George Lucas Making More Changes For Star Wars Blu-Ray Release

[Danecho1967]

Yup. uh-huh Lucas whatever you say:

http://www.slashfilm.com/george-lucas-contends-han-shot-confused/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+slashfilm+%28%2FFilm%29

The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn't. It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that Han shot first, because they wanted to think that he actually just gunned him down.

Exactly why this is a "controversy"?  I don't see what the problem is.  Are there fans that have too much time on their hands that they over-analyze this stuff?  The fuck??  Who cares?

You might as well ask why sports fans memorize the stats of their favorite players.  Why boxing fans speculate who would win in a hypothetical matchup.  Why there are "which Glee character are you" polls on Facebook.

Fans are fans.  They talk about the thing of which they are fans.  They argue, the analyze, they speculate.  Star Wars fans complain about the changes that Lucas made to their favorite movies.  It's what they do.

[Russell]

Fans are fans.  They talk about the thing of which they are fans.  They argue, the analyze, they speculate.  Star Wars fans complain about the changes that Lucas made to their favorite movies.  It's what they do.

It's unfortunately an endless discussion, but the hardest part is getting anyone who's not into it to take their argument seriously, no matter what side they're on.

[D.B. Barnes]

Here's the whole transcript of George's chat with THR.

5 Questions With George Lucas: Controversial 'Star Wars' Changes, SOPA and 'Indiana Jones 5'

"Somehow, when I make the slightest change, everybody thinks it's the end of the world," the filmmaker tells THR about the uproar over tweaks to "Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace."

With yet another re-invigoration of the massive Star Wars franchise —hello, 3-Delirum! — the Star Wars creator confronts the controversy of content changes (again), shares his views on SOPA and gives an update on Indiana Jones 5.

The Hollywood Reporter: In this 3D conversion of what is Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace, were there any changes made to any characters or the plot, or was it just a conversion?

George Lucas: Changes are not unusual — I mean, most movies when they release them they make changes. But somehow, when I make the slightest change, everybody thinks it's the end of the world. That whole issue between filmmakers and the studios with the studios being able to change things without even letting the director of the movie know ... I'm very much involved in that [so that's not happening here]. ... My job is to try to make the best possible movie it can be — and the current version is the Blu-ray version. That's the one that's been made into 3D. But it's just a conversion. We haven't made any changes other than the 3D.

THR: People can get fanatical about the movies — how does that make you feel? The puppet vs. CGI Yoda ruckus, and the who-shot-first, Han Solo or Greedo furor come to mind.

Lucas: Well, it's not a religious event. I hate to tell people that. It's a movie, just a movie. The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn't. It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that Han shot first, because they wanted to think that he actually just gunned him down.

It's the same thing with Yoda. We tried to do Yoda in CGI in Episode I, but we just couldn't get it done in time. We couldn't get the technology to work, so we had to use the puppet, but the puppet really wasn't as good as the CGI. So when we did the reissue, we had to put the CGI back in, which was what it was meant to be.

If you look at Blade Runner, it's been cut sixteen ways from Sunday and there are all kinds of different versions of it. Star Wars, there's basically one version — it just keeps getting improved a little bit as we move forward. ... All art is technology and it improves every year. Whether it's on the stage or in music or in painting, there are technological answers that happen, and because movies are so technological, the advances become more obvious.

THR: Did you see Hugo?

Lucas: Yeah, I loved Hugo. I thought it was great. It's an interesting thing because I kind of resurrected the visual effects business, or the special effects business, but you know, [film subject Georges Melies] started it all. Visual effects aren't where it's at with dramas, but all the same problems that people think about exist, and he started the magic of movies.

THR: A political question: SOPA, PIPA and piracy — what are your thoughts on that?

Lucas: If we had an intelligent system for writing law, everybody would get together and write the best possible answer to that. I mean, putting the digital world up against the traditional world and saying it's one or the other is not a wise decision. Because what you're saying is, do you want movies to exist, or do you want everything to just be on the Internet and see cats watching television or something? Everybody wants movies, everybody wants television shows, and everybody wants digital media. It's just up to the government to sit down with both sides and write a reasonable bill. I think what they've got now is a flawed bill, which is not unusual, but that's all it is: sloppy legislation. Which has to be fixed. If we go much longer without [good] laws, most people won't pay attention [until] they arrest somebody who's making $50 million a year — and then you realize that there's hundreds of millions of dollars being siphoned off, and it does affect the music business, the film business, and eventually, the software business. Everybody's in this together.

