In the not too distant future, Columbia Tri-Star will be releasing a series of \The Three Stooges"" DVD's with the option of watching them colorized or in their original black-and-white versions. George Lucas, being the champion of film purity he is, was quoted as saying how he's against this, stating that by keeping a film in its original format ""it puts it in a context where you can appreciate it for what it was."" It's amazing that lightning didn't strike the man then and there, leaving him in a smoldering crater of his own hypocrisy.
When the original ""Star Wars Trilogy"" arrives on DVD tomorrow, the three episodes won't be the original versions shown in theaters. They won't even be the ""Special Editions"" from 1997. Lucas, the brainchild behind the films, has once again used computer effects to update them, adding in numerous touch-ups and special effects that he wasn't able to during the initial production period (for anyone wondering, yes; Greedo still shoots first). The most notable change is in the final scene of ""Return of the Jedi,"" in which you see the spirit of Anakin Skywalker. Sebastian Shaw, the actor who originally played the role, has been digitally replaced with Hayden Christensen of the ""Star Wars"" prequels so that the original trilogy remains consistent with the new one.
The idea of updating the films once again is bad enough, but it's a downright travesty that the original versions are not available on any digital format. Anyone wanting to see how the ""Star Wars Trilogy"" originally was shown will have to dig out ten-year-old video cassettes, of which widescreen versions are especially rare. George Lucas has almost successfully erased the original films, in essence destroying the historical significance of them. At least he could have copied the tactics of his friend Steven Spielberg, who released the updated version of ""E.T."" on DVD along with the original version.
If Lucas thought he was doing this for the fans, it would almost justify his actions. But in every interview Lucas constantly talks about how they're ""his movies,"" and that he's always been disappointed in how the original trilogy ended up since technology couldn't deliver what he needed at the time. He's flat-out said that he doesn't really care what his fans' reactions are, and that he's sorry if they fell in love with films that were only half completed. Then he'll give his sob story about what a miserable time he had making the trilogy, never once mentioning any gratitude or amazement that it became the most successful franchise of all time. He makes it sound as if ""Star Wars"" was some obscure art film that no one appreciated but him and now he resents the masses for it.
No artist is ever completely satisfied with their end product. There's always the ""I should have done this"" factor, a wincing at something that never quite lived up to the imagination. But that's part of the process of being an artist. Maybe Lucas is so insecure that he feels ""Star Wars"" will be forgotten once the special effects become more dated. Perhaps he's just an immature, selfish child who doesn't realize that he owes a great deal of gratitude to the people who saw the original trilogy and made him a millionaire.
I told myself that I wasn't going to buy the ""Star Wars Trilogy"" out of principle, but a relapse is inevitable. It all boils down to something a friend of mine said: ""'Star Wars' is cool in spite of George Lucas, not because of him."" As time goes on that statement seems more and more true. No matter how egocentric he is or out of touch he seems to be with his fans, George Lucas can never destroy the wonder of the original trilogy. ""Star Wars"" was instrumental in forming an entire generation's love of movies, and the trilogy is still one of the most enjoyable collections of films ever produced. For that it's worth owning the DVD's. Even if Lucas is now a colossal fraud, at one point he produced something glorious. There's still more right with ""Star Wars"" than what's wrong with it, although the same can hardly be said for George Lucas.
Dan Marfield's column runs every Monday in the Daily Cardinal. He can be reached at ddmarfield@students.wisc.edu
