UPDATED: The Star Wars Blu-ray “Alteration” Controversy
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 at 9:40 am Category: Blu-ray, Star Wars, TopRead the article, then click here for the update.
There are videos lighting the Internet ablaze right now, purporting to be alterations to the Star Wars films made by George Lucas for the Blu-ray releases.
My first question is this: Why do you believe these? The official Star Wars Youtube has released a mountain of video material and none of it shows any significant changes, but does look gorgeous in the HD format. Over the last couple of days, we’ve seen these videos flood out of the gates. Allegedly, some Chinese worker recorded all of this audio of alterations and people have been taking the time to sync it with Hi-Def clips of their own.
Here’s the “Noooooo” that has everyone up in arms:
The audio team from Skywalker Sound is much better than this. This is clearly chopped up bits of audio from other parts in the saga with really bad echo effects on them. Give Matt Wood and Ben Burtt and those guys the benefit of the doubt, really. Even if they had made this change, it would sound a lot better. Some places are “confirming” it, but no one has seen or heard it first hand and Lucasfilm has neither confirmed nor denied it. And review copies have NOT gone out yet, at least from the Lucasfilm side of things.
(Side note on this: CinemaBlend reported on this and the writer there got on his high horse about how Lucas has no right tinkering with Empire and Jedi because he didn’t direct them. Wrong, buster. As the producer and creator, he HIRED the director, essentially creating a work for hire. Get your head on straight, man. You’re just riling people up for no reason.)
The next clip is something we have confirmation they changed. Matt Wood from ILM spoke about this on the Forcecast and confirmed it in July of last year. Does that mean the sound has changed and there’s a good reason for it? Yes. Does that mean the following clip is actually what we’re going to hear? No. Again, at its best, this is a bootleg of some crappily recorded audio synced up to some good looking footage. Whatever the sound eventually ends up being will undoubtedly be better than this:
And let’s be honest here, we don’t even have a confirmation of changes we’re relatively sure have been made, like the digital Yoda in Phantom Menace. (Would that bring us a digital Yaddle, too?)
Another thing to consider about all of these changes: The videos going around have ALL been uploaded by a youtube account called WideAsleepFilms. If you go back and look at their history of uploaded videos, they’ve made a habit of updating effects and doing tests in After Effects using the Star Wars universe. This could all be a hoax perpetrated by them.
The next rumour going around is that Ewoks blink and there will be a Dug in Jabba’s palace. Now, neither of these changes really bug me, IF THEY’RE REAL, but I really doubt it. Rich Johnston from Bleeding Cool has a report from ILM where they pretty bluntly state, “We didn’t do anything to the Blu-ray.”
From Bleeding Cool:
When I was at Big Screen a week and a half ago, I got to sit down with ILM’s John Goodson and Bill George. While it’s possible that they were mistaken and not properly briefed, both Goodson and George told me that, actually, no new material had created for the Blu-ray incarnations of the films.
I specifically asked precisely this, and they specifically told me that, no, George had not been making more changes of this fashion. I asked clearly, and they gave me a clear – and apparently definitive – answer.
So, I’ll be more than happy to admit that I was too optimistic if my take on this isn’t true, but this seems like the exact sort of skullduggery the legions of “Lucas-haters” would perpetrate to Strike Back at the man and company who brought us all of these wonderful stories in the first place. If they’re true, then I’ll just have to see them in context.
I’ve requested an official quote from Lucasfilm, but haven’t gotten one yet. I’ll update if and when I get one.
UPDATE: I got one. It’s true. All of it.
In the meantime, just relax. We’re not in trouble yet.
Responses to “UPDATED: The Star Wars Blu-ray “Alteration” Controversy”
I hope you’re right.
“In the meantime, just relax. We’re not in trouble yet.”
con’t: “…But if they end up to be real changes, I’ll write an article telling you why they are awesome changes.”
Apart from Bill Hunt at thedigitalbits.com, whose official stance is that they will not comment on screenshots or leaked footage, this is the most sensible thing I’ve read online about this matter since the alleged “leaks” took place. No matter who the “trusted sources” are, unless Lucasfilm has officially confirmed it or until we have the final product in our hands, I will trust no one’s “trusted sources”.
Well, Derek, at least do you find this information “adding to the debate” and more useful than yesterdays column?
There is a very simple solution. If you don’t care for the changes just watch the original release they put out on dvd not long ago.
And when you see “changes” ask yourself, do you hate they change because it’s different or because it’s actually bad.
I plan to reserve judgment until I at least see, and hear, the changes.
Yes… *Hangs Head* *Charlie Brown Music*
While I still shake my head at these potential changes, you’re right…the videos are fan edits. Maybe they’re not true. MAYBE. But if they are…adding “NOOOO” to RotJ really messes up the pacing of that powerful scene. The timing already says so much more than words! Looks down at Luke…then the Emperor…back to Luke…BAM! (or whatever)
Lucasfilm just confirmed the changes to the NY times……. http://twitter.com/#!/ditzkoff
If the “Noooooo!” in Return of the Jedi is true, I will be sad and disappointed. I will add it to a list of things I hate in the Special Editions.
Will it completely ruin my enjoyment of Star Wars?
No.
I’d just like to mention that I am the uploader of these videos and I am in no means hoaxing or attempting to troll the fans. I go by GreenGreatWarrior on TheForce.net forums and if you look at my post history you can see all the leaked audio came out before I uploaded the videos – all I did was sync them up (as noted in the description).
