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George Lucas sank them into oblivion. But some enthusiasts have spent more than a decade digitally restoring the original “Star Wars” trilogy, preserving the films as they were shown in theaters.
By Sopan Deb
Han shot first.
As we celebrate the holiest holiday, May 4th, also known as “Star Wars Day” because, you know, “may the Force be with you,” we can all agree that a long time ago, in a galaxy that now really seems far away. Han shot Greedo first. No special or George Lucas edition is going to replace that, although, um, Lucas really replaced that scene. If you’re looking for the originals, those aren’t the videos you’re looking for. We’re looking.
An uprising began in 1997, when Lucasfilm first released modified “special editions” of the first trilogy, adding new or revised scenes, computer-generated effects, and expanded worlds. Since then, enthusiasts have been clamoring for high-definition releases of the unchanged version. Lucas resisted and continued to modify them, insisting that he realize his vision for the films, which was technologically and financially highly unlikely when they were first made; He once called the change in art “barbaric. “
So if you need to watch the original “Star Wars” trilogy, as it was screened in theaters, a little softer and grittier (and with Han Solo definitely shooting bounty hunter Greedo first, not in self-defense, as he does now) — we have to rely on some rebellious enthusiasts like Robert Williams.
Williams, a Philadelphia-based computer programmer, is part of a five-person organization called Team Negative One, one of the few teams of “Star Wars” enthusiasts who, for more than a decade, have collected 35-millimeter prints of the first “Star Wars. “”Star Wars” and painstakingly restored them to 4K. Known as Project 4K, the films are titled according to the years of release: 4K77, 4K80, and 4K83.
“Our goal is to find a way to make it look as smart as the official versions,” Williams said.
Restorations are allowed and come from film reels that were meant to be returned or destroyed once the theaters were done with them. Although its legality is questioned, preservation enthusiasts and advocates argue that the public has a right to see art, adding films, in its original. form. Lucas, however, allegedly told enthusiasts, “Grow up, these are my movies, yours. “
In February, Team Negative One announced the final touch on the trilogy project, with a 4K edition of “The Empire Strikes Back. “
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