The original Star Wars trilogy finally makes its way to DVD today, complete with a few new digital alterations courtesy of series creator George Lucas. Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have released the films in the U.S. and Canada as a four-disc set with one whole disc dedicated to bonus materials.
Three of the discs will contain digitally restored, remastered and revised presentations the first three features in the highly successful fantasy film franchise. The fourth bonus disc includes never-before-seen footage from the making of all three films and Ken Burns’ 2 1/2-hour documentary, Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, which Fox Home Ent. is calling "the most comprehensive feature-length documentary ever produced about the Star Wars saga." There’s also commentary by George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and Carrie Fisher, as well as a 10-minute glimpse at next year’s Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Featurette titles include The Birth of the Lightsaber, The Characters of Star Wars and The Force Is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars.
While the release boasts a generous offering of extra features, it’s what’s not included that has some fans boycotting it. The discs will only offer the "Special Edition" versions that were released in theaters a few years ago. People who want to watch the original release versions will have hang onto their old laserdiscs and VHS tapes as George Lucas has no plans of ever releasing them on DVD without the CG enhancements and restored footage that he feels makes the movies complete.
For the new DVDs, Lucas has altered the films even more since the 1997 theatrical re-releases. The new version of Return of the Jedi, for instance, has Attack of the Clones star Hayden Christensen digitally inserted into one scene. Also, the CG Jabba the Hut that was pasted into A New Hope has been altered with "new and improved" computer animation. In addition, the four lines spoken by Boba Fett in the original trilogy have been re-dubbed by actor Temura Morrison, who plays Jango Fett in the prequels, and the Emperor in The Empire Strike Back has been replaced by actor Ian McDiarmid, who assumes the role in Return of the Jedi and Episodes I-III.
Star Wars Trilogy lists for $69.98. For more information about the Star Wars franchise, visit the official web site at www.starwars.com.
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