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Why I'm Such a Video Snob
Starwars.com is carring this really nice article on why you should buy letterbox videos.
Everyone has a favorite movie or movies, ones they essentially memorized by watching over and over again on TV or video. Mine were the Star Wars trilogy, Ellen's was The King and I. I'm sure you have one too, some big sweeping classic you haven't seen on the big screen in years, if ever.
Go out and buy the letterbox version of this film on DVD and give it a quick viewing. I gaurantee that within fifteen minutes you'll spot countless details you simply didn't know existed. In some cases, entire scenes will seem different, and overall it'll be like watching a new movie.
Unless you're my mom, who refuses to buy a DVD player because she doesn't have any DVDs. And no, she doesn't see the logical contradiction. :)
I beg your PARDON! I don't buy a DVD player cause I don't know how to install it. I just bought two new VCRs - my sons forgot to remind me to buy a DVD player instead. I have a brand new HP 4x1 copier, printer, etc sitting on my desk for four months because I am afraid of the electronic gods. If anyone can bring down the entire WWW wih one click, I guarantee it will be me. Somebody please come home Christmas so I can buy all the things I need and have someone to install things for me. LOL
Posted by: Pat on October 1, 2002 12:46 PMPat,
it's only a few cables..... trust me, it's worth the agravation of hooking it up. DVD is a whole new home-movie experience... better sound, MUCH better picture and lots & lots of goodies on the discs, if you're into stuff like that.
I personally LOVE the deleted scenes, director's commentaries, interviews, shorts, etc. Oftentimes, I spend more time watching them than the actual movies.
Scott,
I don't see why they didn't come out with a dual edition for SW. I'm sick and tired of LucasFilm milking us for more money.... remember when the video came out and they said they wouldn't be releasing the DVD until they could release them all? I went and bought the VHS, since I didn't want to wait 100 more years.... then they DID come out with it a few months later "oh, sorry about that, we changed our minds...." Oh, OK so I'm not taking their word.
I will normally buy the widescreen letterboxed edition if it's out.
wow, that's like a blogpost in itself, eh?
Posted by: Jim S on October 1, 2002 03:32 PMIt used to be a biatch to find the letterboxed edition of the first triology. Lucasfilm only released a single version, with a limited run at that. It took forever for me to find a copy, at a dinky little mom-and-pop video store just down the road from my mom's apartment (I think it's still there). That was my Christmas present in, oh, 1994 I think.
They then released a "special" letterbox version about four years later, which is the one you can buy to this day. I didn't know they'd released the original trilogy on DVD until I stumbled over it browsing e-bay.
I still keep them, because they're all ever so slightly different, and neither is the "re-release" version. My own starwars geek timecapsule.
Posted by: scott on October 1, 2002 03:42 PMYou didn't find the original letterbox version. I did and paid $100+ for that sucker for you. I also bought the original tapes as they came out and then the first edition of the triology. I absolutely refuse to buy any other version. Lucas made a living off the original triloloy.
Jim S. Thanks for the encouragement but I have just installed new VCRs on my two TV sets. Took me two months to get up enough nerve to try. I am electronically challenged and spoiled by having sons who could handle anything for me. Too bad they grew up and moved across country.
Posted by: Pat Johnson on October 1, 2002 06:03 PMI have 5 versions of the original trilogy on VHS. These movies are what turned me on to letterbox format. Watching the opening crawl of a Star Wars movie on a Pan & Scan(full screen) sucks. You gotta wait till the sentencee is almost to the top of the screen to read it. After that I would buy my VHS movies in widescreen until I got my DVD player. Episode 2 will be out on DVD on NOvember 12. EPisode 3 probably in Nov/Dec 2005. Then the original trilogy to follow. Knowing how George is though, I bet you'd hafta buy the Star Wars Saga gift set to get the originals and get stuck with another set of the prequels.
Posted by: Richie on October 2, 2002 04:43 AMScott, you gotta look for the easter eggs on the DVD's too. Some are dumb, but some are prety good. The gag reel on The Phantom Menace is pretty funny.
Posted by: richie on October 2, 2002 04:45 AMWhere the heck do you find guides on how to get at these easter eggs?
Posted by: scott on October 2, 2002 12:01 PMdvdeastereggs.com
Posted by: richie on October 2, 2002 02:39 PMHey, Jeff finally set up my DVD player. The one you installed didn't work, not your fault I think I broke it somehow. I have the new DVD's on the Star War Trilogy watched the first one, bought those suckers in pre release. Brought back memories of sitting through each of those movies as they were released at least 20 times each, driving 200 miles round trip, standing in line for hours to get tickets on opening day. lol No one can say I spoiled my sons, that is the reason I put the mother's curse on both of them.
Posted by: Pat on November 30, 2004 03:45 AM