The ORIGINAL THEATRICAL version of Empire Strikes Back is here! - Project 4K80

Official 4K77/4K80/4K83 website: www.thestarwar...
Forum invite code: OT-21wceCpKFdYgD1FgHEkjSw4K77-80
4K80 is a fan made project. They essentially took an original 1980 35mm film reel of Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back, scanned it at 4k, cleaned it up at 4k, and rendered it at 4k. This is now the definitive theatrical version of Empire Strikes Back.
In this video I go over my thoughts on the project, and give some more context about it.
My Discord Server: / discord

[@SmokeyBCN]

The original emperor actor was a woman - Marjorie Eaton, while the voiceover was done by Clive Revill, who went in to do VO in a few star wars games.

[@omgitsbees]

ooh shit, I actually literally never knew this.

[@SilverSpoon_]

PALPATINE TRANS!

[@legendg219]

@@SilverSpoon_ DON'T GIVE DISNEY IDEAS 😫!!!!!!

[@Agent_86_]

Didn't they use chimpanzee eyes for that version as well to underscore the creepy factor?

[@callawolf531]

Ian McDiarmid being added to Empire was done LONG before Disney acquired the franchise. It was a change Lucas himself made for continuity reasons

[@billbobaggins8207]

correct, Disney just destroys Star Wars, they don't make it better.

[@danielwhitaker6315]

Yeah, 1990s CGI really makes the previously incoherent plot of the original trilogy whole by covering up those confusing puppets and models. It isn’t distracting at all seeing it in movies made 20 years beforehand

[@georgemorley1029]

Indeed and it never needed to be done either.

[@defyyourlogic487]

@@georgemorley1029yes it did lol

[@thegoodgeneral]

McDiarmid.*

[@Speedy2332]

as a kid I was confused because I noticed a lot of new stuff when I watched the films again. It totally makes sense now because I definitely watched the original version when I first watched them

[@Varga_Csongor]

Why do you call it "Disney version"? Lucas's 2004 modification has nothing to do with Disney.

[@EvansMedia99]

It’s just to illustrate the difference between the theatrical cut from 1980 and the most recent Disney + 2019 version. Just to show the passage of time. It goes more in depth on the different versions in the video.

[@Varga_Csongor]

@@EvansMedia99 yeah, I watched the video, still I think it's a clickbait index picture. :P If you mention Disney, more haters will click on it. Anyways, the video itself is alright. ;)

[@GAFB1122]

​@EvansMedia99 I have to agree with the other person. To use Emporer Palpatine and the two different actors who portrayed him in Empire Strikes Back and say Disney vs Theaterical Release is click bait for those that don't like Disney. Lucas himself was responsible for switching out the actors not Disney.

[@HabitualJoker]

@@Varga_CsongorI think it’s an attempt to make people hate Disney rather than hate George, who is the actual reason why fans have to make fan edits of Star Wars in the first place.

[@jakelong3466]

I don’t care for Disney or Lucas. However Lucas is my best friend compared to Disney lol

[@lookinforthe70s]

The no re-edits is what I most like.

[@theOlLineRebel]

Exactly. It’s like these filmmakers - and not just Star Wars - are trying to gaslight us. Since I was just a kid for Star Wars up to a young teen, sometimes I wonder if I am just remembering wrongly. I even went to the OT re-releases in ‘97 etc, so in some ways I really start to question myself about what was true to the original theatrical versions. Some things I like better from the original, some from later. Some because of how it looks, some because of how it moves the story.

[@sixter4157]

George was always tinkering. There were changes between the initial limited 70mm release and the later 35mm release in '77.

[@reedr7142]

I still have my VHS tapes of the original trilogy-been waiting for its release on DVD for time time now.

[@fmbbeachbum8163]

The original un-cut unedited are on the original DVD releases. Widescreen in 4/3 aspect ration tho.

[@againsttheleftandright4065]

Save those. You will be a Godhead in the times after the Great Unhappening.

[@matheussanthiago9685]

VHS tape deteriorate If you value your stuff PLEASE digitalize it and preserve then in SSD disks

[@dathorndike4908]

I've always been worried that Lucas destroyed the original prints. Kind of like he did with all existing prints and copies of the Holiday Special. When he dislikes something he can go full armeggedon on it.

[@Knightmessenger]

He didn't destroy the Holiday Special. Carrie Fisher once remarked that she asked and received a copy from Lucas as a joke to get people to clear out of a party once it had gone on too long. The Boba Fett cartoon was also on the bluray, so Lucasfilm does have it.

[@davidreichert9392]

The reason Disney doesn't release them is because they are legally bound not to. It was part of the contract with Lucas when they bought Lucasfilm. It's Lucas who is holding these back, not Disney.

[@stevemuzak8526]

Lucas won’t ever allow to release Star Wars in pure. He rather destroy it.

[@againsttheleftandright4065]

@@stevemuzak8526 George Lucas, the Eternal Boomer

[@alexmesi5796]

well then count down the days until he passes . . .then maybe. . . just maybe. . .Disney will re-asses, realize they have lost billions more money than they already have. . . and put these out in their purest form imaginable with no CGI added, in an attempt to win back fans / recoup the financial loss. Remember. . . Lucas began destroying these films and their legacy long before Disney.

[@ashdoginc]

4K80 is a different experience. It does feel like you've punched May 6 1980 into your BTTF DeLorean to see the original release.

[@EvansMedia99]

Couldn’t agree more!

