have the best scenario right now, with the original versions of the films being available but hard to get. That way, anyone who REALLY feels the need to see them can do so, but the general public will go on with the final version as THEIR Star Wars, which is what George Lucas intended. Because you know that if we get a 4k rerelease a bunch of horrible parents will start forcing their kids to only see the original version...

[@elijahd.techgnostic]

@@officialmonarchmusic Exactly! It would be doing a large disservice to how we should experience Lucas's Star Wars Saga as it stands today to have people claiming what he believes to be inferior versions of the films as the only true way to watch them.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

@@elijahd.techgnostic I agree. I'm glad that they can exist for nostalgic fans, but I don't want this to take over, which is what I fear will happen if they become easily available in 4k

[@gomiwomi]

Yes he does but he blew it up to quote Heston. The bars scene is pure cringe, Han and Greedo scene was butchered and more nonsense was done. It's his right. He can burn it down if he wants to again and again. James Cameron hasn't tinkered with T1 for example. Lucas' antics are an exception to the norm of what people do to their movies.

[@blindnerd4871]

So, For those who have watched specifically 4k83, I have been stuck on which version I want to potentially keep on my hardrive. For those who don't know, there are a few different versions of 4k83 which are offered, with different color grading and color corrections, along with no-dnr, min-nr (minimal noise reduction), or no-dnr. Version 1.6 from what I heard is more theater accurate in its color correction and color grading, but it has minimal noise reduction, with the cue marks being removed as well. However, version 2.0 is a complete rescan, with no-dnr, all the grain and marks being left in. All of this to say, which version would anyone recommend?

[@Macho_Man_Randy_Savage]

i watched 4k77 a while back and it was amazing seeing it as it would have been originally, without the newer bs tacked on. it's aged like fine wine!

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Just as a film like this should.

[@chrismusix5669]

I really do like the Despecialized Edition because it cleans up a lot of things while retaining the scenes of the original theater release.

[@M2Mil7er]

the problem with HD versions of SW is that you can really see details you weren't meant to see with such clarity. It sort of breaks immersion when you realise that stormtrooper boots are literally ankle high Chelsea boots painted white (you can really see this on Han when he puts his feet up on the console in the detention centre control room.

[@ninten360]

idk, i think details like that are cute and charming and adds a sense of messy, gritty authenticity to what filmmaking was like back then that you NEVER see nowadays with all this bloated, over-polished cg in every scene no matter how mundane it is

[@Gdlen1]

if you saw this in a theater in 1977 or even the re release in 1997, you were definitely seeing an "HD" version of Star Wars with all those details intact, 35mm film is and has always been an ultra HD format before any such thing existed in the home. anyway, stop looking at his shoes👍

[@chapel976]

You just reminded me I haven’t got the latest versions of the 4K projects and this is the perfect excuse to watch them on my new OLED.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Now that sounds excellent.

[@Christian39521]

I watched them recently. At least 2 of them. I was confused about The Empire Strikes Back because I couldn't find it. They look great. I was thinking the same thing you did. Fan edits, I don't know. Not really a fan of those. But these are scans of the original versions. I'm fine with that. Now I'm waiting for an updated version of The Empire Strikes Back. I would love to get all original versions of all the movies. Including the prequels. Apparently, there's a team working on Episode I. And no joke, I've seen attempts on The Star Wars Holiday Special.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

I think we should all be able to watch the original versions of these movies if we want too. I love these fan projects because we get to see versions of these movies that would otherwise be lost forever. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@BraveBladeProductions]

@@EverSerpa29 The BETA version is still great.

[@Christian39521]

@@EverSerpa29 I was confused about that.

[@IggyStardust1967]

@@BraveBladeProductions I saw the original theatrical releases in theaters in 1977, 1979 (redubbed with the subtitle "A New Hope"), 1980, and 1983. I haven't seen the 4K versions, but I did manage to score the Harmey's Despecialized editions of them, and they look great as well. I'm actually a little surprised that Disney hasn't come after these people for doing this, even though they all say that you should (at least) own the VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray media and/or have a Disney+ subscription. IIRC, 20th Century Fox had an agreement with Lucasfilm to not release the original version of Star Wars for a certain number of years, but I think that has expired by now. I believe they are also now owned by Disney, so..... they COULD do it if they wanted to. But maybe that's why they aren't going after these "fan edits", because it's saving them from the expense of doing it. Hard to say. Also, the "mania" that followed the release of Star Wars has NOT been "over-hyped". I was there, I saw it. It happened just as people claim. The 1970s were an interesting time to be alive.

