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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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?
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.
@@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.
@@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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 !
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
@@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
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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
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 🤣
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
"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.
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. ✌🏻
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.
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.
I saw Star Wars in the theaters when I was 9 in 1977. I've watched the various versions, but my true love is the original that I saw. I found 4K77, downloaded and watched it, and it's magical. Side by side, there's truly no contest, it blows away the current version offered by Disney/Lucas. My viewing experience: I have a "pretty cheap" 58" 4K tv with good picture (and poor sound, but irrelevant). A Yamaha 7.1 channel AV receiver with (offhand I believe) 450 watt output. My living room is slightly long, so I have proper depth for a true theater experience. I have placed the speakers in the appropriate places to properly utilize Dolby surround, and have tuned the speakers to the correct output. To this, I have a laptop with HDMI output, I downloaded the file to that, ran it with VLC, selecting Dolby 5.1 audio (from tha laser disc, I think). The clarity, detail, and depth of this movie in this presentation is incredible. And what's more, some of the small details jump out- the correct font and color for some of the onscreen scripts; you recognize it, if you saw it that way. I did. Gave me a "yes, this is what I saw as a kid" experience.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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?
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.
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!
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 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.
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.
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.
the one thing keeping me from getting into star wars was the changes to the movie, so now I'm gonna watch it all, & finally see what everyone loves about it (maybe even check out the changes
this video perfectly expresses my love for 4K77 I literally burned all 3 movies onto 4K discs and workshopped my own case and cover using the original movie posters for each as well, love these so much
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)
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!
In ‘77 I was 7 years old and this movie blew my mind. If anybody played Star Wars galaxies, they will remember the commercial that had a quote in it that I’m going to use. After seeing this movie in 1977, the greatest Star Wars stories ever told were the ones me and my friends played out every day in the neighborhood. (Star Wars Galaxies I believe said, “the greatest Star Wars story ever told is yours”). I am thrilled to watch these the same way I did so many years ago.
Next up, as a prequel fan, you have to flip this on its head and watch the HAL9000 fan edits of the prequel movies … and realize that the OT was as good as it was also _in spite of_ George, and that the prequels would have greatly benefited from push back by competent staff… a challenge to your nostalgia lens. Older/original isn’t automatically better (even though it is in the case of the OT in SW). Edit: …and this is also coming from someone who grew up with the prequel SW movies, not the OT.
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.
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 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.
The reason I personally don't like the added people and busyness to Mos Eisley and Cloud City - it takes away from that original feeling of them being in the middle of nowhere… Not in the middle of a bustling city / space port. Takes away that great spaghetti western feeling of being alone with just a few people around.
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.
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 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.
I was a 90's kid so the prequels were the first main contact I have with the saga at the time, and I remember learning about the original trilogy eventually. So when I finally got copies of the films on DVD, I was so impressed by the trilogy, the story, the settings, the characters, tone and of course, the special effects. I was so heartbroken when I learned that the movies I watched were the special editions because I asumed I was watching the films in the way they were released at that time, and the fact that these impresive visuals were released in those years blew me away. So when I undestood that they were edited in a new version in 1997, it felt like cheating or something.
My childhood version was SE 97... which is the only version that was never released on a digital format As such it's impossible to find nowadays, which sucks as I'd love to watch them again some day
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.
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...
@@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.
@@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
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.
This first non Disney movie I ever saw in a theatre was Star Wars, when I was 9. My Dad took me and I was so happy that he liked it too. A top childhood memory :D Then came the Special Editions - ugh. I thought the fixes in Empire were worthwhile, but hated the changes in SW and ROTJ. Thanks for this info about 4K77 - you’ve given me a new hope to enjoy these movies again as they should be!
I saw the original movies so many times as a kid, when the remakes came out all of the extra CG crap was distracting me from enjoying the films. I can't wait to get my own copies of these. the only OG copies I have are the only DVD release and the last time they released them on VHS, which are also a little bit different themselves.
I too like others posted was 8 when I saw Star Wars for the first time in 1977. We had movies in the early 70's like: THX 1138 (71), Andromeda Strain (71), Logan's Run (76), Death Race 2000 (75), Westworld (73), Futureworld (76), Damnation Alley (77), Soylent Green (73), Fantastic Planet (73), Colossus (70), Rollerball (75), Close Encounters of the third kind (77), Silent Running (72), Zardoz (74), The Man who fell to earth (76) and not to forget the original "Planet of the Apes (68), Beneath the Planet of the apes (70), Escape from the planet of the apes (71), Conquest of the planet of the apes (72), (lastly) Battle for the planet of the apes (73). There were a few great classic sci-fi movies that lead the way into some great movies. In many ways I think the classics are better story telling than some of the newer stuff we are getting now. Except Zardoz, it was just weird, but had to list it.
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.
