"Star Wars" Episode VII Cast announced/revealed

[Doctor Strange]

You know, Star Wars and Empire are both included in the Library of Congress National Film Registry, added in 1989 and 2010, respectively.

Part of the mandate of that project is to retain films in their original form (including keeping required pre-print film elements - like negatives; separate soundtracks for dialog, music, and sound effects; and effects-sequence optical elements for compositing - if necessary), to prevent them from being modified later. So even if Lucasfilm says they don't have the materials for a release, those original versions surely exist in good 35mm prints in the Registry.

Not that it's necessarily in their job description to provide these things for commercial purposes in a world that's already got millions of assorted versions of Star Wars DVDs and VHS tapes floating around!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Film_Registry

 

[Edward]

Bound to be some way of doing it. I know Lucasfilm under Lucas were petty enough to seize and destroy some originsl prints they caught being shown, but there must be spme out there, in the same way Nosferatu survived. If Lucas really has signed away all his rights, he can't stop Disney doing it.

 

[Zombie_61]

Heck, they could easily use the original VHS releases. I remember when DVDs first came out, that VHS to DVD converters were really popular to have, as everybody converted their VHS libraries into DVDs. I remember my Uncle had one, even though I never got one. I was stubborn, and refused to switch over to DVD until they simply stopped making VHS. Now I'm only starting to switch over to DVD copies, even as the world goes digital.

Videotapes were fine when that was all we had available to us, but I disliked them as much as I disliked audio cassettes. So when DVDs became prevalent, I traded up just as soon as I could.

I think it's all misinformation like the government throws out there about UFO's...

You're probably right, and the only people who know the truth are those who are directly involved. My guess is that Disney has already taken steps towards obtaining and restoring the theatrical versions of the Original Trilogy movies in anticipation of taking legal ownership of them in the not-too-distant future, and that we'll see a proper release on DVD and Blu-Ray sooner rather than later. Time will tell.

 

[DesertDan]

Saw it last weekend.
I enjoyed it very much and generally like the new characters. They will relate well for the new generation of young viewers

But I didn't love it
I was 13 when the original Star Wars came out and lived through the resulting cultural earthquake it caused. Nothing will ever be able to surpass that (though Empire was my favorite of the movies).

Right now I am watching The Clone Wars on Netflix and have become a huge fan of that series!
As already mentioned the themes are mature and the stories complex and interesting. It makes Anakin's fall much more realistic. And it has who has become my favorite Star Wars character of all; Ahsoka Tano!

 

[Zombie_61]

...Right now I am watching The Clone Wars on Netflix and have become a huge fan of that series!
As already mentioned the themes are mature and the stories complex and interesting. It makes Anakin's fall much more realistic. And it has who has become my favorite Star Wars character of all; Ahsoka Tano!

She's not one of my favorite characters, but she is interesting. I like the way they allowed her to mature (at least a little) through the course of the series. I'm about half-way through Season 5 myself, and I think the show improved quite a bit with each new season.

 

[Worf]

Finally saw it last weekend. Let me see, I saw the original while on leave from the Army back in the day.... loved it, clapped and cheered when I left the theatre. 5 minutes into this one I had a strong feeling of deja vu.

1. Large Imperial Battleship.... check!
2. Assault by Stormtroopers.... Check!
3. Hidden information wanted by said S.T.'s... check!
4. Appearance of hooded black clad bad guy.... check!
4. Desert planet.... check!
5. Disaffected youngster longing for a better/different life.... check!
6. Droids containing sought after information winds up with kid.... check!
7. Kid winds up on Millennium Falcon.... check!
8. Wise older father figure takes kid under wing.... Check!
9. Too many other similarities to mention.... Check! (hell they even had ANOTHER bar scene!!!!)
10. 30 year old fighter designs destroy Weapon of Mass destruction... Check!
11. Hero flies off to unknown next adventure.... check!

I think you catch my drift! Yawn... I was bored... puddin' was bored as was most of the audience... small smattering of applause. Sorry, I was hoping this one would rock my socks off like it seems to have done everyone else here... but it didn't. Sorry.

Worf

 

[Zombie_61]

I can't disagree with you Worf, but I liked it anyway. Now that they've got The Force Awakens under their belts and it's tied the "Sequel Trilogy" movies to the previous six, I'm hoping they'll tear up some new ground in Episodes VIII and IX.

 

[Edward]

There was a huge amount of retreading in the latest, yeah. I assumed it was a mix of things - partly, JJ is known for reinventing known stories (look at his Star Trek - it's a reimagining of existing canon), so that was playing to his strengths, and partly to establish the branding, to associate it firmly with the original films, and not Lucas' prequels. On that level, it really worked. Actually, I went into it knowing the *big* spoiler and that there was a lot of retreading, but that didn't ruin it for me. It's no Hunger Games, but nonetheless I found it fun. In many ways, though, I think the 'other three' that are coming out alongside this new trilogy will be much more interesting films than the main ones.

