In honor of May 4th, SCAD Radio’s resident classic movie aficionado, Ellen Gillespie, takes a look at one of her favorite movies of all time…

In 1989, The National Film Registry started a project with the Library of Congress to ensure the preservation of films for future generations. Every year, twenty-five films are added to the list, ensuring their legacy until the end of time. The very first year of nominations, right along with films Citizen Kane and Casablanca, was one little space opera that had won the hearts of millions.

That film was Star Wars.

Now remember, this was before it was called Episode: Know Your Roman Numerals, and long before there was ever a “special” edition to split people’s opinions.

Flash forward to 2017, where we have been subjected to the constant retread of special editions. Many of us fall victim to the endless parade of DVD and Blu-ray releases that come around every few years. Now with the recent acquisition of George Lucas’s magnum opus by Disney, it seems that the continuance of beating the dead horse will continue indefinitely.

I’m not complaining about it though, I’m just pointing out that this is what’s happening. Tiny bits of the film are slowly being chipped away. They not be much, but over time, it adds up.

Remember, this is an oscar-winning film that’s constantly being changed. Wouldn’t we be up in arms if someone kept changing Citizen Kane or Casablanca? Why fix something that isn’t broken?

A while ago, I was walking in one of my favorite antique stores in my hometown, and an unusual artifact caught my attention. It was a 1989 VHS release of all three of the original Star Wars films.

I didn’t buy them, but it got me thinking. The eldest version of the Star Wars films I had ever seen were the 2004 re-releases. This bugged me up until this year, when I found out about a very unique pastime of one dedicated Star Wars fan by the name of Harmy.

Harmy took it upon himself to create a forum with the goal of making a faithful recreation of the 1977 theatrical release of Star Wars, completely fan-edited.

Using sources that go all the way back to the film’s original release, editors, color-correctors, and others from all walks of life take on the painstakingly arduous task of bringing Lucas’s original vision back to life.

So, what’s the despecialized version like?

It’s Star Wars. It’s freaking Star Wars.

When you get right down to it, it’s all a matter of aesthetics. If you are happy with watching the constantly changing films, then that’s fine, more power to you. Just know this; Lucas will never be happy with them. He or his minions will always want to “fix” the films, even though there’s nothing wrong with them. Honestly, some of the newer effects of the re-releases do not hold up nearly as well as the original’s.

Something that really surprised me about the film was how much John Williams was utilized in the film. We all remember film’s iconic original soundtrack, so when you do a side-by-side comparison to the newer releases of New Hope, you notice that Williams’s score is drowned out by the sound effects. The most notable moment of this is during the epic climax of the film, the x-wings attacking the Death Star. The music adds so much to the scene, forcing us to really feel the anxiety that these rebels are feeling. Throughout the whole trench run, you don’t notice that you’re becoming as tight as a coil of springs. It’s such a shame that the newer editions totally ignore the music for sound effects. Sound in space.

Fun Fact: There’s no sound in space. Sound cannot travel in space. Try watching Star Wars now.

The editing in the despecialized edition is choppy at best, as it is different clips of New Hope smashed together. Still, the movie’s plot moves so smoothly, that you hardly notice, or you’re too wrapped up in the story that you don’t care that it has a few awkward moments.

Now one of the most divisive moments of the film, answers a very important question that has split families and friends apart for decades. Who shot first?

It’s Han. The newer editions changed it so that Greedo shot first, causing Han to shoot in self-defense. Yet they do it in the most terrible way possible, using a photo rendering of Harrison Ford’s head to move over the film’s frames, making him look like his neck is having a spasm to avoid Greedo’s shot.

The whole cantina scene is brought back to it’s original glory, removing the dumb cgi aliens that look completely out of place. It also marks the return of wolf man!

This adds to film, as Mos Eisley is said to be a troubled and frightening place for a young Luke Skywalker. So adding some CGI blue blob smoking? Not really living up to Mos Eisley’s dangerous reputation.

That’s the biggest problem with the newer editions. They take away the small things that don’t seem important, and replace them with things that either don’t make sense, or muddle up the film’s plot and consistency. Changing up Ben Burtt’s Oscar winning sound effects, removing John Williams’ work, and adding pointless scenes that don’t add up to much in the grand scheme of the film is just asking for trouble.

If you are interested in the despecialized edition, it is a lot of work to get your hands on it without having to buy it or go about it the pirate’s way. Yet the work is well worth the rewards.

I will never get to see the version that hit theaters back in ‘77. My mother was in high school and my father was out of college when this film came out. I’ll never know the amazing film that they got to see on the big screen. I still want to get as close to that experience I can get, and the despecialized edition is a great first step for me, and for any hardcore Star Wars fan.