Origional Star Wars on dvd

[Traveller]

Released on September 12 this year the origional Star Wars Trilogy is being released on dvd

This is from Sci Fi Wire

Original Star Wars Comes To DVD

Fox will release the original unaltered theatrical versions of the first three Star Wars movies on DVD on Sept. 12, despite statements by series creator George Lucas, USA Today reported.

Lucas had adamantly declared that 2004's digitally restored Star Wars Trilogy DVDs were the definitive versions of his movies. But fans have held out hope for DVDs of the originals, and it appears that Lucasfilm is responding, the newspaper reported.

Fox will release new two-disc DVDs, priced at $30 each, of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi that will feature the films as they first appeared in theaters, along with the new, restored versions (now available in the four-disc $70 Star Wars Trilogy). The individual DVDs will be taken off the market on Dec. 31, a strategy that Disney uses on many of its classic releases.

This new set of DVDs does not constitute "George changing his mind," Lucasfilm's Jim Ward told USA Today. "What we've always said is George viewed the revised versions of the films as the definitive versions."

The original films' video quality will not match up to that of the restored versions. "It is state of the art, as of 1993, and that's not as good as state of the art 2006," Ward said.

So all you purists out there will you be purchasing this set too?

[TK-421]

Will I spend another $70 on my favourite movies of all time? Probably not as I am happy with the special edition I've got. They could of at least released the THX versions instead of the original ones with the bad light gray box around the tie fighters against the black of space. But I'm sure the purists will disagree. Fox obviously knows there are enough people out there who will spend the money to make it worth their while. Cha-ching$$$

[ScottSF]

naaaah, I prefer the cleaned up versions better. I would like to hear the original Ewok song again though. "Yub yub!"

[I, Brian]

Funny - I saw a set in Tescos this week which was a full set of the "Classic films" for £32 with one of the original Star Wars posters on the front. Wasn't sure if it was the original versions remastered, or simply different packaging on the special editions. If it's the originals, I'll probably buy.

[Culhwch]

Well, seeing as how I never even considered buying the reworked trilogy on DVD, yes, I'll be getting these ones. Thank god some greedy bastard realised they could further cash in on these films. I always knew our capitalist society would finally prove worthwhile...

[steve12553]

I'm in a quandry. I know I'll never again enjoy the magic that I saw in the theater in 1977 when I same "Star Wars" (there was no "A New Hope" in the opening credits) with my two year old son. (He slept through the second half of the movie.) I had never seen anything like that before. The theater we saw it in was state of the art at the time. (They recently tore it down) I'll have to get something at some point because my ten minute black and white excerpt on Super 8 probably doesn't play any more.

[Culhwch]

I can't claim to having seen the original cut in theatres, being minus three years old at the time, but I have VHS editions from the early nineties, and I am sure the subtitle 'A New Hope' is there. I thought it always had been, from the start...?

[ScottSF]

Originally the execs thought the audience would be confused by seeing "Episode 4" in the beginning of the movie. I think George added it while it was still in theaters. I'm pretty sure I got that from the additional material that came with the dvd trilogy.

[pokernut951]

I thought this was some great news. I didn't buy the sepcial editions because I really didn't like what I saw in the theatre. I hoped for a long time that this would happen.

[Sharkey]

I really want cleaned up versions on DVD, but I don't want all of the crappy changes Lucas made on the DVD set. Hmmmm...What to do...?

[kyektulu]

I know Marcus will be having me buy them, I dont mind at all....

[carrie221]

I will buy them just because I want to see them in their orginal format on DVD, the only copies of the orginals that I know of are in tape format. I only have a DVD player... besides I have never really seen the orginal undoctored versions as the first time I saw Starwars it was in the theater with the 20th anniversery showings.