Why I Bought Star Wars on DVD in 2023 (Theatrical Star Wars on DVD) 

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The Despecialized Editions are still my go-to versions, and I think they provide the best balance providing a restored, cleaned up, high definition look. 4K77 is also really well done if you want a more authentic experience and you want to know what it must have been like to see Star Wars for the first time in theatres in 1977.

As someone who grew up watching his dad's Star Wars vhs tapes, to me it seems unbelievable that some people still haven't seen the original versions of the original trilogy. It should be obvious since they haven't been readily available in almost 20 years, but it's just something I've never thought about.

I bought these dvds not too long ago myself. They're good to have even though the picture and audio isn't the best. In a way I think there's some charm and maybe even some benefit to older movies not being completely polished and pristine. I think it adds to that retro, nostalgic feel these movies can have.

I vividly remember finding these on the shelf at target when they were first released. I thought oh great another special edition release. Then I looked at the back for special features and… bought them immediately! I knew then and there that this was the last chance to own the original cuts. Still watching these dvds to this day. ⭐️ 👍

The problem isn't that George made changes, the problem is that those original cuts aren't available to the general public. Also something can be said that for every category Star Wars '77 won Oscars for, George altered. That's messing with months of hard work done by other artists

If Lucas is so intent on constantly making tweaks and changes to existing Star Wars material, then someone should hand him the original print of the Star Wars Holiday Special. Let's see what he can do with that!

Fun fact: Did you know the Maclunky version of A New Hope was actually from what was supposed to be a 3D re-release? Back then, every movie was supposed to be released yearly in 3D but was only able to do one movie before the Disney buyout. So If Lucas still held onto it, it would've came out in 2015

Happy that I got to see Return of the Jedi back in 1983 at the cinema when it was first released and so got to experience it in the highest picture and audio quality that is likely to ever be available. Hopefully one day they do release those original version in 4k home video.

I still have these DVDs and pull them out occasionally. ESB is the only one that I think, on-balance, is better. The upgrades in Cloud City are very fitting. My major problems are the Jabba scene in ANH that literally just repeats Han’s conversation with Greedo, the awkwardness of Han dodging a blaster, and the musical number in RotJ that grinds the narrative to a halt but isn’t actually any good. The rest is white noise at worst.

OMG!! I remember I borrowed one of these copies from my library when I was in high school and, I remember hearing people always saying how the original theatrical release was never digitalized... thank you for proving me right!!

I still have my old VHS tapes of the original trilogy that I bought in the 1980's. I could not give them up and kept them in a box for years. I used to view them for old time's sake until my VHS player died. I still keep them anyway. I saw the first releases when I was a kid.

Wow, this video is getting a lot more attention than I ever expected. I just wanted to say thank you to everybody watching, it means the world to me. If you enjoyed the video please subscribe so you don't miss out on what's to come next!

I have the original unaltered cuts and recently ran Star Wars through one of my programs to get it looking like theater quality. It took 14 hours to render and ended up 10 gigabytes in size. But when it was projected on my outdoor 7x4 metre drive-in screen it bought tears to my eyes. A labor of love from all. I shared it with my brother on the eve of his 45th birthday. Under the stars and he didn't even complain once about the mosquitos. You see, I never got to see it when it was first release in Australia. My mum wouldn't let me because with the hordes of people queuing up she thought it was a rock concert and I'd get trampled as a nine year old. But you do what you gotta do to live the dream. And erecting that huge screen almost got me squashed anyway...

G'day it's Steven from Sydney Love that younger generations are enjoying Star Wars as much as I have since I was a boy at the time of their theatrical releases. May the Force be with you

I was born in 1972, saw the original in theater when I was 5. I can see what you are saying about having your "version" of Star Wars. One thing I really like about the Special Editions is that George was able to make the Star Wars environment more "full". He added groups of Jawa just hangin out near the Cantina.. he added banthas in the desert search. I agree he added to, not hurt the story.

I bought these DVDs right when they first came out back in 2006, and, in the US at least, BeatBuy had them available in a limited edition metal tin which is still one of my prized possessions when it comes to my physical media collection. I’m feeling super old though, as I grew up in a time where the original versions were the ONLY version to watch, lol. But I have never been a “Special Edition” hater and can appreciate some of the alterations. Nonetheless I never watched them enough to the point that they’ve replaced the original versions for me.

I grew up watching the original versions on VHS and then saw the special editions at the cinema when released.

Unfortunately, my copy has the Greedo shoots first version but, thank God, I don't have Vader moaning "Nooooooooooooo" as he grabs Palps off of his son, Luke. I can say that I saw the Original Trilogy in theaters and the experience is indelibly burned into my memory.