[@mhoroky]

.... But Empire wasn't released until May 21, 1980, so you wouldn't have experienced anything if you went back to May 6, 1980

[@GameyRaccoon]

OMG guys i love the 80s!!! REMEMBER BACK TO THE FUTURE?? 'MEMBER STAAAR WAAARS??? I PEAKED IN HIGH SCHOOL WOW THE 80's WERE AWESOME

[@loftlegacy]

I look forward to "watching it at my friend's house" after 4K77 and 83. I've got to say that 4K77 with both DNR and without is gorgeous.

[@Roofers-Nail-Hardest]

I was born in 82. I always remembered how enigmatic the theatrical version looked. (Oops wrong thread)

[@HabitualJoker]

George Lucas’ legacy is that of a gatekeeper who has forced fans of his series to take matters into their own hands so that they can watch the version of the films that they want to watch. His attitude towards the OT has really made me dislike him.

[@johncaulfield8935]

Yeah. Whatever positive reception the fandom menace gave him after TLJ is not gonna rid him of past sins.

[@HabitualJoker]

@@johncaulfield8935people whine and complain about the Disney sequels, for good reasons, but have they heard about Lucas’ vision for the sequels? Apparently, he wanted the entire 8th movie to be set in a microscopic world focusing on Midichlorians. Not sure about you, but I would have hated that. That would have been the final nail in the coffin for Lucas for me.

[@azimuddin1890]

I mean, they HIS films.

[@johncaulfield8935]

@@azimuddin1890 They were never his films. They were the films of every single person that worked on them.

[@azimuddin1890]

@@johncaulfield8935 George created Star Wars, the films were of course made by a team to execute his vision.

[@peterdixon7144]

The ambiguity in the original emperor scene is what built the mystery and the suspense. It is a part of what made Empire the best Star Wars movie.

[@Trojan0304]

Had checked a month ago but thanks for update 4k80 . I watch 4k77 & 4k83 regularly. Have the old vhs, dvd & BR & 4K releases but the original takes me back to initial shows back in May 1977😊😊😊

[@UnchainedEruption]

The original Emperor is cool to see for posterity's sake, and if you're seeing in release order when the other films haven't been made yet. But, all the same, this was a welcome Special Edition change. The prosthetics on the face, the detail in the robes, and most importantly Ian McDiarmid's delivery are just so much better. It fits better in the saga with the other films, and it's just a more iconic delivery of the lines. That man simply is Emperor Palpatine.

[@ericv7720]

I saw Empire when it came out, and that's the version I remember and love best. I look forward to this!

[@EvansMedia99]

Nice! You’ll definitely enjoy this.

[@ericmatthews8497]

It is the best. In fact 4K77, 4K80, and 4K83 are now the best versions of this films.

[@Pdx616]

I agree but the originals are pretty bad with the special effects Really bad actually

[@ericmatthews8497]

@@Pdx616 I'm 56 and I remember watching these films in theaters when I was 9, 11, and 14 respectively. The Original film STAR WARS had a theatrical run that lasted more than a year! I waited outside the theater for an entire showing to see the next showing of the film. It was completely nuts. I feel kinda sorry for people who will never be able to experience these films as I did when they were originally released. For me, when I re-screen STAR WARS - it transports me back to 1977 and the first time I (or anyone) saw such an incredible movie. Re-living the powerful memories are more intense than the Special Effects.

[@80Shades-Guitar]

Hahaha. I’m right w you ole timer. Also saw at 9 in 77. Then got the action figures, the lunch pail, the comics, the T-shirt, the PJs, the poster, the story book album, the Meco 45…good grief it was manic SW fever at the time. Great memories 😊

[@FrancisXLord]

Thanks for letting me know. I've been hovering around the Star Wars Trilogy forums since they only had Star Wars 4K77, yearning to complete the trilogy. The wait between SW and ROTJ wasn't very long, but the wait for TESB... I never thought I'd live to see the day. Any change to a film that you've seen hundreds of times before they start changing it hits like a commercial break, draws you out of the experience. I was most annoyed by changes to The Empire Strikes Back over any of the films, because I always thought that film was perfect. The Wampa scene was made less scary (almost amusing actually), shots flying around the exterior of Cloud City didn't fit stylistically into the rest of film, and the apparent need to show Vader landing on the Star Destroyer screws with the pace of the film.

[@EvansMedia99]

Glad I could help! I check the forums every once in a while and I got lucky, I saw they dropped 4k80 v1 a few days after it released. I agree though. I grew up with the special editions but as a big film guy I appreciate film preservation. I always love seeing films the way audiences originally saw them. In the case of Star Wars seeing these 4k projects makes me feel like I’m back there in 1977, 80, and 83 watching these when they first released. Love them so much.

[@FrancisXLord]

@@EvansMedia99 It's encouraging to know that there are younger film purists than I.

[@learnbytrying]

The vocal fry is strong with this one

[@mandalorian23]

Disney would make a killing if they released the Star Wars theatrical cut on 5/25/27. I know they won't though as George has stated, "sorry if you fell in love with an incomplete film". He said going forward the so called Special Editions, are the official versions of all 3 films now. I own the Grindhouse versions which I love the most. Has all of the grain and imperfections since they are actually scanned from original 35mm prints.

[@Darth_BNT]

They wouldn't make a killing releasing physical media films that are already free on Disney plus and old

[@mandalorian23]

@@Darth_BNT I am referring to a release in the theaters.

