Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003
posted September 19, 2018 05:40 PM
My super 8mm Star Wars from Derann is dated 1989. So which version is this? the original ones or the altered version?
Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003
posted September 20, 2018 01:15 AM
Winbert, it is the 1981 re-release, which is essentially the original 1977 version but with the main title now changed to Episode IV: A New Hope, and a few minor audio mix changes.
The Special Editions with major alterations appeared in 1997 for the 20th anniversary.
Different version, including the original 35mm Dolby prints and original 70mm 6 track prints have slight differences in the audio here and there.
Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003
posted September 20, 2018 03:06 AM
Thanks Rob.
BTW I am still happy with my tiny miny 8mm but excellent color. I don't understand people buying faded prints for high price while the 8mm LPP prints are available. This happened a lot in Gone With the Wind case.
Posts: 955
From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015
posted September 25, 2018 03:13 PM
I showed Star Wars here in the UK on 35mm in 1977 and yes the prints had a fair amount of grain. So in order to be "authentic" to the original release the grain would have to remain along with some slight print unsteadiness in some shots.
-------------------- " My equipment's more important than your rats. "
Posts: 873
From: Southern England
Registered: Apr 2008
posted September 28, 2018 09:32 AM
I was one of those of a certain age that saw STAR WARS in my local cinema. I remember the grainy desert scenes very well and wondered why that was. I also recall the light blue boxes around the TIE fighters particularly. Subsequent viewings reveal a lot of 'shortcomings' in the look of the film. I also saw the 'special edition' in the cinema and whilst those sorts of faults were fixed Lucas decided to shoehorn in a lot of clutter. There must be a happy medium where a new print could feature cleaned up effects and perhaps some re-done but not changing the content, as it were.
posted September 28, 2018 04:09 PM
I saw the film when it came out way back in 1977, honest folks how can you remember that far back? I cant remember any faults at all, as I and everyone else were to engrossed watching the film.
Posts: 955
From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015
posted September 29, 2018 08:51 AM
Graham when you are showing a film daily for some weeks you do have time to notice all the print defects but you can also remember a first showing no matter how long ago. Well i can .
I also remember that the sequel THE EMPIRE STRIKE BACK was far from perfect print wise on 35mm at The Odeon cinema i worked in as a film projectionist.
It suffered from a lot of side weave and a "printed in" unsteady image on some shots and a fair bit of film grain too. That was on its first release.
It was not our projection equipment that was at fault as we used a top notch "Rolls Royce" of a machine a PHILIPS DP 70 35mm / 70mm projector for our presentations.
I complained to the renter Fox about those faults and it turned out all prints in the UK were the same.
-------------------- " My equipment's more important than your rats. "
posted September 29, 2018 11:32 AM
I'm sure that there HAS to be some 16MM unaltered 1977 version STAR WARS prints out there somewhere, whether they will be on low fade stock is another matter altogether ...
But I own a super 8 cineavision scope print of the actual 1977 version, on low fade, so that will do for me.
-------------------- "All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
posted January 23, 2019 11:55 AM
Not only did he relist the film a couple of times at an increased price, but he also padded the postage, going from an initial shipping cost of $14.95 to $17.95. I recall one guy on ebay asking around $100 for that set of six B&W silent 200' BATMAN reels Columbia put out. Sadly, I think someone actually paid the price.
Posts: 3216
From: The Projection Box
Registered: Nov 2006
posted January 24, 2019 03:57 AM
It has already been muted we may well see the original New Hope on Blu-Ray with Lucasfilm now part of Disney, Fox in the loop and the dust settling on the lawsuits. As much as I love my motion picture films some of the ludicrous speed prices that have been paid on the wave of sales I believe has damaged the film collecting scene.
I'm pretty certain we will gradually see a wave of prints up for sale when the confirmed date is given for the 4K disc and accompanying Blu-Ray.
Posts: 3216
From: The Projection Box
Registered: Nov 2006
posted January 24, 2019 07:55 AM
As the decades pass (I used to say years) its more about the memories Mark. Still have my little 200ft of Star Wars New Hope which back then you could buy after you left the Leicester Square Cinema. I guess the reel fun part was travelling home and loading it up on the trusty Eumig probably about 10 times that night but what a day to remember that money will never buy.
Posts: 87
From: Darlington, WA, Australia
Registered: Jul 2013
posted January 24, 2019 06:46 PM
Maybe I should try and flog off my copy of Star Wars which is faded pinkish and well worn but still runnable with very few splices. Its the 16mm scope version of the 1977 release of Star wars.
A blue green filter helps a lot to bring much of the colour back.
Posts: 873
From: Southern England
Registered: Apr 2008
posted February 06, 2019 03:59 PM
Incidentally, that 'despecialized Edition' is great, as close to the original experience as we are likely to get. It is currently available on 'Internet Archive' as 'Star Wars 1977.' Search for that or here is the direct link. It is 720p and requires a one third stretch as given by a widescreen television. This is the direct link: