Wow. It is almost a different movie and makes me miss the old FX on the DVDs. Anyone remember the werewolf from the Cantina scene?

Also, was the explosion during the Greedo scene in the original theatrical version? I never saw it in the theatres.

Man, I wish Disney or Fox or whoever owns the rights would release the THEATRICAL VERSIONS on DVD/blu Ray already!

It amazes me that this has not been done solely for monetary reason at this point. Seriously, what Star Wars fan would not buy these versions on Blu-Ray?

I'd preorder the blu Rays without a second thought. Someone needs to release them already! It needs to be done!

Just download the Despecialised Editions. The whole trilogy is easily available now in all its HD, unaltered and restored glory.

It amazes me that this has not been done solely for monetary reason at this point

Maybe because it would sell better than the updated versions and Lucas would have to admit he's *gasp* wrong?

No, you watched an unaltered VHS of STAR WARS. That "A New Hope" and "Episode IV" nonsense didn't come about until the 1981 re-release.

Ugh, jesus Christ. *sigh* It was the 1995 re-(last)release of the original VHS's.

It's a small but bright explosion (from what I recall, from Han's POV over his right shoulder).

IMHO, the original is a much better scene.

A New Hope as in 'Star Wars' (1977)? Yeah the original theatrical release is by far the best version of the film. I recently rewatched the whole original theatrical trilogy, with Return of the Jedi clearly being the worst of them.

I was disappointed to find the "Special Edition" VHS's weren't the originals D: What version of the VHS do you have? I've heard they're all altered in some way or another.

Pretty sure 1995 was the last time the real movies were released on VHS.

They were the ones that hooked me on SW when I was a kid. Theyve got interviews with Lucas talking about how hed started writing new Star Wars movies... it was so exciting back then...

What version of the VHS do you have?

I just looked at the actual tape. It is the 1995 re-release, basically the last time they sold the unaltered versions sans laser disc.

It has the Lucas interview before the movie as well as the trailer for the VHS trilogy release which is really awkward.

Hell, I'd settle for the Special Edition without all the crap like sucky Fett and Ghost Hayden.

Unaltered would be ideal, but I doubt they'll release it on DVD.

I grew up watching the original versions of ESB and RotJ, Star Wars had the "Episode IV" added to the crawl though, so version 2 or whatever, other than that everything was exactly the same.

The OT movies are vastly better than all Stanley Kubrick movies combined.

I recently watched the original trilogy on DVD. I'd recorded them off TV. I managed to edit out the adverts, but the TV idents still remain between some scenes.

Best scenes of each film:

A New Hope:
When R2D2 waddles in at the end ceremony.

The Empire Strikes Back:
When Chewbacca fumbles to turn off the Millennium Falcon after it starts blowing up.

Return of the Jedi:
When the Ewoks release R2D2 and he falls on his face.

I refuse to buy the modified Blu-Ray versions.

Ugh, just read this Lucas quote in an interview I was reading:

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.

How can he tell such obvious and blatant lies?

I think the man needs to go to a mental institution.

There's no other solution.

He's been doing it for decades. He still tries to claim that he had the stories all written/planned out from the beginning, but really he was just winging it as he went along. For example, he's claimed that the movies were always about Anakin/Vader, but he didn't even decide that Anakin was Vader until very late in the script writing process for Empire. They literally were two different characters.

I have never got this argument anyway. How the fuck does shooting at a known bounty hunter who has a gun pointed at you make you a "cold blooded killer"? He shot at an unarmed Vader instantly and no one seems to care about that. Fucking dumbest argument in human history as far as I'm concerned.

#greedoshotfirst

The original theatrical versions were available for a limited time on DVD. I bought "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back" when they were selling them at Wal-Mart. You can still get them used.

Those DVDs were atrocious and I suspect that Lucas only put them out to trick people into thinking that the unaltered films looked far worse than they do. In fact the original films, when restored and shown in a proper format, look absolutely stunning. Better than the Special Editions.

I'd still rather watch them than an old pan and scan VHS tape. Maybe the laser discs are better.

The Despecialised Editions are easily available and present the three films in their fully restored, high definition state. No need bothering with any of the terrible "official" releases.

I wish i had those copies. i didn't realize the ones i bought were the late 90's altered versions, which has the worst added cgi of any movies ever!!!

agreed 100%. Couldn't have said it better myself. The reward of being an artist is knowing that you have created art. Everything else is inconsequential bulls***...