Return of the Jedi’s tone is by far the one most affected by the special edition. The original doesn’t have the song and dance chi jabba palace cartoon. It has a more serious tone. When Vader throws the e_____over a rail he doesn’t yell no like Frankenstein which is a travesty of cheese. The ending celebration is very different. New scenes. New music. The actor that played Anakin being replaced by Hayden.
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.
The special editions of the Star Wars movies made me think I was insane as a kid, depending on where and when and what format I was watching the movies there would be little differences and it was to the point that I swore I was making them up half the time, when I grew up and found out about the special editions it blew my mind that I hadn't been crazy
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.
I grew up on the 2006 dvds, so I was always flipping between the Special Editions and the theatrical cuts. Maybe that's why I can never decide which versions to watch half the time.
Too bad you didn't catch the original versions in the movie theatres when they were actually playing in 1977, 1980, and 1983. Only some of us can lay claim to such things! I saw Empire 5 or 6 times in 1980-1981. Same with Jedi. Star Wars only twice.
These releases are great. I'll say this though, Harmy recently released Return of the Jedi Despecialized v3.1 and that's my personal preferred restoration to watch now. The main source is the official 4K Blu-ray special editions, with 4k83 v2.0 used to restore altered shots. He cleans up the frozen DNR grain from the official 4k discs and replaces it with more natural looking grain, closer to how it would look from a proper scan from the 4k negative. Likewise, the 4k83 footage was degrained and replaced with finer grain to match. It may remove the feeling of pure authenticity that Team Negative One's 4k releases have, but there's definitely more detail in the image and is closer to how a proper modern remaster of these films would and should look.
Great job. I am one of the few that saw star wars in '77 and over the years watched it one hundred billion trillion times before they fu @@#$$##cked it up. And han shot 1st❤😂⭐
Unfortunately, I don't think it's possible to do a restoration of the Holiday Special because it was shot almost all on tape, which limits the recordings to the standard 480i resolution that TVs displayed at the time. I've seen some people attempt to use upscaling tools to try and make a 4K version, but I'm not personally in favor of that approach since it inherently changes the original source and adds detail that didn't exist in the first place.
This is the version of STAR WARS (No Episode IV Tag) I saw 18 times in 1977. I have the Star Wars - Despecialized Edition [1977] and have watched it twice, which means I've now seen STAR WARS 20 times.
I think some people prefer the modernized color grading, so has anyone just replaced the 'special ed' scenes in the Blu Rays with the same scenes from the 4Ks, editing them to match the Blu Rays?
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.
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
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👍
Loved this video. Thanks. Not sure the reason we watch a certain version is based on what we fell in love with it was introduced. I think it might be to do with what is less jarring for us. If we started with the special editions, it might seem a jarring experience to suddenly see missing scenes. Not that it's an unpleasant experience, just a bit jolting. Maybe. I don't necessarily see grain or dirt as a sign of age either. that might be because I watch most movies from the past, and not so many current releases
@@BraveBladeProductions totally. You've inspired me to check out these 4k versions though for that more pure and original cinema experience. That's what art is about 👏🏻✨
Pretty nice breakdown. I resort to my VHS tapes when I want to watch the non-Special Editions. But in reality, my preferred versions are any versions but the Special Editions. Can’t wait until someone at Disney takes up the task of remastering and rereleasing the non-Special Editions, but that will likely take George to become one with the Force. The Special Editions are atrocious.
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
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.
@@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.
Film grain because ”of the age” of Ep4? Well what were the film stocks it was filmed wirh? And what was the real resolution of them? Maybe somebody does not understand how high fidelity film has been for a century?
@@johto , maybe you are not familiar with color separation process with technicolor? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technicolor "The best color quality control for video transfer by far is achieved by optically printing from Technicolor negatives, or by recombining the three-strip black and white negatives through digital means and printing, onto low-contrast stock. Director George Lucas had a three-strip archival negative, and one or more imbibition prints made of Star Wars; this "protection" copy was consulted for color values in putting together the 1997 Special Edition of Star Wars." I'm wondering if it matters that "camera negatives" are lost, if there are these protection copies in existence? Pretty sad, that TEchincolor has so short "2nd life": 1997-2002. "Analog film" means hundreds of different "resolutions", because of film stocks, film sizes and copying processes. Slow film stocks had much more resolution than 4k in 65mm size even in 1950's.
For me, the 2004 DVD version is THE version to watch if you’re going to watch all six films. That one feels the most cohesive with the Prequels especially since it was released during the height of the prequel production. And it’s also the least offensive with the changes. But I love my despecialized editions I have on Blu-ray Disc. Although I see them more as a novelty and a sort of time capsule. But I wouldn’t show it to a first time viewer if I were to show all six films. Like I said before, the ‘04 editions are the best for full saga watch.
@@BraveBladeProductions The problem is that the prequels are complete garbage. Changing the original movies so they fit better with the awful prequels isn't a good thing.
