Star Wars pre-release excitement
| August 31, 2011 | Posted by Joanna Starzynski under entertainment, reviews |
Yes, they just found out as well!
Release Date: 12th September 2011
Director: George Lucas
Actors: Mark Hamill; Harrison Ford; Ewan McGregor; Natalie Portman; Carrie Fisher; Alec Guiness; Peter Cushing; Christopher Lee
Summary
From a galaxy far, far away, yet somehow in the future, George Lucas will release the fantastic Star Wars series on Blu-ray on September 12th 2011. Lucas has proved to be not only a masterful director (admittedly mainly on films starring Harrison Ford), but also a successful businessman; the creation of Star Wars wasn’t just a series of films, but a complete franchise. The release of Star Wars onto Blu-ray is what many fans have been looking forward to for years, and as films that changed the face of cinema, who can blame them?
How did it change the face of cinema?
Before such films as Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (1977) and Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) were released, movies were made in a Hollywood studio and you had to make do with what you were given on set. These were not only the first films to use CGI or robotic devices, but the first to really engage in advertising and synergy with other products, such as a release of special merchandise sponsored by Coca-Cola, and so on and so forth. They turned the cinema into a lucrative money-making business.
So, what’s new?
The new Blu-ray collection will include 9 discs and of course the added extra of high-definition is expected. The 9-disc content will include:
STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA ON BLU-RAY is presented in widescreen with 6.1 DTS Surround Sound.
- Disc One – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Two – Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Three – Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll and Roger Guyett
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Four – Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Five – Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Six – Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
- Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
- Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew
- Disc Seven – New! Star Wars Archives: Episodes I-III
- Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; a flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives and more
- Disc Eight – New! Star Wars Archives: Episode IV-VI
- Including: deleted, extended and alternate scenes; prop, maquette and costume turnarounds; matte paintings and concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; and more
- Disc Nine – The Star Wars Documentaries
- NEW! Star Warriors (2007, Color, Apx. 84 Minutes)
- NEW! A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010, Color, Apx. 25 Minutes)
- NEW! Star Wars Spoofs
- The Making of Star Wars
- The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX
- Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi
- Anatomy of a Dewback
- Star Wars Tech
Verdict
As an avid Star Wars fan myself, the classic collection (not the ruined merchandising and countless spin-offs) still creates a sense of nostalgia and easy-going action-packed fun for the whole family. As some of you might have done when the original saga (IV, V,VI) was released on DVD, watching it as many times as physically possible (so much that you had to take a 6-month break from the series due to overwatching – or was that just me?), then I’m sure this new collection with all 6 films and 40 extra hours may make you lose days on end to watching it. I truly look forward to the complete Blu-ray Star Wars collection.
The journey of boy to man is accentuated with new Star Wars artwork (included with the collection), demonstrated by Star Wars' most scenic long shot.
9/10
