So, I'm watching the original three Star Wars movies on TV today, and I'm finding them so much more engaging and interesting to watch than the later three movies.

I think it's because there's a lot more reliance of physical sets and acting in the earlier films than in the later films which were heavily CG reliant. The drama is much more human in the earlier films. The actors really draw you in. I really think that something about gigantic CG sets destroys the reality and drama of what you're seeing.

I suppose that at the time Lucas was probably much less secure and more passionate and that made him a better artist, in effect. Of course I'm just guessing at that. But if he really bought into Joseph Campbell, and was at the time in the middle of having made the tough choice to be a film director instead of finding a more secure "regular" job, I can imagine that could make his work be much more genuine and intense than something he might make later when he's all wealthy and secure.

Finally, I noticed that Carrie Fisher is really skinny in her slave bikini outfit. Is it just me, or were people in the United States in the 70s on the whole really not very fat compared to people in the US today? Why are we so much fatter today than just 30 or 40 years ago?

The first three movies followed ages old archetypes. They resonate.



Because ...we (not just in the U.S., but lots of First World countries) eat more and exercise less? Throw away the TV controller. Use the stairs, not the elevator. Walk, don't drive. Make love, not war.

Peter

Not to mention that Carrie was a little coke-touched at the time.

She also has admitted to going on a crash diet just because of that outfit.

The old movies had Harrison Ford.

Han shot first... well in the originals.
The one they showed on Spike tv that I saw were ones that Lucas 'retouched'. ugh.

I could rattle on and on about the things I think the original Star Wars movies do so much better than the new ones, and not just because I'm nostalgic or biased towards the older movies. Instead of rattling though, I'll try to make a few concise points:

1) I saw The Empire Strikes Back on TV last summer, and I was surprised to be reminded that Yoda is genuinely funny and adorable in that movie. There's nothing like that in the new trilogy.

2) The new trilogy gave Samuel L. Jackson a lightsaber and still couldn't make a compelling character. That's how weak the new trilogy is in the character department. Heck, twenty years from now, I bet even Jabba the Hutt will be more popular than any of the characters from the new trilogy.

3) I love the fact that the technology in original trilogy looks clunky, mechanical, and worn out. Everything in the new trilogy looks sleek and shiny (partially because of the the CGI, but also because of the chosen art direction), so the vehicles and technology look more like toys than war machines.

4) Speaking of machines, another thing I love about the original Star Wars is the lack of jedi. I don't know about you guys, but I've always preferred the space battles and firefights over all the jedi crap. Space is practically an afterthought in the new movies though; it seems like Lucas was too busy packing in as many lightsaber duels as possible when he remembered, "Oh crap, I've got to add a space battle in the story somewhere because, after all, it's called Star Wars!"

5) I could be wrong, but as I remember it, the music throughout the original Star Wars movie is nearly nonstop. And I like that; it gives the movie that "space opera" kind of feel. I don't remember if the music is quite as prominent in the new movies, though.

6) And finally, I don't know about you, but I think this is a rather cool movie poster: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8...ePoster1977.jpg
All of the show-lots-of-characters-and-things-happening-at-once posters since then just seem like lame imitations.

EDIT: Man, do I feel like a Star Wars geek.

Yeah, most people had that figured out when they saw the first of the new movies when it first came out. I don't really know why the new trilogy was so much worse than the old ones specifically; I think it's just a lot of little things.


Because people eat more, they exercise less, and what they do eat is a lot less healthy, on average. Back then 'fast food' was something for a special occasion.


This. The only actor in the new trilogy that could have had the same resonance was Samuel L. Jackson, and they basically wasted him in the role he was given (though it was cool to see him piss off the fanboys by demanding a purple lightsaber).

I found this interview rather amusing

The only one who didn't was the director, George Lucas. We kept it from him because we wanted to see what his face looked like when it changed expression.

Not only was he virtually expressionless in those days, but he also hardly talked at all. His only two directions in the first film were 'faster' and 'more intense'.

Star Wars. The most over-analyzed films of all time. I can summarize them in four words: visually awesome, poorly written.

If you look at the Clone Wars TV series (both of them) you'll notice something very interesting. The Prequel Trillogy material that Lucas didn't direct is actually very good.

Carrie Fisher had to lose 10-20 lbs for the role, and went to what hey used to call a "fat farm" in order to do it. Nowadays, we call them "weight loss retreats", or something similar. I will say that, compared to then, we have more people sitting on their butts working in an office, than we have people working a trade. Also, someone pointed out that fast food was more an occasional thing back then, we were still expected to eat our meals at home, instead of eating out all the time.