[@supertigerroadtrip5193]

>Pays for Disney Plus >Claims content on it is "free" Lmao ​@@Darth_BNT

[@rildsilverlok]

@@Darth_BNT If DIsney put the 4k77, 4k83 and 4k80 versions out as physical media in that quality level there would be premium demand that would be large in volume and very PROFITABLE with LONG legs. D+ does not have the near level of visual quality ( due to compression algorithms ) or audio quality as a baseline and is not using a master of the quality of the $K..oops, 4k project stuff. yes SW is old, but those fans of old SW have money. Why would anyone that can afford good or even best quality in home star wars viewing settle for or be happy with a sub-par D+ experience?

[@jeffhampton6972]

This stuff is wild. I really appreciate you making this. :D

[@EvansMedia99]

No problem, thank you for watching!

[@echosun79]

I couldn’t get into the forum to dl, you need to be recommended a code ?…fortunately found them elsewhere 😅

[@UtotheGLY]

@@echosun79please share 😊

[@echosun79]

@@UtotheGLY they’re easily found 👍

[@harrykatsaros]

Don’t blame Disney for the retcon stuff. That was all George Lucas. Disney had nothing to do with any of that.

[@timeisupchannel]

This doesn't change the fact that Disney are dicks.

[@leoismaking]

I don't mind the Special Editions as much (other than Han shooting first which is the only change that actually changes the story) but I'm super glad these exist. In my perfect world, we'd get an OT set like the Blade Runner Final Cut release that had 5 versions of the film including the final cut itself. I think trying to pretend the originals never existed is a bit too much like rewriting history; those movies are an important achievement in the history of film, and should be evaluated as such in their original state. That being said, what's with the "Original vs Disney" thing on the thumbnail? Clickbait much? Disney gets enough hate from SW fans (a lot deserved, a lot not) without getting blamed for something that has nothing to do with them. "Original vs SE" would have been fine. This is George's issue, and his alone. Which, well, they're his films... it'd be much worse IMHO if Disney *had* been the ones to make the changes and suppressed the unaltered versions. Not that I agree with Lucas doing it either.

[@ObiWanShinobi67]

The original Emperor was fkd up looking lol

[@MsHojat]

When I saw it on VHS on CRT I never noticed it. The quality was probably too poor. Sounds like a bad thing, but really I don't see any need for people to watch anything beyond standard definition. It's just a waste of bandwidth and storage space. (Granted even in a standard definition format the details would still be very noticeable; I'm making two separate statements)

[@gilbertopadilla3611]

I can't recall what the video quality looked like on old TVs that only did 480p. Playing DVDs still look fine on modern TVs.

[@needcoffeebrb]

The original Emporer was played by a woman, Marjorie Eaton, and had the eyes of a chimpanzee superimposed over her own.

[@IsabellaCatherine19XX]

I had been keeping up with the 4K80 beta releases but life happens and I didn't know 4K80 1.0 had been released. Thank you!

[@LosCetos]

Wanting to remove film grain is way worse sin than adding cgi.

[@wesleytwiggs7687]

That’s crazy. I can’t watch old movies with film grain.

[@morganthus6323]

It's just as bad.

[@randallross420]

For real, it's like removing the hiss and pops from playing a record.

[@harrypothead42024]

It for sure is if your claim is, "I want to see it the original way." Most of the time people don't know what they want until they've been told

[@harrypothead42024]

​@@wesleytwiggs7687that's fine just don't call yourself a purist. Which you shouldn't want to do anyway purists are generally insufferable😂

[@Joshonthenet]

Why wouldn’t you upload this in 4K?!

[@thebluedragon6633]

Lucas did this because he wanted the og movies to be on par with the prequels so they wouldn't look out of place and to re add removed content like jabba the Hutt in the 4th movie

[@ABrocavich]

The new Emperor was put in before Disney. I think for the first Blu release.

[@callawolf531]

He was added on the special editions, he was on at LEAST the DVD versions of the re-edit, but I don't remember if it was before that. I know the original got a theatrical re-releases before Phantom Menace came out (and I THINK that was the debut of the re-edits)

[@justinturley7071]

All special edition changes aside. I agree with you, I don’t know who in quality control thought it was a good idea to add a blue overlay in ANH, ESB and ROTJ (in the 2004/2011 versions). It makes the colors look completely washed out. Thankfully someone in quality control realized their mistake and erased that overlay and in the current 2019 versions, the colors look so much more vibrant.

[@EvansMedia99]

Oh for sure. There ware a few more changes especially in a new hope for the 2019 Disney release but honestly the fact that the color grading is the closest official HD release to the theatrical versions makes it (in my opinion) the best official option

[@Gonig]

Great video man, but there's just a problem with the thumbnail. Ian McDiarmid wasn't added to ESB in the Disney version, that change was in the 2004 dvd. Long before Disney purchased Lucasfilm

[@Frank-Discussion]

The “Disney Version” was actually done by Lucas himself years before selling to Disney

[@Monticello19]

My preference is the D+77, 80, and 83 hybrid versions. It takes the 4K blu-rays and replaces all the cg additions with footage from the original film prints and color corrects them. You get less grain, higher fine detail, accurate colors, theatrical audio, and keeps the actual good fixes from the blu-rays that don't change anything. These are the best current option imo if you're not a total purist.

[@EvansMedia99]

That’s totally valid. I tried out the D+80 version of empire strikes back probably about a year ago and until 4k80 came out it was my go to method of watching that movie. I just personally felt some shots looked really glossy. That’s why I like the grain so much, because you keep all that detail. But to each their own, I’m glad you have a version you love!

[@Monticello19]

@@EvansMedia99 I'm just glad we have some options now. It was rough for awhile, lol

[@gokhanersan8561]

Original emperor was presented in a low-res, blurry manner, that made it eery and mysterious. The new emperor is crisp and clean, like staring at my cellphone screen.

[@Joe-dy7bb]

"You should own this film legally before you download this, or it could be considered piracy." OH NO! Anyway...

[@yeetskie]

OH NO. I might anger the evil mouse

[@MeloRat69]

disney has enough money

[@alexmesi5796]

@@MeloRat69 not so much anymore considering their financial losses as of late . . .4 billion + to be exact, causing Bob Iger to fire the "woke" assholes / cancel projects left and right, lmao!

[@reallymakesyouthink]

I think Empire was the best of the updated Original Trilogy. Featuring the actual Emporer makes more sense, the cave monster works better, Cloud City looks better aswell. It's not like the other two where the extra stuff detracts from the film.

[@st1v1w0nd3r]

Finally all 3. History has been preserved. The people have won.

[@joeyk107]

Haha "the people have won" More like "a bunch of 50-year-old manchildren celebrate because they committed vandalism on a piece of art"

[@VickStarkiller]

The Emperor scene is the one change I’m glad George Lucas made

[@eldo59]

Its 2024 and they still didn't officially release the original versions of the trilogy. I still have my tv vhs recordings from the early '90s but Disney needs to release them if they want to make some easy money.

[@EvansMedia99]

Oh it would be such an easy cash grab for sure. But I’m pretty sure there’s some sort of term in the contract when they bought Lucasfilm that they could only release the special edition.

[@Dreadpirateflappy]

@@EvansMedia99 Lucas probably didn't give them the original versions.

[@John_Locke_108]

Got my copy of 4K80. Can't wait to watch it. Loved the project 4k versions of Star Wars and RotJ.

[@EvansMedia99]

If you enjoyed 77 and 83 you’ll love 4k80!

[@seantaylor1191]

All I can say is, awesome! Thanks for your review!

[@EvansMedia99]

Thank you so much!

[@--Sama-]

The Emperor change was a must. It made no sense to be an alien in ESB and then a total different guy in ROTJ. Keeping that is puritanism and not based on what is good.

[@chrispekel5709]

I liked the emperor change but he needs more shadow on his face. It's the first time he's shown so it needs more mystery (even though we all know what he looks like by now)

[@Biscuits645]

He wasn't an alien. He was disfigured and personally I hate the change. It looks out of place.

[@bradenjohn2671]

a 480p dvd will always look better than a compressed and artifacted stream imho

[@arvydussibonus1712]

These are great. But 35mm is equivalent closer to 6.5 to 8K. Though those file sizes would be massive.

[@LoPhatKao]

replacing the emperors hologram was one of the few things George did right with the special eds

[@Trojan0304]

Just watched 4k80 , thanks to StarWarTriology labor of love . Great to see the original again

[@h_nt_r]

Its funny how you can tell how young this youtuber when he just straight up doesnt know that the special editions happened in the 90's.

[@EvansMedia99]

You do realize there were multiple different special editions right? As early as the 90s and as recent as the 2019 Disney 4k version. I may be on the young side but I know what I’m talking about 😭

[@օǟռ-f8z]

🤫

[@EvansMedia99]

@@MarCuseus and again in 2011 with additional changes and again in 2019 with more changes.

[@SweetyMiki]

More accurate thumbnail would be, "Theatrical vs. Mid-Life Crisis Lucas Version". Disney was not involved with any of these changes, these were all Lucas 100%. South Park made fun of a lot of the early changes back in 2002 with episode Free Hat lmao. George kept doing these asinine changes until he sold Star Wars to Disney.

[@stevejordan7275]

Alfred Hitchcock once observed that "films are never finished, they're simply abandoned." As a semi-pro filmmaker, I can (to my own annoyance) attest to this. The difference is that Lucas has the fiscal wherewithal to NOT have abandoned them, *even after releasing them to theatres.* Most (but not all) of the changes he made, I find I rather like. If the technology had been available when he was making the original films, you can bet your firstborn that he would have used them, and purists wouldn't have nearly as much stuff to squawk and yammer about. I was a whole lot less confused when I finally saw X-wings visibly lifting off, turning and accelerating into the distance, but I think I had a nerdgasm when I saw a head bobbing around inside one of them as it flew past camera. I even think it would have been better to have the Biggs scenes left in. But Han shot first.

[@sptflcrw8583]

​@stevejordan7275 the problem isn't that he made changes, it's that the originals aren't accessible anymore.

[@wleedsloiner]

does it have original audio? ie mono/stereo or is it surround sound?

[@EvansMedia99]

Yea so there are multiple different audio tracks that come included. There’s a 35mm mix that’s sourced from the laser disc “70mm magnetic sound” not sure what that is though 35mm optical stereo And a 6 track reconstruction from the 70mm release. Hope that helps! I have a 5.1 speaker setup and just watched it on the default 35mm laser disc sourced track and it sounded amazing. It only used the main soundbar, and not my other surround speakers but it sounded great to me.

[@GregBreden]

@@EvansMedia99 70mm Magnetic is when the audio tracks were recorded on a magnetic coating on the 70mm film rather than encoded optically alongside the image. Quite a few of the big epics in the 1950s like Ben Hur used that system for multichannel sound, it had extremely high fidelity so when you see those films remastered on BluRay they sound superb. Some later releases had prints done with the same system eg 2001 A Space Odyssey.

[@MidnightDubstep]

I literally own Empire Strikes Back like 10 times VHS, DVDs, and Blueray

[@divinelittledevil]

if an artist wants to make art and then modify it, that's their right.

[@joeyk107]

Yep. Star Wars "fans" for whatever reason have a difficult time wrapping their heads around something as basic as this.

