Release Date:
09/21/2004
Ever since the DVD format began slowly sending VHS to bargain basement hell, weve had an empty spot in our home libraries set aside for the original (a.k.a. nonJar Jar) Star Wars trilogy. On September 21, the wait will finally be overwell have our Han Solos, Boba Fetts, and, grudgingly, even our furry little Ewoks all cleaned up and prettified like never before. Those lucky enough to have seen the first Star Wars in theaters havent seen anything like this: A brand-new digital transfer means images so sharp they can cut carbonite, and a 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround mix will have you ducking Star Destroyers all over again. As if that werent enough, a fourth disc features a Jabba the Huttsize load of booty straight out of the Lucasfilm archives. To quote a certain Dark Lord of the Sith, This will be a day long remembered.
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy: This whopping two-and-a-half-hour documentary details the birth of Star Wars all the way from George Lucas notepad to sci-fi movie legend. Archival footage and new interviews with all involved trace the project from its somewhat ignoble beginnings (20th Century Fox almost shelved it) to eventual triumph.
The Birth of the Lightsaber: Yup, an entire featurette on these space-age Ginsu knives. Youll learn how their effects were achieved, how the Jedi fighting style was developed, and, hopefully, why you still cant help but imitate the noise whenever you carry an open umbrella.
The Force Is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars: Relax, you werent the only one so entranced by Star Wars that it changed your life. (You are, however, the only one still wearing Underoos. Stop it.) Interviews with Hollywood heavy hitters like James Cameron, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, and Peter Jackson (who we hear just finished a little trilogy of his own) discuss the impact Star Wars had on movies and those who make them.
Original trailers and TV spots: On most DVDs, special features like this one tend to be pretty lame affairs, but the industrious folk at Lucasfilm have taken the time to dig up some extremely rare promotional spots that havent been seen by the general public since they originally aired on late-70s and early-80s TV. That strange sloshing sound you may hear is the nostalgia buffs already starting to salivate.
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy: This whopping two-and-a-half-hour documentary details the birth of Star Wars all the way from George Lucas notepad to sci-fi movie legend. Archival footage and new interviews with all involved trace the project from its somewhat ignoble beginnings (20th Century Fox almost shelved it) to eventual triumph.
The Birth of the Lightsaber: Yup, an entire featurette on these space-age Ginsu knives. Youll learn how their effects were achieved, how the Jedi fighting style was developed, and, hopefully, why you still cant help but imitate the noise whenever you carry an open umbrella.
The Force Is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars: Relax, you werent the only one so entranced by Star Wars that it changed your life. (You are, however, the only one still wearing Underoos. Stop it.) Interviews with Hollywood heavy hitters like James Cameron, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, and Peter Jackson (who we hear just finished a little trilogy of his own) discuss the impact Star Wars had on movies and those who make them.
Original trailers and TV spots: On most DVDs, special features like this one tend to be pretty lame affairs, but the industrious folk at Lucasfilm have taken the time to dig up some extremely rare promotional spots that havent been seen by the general public since they originally aired on late-70s and early-80s TV. That strange sloshing sound you may hear is the nostalgia buffs already starting to salivate.