[@ISellSigals]

What about the despecialised versions?

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Haven’t seen them.

[@knightrider585]

Interesting to hear your take on how the special editions improved Empire. As a Gen-Xer I think you are completely wrong and a child, but interesting to see. ;)

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Glad to see we can politely agree to disagree.

[@joseluisherreralepron9987]

I just received these today. I saw "Star Wars" in '77 when I was 7; we saw it in 70 mm Dolby 6-track and I still vividly remember it all.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Nice.

[@brussell]

Actually, probably good Lucas blocked the originals, because a modern commercial release of the original versions would never look as good or be as authentic as the gorgeous 4K projects. I do wish they where more accessible to most people. But, oh well, the 4K restorations are a GREAT gift to Star Wars lovers. Having them "lost forever" would have been such travesty even from the broader point of view of cinema.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Just happy to have them available in some form.

[@andrewnebz]

The fun thing about the Resident Evil 4 analogy is that game also has a high effort fan-made remaster for the PC version that blows the ports on current systems out of the water (and might even make you wonder if a full remake was necessary in the first place.) If playing without the mod is like the 2006 bonus discs, and the remake is the Special Edition, RE4 HD Project is 4K77. Do check it out if you're not familiar!

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Might have to now.

[@officialmonarchmusic]

I know this will probably never happen, but I'd like someone to make a remastered version of the original version of Phantom Menace. It's as rare as the original trilogy, (If not even more rare) and still has as many changes

[@EvanFleming-x6y]

There are TPM preservations you can download, though they aren't as easy to get ahold of as 4kXX.

[@thedys70]

Ideally a remastered version of TPM with Jaja edited out

[@officialmonarchmusic]

@@thedys70 No. You see how hypocritical you’re being right

[@howilearned2stopworrying508]

holding out for a 4k release of how I first experienced star wars - on the USA Network with commercial breaks

[@BraveBladeProductions]

The definitive experience.

[@craigw1701]

Harmy's Despecialized Edition from 2011 definitely worth a look at, it's the only version I would watch, but i might check these ones out if I get a 4K TV

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Heard a lot of good things about Harmy’s. It’s on the list.

[@miserychord11]

Looking at the Vader corridor scene. The bluray looks best. But maybe this is due to end clean up. The 4K is second best looking as the smoke is much more raw. And blacks are misty. I think I’m starting to see what clean up was done and how a film will look left more untouched.

[@terrylandess6072]

I was never a fan of ANY change George made after release. If he wanted to fix something - get Lando OUT of the shadows as he walks towards the Falcon in '83'. As for Fan projects. The Hobbit: The Cardinal Cut does a decent job of getting the 3 movies combined and edited to closer resemble the book at 3hr48min including credits.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Now that Hobbit Cut sounds like something I want to see.

[@isaiahwall3689]

It’s amazing to see why Star Wars was so ground breaking, to see why it won awards.

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Indeed.

[@narsil316]

Don’t call it “A New Hope” and you’ll get even more fans. The film was and always will be just “Star Wars”, don’t worry about Georgie-boys retro-fitting it in the 80s.

[@SplashJohn]

Yup, the 3 movies are Star Wars, Empire, and Jedi. Period.

[@NiggletFarm]

A New Hope is cannon cry about it

[@HunterMagunter]

​@@NiggletFarmdisney fanboy spotted

[@Hydrograd57]

​@@HunterMagunter It's been called "A New Hope" long before Disney bought out Star Wars. It's not a big deal lol

[@narsil316]

@@Hydrograd57 Sure, it was a change made when Empire came out, but they didn't label, call or market it as such until AFTER 1995, so it still makes fans of that original ground-braking movie laugh.

[@gregorypendell9260]

I grew up watching the original editions on VHS and only saw Special Editions when I was a teenager. My preferred version to watch are Adywan’s Star Wars Revisited project, that takes the best of both and fixes a bunch of small issues that the SE never corrected

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Very cool.

[@bluered3228]

I hope everyone who downloads the 4k movies donates to the site for all their hard work. I thought I'd never see the original I loved so much ever again and to be able to get that part of my childhook back is truly priceless.

[@swanofnutella4734]

I think I still have my pre-special anything widescreen VHS tapes somewhere around here....

[@BraveBladeProductions]

That would be nice.

[@nathandubuc9962]

You make a video talking about 4k77 and its quality compared to the Disney releases, but you upload it at a very poorly encoded 1080p, so everything looks like soup, and you don't even go through the tiny effort of transmuxing or re-encoding the 4k77 video files to show it to your audience. Very low effort content

[@BraveBladeProductions]

Fair.