[@thecandyman9308]

Thank you so much for this info! Just got a new 2K curved monitor and looking forward to what this will look like on it!

[@EvansMedia99]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@astrocohorsclub]

Why does the thumbnail say that the Special Edition is the "Disney Version"?

[@EvansMedia99]

Because that version is the most recent 2019 version of empire strikes back, made under Disney.

[@dancouroux8490]

​@EvansMedia99 but Lucas put Ian McDiarmid and other changes in Empire. Using "Disney" in the thumbnail provokes a reaction.

[@darthplagueis4626]

@@dancouroux8490 Only clicked on this video to say this. Quite misleading.

[@greedokenobi3855]

I agree with you guys, very misleading. The thumbnail almost implies that Disney introduced McDiarmid.

[@aztekdummy]

@@greedokenobi3855 yeah, somebody's agenda is showing

[@ferrarikangaroo9271]

Thank you so much for alerting me to the existence of these fan restorations (preservations?). Have a great weekend

[@EvansMedia99]

No problem, thank you for watching!

[@apeman505]

Ah, it's encouraging to hear that good quality rips can still be made, I had heard it was impossible since the original prints were destroyed by George Lucas, and he had a contract with FOX stating that any remaining reels of film were to be tracked down and destroyed as well. I actually spent quite a bit of money tracking down dvd copies of the special edition that had the original theatrical version as bonus features, my THX VHS Copies are probably no good anymore and I don't have a working VCR anymore anyway. I was considering trying to buy one of the laserdisk prints, but I kind of don't want to buy a laserdisk projector just to watch three movies.

[@EvansMedia99]

I’ve never actually seen a movie played off laser disc but I’ve heard the quality’s actually really good for the time. But I’ve also heard collecting laser discs can get super expensive depending on the movies, and that’s not even counting the player itself. It may be a little difficult to get your hands on depending on your computer skills but I’m just glad that we have this 4k version now. As long as you have the storage, a device powerful enough to play it, and a nice tv your golden!

[@Knightmessenger]

​@@EvansMedia99laserdisc basically looks like dvd quality but can only output composite video. And generally used older masters/scans of movies so apart from the late 90s, LDs often aren't using as good of a source that the movie has today.

[@SteveRudzinski]

As an indie filmmaker, those file sizes seem totally wrong. The 4k seems right but there's no reason why a 1080 file should only be like 15gb smaller. The resolution is substantially smaller and so the file should be too. Curious how they exported this.

[@keithposter5543]

Great that people are doing this. So much better before Lucas started fiddling with the masterpieces

[@KevinDarty]

I'll be honest, I was happy to see that we finally had the Emperor we all know added into Empire Strikes Back as the character was originally played by a woman with male voice. However, I think Disney could have done a better job as it did look out of place.

[@EvansMedia99]

I agree for continuity sake for sure. But for me it’s about preservation. I have no issue at all with the special edition(s) and their existence, but I also want to have access to the original version. In a perfect world we’d have official access to all the different versions in high definition.

[@eric_stroud_drums8454]

Yes, Coppola’s approach is what I wish Lucas would follow. The 4k set of Apocalypse Now has all three cuts, on both 4k and blu-ray. It also has the Hearts of Darkness documentary and seemingly all the precious format’s bonus features. We should be able to buy a set like that for each Star Wars original trilogy film.

[@EvansMedia99]

@@eric_stroud_drums8454 exactly. Hell there’s a Blade Runner blu ray box set with like 5 cuts of the movie. Why can’t we have that with Star Wars lol

[@GrosvnerMcaffrey]

James Rolfe had an idea a while back where you can pick what changes you want and what to leave out

[@BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAthroggofthunder]

Lucas put the (Mandela effect) Ian McDiarmid emperor for the Special Editions release in January thru March 1997(Mandela Effect). Stop blaming Di$ney for no ‘ffing reason. Lucas also has said that the Originals will not be released. I don’t believe it, you shouldn’t either. I hate to say it, but when Uncle George Passes, Disney will probably release the 4K 3 months after. No way Di$ney would ever agree to never ever release the originals. The money alone that could be made… would make any company 9 billion dollars richer. Ok, maybe not 9 billion. But you get where i am going with that. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY…. We know that is all that they crave…. Remember, Lucas made changes to “Star Wars” out of spite for his ex-wife Marcia Lucas. She cheated on him, he didn’t want her making anymore money off her infidelity to him. That’s the basic gist of how the Special Editions came about. I believe his former producer Rick McCallum suggested Lucas “fix” all three to his liking….

[@joshslater2426]

Maybe I’m on the wrong side of the argument, but I prefer the special editions. I confess that I grew up with the changed versions, but I prefer them a little more. Little things like deleted scenes, digitally enhanced shots, the Stormtrooper making a noise when he bumps his head, and Palpatine in Empire played by Ian MacDiarmid. It adds an extra degree of continuity and I like them more as an overall package.

[@HabitualJoker]

Yeah, around these parts you’ll be on the wrong side of the argument. It’s about 1. Film preservation 2. Allowing viewers to watch the version of the film that they want to watch 3. Understanding that these are films made in the 70s and 80s that didn’t need to have CGI smattered all over them

[@Knightmessenger]

Actually it's fine to like the newer versions. What made people so upset is that the original versions that were widely released, won oscars and beloved for 20 years, were no longer made accesible to the public.

[@Biscuits645]

Each to their own. We all like different things. For me it's ruining the art and magic that film has from that era.