 

[Stand By]

As perhaps the very last person who was really wanting to see SW and still hadn't, I finally saw SW last weekend and totally loved it! It made me feel like a kid all over again! And what a shocker too … I had no idea about Han. I'm still incredulous.
Now I want to go back and see it again - but next time in the funky flight simulator-type chairs that were right behind me! I hadn't a clue they were even available - I'd never heard of them before! I wondered why the floor was vibrating like it was during action sequences - I thought it was a sub woofer close by. How brilliant! What a perfect film they be for those!

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Probably opening a can of worms here but.....

I'm sure there's this and that about it, and Forest? Really? And the same old yaddayadda, but no different than the same old yadda with everything else Can't wait to see it

 

[Edward]

I-III era Stormtrooper armour, I notice - it does look as if, as I suspected, this one is set some time before the original Star Wars (NOT "A New Hope" - that's Lucas' revisionist doodoo terminology with which I shall have no truck); these, presumably, are the plans that the Rebels use to identify the weak spot on the original Death Star...

 

[MisterCairo]

NOT "A New Hope" - that's Lucas' revisionist doodoo terminology with which I shall have no truck)

To be fair, "Star Wars" (which is what I call it and always will, we're on the same page) was subtitled Episode IV A New Hope from day one.

And to be fair, in this day and age to say "oh, I saw Star Wars last night" will result in the inevitable "which one"? reply!

 

[Doctor Strange]

YOU ARE DEAD WRONG.

Excuse me, but I saw Star Wars the week it opened in 1977 - I was 22 years old, not a little kid - and two or three times after that during its original run. It was NOT subtitled "A New Hope".

The "Episode IV" and "A New Hope" were added for the first rerelease in 1979 or 80, in preparation for the upcoming release of The Empire Strikes Back.

 

[Edward]

Jinkies, I though Lucas only tinkered from 93 onwards. It started early. The revisionism... Give or take a few thousand innocent deaths, the man's practically Stalin!

 

[Doctor Strange]

Well, before it opened, it wasn't clear to Lucas or 20th Century Fox that Star Wars was going to be a massive hit that spawned sequels... as difficult as that may be to believe now.

My favorite bit of revisionism is the "I read Joseph Campbell and wanted to create a modern mythology" approach that Lucas was absolutely NOT pushing in interviews done before the mega-success of the film. It's always been clear that Lucas - who was a terrible student and read more comics than scholarly classics - was far more influenced by the Flash Gordon serials, WWII dogfight flicks, Kurosawa samurai films, King Arthur, Tolkien, and Jack Kirby (etc.) than he was by Campbell's theories. But if you state something frequently enough - and pay for a high-profile PBS series about "The Power of Myth" - you can convince folks of anything.

 

[Frunobulax]

YOU ARE DEAD WRONG.

Excuse me, but I saw Star Wars the week it opened in 1977 - I was 22 years old, not a little kid - and two or three times after that during its original run. It was NOT subtitled "A New Hope".

The "Episode IV" and "A New Hope" were added for the first rerelease in 1979 or 80, in preparation for the upcoming release of The Empire Strikes Back.

Yup. I saw the third showing in my city. I was 17.

 

[MisterCairo]

YOU ARE DEAD WRONG.

Excuse me, but I saw Star Wars the week it opened in 1977 - I was 22 years old, not a little kid - and two or three times after that during its original run. It was NOT subtitled "A New Hope".

The "Episode IV" and "A New Hope" were added for the first rerelease in 1979 or 80, in preparation for the upcoming release of The Empire Strikes Back.

EXCUSE ME.

MESSAGE RECEIVED.

I WAS A MORON OF TEN WHEN I SAW THE ORIGINAL RELEASE THREE TIMES IN 1977.

I JUST CHECKED AND YOU ARE RIGHT, IT WAS SUBTITLED IV A NEW HOPE - ON THE 1981 RE-RELEASE.

WHICH MEANS LUCAS ENGAGED IN "REVISIONISM" AS RECENTLY AS 35 YEARS AGO.

AS PART OF HIS PLAN TO HAVE THE FILM AS PART OF A LENGTHY SAGA.

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU WIN!!!!!!!!!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Jinkies, I though Lucas only tinkered from 93 onwards. It started early. The revisionism... Give or take a few thousand innocent deaths, the man's practically Stalin!

"Bukharin shot first!"

 

[Otter]

I just rewatched Episodes 1,2 and 3 in the run up to the release on DVD of The Force Awakens. They haven't improved.

 

[Bushman]

I-III era Stormtrooper armour, I notice - it does look as if, as I suspected, this one is set some time before the original Star Wars (NOT "A New Hope" - that's Lucas' revisionist doodoo terminology with which I shall have no truck); these, presumably, are the plans that the Rebels use to identify the weak spot on the original Death Star...

This is the prequel to "Star Wars". It's the story of how the Rebel Alliance stole the Death Star plans and had them delivered to Princess Leia. It's supposed to end precisely at the moment "Star Wars" begins.