I think the bit about who shot first provides a glimpse into how convoluted his thinking has become when it comes to justifying this seemingly endless cycle of changes. He says it's "just a movie" and yet these movies appear to have become a consuming obsession for him.

[Smith Dr John Smith]

I have three problems with the Greedo shooting first thing.

1)It does change Han a bit,making him a little less ruthless.
2)It's really kind of stupid to wait for someone who is pointing a gun at you to shoot first and hope he misses when he is only two feet away.
3)They had to add a really awful looking CGI dodge,it looks like Han is made out of rubber for a second there.  The Human body can't move like that!

[MrTorso]

I think it is funny that he mentions Blade Runner in all its versions. Guess what George??  I can get ALL versions in one handy pack and they are all REMASTERED for blu ray and I am happy about it!  Can't get the version of Star wars I want.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I think it is funny that he mentions Blade Runner in all its versions. Guess what George??  I can get ALL versions in one handy pack and they are all REMASTERED for blu ray and I am happy about it!  Can't get the version of Star wars I want.

Yeah, funny how he doesn't mention that part...

Ridley Scott has said he doesn't like the stuff the financial guys forced into the first theatrical version, Harrison Ford didn't like reading the lines for the narration because he thought they weren't that good.  But guess what George, Scott still allowed it to be restored and put into the Blu-Ray set, because some fans prefer that version...

[Tripe]

And I think that points to Scott being more genuinely of the opinion Lucas claims to be, that it's "just a movie".

[Smith Dr John Smith]

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=702820

First thought? Lucas cant's do anything with out upsetting someone.

Second thought? Lucas owns the land and this will create jobs,I don't see how anyone can complain about him building on his own land.  I mean it's not like he is putting up a factory that is going to pollute the local river. It's a digital effects studio.

Any way that is my two cents.

[Darth Geek]

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=702820

First thought? Lucas cant's do anything with out upsetting someone.

Yes he can. Release the OT theatrical cuts remastered.

Second thought? Lucas owns the land and this will create jobs,I don't see how anyone can complain about him building on his own land.  I mean it's not like he is putting up a factory that is going to pollute the local river. It's a digital effects studio.

I have to agree. He really is in the right here. And if it is away from everything else, like it sounds, the the noise pollution they are talking about is a null point as well.

[D.B. Barnes]

So many conflicting emotions. I think I need to lie down.

http://web.gbtv.com//shared/flash/video/share/ObjectEmbedFrame.swf?width=400&height=254&content_id=20093647&property=gbtv

[Pak-Man]

This goes here:

http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-things-star-wars-fans-need-to-accept-about-george-lucas/

[Russell]

This goes here:
http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-things-star-wars-fans-need-to-accept-about-george-lucas/

I think it's rather arrogant for people to pull the trump card that the movies belong ONLY to Lucas and therefore he can do whatever he wants with them. I'm sorry, but that's wrong, you are just so damn wrong especially since the audience is the ONLY reason for Star Wars continued existence!!! As RLM and even South park put it, Art belongs to the world and art should not be modified. I know this all has been said before, but what would happen if Leonardo Da Vinci was still around and decided the Mona Lisa needs a few brush strokes here and there because it's "not the way he originally envisioned it"? How about mutilating Michaelangelo's David? Would that ever be okay with any art professor in the world?

[D.B. Barnes]

If da Vinci was still around and wanted to fuck with Mona Lisa, then hopefully he'd have enough respect for his admirers to make a reproduction of the painting and make changes to that, while leaving the original in its unaltered state. And hey, he could not only preserve the original, but even restore it to its original glory.

I'll say it for the fucking fifty-millionth time. Change the movies all you want. Release the fucking Piss Christ version if you want. Just give us the unaltered OT remastered on Blu.

[Russell]

If da Vinci was still around and wanted to fuck with Mona Lisa, then hopefully he'd have enough respect for his admirers to make a reproduction of the painting and make changes to that, while leaving the original in its unaltered state. And hey, he could not only preserve the original, but even restore it to its original glory.

Now that I have no problem with.

[MrTorso]

If da Vinci was still around and wanted to fuck with Mona Lisa, then hopefully he'd have enough respect for his admirers to make a reproduction of the painting and make changes to that, while leaving the original in its unaltered state. And hey, he could not only preserve the original, but even restore it to its original glory.

I'll say it for the fucking fifty-millionth time. Change the movies all you want. Release the fucking Piss Christ version if you want. Just give us the unaltered OT remastered on Blu.

Exactly. Spielberg asked an audience if he should even put the touched up ET on blu and they said no and agreed. Personally I liked all the CG E.T. changes. It was better than E.T. rolling through the woods. The walkie takie nonsense though....