I recently saw the Clone Wars movie that was released in theaters this past summer. I really wanted my time back, ugh it was horrendous. Yeah, the tv series by people other than Lucas are so much better. *sigh*

Lucas is a terrible director, but a decent producer.

lets not forget that two of the original movies where not directed by lucas.

that kinda puts things in perspective imo...

agreed woundy

I'd watch the "remastered" shows and always pointed out "hey that wasn't there before" be the nerds we are we know the movies virtually by heart. Now my kids see it and the first exposure to star wars is the horrid new versions, I lament. We have the old ones but they are on VHS and brittle.

yeah everyone is getting a little pudgy nowdays, our sedentary lifestyle and all, unless something drastically changes in our social culture, its not likey to change.


mmm slave girl carrie back in the day.....mmmm indeed.

holy cow. I had no idea he didn't direct ESB and ROTJ.

irony?

Will they rerelease the untouched versions on DVD and Blu-ray? Preferbly with more limited director's commentary? That would be awesome.

Will they rerelease the untouched versions on DVD and Blu-ray? Preferbly with more limited director's commentary? That would be awesome.

I doubt it. That would require lucas acknowledging that his new 'vision' wasn't perfect. I ended up getting my old VHS versions 'backed up' onto DVD at some shady music store in Chinatown. They did a pretty good job too. Broke it up into chapters and everything.

Only after he dies is my guess. Hmmm... the way he looks these days he doesn't look too healthy.

No. Not only will they not, at the time the "improved" versions came out Lucasfilm went on a rampage trying to pull every original version of the trilogy off the retail shelves.

I dunno what they did with them, possibly had them destroyed.

I'm just happy I have my old (non-improved) VHS Special Edition from back in the day with the extra "making of" cassette.

As for the fattening of the world? Well, remember the old Food Pyramid that kept getting pushed as being "the healthy way to eat" all though the 90s? The one where like half your diet was supposed to be carbs?

Yeah.


-karma

If they didn't destroy them, maybe it's time to find out where they are and to make a run liberating all those copies.

Hey man, what's wrong with carbs? I like my rice.

Half your diet is still supposed to be carbs. The problem is that half our calories tend to come from fat.

Lean carbs (e.g., not deep fat fried) is still a very good thing to base a diet on, Atkins or no Atkins.

The problem back then, of course, was that they usually didn't specify what SORTS of carbs you should have.


-karma

They already did this. A couple of years ago they released a series of two-disc sets, one disc for the Theatrical version, one disc for the 'special edition'.

I'm lucky enough to have the theatrical version on VHS, the one in which luke jumps down from the X-wing and yells "Carrie!" instead of "Leia!"

LOL, WTF.

Lucas: HOW DO EDIT FINAL CUT!!???!!!!!!!!!

OK a few quick things. One, you are basing your perception of weight in America off of a movie... think about that for a minute.

Gendy Tarkovsky is the GENIUS behind the Clone Wars tv micro series, Samurai Jack, Dexters Lab and a few other shows. He could write a movie drunk, blindfolded and with all his teeth broken and it would be better than what George could write.

The other thing is, not only did GL not direct ESB and RotJ, he did not wrote them. He came up with the story and hired a wroter to do it. Not so for the last three films, he wrote and directed them.


EDIT: I I have so much vitriol when it comes to this subject I nearly shake with anger.

I'm curious, why does it affect you so strongly? It's only a movie. (Ouch! Ow! Stop hitting me!!)

Peter

Because it's symbolic of all social injustice and perhaps the glib acquiecense of the common man.

Apparently, while shaking with anger, you also have a tendency to hit the "O" key instead of the "I" key.

Sadly the original theatrical disc is a laserdisc transfer and not a film transfer so you still can't get DVD quality versions of the originals.

Those laserdisc quality discs have gotten far more play than the special edition discs that have a picture quality befitting a DVD.

Someday I can see some grizzled old geek handing off a stack of cases with the lines "these were your father's original theatrical release editions of Stars Wars, elegant films from a less digital age..."

I used to agree they were better... then I saw them after Lucas did his hatchet job. Now? Well, now, I wouldn't touch anything with the Star Wars logo. Thank you, Lucas, for utterly destroying Star Wars.

Computer generate graphic have it use as some slunt can be so damagest that they cannot be done at all without the sluntman being kill. In Termatoe 2 some of the action shots where computer generate. Also some action shots and film magic cost alots of money and where time consumeing to shoot. In the first Star War the Star Destoryer fireing on and caputer Senator Leija ship took 3 month to shoot useing minutar ship, it cost 25% of the cost of makeing the film which cost I believe 100 million dollar counting all costs. I like average built woman over skinny woman anyday. Afew fashine models die from not eating than enought food or haveing that eating disorder.

Holy crap. I had no idea Carrie Fisher's mom was Debbie Reynolds. I guess that explains why they look so similar...

As, as per the above... I second Fortune's reaction.

At the beginning of many of her stage shows Reynolds would introduce herself as, "Hi! I'm Princess Leia's mom!"