ADVICE FOR HOW TO FIND THE UNALTERED VERSION OF STAR WARS--YES, POSSIBLE BUT EXPENSIVE


Literally, I've heard thousands of complaints about not being able to find unaltered versions of Star Wars (please note that when I say unaltered I mean the 1977 release and any re-releases where Han shoots first ;-). I'm not talking about to-the-letter original actual 1977 film versions or anything like that. Close is fine. Just no CGI Jabba please...)

Okay so let's get this out of the way. There are no unaltered versions currently in production. George Lucas claims that the 1977 version doesn't exist. And there are no high-quality blu-ray or HDMI versions. So you're technically watching a particular version of a movie that doesn't exist. And before you start ranting about how horrible the 2006 limited edition DVD looks, hear me out. It may seem like bad quality on an HDTV that's like 60 inches wide and has tons of black space on the screen. And I'm sure your friends would think it was weird. So yes, if you're showing it in your backyard, by all means, watch the remastered versions. It won't hurt.


What I am referring to is a 2-disc limited edition DVD set released in 2006. It includes the 2004 DVD version, and the "theatrical version" that's apparently a transfer from the laserdisc version, which is admittedly low-resolution. My advice. If you just want to see an old version of the film to expeiriance it, go ahead and get bit from the library, rent it, or borrow it from a friend. Make sure this is the 2006 2-disc set I mentioned earlier. The cheap transfer is disc 2. Watch it on your 60 inch screen. Return it. Keep your prescious remastered blu-ray version. And don't worry. Now for the more dedicated fans, no worries. Just get the smallest possible TV you can find. I don't have a flatscreen TV. Instead my family has an old boxy 16 by 12 inch Magnavox. And before you start flipping out about your Wii, mine works no problem! Mario Galaxy looks fine. And Star Wars doesn't look so bad when you compare it to the 1995 VHS I had!

Speaking of VHS, they do exist, but on my TV at least, the DVD looks better. You can get the 2-disc set used on Amazon or eBay STARTING at $20. I got mine for $20 + shipping on Amazon in like new condition, but I just happened to be extremely lucky. If you want it brand new in box, something I never even considered, you're paying at least $200 when it's all said and done. And it's really hard to find a VHS tape (or player for that matter) in stores. You might get lucky and find some beat up versions at a booksale, but watch out. If it's after 97' It's special ed. And then there's the 1993 laserdisc, but that's even more rare than a VHS. There are also unofficial fan-made versions online, but I wouldn't recommend it considering that the Dark Side lurks in strange places on the internet. And as far as I can tell the 95' VHS and 06' DVD have few to no changes from the theatrical release (except obviously the edition of Episode IV on the scroll.) Yeah 2006 brought some good things. Unaltered Star Wars and Wii. Yeah. And some bad things too like Sonic 06', but I won't mention that further. Anyways it would take a lucky expert with a roll of film to figure out what the true "theatrical version" is. If you are that dedicated and willing to duke it out with George Lucas, go ahead, but I don't recommend it.


For the rest of us, we'll have to settle for a mediocre DVD conversion that delivers noslagia in spades. In fact the fact that it probably looks terrible, just ramps up that nostalga factor. And that old TV really helps. I'm sure you want to keep your fancy flatscreen, but if you are real dedicated, consider picking up a n old TV. Although with all the money you've probably spent by now, you could have bought a Wii U (I thought about this but settled on asking my parents for a 3ds for Christmas) and a nice copy of Super Mario maker. At least that stuff's still in production. I was concerned about having to get the U soon considering it's about to go off market, but you can still get an ample copies of the original 8-bit Super Mario Bros on new software. Compare that to Star Wars, with it's million "software updates", and no sign of the original in 10 years. Just go ahead and say what you will about the countless versions of Star Wars there are. Through all the remakes and remasters, some of the spirit of the original shines through its gilded lining and artistic display of special affects that make you want to scream.

But with all that said, I'm going to give Lucas his due credit. I can totally understand the perfectionism issues, and I get them too. I can't even finish the prologue of a novel, and I understand disatifaction with personal work and the constant need to make it better, even though many people may hate you for it.