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It\u2019s become the cinematic equivalent of the old \u201cchicken or the egg\u201d question- Who shot first? Han Solo or Greedo the bounty hunter?<\/p>\nIt\u2019s become the cinematic equivalent of the old \u201cchicken or the egg\u201d question- Who shot first? Han Solo or Greedo the bounty hunter?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a question that has been causing much debate and controversy within fans of George Lucas\u2019 original Star Wars<\/strong> trilogy and some concern among film historians and preservationists ever since the theatrical release of the original Star Wars<\/strong> films in early 1997 under the guise of new \u201cSpecial Editions\u201d with new, previously unseen material and new special effect shots added in.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not unusual for films to have scenes added for special edition releases on DVDs and before that laser disc. Many favorite science-fiction films like Blade Runner<\/strong> and Highlander<\/strong> have benefited from this, with additional or reedited footage fleshing out story points or characterization. In many cases it has been done to bring the film back to the director\u2019s original vision from however it might have been mutated by studio demands or politics. In some cases, such as Stanley Kubrick\u2019s Spartacus<\/strong>, cuts were made due to overly strict censorship. The mid-1990s restoration of Kubrick\u2019s 1960 epic reinstated a scene between Laurence Olivier and Tony Curtis that had been originally excised by censors for its homosexual overtones. James Cameron\u2019s restoration of his film The Abyss<\/strong> raised it from an underwater action adventure to a character drama that doubled as geopolitical commentary. Most recently Peter Jackson\u2019s Lord of the Rings<\/strong> trilogy has been released on DVD in both their theatrical versions and \u201cExtended Editions\u201d which have restored approximately 40 minutes of new material per film.<\/p>\n Of course the most glaring alteration to Star Wars<\/strong> is the now infamous \u201cGreedo shoots first\u201d scene. As even most non-die hard Star Wars<\/strong> fans know by now, Lucas re-edited the scene where originally an alien bounty hunter confronts smuggler Han Solo, only to be shot down in cold blood by the smuggler. In the new version of the scene, Lucas now has Greedo shooting at Han first, with Han returning fire in self-defense.<\/p>\n Han Solo and Greedo moments before their fateful confrontation. But did Han fire in self-defense?<\/p>\n The second and more damaging problem with this change is what it does to Han\u2019s character arc. With Han shooting Greedo, basically in cold-blood, his character is established as self-centered and somewhat ruthless. That makes his timely reappearance at the end of the film, with his own interests set aside for a greater good, much more dramatic. That growth of character is lost by setting Han up as a more sympathetic character at the beginning of the film.<\/p>\n At the time, Lucas said the change was made because he didn\u2019t want Han to appear so ruthless. This seems an odd statement from someone who claimed to be heavily influenced by the writings of Joseph Campbell and his study of myth when creating his fictional universe. What\u2019s even more puzzling is a statement he made at a recent appearance at UCLA where he claimed that Greedo was always supposed to shoot first and that the original version was \u201can editing error!\u201d Not many fans believe that claim.<\/p>\n The other two original Star Wars<\/strong> films, The Empire Strikes Back<\/strong> and Return of the Jedi<\/strong>, have also had extra material added to their detriment. Empire<\/strong>\u2019s Cloud City has numerous windows digitally inserted into shots. Unfortunately, by visually opening up these sets, they loose the feeling of claustrophobia that contributes to the tension felt as the heroes try to free Han from the clutches of the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Return of the Jedi<\/strong> has the musical numbers in Jabba the Hutt\u2019s palace and the ending celebration replaced with new music. Unfortunately, these were rather poorly conceived ideas to begin with and no amount of tinkering could save them.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no denying that visually the new material added was top notch. So much so that new shots of gracefully swooping space ships wind up calling attention to the original, more static shots. But with the speed that visual effects technology moves forward, even some of these newer shots already pale in comparison to what can be done today. This may have been a contributing factor to the numerous rumors that are circulating that Lucas is working on an \u201cUltimate Edition\u201d of the films for their DVD release.<\/p>\n The true tragedy of this, is that George Lucas has stated time and again that the \u201cSpecial Editions\u201d are closer to his vision of the films and that the original versions will never been seen again. This is unfortunate for a variety of reasons. First, as outlined above, the changes made are actually harmful to the overall narrative. Also, at the time of their release, these films were the absolute state of the art in terms of special effects technology. In some instances, the films were pushing the boundaries of what could be done visually and inventing new ways of doing it. Star Wars<\/strong> would win an Oscar for its visual effects while Empire<\/strong> and Return<\/strong> would be awarded Special Achievement Oscars for their visual effects. By not allowing them to be seen in the state they were originally produced, Lucas is withholding an important document on the history of film. It’s also an insult to the technicians who worked so hard to make the films what they were. What makes this attitude even more puzzling, and some would say hypocritical, is that George Lucas has frequently donated money to various film restoration and preservation projects. It seems that his own past work is above such historical preservation and consideration however.