The original releases are still the best. Please Disney, release them in Blu-Ray and 4K

I have these six DVDs. I bought them back in the day *because* they included the un-defaced versions. I am really glad that I did now that it looks like Lucasfilm isn't content with just making their new version but that they want to memory-hole the original ones.

Absolutely, those editions with the “extra disc with theatrical version” are the best thing yet released. Not the nicest version by any means, but better than no original theatrical version at all. So those are nice, and allow a person who saw them in the theatres to say, “This is what we actually saw. From 1977 to 1983, this is what the technology allowed, and there weren’t CG effects at the time, they didn’t exist. This is before the films were altered.”

I like the idea James Rolfe suggested of having a special Blu-Ray release of the original trilogy where you're able to access a menu and toggle between different changes to make a custom version of the movie. You could watch any of the altered versions, you could watch the original versions, or you could mix-and-match. This would be perfect. It would be my personal go-to way of watching the original Star Wars movies. This would be perfect for the 50th anniversary (preferably we'd get them sooner than that but that would be a perfect time to release them if they were to exist one day)

What I loved about these versions is they made the letters golden in the box, the collection was complete and looked awesome

I have a feeling that Lucus had it written into the contract that the orginals could not be released when he signed over to Disney. No way they would not have put these out if they could...

The problem with watching the Special Editions is that if you grew up watching the theatrical versions for 20 years, you were pretty used to the flow, and it doesn't feel that immersive when the changes come up. Like a musician who changes one of the verses of classic song, you're immediately aware that you're watching a new version. It takes you out of the moment. If you didn't grow up with the originals, then enjoy the SEs!

I picked out that A New Hope copy in 2008 when I was 5. Never had seen SW before and it’s what started it all. Super nostalgic.

Love the coverage on the channel, thank you for your hard work. Watching the theatrical versions of Star Wars today does little if you did not watch the theatrical versions of Star Wars when they were released- context is king, 99% of the population at the time of the films release had no clue what we were going to see, yes, there was great anticipation and the trailer did capture our imaginations at the time but those of us old enough to remember going to the theater in 1977 were smacked in the face awestruck with Star Wars - the crowds, the multiple repeat viewings, the applause and excitement when the Millennium Falcon goes into hyper space, the overall hunger for anything Star Wars is something difficult to repeat as it was not an experience people would normally have going to see a movie up to that moment. Somehow in 1977, a film transcended being just a film- When I have seen the original theatrical releases it brings me back to those moments of wonder and excitement - I get how people who experienced the original release in ‘77 tell others that the theatrical version is best but watching it today without the context of the time, watching the theatrical version is but one part of the entire experience that made Star Wars so impactful. I think it would help to watch the theatrical versions in a large theater screen with tons of people who appreciate the films as much as you do and maybe even see some of the documentaries to give you a sense of what was happening at the time of release. Still, I am amazed at the staying power of the films and the impact today.

I grew up with the original versions of the original trilogy, and I watched Star Wars (aka A New Hope) over 100 times on vhs, so the new scenes stand out a mile to me. I have these same DVDs so I must dust them off and have another watch of the theatrical version. I wasn't aware these versions had also been updated so I'll see what changes I can spot.

Your mistaken about the episode number and title being added to the VHS releases. They were already on the movies by the time they started coming out on video. The episode numbers and titles began appearing with The Empire Strikes Back In 1980. The next re-release of Star Wars in theaters was in spring of '81 where the New Hope title appeared. The first VHS release of Star Wars was in 1982.

Slight correction: Empire and Jedi always had the Episode V and Episode VI in the opening crawl. It was only A New Hope which was added later, and that was added in the 1981 re-release Everyone has their own values when watching. I'd rather watch a fuzzy, muffled VHS then the special editions, but I'm done telling people watching the special editions first will wreck the experience. They're fine, just a little distracting for me personally (more distracting than crappy audio and image quality)

I remember going to see the original in 1977, without really knowing what I was going to see. Wow, what can you say? Mind-blowing! Then along comes Empire... three years later. Wow wow wow. Of course Jedi followed. But getting to see all three at the same cinema showing in the mid-late 80's was just incredible. Even though it meant being in the cinema for about seven hours!

IF YOU HAD GROWN UP SEEING THE ORIGINAL THEATRICAL MOVIES IN THE THEATER AND ON VHS, YOU WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE CHASTIZED LUCAS FOR DOING WHAT HE DID. ESPECIALLY SINCE THE ORIGINAL TRILLOGY WAS THE CUT HIS EX-WIFE EDITED AND GOT AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR.