[@namco003]

Thanks for the info. I just got 77 and 83, but 80 wasn't out, but must have come out a few weeks after I got the first two, and I had no idea!!

[@EvansMedia99]

Nice, glad it was helpful!

[@RetroJack]

Thank you for this - I'm getting all 3 now!

[@ChrisOliver4307]

I wonder if Disney has the original movies at all. No one knows what George Lucas put in that contract.

[@EvansMedia99]

Oh they 100% do. I read that over the years Disney/Lucasfilm have been digitally scanning all there old film reels of anything and everything they’ve ever produced, this definitely incudes the old Star Wars film reels. Disney has even used very short clip(s) from there A New Hope scan in a documentary on Disney plus, I wanna say it was the ILM documentary. But I think George had it in his contract that they wouldn’t get released to the public.

[@Josh-le6lu]

I bought the VHS trilogy at the (late) best damn junk store on earth so that should cover me being legal.

[@pseudonym3690]

"Horrible DVD standards"? What are you talking about? Unlike all other media before it, DVD video allowed for flawless quality for SD resolutions.

[@casual_villain]

Exactly what I’m thinking

[@CatGoneCrazy]

Sorry to be ‘that guy’, I am painfully aware of it :D It isn’t quite flawless - it’s still compressed, so if there’s too much colour and detail in a scene, DVD video will start to break up into square artefacts. I do agree with your main point though, overall DVD was and is superb for most SD content.

[@pseudonym3690]

@@CatGoneCrazy lol no worries, but two things I'd like to reply: 1. the problem you describe is the result of using a bad encoder or improper encoding settings or both. Could also be the result of a sub-par decoder chip, like you can see with "black pumping" on old cheap 2nd generation chipsets 2. No media is uncompressed, because you could barely handle the file sizes. Even when going for uncompressed lossless encodings for archival purposes this is a real problem. Lossy compression is no problem if proper settings and good encoders are used. The bitrate DVD Video offered as well as the technological advances that MPEG2 brought ( e.g. anamorph encodes) were good enough to provide visually flawless quality. That doesn't mean that every commercial DVD out there was flawless. Quite a few were subpar in that regard for the aforementioned reasons

[@GoldenCroc]

@@pseudonym3690 Well, couldnt he mean from the viewpoint of cinema or higher resolutions? Thats what I assumed, I dont see the meeaning of talking about SD content discussing a cinematic release. So, I agree, it is pretty bad (or "horrible" if you want to be hyperbolic) in this regard.

[@pseudonym3690]

​@@GoldenCroc I think you're overinterpreting things. Neither does he give any context to warrant that assumption, nor am I interested in hypothesizing the unexplained generalizations of some random youtuber. But even if you went that far with your assumption, I hardly see how DVD for an at home medium looked any worse than stretching a 35mm projection to a 17m diameter in a cinema. Most cinemas I went to at around the time looked worse than any DVD movies I had at home, because in terms of pixel density, a DVD on a standard 22" CRT still had a 5 times higher density than compared to cinema projections. So not sure what you're on about.

[@paulaburrows8660]

Lucas can do whatever he wants to his IP. He should realise, however, that the original versions are a very important part of peoples lives growing up and it means a lot to be able to enjoy them in later life.

[@angelainamarie9656]

He's made it so that I cannot stand watching the commercials available versions of these movies. Every single cut every single edit he made is so goddamn intrusive and so pointless and insulting to the viewer I just it blows my mind that he is dead set on these being the versions of the films. There's a reason why dune is burning up the movie theaters right now. People were aching for something on that level that was actually fun to watch and not full of a bunch of stupid self-referential jokes.

[@theOlLineRebel]

Exactly. When we went to the theater - more impactful than the biggest TV - we had a certain specific experience, based on what was actually in these movies. I’ve gotten so confused by director’s cuts and so forth but I remember every detail plays into how the movie impacts you. I recall watching other cuts of Superman on TV presentations in the ‘80s…and being totally flummoxed. What had I seen? Did I forget? That lousy cheap tin-foil ensign on Krypton and father contact scene in the Fortress of Solitude - if I had seen that even as a kid, would that have taken down my awe at the movie just a bit? But yet they keep pushing these alternate versions, without respect for the original impact.

[@Saturnome]

People do whatever they want but the "no CGI in my star wars!" + "ugh, grain! better put digital noise removal all over the picture!" position is a funny one

[@gabbleratchet1890]

Was it the Special Edition where they went back and scanned in the original, individual elements for certain shots and then composited them digitally? I seem to remember they couldn’t find everything, but it really cleaned up certain shots like Hoth and Cloud City where the optical printing border was very noticeable.

[@fitzdizzel48]

Grain is integral to how it should be watched.

[@EvansMedia99]

I agree!

[@UncleUncleRj]

If I was introducing someone to star wars, I would show them the modern versions, but for myself and my SW friends, these versions are the gold standard.

[@EvansMedia99]

I honestly respect that. The one thing about the modern versions is there’s more continuity with the prequels. So for a first time viewer it could avoid potential confusion. But yea for diehard fans these 4k projects are the go to in my opinion

[@boomieboo]

Keep the true OT alive! Thanks for this.

[@justinturley7071]

Fantastic transfer, just got done watching it today, couldn’t be more happier. Although, I do question why Vader’s lightsaber has a pinkish look to it? Yes I understand this print is pretty beat up, but still, why is it pink instead of Red? I’m not being rude or anything, I just want to know why it looks pink instead of Red. But to be fair, when Lucusfilm remastered the print in 1993 for the Definitive Edition on Laserdisc (which was done in order to not only cash in on the last release of the original theatrical versions on home media, but to be used for the 97 Special Edition edits) Vader’s lightsaber has a pink look to it. So I don’t know if Vader’s lightsaber looked like that in the 1980 theatrical print or not. Just curious.