<\/p>\n Star Wars<\/strong> also has had an enormous impact on the pop culture. When first released, lines blocks long formed at cinemas of people anxious to watch, and in may cases rewatch, this film. (Hard to believe that studio 20th Century Fox was actually banking on Damnation Alley<\/strong> with George Peppard to be their big summer film rather than Star Wars<\/strong>.) In 1989 the film was one of the first 25 titles placed on the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress\u2019 Film Preservation Board. In 1998, the movie was named to the fifteenth spot on the American Film Institute\u2019s list of the 100 Best American films.<\/p>\n However, these things seem to mean nothing to George Lucas. In October 2003 the City of the Angels Film Festival in Los Angeles held a screening series entitled \u201cCentury of Cinema\u201d which showcased 13 films that helped to define, shape or change film. The program included such films as Lang\u2019s Metropolis<\/strong> (1927), Disney\u2019s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves<\/strong> (1937), de Sica\u2019s The Bicycle Thief<\/strong> (1949), Nichols\u2019 The Graduate<\/strong> and Tarantino\u2019s Pulp Fiction<\/strong>. The one film that was picked to represent the entire 1970s was Star Wars<\/strong>, beating out other films like Annie Hall <\/strong>(to which it lost the Best Picture Oscar), the Godfather Parts I<\/strong> and II<\/strong>, Apocalypse Now<\/strong> and a myriad of others. Unfortunately, Lucas would not allow the original version of Star Wars<\/strong> to screen, only releasing a print of the “Special Edition.” It’s a shame, as the “Special Edition” of Star Wars<\/strong>, with its rethink of the Han\/Greedo confrontation and jazzed up special effects is a different film that the original and represents George Lucas at a different point in his career. It\u2019s hard to believe that these are the actions of the same man who developed The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles<\/em> television series as a vehicle to present history to younger audiences.<\/p>\n Now I\u2019m no big believer in internet petitions. These days, anyone with an ax to grind and some bandwidth can start their own petition. And I\u2019m sure that the objects of such petitions give them as little consideration as they probably deserve. However, there is one petition site that has actually been gaining some notice and that\u2019s at www.originaltrilogy.com<\/a>. With over 47,000 signatures behind it, the petition respectfully asks George Lucas to reconsider his decision to not make the original edits of the classic Star Wars<\/strong> trilogy available on DVD. Several home theater web sites including DVDFile, The Digital Bits<\/a>, Home Theatre Online Community, and The Letterbox and Widescreen Advocacy Page<\/a> have also endorsed the petition. And now I\u2019d like to add Film Buff On Line to that list.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.filmbuffonline.com\/images\/StarWars1.jpg\")
Unfortunately, many of the changes Lucas made to his three films seem arbitrary and in some cases, as we will see, undermine the films\u2019 dramatic structure. Originally Star Wars<\/strong>\u2019 Mos Eisley spaceport was rather unimpressive as a city, befitting of Luke Skywalker\u2019s complaints that his home planet of Tattoine \u201cwas the furthest planet from the bright center of the galaxy.\u201d However, in Lucas\u2019s reimaged \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Mos Eisley has been expanded through the use of computer generated cityscapes and new imagery inserted into existing footage, creating a much larger metropolitan environment. Computer generated creatures inhabit the backgrounds of several scenes, but are animated to such a degree that they call attention away from the foreground action. The end result is Mos Eisley now has all the hustle and bustle of downtown Manhattan and Luke sounds like a kid complaining about living less than an hour away in the Jersey suburbs.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.filmbuffonline.com\/images\/StarWars2.jpg\")
The problem with this scene is two fold. First, the reedited scene uses alternate shots than the original scene that are just not as well composed as the ones used in the original version. In addition, the way the scene is staged leaves us with absurdity of Greedo firing at Han at point blank range and missing by at least a foot.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.filmbuffonline.com\/images\/StarWars3.jpg\")
In an indirect way, Lucas has emulated one of his favorite directors Akira Kurosawa and has created his own Rashomon<\/strong>. In that classic film Kurosawa presented one incident from various participants\u2019 viewpoints, leaving it to the audience to decide which version, if any, was what actually happened. Older movie fans who first saw Star Wars<\/strong> prior to 1997 have one set of memories of the films, while those who grew up after the release of the \u201cSpecial Editions\u201d remember a different film.<\/p>\n