Why have all the television specials done for each of the STAR WARS films been ignored on the various DVD releases? Each had material not found in the later bonus features that did show up, and are a time capsule for each production.
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Lucas is so open & honest about his plot changes in this film. He seems ashamed of the fact that many things were changed or made up along the way. He says things like they made up Yoda simply because "oops we killed Obi-Wan, what do we do now?" as well as "solving" the Luke-Leia-Han love triangle by making them siblings at the last minute. Some say the "there is another" line in Empire was only speaking of Vader not Leia. This is why I doubt he'll release it on DVD, because sometimes he claims he had this all planned out all along, despite clearly speaking the contrary in this documentary.
It is a rather easy find in used bookstores or pawn shops that sell old VHS if you want to see it, provided you still have your VCR.
The line, "There is another." was always intended to be Luke's sibling, just not always intended to be Leia.
Now, as for the release of this on DVD...Id love to see it, but Im not going to hold my breath. As Stapa-Bomar said, Lucas doesnt want people to know the truth about the original trilogy and how they came about.
They are available from time to time on VHS from places like eBay...Also, if your lucky, you may come across a DVD-R version recorded from pristine sources on eBay as well (some sellers offer the VHS and a DVD-R together).
hjl
Star Wars Episode IV.V: The Holiday Special.
A buddy of mine found a number of the old STAR WARS tv documentaries (from the original trilogy) on laser disc. And apparently the bootleg market is making use of those laser discs, as DVD transfers of them are showing up at conventions. I guess if the studio isn't willing to make money off of them, others certainly are.
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I doubt that ths shall see re-release as there is certainly much more honesty about the movies in FSWTJ:TMOAS, Lucas entirely contradicting the party-line presented during the prequel era that the treatment for all six movies had ben written in 1974. It is also fascinating looking at the creature shop. In this documentary the 'Jedi' creature shop is the pivotal one of the entire production, receiving much attention from Lucas. Fast forward to the era of the prequels and it is plain that the CGI unit has replaced it in Lucas's affections, to the point that the creature puppets and prosthetics paled in comparison to those of the OT era, being mainly farmed out.
It's funny, though, in the creature shop scene, when you see everyone running in mock terror and a guy in a full Gamorrean Guard costume comes chasing after them.
shareIt's funny. Longtime fans know that there were four original "making-of" documentaries on the Original Trilogy. They were:
-The Making of Star Wars
-SPFX: Empire Strikes Back
-Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi
-From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
These four never made it further than Laserdisc. They were ignored for the OT DVD release in 2004 and have never had a separate release on DVD like they could have.
The new Blu-ray set has been announced for September. Miraculously, the first three are included! Suspiciously, "From Star Wars to Jedi" is not. It's obvious why. In the interviews, Lucas admits that he didn't settle on Vader as Anakin until after Star Wars(ANH) was released! He had to decide between Vader as Anakin or Vader as Anakin's killer and admits he didn't do that until just before ESB began filming. Yet today, we're told that the "saga" was the "Tragedy of Darth Vader" all along. Right. Maybe the new fans buy that but the older fans know better. He also admits that Yoda wasn't created until scriptwriting for ESB. He mentions the fact that ROTJ was originally going to involve a planet of Wookiees, not the Ewoks. A much better idea. He explains why he changed it to the Ewoks. He even says that too often, special effects are on-screen for too long and cannot substitute for a good story.
All of these admissions would be nothing for most filmmakers. But for Lucas, this would debunk the falsehood he puts out to the kids today of the whole thing being a six-film pre-planned "saga" all along. He probably doesn't like the word "saga" in the title of this documentary for the OT either. Not to mention the use of the old Sebastian Shaw force ghost footage from ROTJ.
He doesn't want this one ever released again. How else can you explain the absence of this one, yet including the other three, while giving us nearly four hours of fans in stormtrooper costumes, spoofs, and the lame "Star Wars Tech". Where's "Empire of Dreams" too?