[@Banzai51]

Can't wait for the DNR version of 4k80. It is pretty clear the film they used degraded quite a bit as it is OVERLY grainy. If it was released like that there would have been an outcry.

[@DDuMas]

As interesting as the originals are, they're not the "definitive" versions of the films. They aren't what George Lucus had in mind. They were the versions, and cuts he didn't have a choice with, because of technology, likely studio pressure, and the lack of retrospect. I'm different though. While I wouldn't mind getting the originals, I want the full VHS experience with them. I want to watch old films in SD. I want them to look old. That's why I'm happy with DVDs for old films especially.

[@Knightmessenger]

Lucas had final cut on all of his movies. While the studio may have expressed concern or worry about any of the 6, none of them were reedited by the studio.

[@DDuMas]

@@Knightmessenger They may not have gotten edit pressure in that sense, but they may have gotten pressure over the length of the film. Especially the theatrical version. Back in the 90s at least, a lot of films were cut for time. Back then the average film may have been closer to 90 minutes. So way back when Star Wars came out, I wouldn't have been surprised if that wasn't at least a conversation.

[@Concreteowl]

Original Emperor was much more sinister

[@StarWarsStory]

This looks amazing! Sorry to spam but would you be up for collaborating?

[@MrBaskins2010]

I FCKIN LOVE FILM GRAIN

[@stonent]

I really don't like the CGI band scene in Jabba's palace in the newer versions. I just like it how it was originally. They completely changed the song and put in a strange CGI version of the singer that just isn't right.

[@MiketheEye]

I was on mushrooms one time and thought it'd be fun to rewatch A New Hope for some comfy nostalgia. Unfortunately for me it was riddled with the special edition alterations and it totally sent me into a bad trip. This and the de-specialization editions are godsends.

[@matthewrease2376]

Guess you shouldn't take mind altering substances.

[@SilverSpoon_]

i remember watching the first version as a kid, and indeed Palpatine was scarier with that weird alien-esue face, it's not kidding. The reedit of the trilogy was made to fit with the prequel and all the disney bullshit that came after.

[@EvansMedia99]

True, from a continuity standpoint that makes total sense. I just wish both versions were officially available in 4k or HD. Just from a historical preservation standpoint.

[@KyleHJ]

Did the VHS set of the original trilogy use the theatrical versions of the films? Those were the ones i watched as a kid in the 2000’s but i don’t remember the emperor looking different lol.

[@EvansMedia99]

If I remember correctly there were 2 versions of the vhs box set. One of which yes, was the theatrical version. But the 90s special edition was also on vhs. So you either saw the theatrical or 90s special edition.

[@KyleHJ]

@@EvansMedia99 ill have to go digging through his stuff to find the box set and find out lol! Thanks for the info

[@Knightmessenger]

The new emperor was introduced in the 2004 dvd set. So it would have been the original scene no matter what if you watched it on vhs.

[@zmani4379]

Considering how huge and diverse the Star Wars fanbase is, I think it's a good idea for the original theatrical releases to be available in at least some format for anyone to view or purchase. I can understand the impulse to modify after the fact, but I really don't see why one would want to remove such options for the viewers. It's as if Lucas has been sparring w his fanbase almost from the outset. IMO the best restoration in Empire is the original Emperor - nobody in Star Wars was "acting evil" till Ian McDiarmid; the first 2 films seem modeled on the approach of Hammer horror movies of the 60s, playing the material straight, with no winking at the audience - the acting and the characters are understated and straightlaced (Peter Cushing exemplified this, both in Hammer and Star Wars), and the Empire itself and its functionaries are modeled on the colonial British Empire - Ian McDiarmid's Emperor from Jedi is behaving instead like Bela Lugosi from the 30s Universal horror movies, leering and making funny faces, and ghoulishly savoring his evil lines like one of those moustache-twirling villains of silent cinema - this was fine in those 30s monster movies, which had a comical ghoulish approach closer to Grand Guignol - but this original Emperor fits much more closely with the understated acting of everyone else, while McDiarmid looks like he walked in out of a different movie, and IMO his acting in this role is crude and hamfisted, like he's overacting

[@CRAWLFORCEable]

"Some may not like grain"? What a strange thing to say...

[@JoesCaribbeanVanLife]

​@SomeCrap 👏 👏

[@epiclightning6845]

Yeah there are people who don’t like grain in video. Even the Blu-ray’s and DVDs of Dragon Ball Z are all terrible looking cuz of the lack of grain

[@SuperM789]

weird how some people don't like their movies half decomposed... quite odd

[@CRAWLFORCEable]

@@SuperM789 Nothing to do with decomposed film. Film grain.

[@epiclightning6845]

@@SuperM789 film grain doesn’t mean it’s decomposed

[@ian.swift.31614]

if only they'd be giving us the theatrical cuts for this re-release at the theaters this upcoming May 4th. I wish they would do theatrical re-releases of at least the original episodes 4-7 every 10 years, as that would be really cool.

[@Knightmessenger]

I know of a local independent theater showing A New Hope on May 4. I was told they had very strict agreements on what they could show and had to use what Disney provided. So even if someone had access to a 35mm print, they couldn't show that publicly.

[@trailbreaker11]

I like the original way better. It’s more creepy, and I saw this version in theaters back in 1980 when I was 5. The only Star Wars trilogy I ever watch or show other friends is the original Theatrical movies.