Born in 86 I wasn't old enough to have seen the movies in the cinema but grew up with the VHS versions of the theatrical versions, pre special editions. Despite its flaws, it's amazing how much closer the colours are to my memory of the VHS tapes, when I upgraded my collection to DVD I'd always assumed the darker colour grading from the DVDs was due to the poor VHS colour reproduction as I had the original DVD release (black/silver vader box) that didn't come with the theatrical versions. It's amazing going back and watching 4k77 feels like the star wars I remember watching when I was 6 on VHS, and I'm pretty sure it's just the colours for me that change the feel of the movie. I'm not sure why they messed with the levels so much, the original release looks good
Deleted my past comment, because... I downloaded 4K77, copied it to a USB drive, and watched it on TV through my xbox with VLC installed. I think I've just moved on from Despecialized, now. This is honestly the most authentic and beautiful version of Star Wars there is, and once I buy a larger USB drive, I'll download and copy the other 4K Projects onto it because watching the most authentic original untampered version of the single greatest fantasy film of all time on a nice large TV screen was a spiritual awakening for me.
If Disney/Lucasfilm really wanted to score some much needed points in their effort to repair the damage done by mediocre Star Wars releases of late, I would STRONGLY encourage them to announce that they will be putting the original theatrical releases back in theaters "for a short time" and then releasing them on bluray and 4K. The response they would get would be off the charts, even if it happens to anger George Lucas (for some reason).
@@jj-sc1kqThey have got to know by now that there is a built in audience that would absolutely flock to the theaters to see it, though. And mistakes have been made that they need to repair. If a few people get their feathers in a ruffle because of it, so be it. She should give George a call and see what he says. Under the circumstances he may agree (even though his blessing is not legally required anymore).
George Lucas is fine with these OG cuts existing, he just doesn't want them to be mainstream, which I think is completely fair. You should be allowed to decide how your film is remembered, and it IS possible to get your hands on the theatrical cut, it's just difficult. If we get a wide 4k release, we're going to have a new generation of awful parents forcing their kids to ONLY watch the "original" versions
@@officialmonarchmusicWhat I don't get is, other directors like Ridley Scott have several versions of their films flying around (There are at least seven different versions of his 1982 Blade Runner, for example) and don't have an issue with them. Also, when Ted Turner was colorizing old black & white MGM movies that he owned, one of the most vocal critics of this practice was - wait for it - George Lucas! Kind of makes him a bit of a hypocrite to then turn around and continually alter his movies without batting an eye.
MKVs are really annoying to deal with, but you can work around it with X Media Recode, a tool that can copy the video into a different container (like an MP4), and then it can be used normally by any editing program. You could even just copy a certain section of the film using the chapters so you wouldn't have to have two copies of 50GB files.
HDR gets you closer to a theater film projection than non-HDR does. Back-projection through celluloid onto a reflective screen gives you VERY bright brights and dark darks.
Quality and resolution are two completely different settings when encoding a movie file. 4k does not mean higher quality than 2k. It's the bitrate that matters and you can tell by the file size. More compression reduces the file size but also the quality. A digital cinema DCI movie files has a bitrate of 250 mbps regardless if 2k or 4k (same quality). A 4k blu ray is around 100 mbps (less than half the quality at the theater). A regular blu ray is 40 mbps and 4k Netflix is around 25 mbps (i.e. lower quality than a 1080p blu ray). In general the best resolution (in terms of quality) is the native resolution of your display. Scaling reduces quality. Anyway... 60gb is similar to what you'd expect on a 4k Blu Ray but well short of the theater. But... Star Wars was on analog 35mm film so it's debatable how a 4k blu ray quality compares to film. Or how the quality of the 35mm print they used compared to what people experienced at the theater on the first showing.
My first touch with Star Wars was with 1997 special edition on VHS tapes (I still have it today, I was 7 when dad bought me). I loved the trilogy instantly... But I noticed some scenes were "out of context" and I really didn't like CGI (especially Jedi Rocks, I always fast forwarded this scene). When I found Despecialised edition in 2017, I watched it with pure love and even't can't look on the newest special editions. Scenes of Naboo and bad CGI Corruscant at the end of Return of the Jedi are sacrilege.
I've just recently watched the projects, they're 4k I think, no HDR and there's a lot of specs, dirt and occasional damages to the print and crackles to the sound at times, is this what you experienced?? , I personally love it, I dislike all the changes in the special editions personally, why has Anakin de aged at the very end of ROTJ.. Why couldn't they have left the original actor David Prouce, I understand they wanted to keep continuity between the prequels and the originals but it dosent make sense to deage one and not the others
Other than the removal of the additions made to the Special Editions, do these restorations look better than the current versions on Disney+ ? The colour correction on D+ look better than anything officially released in years. Do the 4K versions look better than those?
The 4K versions look more accurate to the original theatrical versions. Whether or not they are better than what’s on D+ is a matter of personal taste.