I can genuinely understand your concern that I may be the perpetrator, but believe me I’m not.
YOU TELL ‘EM, OWEN!
This article smells of apology/cover up/denial of what’s fast becoming an irrefutable truth. Nooooooooooooooo! is Truuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeee!
You didn’t watch the leaked files before writing this article did you ?
Obi Wan has this ridiculous scream, Vader says “no” and the ewoks blinks. The 3 movies also looks very pinkish I’m hoping that the files were “work in progress” and the finished product will look better.
You know, in one week I was happy to blow a good chunk of my paycheck on nerd collectibles. There is nothing I’d rather do than drop some cash for Star Wars on BluRay. But I can’t bring myself to do it. I am so sick and tired of these little updates.
“Hmm, a lot of people thought Darth Vader yelling NOOOO was super cheesy and kind of out of place. How about we dub that over one of his most important on screen moments in ROTJ so that everyone will get more used to it and love it? Right guys?”
This Nooooooo shit is too much.
Does Lucas really think were that Goddamn stupid?
He’s only undermining the strength of the sagas entire narrative if he really thinks we need Vader to yell and spoon feed us just exactly what he is feeling inside that iron mask.
Thanks for making one of the most poignant scenes in film history (no exaggeration) that much less effective. Thanks for kicking the winning horse in the balls two strides from the finish line and thanks for treating loyal fans of the original trilogy like illiterate mongoloids.
This shit makes me ill.
I should say that if the Nooooo ends up being a rumor I will recant my statement and that scene will remain one of my favorites.
Here’s hoping.
The source of the audio, video, and screenshots is MF.com who have a track record (and set them) dating all the way back to AOTC to 2004 DVDs to ROTS to the ROTS DVD.
MF.com says they changes are real – has actual video of the changes (not your youtube defense of old video synched with new the leaked BLURAY audio – the real stuff)
http://www.millenniumfalcon.com
http://www.millenniumfalcon.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=9032
http://www.millenniumfalcon.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=9037
All of this reminds of when SI slowly leaked his Sith Interceptor AOTC script then gave the entire script to various sites to leak (Episode-X, JediNet, StarWarz.com, etc) all of whom claimed to be the first to leak it.
The reaction was the script was fan fiction because it was missing
a few pages.
Well, the screencaps from the “actual” blu-ray posted there have some of the same problems they said were fixed in color correction….
I agree that if it turns out to be true I’ll be the first one to complain about it.
That moment is PERFECT as is.
But that’s why I really don’t think it’s true. And none of the “proof” at this point is reliable. When I get an email from LFL confirming it or see it in my hands, then I’ll know one way or the other.
I don’t doubt there’s a high-def leak out there but isn’t it entirely possible somebody got a hold of an HBO HD transfer and made their own changes? It’s also strange to me that the audio leaked first. Why would somebody separate the audio from the video when these days it’s just as easy to immediately upload the whole clip?
I never had a pre-order to cancel but I’m definitely holding off purchasing until I know more. I like the prequels and most of outrage over prior SE changes I found completely blown out of proportion. This latest round of changes just goes too far. I simply can’t believe GL would authorize such shoddy work. If it’s for real there’s going to be such extreme fan backlash that Lucasfilm will have to address it.
I am have to say that I am taking this all with a major grain of salt. IF someone really had their hands on the review copies of the saga, I have the feeling that the deleted scenes would have flooded the net by now. And so far…nothing.
Still, i wouldn’t put it past Lucas and his obsession with it being like a poem and having repeated motifs. Vader say “noooooo” when he is “born” and he says “nooooo, nooooooo” when he “dies.” On paper it sounds fine, but cinema is not poetry and so it the ROTJ addition would be ridiculous.
They never claimed all were fixed, only certain shots – as evidenced by the leaks.
‘We were decieved by a lie, we all were’
It does seem weird we haven’t seen the deleted scenes or other leaks from the discs. I would think the deleted stuff would be the first thing you’d want to rip if you had your hands on an early copy of the set.
If it was leaked by a fan, I’d agree with you. But the leak was a scene release, it’s just one of many other uploads for them.
I am fully prepared to be angry and cry if they really made Darth Vader say “Nooooo!” at the end of Return of the Jedi. It makes NO sense.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/lucasfilm-confirms-change-to-blu-ray-release-of-return-of-the-jedi/?smid=tw-artsbeat&seid=auto
you’re familiar with the Jedi Rocks scene from ROTJ? That basically crushed any remnants of faith in Lucas I had.
[...] Times has been reporting it, but I’ve finally gotten word from Lucasfilm. It’s true. All the changes we’ve been obsessing over all day and night. Yes, the updates are confirmed. We hope fans will wait to see for themselves how they fit into the [...]
Lucas treats these films like experiments just to see what he can get away with. There will always be fanboys who will defend his decision to destroy the theatrical cuts and only release these Frankenstein versions, but he’ll be screwing with those same fanboys with every release he ever makes of these and laugh all the way to the bank. Star Wars fans are like abused children, they just grow to accept and even desire this kind of crap from Lucas all the time.
Friend of mine acquired a copy downloaded, and yes, I can confirm (as I have seen it) blinking ewoks (with weird drawn in pupils, but that might just be the bluray making them visible for the first time) BUT a double “NO! NOOOOO!” for Vader.
When asked if I’ve seen Star Wars from now on I’ll say no, as I’m sick of watching these “works in progress” be twisted and lessened by pointless tinkering.
Thanks Lucas, bluray pre-order cancelled…