BACK THEM UP! I bought the Limited Editions back in the day when they were still brand new, and all my bonus disks are now suffering from so much bit-rot that no DVD player will even admit they have data on them, let alone play the theatrical version.

I have these DVD's. I ripped the theatrical versions to my computer and then used Handbrake to crop the black borders, applied a mild "unsharp mask" filter, and kept the compression very very low. The purpose of this was so that I could play them from my Plex server. The results were quite good, these versions are still very watchable.

Idk why people always forget about these. Whenever you see people talking about the originals they always say the last time they were released was on laser disc. I remember these releasing and you could get the whole trilogy in a really cool metal tin box set.

They use to show the original cuts on tv in the 80s and 90s. Even the sci fi channel shown them in the early years. I bought those dvds for the original cuts. From the special edition, I like how they had the biggs in it.

The irony of this situation is that by taking away the availability of the theatrical versions, Lucas poisoned the well on many fans being open to his changes. It was all just so unnecessary. Ridley Scott did it right. When he recut Blade Runner, he put all the cuts on the blu ray set. He stated the final cut is his purest vision but didn't try to take anything away. I prefer it too, but I know there are many who prefer the theatrical cut of that film. So, everyone is happy. Disney and Lucas could fix this situation.

Hayden Christianson was only put on the 2006 DVD Return of the Jedi but not the original VHS special edition.

Im still not convinced that Lucas didnt structure the SW sale to Disney in such a way that it wouldnt allow for any future re-release of the theatrical versions of the OT. I just dont see ANY way that Disney WOULDN'T have made them available for purchase by now if they could

I love my copies of the Despecialized Editions. Its the only way I watch them.

I don't think Disney has the rights to release the theatrical versions. Seeing as the current versions arguably ARE the movies, Lucas most likely prohibited Disney from changing them, which would include changing them backwards. The changes made in the 4k releases were most likely made by Lucas when he made the 3-d conversions of the films

I've got these dvds with the theatrical versions on. Love them, this is the Star Wars I grew up with, and prefer to the special editions.

Lucas was so determined to not have the original versions released ever again, the advertisement for the 1995 trilogy box set made a point to say that it was the last time to get those versions. I do like that I got the DVD Limited Edition of A New Hope. I like both versions of the movie, but nostalgia makes me really like the '97 Special Edition.

I have every version starting with the old VHS, the old set of DVDs and this set you have but I usually watch the 4k dolby vision versions for convince. After your video I decided to watch the old DVD version of A new Hope. I brought back memories of how the old movies looked and sounded which was great at that time.

I remember having Star Wars: A New Hope on VHS as a child. I watched that version so many times! Sadly, that will never be seen on Blu-Ray in 2023!

In the late 90s the Malaysians essentially had a BlueRay cinema system. The discs are 1080 versions of the original versions of these films. I bought them at uni from ebay when it was pretty new for next to nothing. They are amazing and I don't know why Lucasfilm never released these versions at least once in 2k+

Still got my 1992 VHS trilogy, but they are worned out from numerous watching.Ahh, the good ole days...

I got this set (in a very nice tin box set) for my brother when they released, as he hated the Special Editions. I already had the original versions on VHS but eventually got myself a set of the DVDs on eBay and I’m glad I did. It’s nice to have one non-special edition in the collection.

I grew up on the VHS version and I still like the current editions I Just wish there was an option to view the originals To this day that scene from empire where vader talks to the emperor still catches me off guard because I keep expecting the old emperor and there are a lot of scenes like that such as vader yelling "No!" When saving luke

I still have the VHS of the original trilogy. But in this digital age; check out the Harmy versions, or the 4K77 version!

I bought them 12 years ago. As soon as I found out they arent going to include them on the Bluray release. But I think I might have to set up my VCR again.

Only problem with those is they're 4:3 on a 16:9 TV and off the laserdiscs. I'm extremely grateful to have the despecialised editions.

I remember when these DVD's were released and OT fans still complained that Lucasfilm didn't put any work into the theatrical releases. Perhaps they could've put a little more work into them but Lucasfilm is really committed to the special editions. And now the special editions have existed longer than the theatrical editions did. I grew up with the theatrical versions on pan and scan VHS so I'm happy watching my HD versions now

The original “Star Wars” (NOT “Episode IV”, NOT “A New Hope”, but “STAR WARS”) was nigh perfect filmmaking from a time when special effects had to be practical because the techniques to create the effects seen in the prequel trilogy had yet to be created. So yeah, the theatrical release from 1977, imperfections and all, is the only version I watch. It would be the only entry in the series I’d watch if it weren’t for my kids’ devotion to the franchise and every half-assed project released since Disney got ahold of it.

I got those limited edition dvds that you mentioned around when they were released (Return of the Jedi by 2006). Although I have distant memories of watching the Special Editiions on release in theatres (1998) I only ever watch the theatrical versions of the films on these DVD sets . The other DVD in each set is still good for extra features and the mountain of effort put into the menus. They are well worth the purchase and a natural complement to the Prequel Trilogy double DVD sets released about a year before (2001-2005). If you have a DVD player and you are a fan of Starwars you could do worse.

Bought those DVDs when they released back in the day. Still got them. It came with a bonus disc too.

I have reason to believe that the unaltered versions will be given a proper transfer, restoration and release in time for the saga’s 50th anniversary in 2027.

I got the limited tin set of these limited edition dvds for Christmas one year and just thought “cool, finally have Star Wars on dvd”. Wasn’t until years later I realised the bonus features on the second discs! So glad to have these in my collection.

I kept these DVDs for this very reason. However, at some point I acquired fan recreations of the original theatrical cuts, upscaled on Blu-Ray, and they are superb.

They were not "ripped from the laserdiscs." They were made from the same video source that the laserdiscs were made from.

i have the despecilalized versions. Awesome picture and sound

These were the versions I grew up with. I distinctly remember getting these at the store with my dad, coming home and popping in ANH, watching it for a little bit, then him noticing the special edition changes and swapping discs.

I also have the special edition with the original versions and they are the only versions I watch. BTW - Han did not only shoot first, he was in fact the only one who fired a shot at all.

It is criminal that Disney hasn't released the original theatrical versions on Blu-Ray. My VHS tapes are getting pretty warped!!!.

the library of congress added Star Wars the theatrical version into its collection but have never received a 35 mm copy of the film

Thank you for this video. I will hunt for these DVDs at thrift shops. I agree that *your* Star Wars is the first one you saw. I saw Star Wars in 1977 at age 9, so those (4K77!) are my nostalgia fuel.

100% sure Lucas would have put something in the contract of sale for Star Wars preventing Disney from ever releasing the original cuts which he considered ‘unfinished’ , otherwise they would have done it for the money by now. He also seems to have gone out of his way to have original prints altered or they have just been lost, which is why restoration projects have had to work so hard.

These are still the only versions I own. Hopefully we get an official HD release one day but until then I'll stick with these.

The version of SW a person prefers seems to predictably revolve around the version they first saw as a child. So, there's this weird generational gap between people who were kids in the 80s and early 90s those who didn't see it until after the Special Edition came to be. I happen to have a set of the Limited Edition DVDs and I've short-circuited the trend by showing those versions to my kids first. Yub nub.

I have the THX VHS big black box edition shown at 2:45. The only problem is that if you try to watch VHS on a modern HD or UHD flat screen - it looks horrible. Almost makes me miss my CRT Trinitron that was replaced long ago for a 1080p projection screen Hitachi TV. Try finding one of those today! Harder than old Star Wars movies.

I found those DVDs for $12 (AUD) in total at an op shop. Whoever owned them previously obviously had no idea how valuable they were.

i am buying all old favourites again on dvd and blu ray. i dont trust that the Hollywood companies and streaming services wont delete or censor things because they dont fit modern times as we know it. Same goes with books cds and vinyl. i was conned to stop buying physical copies and even got rid of my various collections. even if they dont censor whats it going to cost to stream 10 years from now

I had to click this because I have those DVD copies right next to my VHS collection. Love the video man; I have no doubt you’ll get big real soon.

the DVD isn't even the 77 original. It is the 81 cut with the 93 audio mix with the 77 crawl spliced onto the beginning. I only got to watch the original when i saw 4K77.

given how return of the jedi turns 40 this year (and given how disney can DEFINITELY do it, if fans can), i'd love to see a box set of the unaltered original trilogy in 4k and blu ray, maybe hiring some of the people who worked on those restorations to help with it

They are not the same, and I grew up with the SE versions, the atmosphere with the original effects is something else, feels like a movie from the time and you can actually see why A New Hope won on the Academy Awards and also is very important for preservation, I mean, one of the most influential and groundbreaking movie of all times is not available on his original form? Sucks

I love these DVD's they made in the 2000's. So much behind the scenes

I have these DVDs and the trick is to watch them on a PC with a DVD drive using software like VLC where you can tweak the crop and aspect ratio to fill the screen.

