There's enough child left in the teenager for me to realise a parental dream by taking my offspring to the new Star Wars in a few months but first she has to watch the originals.
We set out to watch the theatrical originals and, as she huffed and tutted through the interminably slow droid dialogue, I warned her of the age and clunkiness of the 40 year old special effects. Unfortunately the DVD sputtered to a halt on Tatooine and I had to swap it out for the Special Edition instead. At the first Dewback Charlotte pipes up with 'I see what you mean about these old effects they're shocking', so I explained about Lucas' additions and from that point on she pointed out every bit of shit tacked on CGI with 'Bet he added that too'. Then, during the final Death Star battle, she pointed at every X-Wing pilot who wasn't Luke and said 'He's going to die'.
I'm still making her watch the new one.
Will you be following the Machete order?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2011/11/11/the-star-wars-saga-suggested-viewing-order/
darktwistedjojo has it right.
DeleteOnly if you have the original theatrical releases. If you want to watch the BDs you have to put up with the extra scenes being added, particularly the ghost of Anakin at the end of ROTJ. Unless you watched the prequels, you wouldn't know who the prick is.
DeleteTrying the 45236 gambit since I've got them all on Now TV. Struck this time by how little of a fuck Alec Guinness gives - the first long scene with Mark Hamill is especially awkward.. Peter Cushing shows how to elevate trash. Carrie Fisher rocks. All the special edition improvements are terrible, worst as always is the Jabba scene. I'd forgetten they'd even regurgitated the same dialogue from minutes before with Greedo. So bad on every level. At least Lucas didn't go further - the computer displays still look lovely and retro. Lots and lots of stupid laser fight scenes, but everyone looks like they're having fun. The soundtrack moves everything up to a different level - one of the all time greats.
ReplyDeleteA part of the bargain I made so she'd watch them is that the prequels are optional and i'm struggling to convince myself that I want to watch Jedi again. Given her present levels of enthusiasm, I think we might be on for a 45 run.
ReplyDeleteWhat with TFA looking large I've decided (naturally) that a re-watch of the originals is due.
ReplyDeleteBut I've had enough of the specials and have been downloading the 'despecialized' editions which I surprised myself by realising I'd never bothered to watch before.
It's going to be great to see very damned minute exactly as it was when I was a kid.
Come to think of it, it's been so long since I saw them this way it may well feel like seeing them for the first time again.
*looming*
ReplyDeleteWill almost certainly remain one my (if not the) favourite films of all time. Has a special magic that I doubt any film will ever be able to recreate for me.
ReplyDelete