Star Wars - Episode IV, A New Hope (Special Edition) | Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford

Star Wars - Episode IV, A New Hope (Special Edition) | Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford | A Classic Science Fantasy

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Star Wars - Episod...

	Star Wars - Episode IV, A New Hope (Special Edition) Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford 20th Century Fox, 1997 average customer review:based on 806 reviews view larger image
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An all-time classic!

This movie had such an impact, it literally re-invented the sci-fi genre. A modern-day classic, with a great story and ground-breaking effects (at the time). I'm really glad it includes the original version - it brings back fond memories of my high school & college days!

A Classic Science Fantasy

No, this is not true science fiction. In fact, this is not supposed to be future, but to have happened a long, long, time ago in a galaxy far away.

But this is a classic adventure. It was pure fun, without the darkness that would follow in even "The Empire Strikes Back."

There was a book out titled "The Force Of Star Wars", seeing this movie as a Christian allegory. It isn't, and the later movies more clearly show the eastern mysticism that Lucas believes in. There are hints here, but not enough for me to say that promoting that view was the goal for this movie (though it may have been for the series).

I hope you enjoyed this review. Now go have a piece of cake, and as you lift the eating untensil to your mouth . . . May the fork be with you!

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FROM A VENEZUELAN STAR WARS FAN

Despite the critics in fan forums, magazines and web sites, the original vesion is an aceptable copy of the movie in digital format.
If you have an advance equipment and look for a top quality probably you'll gET disapointed, but if mantain the integrity of the original movies
is your priority, this is the bestcopy that you coud find.
The 2.0 sound is not the best but is not bad.
Latin American Costumers WARNNIG: this vesion does not have spanish subtitles and the spanish track is spain/eurepe version. May the force be with you always.

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In response to Harold Ledbetter...

Whether or not the vitriol some reviewers have is justified, the specifications speak for themselves. It states on the back of the case that on Disc 1 (the Special Edition version), the aspect ratio is 2.35:1, enhanced for 16:9 widescreen TVs, with English Dolby 5.1 Surround EX, along with various multilanguage Dolby 2.0 options. On Disc 2 (the original theatrical version), the aspect ratio is 2.35:1 in 4:3 Letterbox format; the only sound options are in Dolby 2.0. These stats alone indicate that the theatrical version is not presented with the same technological panache as the Special Edition. Whether or not this is "wrong" is purely subjective. However, there is no way a non-anamorphic, 4:3 letterboxed DVD can properly fill a widescreen TV without some sort of stretching, zooming, or cropping, all of which distort the original viewing image in some way. On my 46" Sony Bravia 1080p LCD set, connected via HDMI cable to my 720p/1080i upconverting DVD player, the only way to view the picture in its original aspect ratio is to have very thick black bands on all sides of the frame, making the viewing image absurdly small relative to the size of the screen. Any other viewing option results in some loss of resolution, and often stretched and widened images. And if you think I'm some kind of technical idiot, think again. (Frankly, I'd be more worried about being labeled an idiot if I were not able to tell that a non-anamorphic DVD does not properly fill my widescreen monitor, then decided to post on Amazon.com, blathering about things I don't understand, and calling everybody else idiots. But that's just me.) Personally, I find the theatrical version to be fairly watchable, even when stretched to fill the screen, much the same way I find a good VHS tape on good equipment to be watchable; indeed, it is better than VHS, about on a par with Laserdisc, but it certainly presents a less state-of-the-art home theatrical experience than the lushly done-up Special Edition. Beyond the technical specifications of the two discs, it is also clear that Lucas did not put as much care into the restoration of the theatrical version. Dust spots are clearly visible in places, and colors are more muted and black levels less pronounced than in the Special Edition. Sound is also an issue. The stereo sound is decent, but again not up to the Special Edition's 5.1 mix. In addition to the lack of surround "atmosphere," the LFE (Low Frequency Effect) is notably lacking in certain areas (e.g., when R2 thuds to the ground after being zapped by the Jawas). While the theatrical version is not unwatchable on its own, it pales in comparison to the Special Edition's appearance and sound, and as such has somewhat of a "historical" feel about it, as though it were included for documentarian purposes, rather than as enjoyable home-theater fare. I'm glad to have it in any format, but I personally would have been happier if Lucas had presented the three original theatrical versions on their own - rather than bundled with the Special Editions - properly restored, and presented in anamorphic widescreen with 5.1 surround mixes. That's what these masterpieces deserve.

3 stars for the theatrical version, docked 2 stars from 5 due to technologically inferior presentation. 4.5 stars for the Special Edition, docked .5 stars from 5 only because I like the theatrical version better. The movie itself is 5 stars all the way, but you don't need me to tell you that.

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Original 1977 Version not optimized for 16:9 televisions

I was very excited when I put the second disc of this set into my DVD player. My excitement immediately turned to disappointment when I noticed that the original version of the film was not optimized for widescreen televisions, meaning that there were black bars on the sides and the top and bottom of the picture. To span the width of the screen you have to use the zoom feature of your television resulting in a subpar image. Why is the second disc not optimized for 16:9 televisions, when the first disc is? I will still give it three stars because it is better than not having it at all I guess.

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