I have the Despecialized Edition and I love it, but I'm curious about this Project 4K77.

The dvd versions with the the 'original' theatrical versions are worth picking up if you can find them (and play them) just to avoid the pointless cgi, but for the proper 'seeing it when I was a kid' feeling puggo's 16mm uploads are the best for me; the audio and visual crackles all add to the cinematic experience.

As well as the aforementioned picture and sound problems, the Huttese translation subtitles in A New Hope and Jedi are not hard coded into the picture, they are generated and placed virtually outside the picture and into the black border area, therefore when you try and zoom into the picture to get it to fill the screen, the subtitles will be off screen. Therefore you have to move the picture vertically up to see them properly. Also, the translation of "It's too late" during the Greedo/Solo scene is missing, yet included in the normal subtitle track.

The Harmy restorations and 4K77, 4K80, and 4K83 are the way to go. A lot of folks only know the SE versions. I blame the parents 😁

Fun fact: I found them on eBay and got them good deal. Idc how it looks quality of OG in those dvd. I'm still happy to have them on the shelf with 2011 edition blu ray.

The Special Editions are OK for me, because while they may introduce annoying changes like the Han/Greedo moment and Hayden as ghost Anakin, they do genuinely fix and improve SFX shots from the originals that were incomplete or goofed in some way. I like Star Wars, but I'm not that insanely obsessed with the movies that I'd want an untouched version. Besides, I like the Prequels too, and I suppose the SE changes were necessary to make an unbroken saga with the Prequels.

You can get the Star Wars Trilogy Despecialized Version which was a unofficial HD.

If you've seen my comments, then it is clear that I'm not as interested in this, but if you want to continue exploring this, then you might want to consider looking at the different versions of the prequels. It is really interesting, because Phantom Menace had arguably the most changes outside of ANH, (And that's counting the other 2) and AOTC had several alternate cuts showing in cinemas. People act like the OT were the only films to be changed, but episodes 1 and 2 have really interesting stories around that. (Revenge of the Sith has barely any changes)

10:11 It’s a mixed blessing in a way: a high quality release of the theatrical cut would definitely be more accessible but IMO there’s little chance that anything they’d release would have the same care as the fan projects and, what’s more, an official release would put the fan projects DIRECTLY in their crosshairs (okay, maybe more central in their crosshairs lol).

I still don’t mind “The Special Editions” they improve almost everything, expect, Han shot first, and, Maclunkey!!

Only down side is that it's the pan and scan version of the orignals, not widescreen.

I would always make sure to check out those DVDs and watch that cut. It's great to have. The only big problem with those releases is that they were windowboxed, which is really annoying, and kind of makes it better to just watch the special edition.

The title did 5 and 6 were always there, they were never added. 4 was added in 1981 in its theatrical rerelease. And there were a bunch of changes prior to the 97 special edition between the mono and stereo releases.

I have the OG cuts they were released through CBS on VHS in the late 80’s or early 90’s. Unfortunately not wide screen, but I do own a VHS player just for playing these tapes lol.

10:11 Disney never released the original cuts because the prints for the original trilogy (4-6 each) have been altered to be the special editions, so it’s impossible

i haven't bothered watching any star wars film or show after force awakens but i'd buy bluray's of theatrical cuts immediately

I was fortunate enough to find the original theatrical version on DVD bundled with the 1997 SE. I think they may be the same ones you featured here.

Nope, the 2006 bonus discs are the original theatrical versions. That's why I bought them. No episode numbers before the opening crawl, no enhanced FX, and Han shot first. I saw the first two in the theater when they first came out, and I attest that the ones in the 2006 release are the original theatrical versions. Yes, the quality is not hi-def, but they are thoroughly watchable if you're willing to overlook the flaws.

I torrented the theater cut and played it on a projector and it was like being there for the first time.

after the dvds, you get the despecialized versions. then you find out about fan made scans of original film prints. then you get multiples of those! i have the first 35mm scans in 1080p. then i have the 4k77/4k80/4k83 project scans. and finally i have 16mm scans of the trilogy, full of scratches and dirt. for the real grindhouse experience lol.

Great vid dude! I hope it brings subs to your channel. I was born in '85, so I grew up with the theatrical versions on home media. I remember being a kid, and being stoked for the Special Editions, and they were great! But as I got older, I started to miss the original versions. I bought the Blu-Ray set as well and replaced the discs for 4, 5 and 6 with the Despecialized Edition from Harmy. I've not heard of the 4K77 releases, so I'll definitely check those out!