[@EvansMedia99]

Wow I wish I was around to see that back in the day. My first theatrical Star Wars movie was Force Awakens when I was 8 or 9

[@mikenadj.j4355]

Aren’t you so cool

[@art08474]

Definitely better. Ian is an awesome actor and fantastic as the emperor, but the original scene is way more menacing

[@user-ft4jo8ev1v]

LOVE the original look with grain and colors and I LOVE the original ugly emperor. Total classic. As to why they're editing the colors, I think it's make them look more modern and fit in better with the new movies, so new fans or general normies won't skip them over because they look dated.

[@freemansteinslab]

I have never quite understood, why in the original version, the emperor looks like he is doing upsidedownn finger glasses...😏

[@OrangeMicMusic]

My curiosity is, how a group of fans had access to original 35mm film since Lucas never wanted to release them in higher resolution himself?

[@colinandrews7272]

Buying or borrowing the original theatrical releases from collectors. Happens all the time. Film is near-infinitely scalable.

[@Colorcrayons]

@@colinandrews7272Exactly. Which is why old films that are filmed on film, are of far higher fidelity that recent productions "filmed" digitally. Casablanca? Looks better than anything made between 1980 and 2020, since, as you noted, the near infinite scalability of film resolution compared to digital. One 8k or 12 k become the norms, we can look forward to similar old films looking fabulous compared to watching Seinfeld on these newer tvs. These old films may be rare but they arent non existent. And having fims in the hands of private collections means we will lose less media going forward. (Pours a 40 on the ground for the old films pre-1935)

[@Dreadpirateflappy]

Cinemas would have had the prints back from the release, many still in circulation that collectors have bought. 35mm film is far beyond 4k resolution. That's why we can have so many 4k remasters of old films.

[@OrangeMicMusic]

Thanks for your answers. Makes sense

[@ryanjonesdronechannel724]

I think the change was understandable, especially considering that Ian McDiarmid became the face of the Emperor in Return of the Jedi along with the prequel trilogy. I am sure Lucas had to update the storyline has as time went by, especially when doing the prquel trilogy along woth tbe clone wars series. Also the Star Wars saga got even more complex after Disney took over. Some changes were probably needed as the story evolved, such as revising Palpatine's image In Empire Strikes back

[@amberlopez7477]

May the force be with you.

[@SFtheGreat]

I own several versions of VHS box-sets, I guess I'm legally covered. And I will be recording those projects on VHS as well, not for sale obviosuly.

[@nicholasgarratt5646]

I grew up on the originals (saw ROTJ at at the cinema in 83) but this is one modifcation that I like and prefer over the original. The woman in a mask was laughable but suppose the illusion of it being a man with the voice distracted over people looking too closely.

[@prebenjaeger]

What do you think about 4K83 2.0?

[@MikeBailey74]

Is this the *original* original version of Empire? For the first week or so of release, the final establishing shots of the rebel fleet didn’t have the X-Wings or Y-Wings or the close up of the Millennium Falcon - it was only after release did George think they needed adding to add context, so the final scene was recut with new establishing shots. Wonder which version this is. Either way, it will be brilliant to hear a pissed Vader growl “Bring my shuttle.” again.

[@Robin_Glader]

You are speaking of the 70mm version. That version is super rare, the more common 35mm version is easier to find so that's what they used for this. However recently TN1 procured a copy of the elusive 70mm version and have said they will scan and release this version, this will be the first time any fan group has scanned this version of the film and when they release it it'll be the first time the fandom will be watching that version since 1980.

[@EvansMedia99]

@@Robin_Glader I never even knew about this version, that’s so cool. I’ll keep an eye out for it!

[@sonidojamon]

These and Harmy's despecialized are the definitive SW versions of the first trilogy

[@RC-nq7mg]

I have seen 4k77 and 4k83 with no DNR in 1080p and even that is a HUGE upgrade from the laserdisc and VHS originals. I used to have captures of the laserdisc releases that I would watch over anything, the original laserdisc was actually better than the dvd release. The remasters stuff is just wrong. Still havent seen 4k80 yet, but i will soon.

[@riproar11]

I was a kid when I saw this in the theater and thought he was one weird-looking dude. Looks kind of like the faces in Picasso's cubist paintings.

[@JobelMT]

First of all, I’m impressed. Also, there’s some videos about Project 4K99 / Episode I. Will you talk about it? Cheers!

[@EvansMedia99]

thank you! and yes i have heard of 4k99, wasn’t sure what the status on that project was though. i’ll look into the forums later today and take a look at it! if it’s available for download ill absolutely make a video about it.

[@fireballninja01]

the original emperor’s physical actor is not only a woman, but the only main Star Wars actor to be born in the 1800’s

[@rouxenophobe]

Back when Vader wasn't a hunch back.

[@zerstaerker]

Original theatrical imperor suffered from conjunctivitis.

[@georgeghiultu8572]

I don't understand why you can't have both versions streaming at the same time. This is just stupid...modifying history Stalin style..this should be illegal....I don't care if after 50y you want to re-release your own movie, that's your problem but to distort reality to your own liking doesn't make any sense...as said just stupid...

[@joeyk107]

"Both versions" haha Just shows how delusional and stupid people like you are. You know next to nothing about the history of these movies yet you demand something that you don't even have the slightest understanding of.

[@HomerSparkle]

Removing film grain from movies is like spray painting over the craquelure on the Mona Lisa. At that point you have basically just erased the original art, and replaced it with somebody else's work. Might as well just burn it and create a new painting.

[@EvansMedia99]

Love that. Couldn’t agree more!