Thanks a lot for doing this....honestly, you're sort of heroic for taking a classic documentary, practically lost to time, and increasing it's cinematic viewability to more reflect today's HD potential. For real, thanks again....
I grew up having this on VHS. Pretty sure I watched it so many times that the tape disintegrated. Thank you for your efforts for uploading this and enhancing it. Re-watching for the first time in many years, I still find myself learning something new from it.
Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi are quite simply the three greatest and most influential films ever created. They are the blueprint for almost every movie that has been released since. The Holy Grail of modern cinema without question.
This is magical. Haven’t seen this since I was a child. It’s criminal it’s not on any DVD/Blu Ray release as it’s absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for uploading this. I’m ready for the 40th release of Return of the Jedi and watching this has got me feeling 9 years old again.
"Special effects are just a tool, a means of telling a story, people have a tendency to confuse them as an end to themselves. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing." You said it brother, WAIT YOU SAID THAT?!
If you are saying this as a criticism of the prequels, it doesn't apply that trilogy. The prequels stayed the course with the philosophy of that 'special effects without a story is a pretty boring thing' quote. it's the sequels that's completely derailed from the philosophy of that quote. That's what you get when you make Star Wars without George Lucas.
I grew up on this documentary which I had recorded from PBS television on VHS... its influence cannot be overestimated. You're doing the lord's good work by preserving this new presentation in HD. Incredible efforts, Sir... Incredible!
He was taking a swipe at Star Trek: The Motion Picture that has a 5 minute scene with a shuttle pod circling the Enterprise as Kirk looks at it in ecstacy. There's nothing even comparable to that in the prequels.
I bought ROTJ in the previously viewed shelf at my local video store in 1990 in the summer same time in January I taped A New Hope off The Disney channel which was good timing because they had just opened Star Tours at Disney MGM studios and in 1993 I taped TESB and ROTJ off the sci-fi channel that summer
I still remember a time as a child in 1983 when I saw this on PBS knowing it might be the last source of Star Wars footage ever. Then came Ewok Movies and Saturday Morning Cartoons. Then came the Prequels. Then came the new cartoons. Then came Disney. Maybe I was right in 1983.
best documentary out there bar none to this day!! Still holds up well to this day also,Nothing better than the original trilogy V IV VI point blank no argument!!!
i think the original vhs doc was mixed with the despecialzed blurays for the cimematic film clips, however it was done though, it's absolutely fucking brilliant. A+ Ben
Wow, what a historic moment to see all three directors of the original trilogy together. It feels weird when they're talking about the Sy Snootles puppet as it eventually got replaced with CG in the Special Edition. I can understand George not being entirely happy with the puppet and therefore replaced it with a CG version. But couldn't he have kept Lapti Nek in the movie instead of changing it to Jedi Rocks? 40:30 Control, control! You must learn control! 41:52 OMG! I had no idea that was a miniature Leia on the speeder. Such an amazing documentary.
Thank you for doing the work necessary to preserve and improve this important video. It has been one of my favorite behind the scenes shows about Star Wars, and it literally has never looked this good. Nice work.
in 1989 90 when i bought this vhs I kept watching it over and over im 51 now its emotional but also sad because George lost his mind around 1997 when the special edistions came out i only watch the theatrical cuts the prequals and all the new Disney stuff is not Star Wars ot at least not my generation star wars anyways the magic of practical effects and model; will never be replaced by cgi
The Prequels have more practical effects and models than the entire Original Trilogy combined. George never changed. He just continued to make the films to his tastes and not how the fans wanted. This should be admired as it's much more powerful than the corporate product it has become under Disney.
Puppets are so much better than CGI. They actually seem real. 'Farscape' was an excellent example of this. You can grow attached to something you know is physical, but fake, not so much. The brain is a funny thing.
You know, when I was a kid, I ran my VHS tapes of the trilogy itself dry. Each movie had an ad for this documentary beforehand, but we didn't have that tape, so I never got to see it. Thank you for your efforts, Ben Phillips! Now I can finally watch this!
@@disma4191 agreed. I was joking. It looks like shit. They should not have tampered with those movies. I think I was probably stoned when I said that. Wasnt funny when I look at it now haha
I understand hating the change to Sy Snootles and replacing Lapti Nek with Jedi Rocks for the Special Edition, but hating the change to the ending music of Jedi? That’s one of the few changes that George did right. I cannot stand Yub Nub. No wonder John Williams lost Best Original Score to The Right Stuff at the 56th Academy Awards. It’s because the Academy members hated Yub Nub.
57:11 is NOT in the finished film. They mention that shot in JW Rinzler’s Making Of Book. There are also NUMEROUS space battle shots with finished FX that have never seen the light of day.
The BEST of the Star wars making of's. The crew isn't bitching about Lucas is the main benefit of this one. Thank you George Lucas for making the Star wars universe. All of it. :{D
Fantastic! I bet they were hard to make but ya can tell they were having a blast making em. Those sets still look realistic to me. I've been watching em for nearly 40 years and ya still see things you've not noticed before. I know it's all for the story but ya can watch these films just taking in all the detail in the sets and designs. There was nothing much like it back in them days. Everything about it was mind blowing! : )
I know Jurassic park has nothing to do with this, but since It also Changed Film Industry. I’m just going to say this. Before Jurassic Park, there was……STAR WARS. Sorry if this sounded dumb. Had to put this since Jurassic park also changed Film Industry apparently.
I can just never see that Anakin. He doesn’t look related to Luke or Leia, neither does he look 45 like Anakin should be in RotJ. Dude lukes at least in his 50s-60s
I wore my original copy of this - on Betamax, recorded from the TV one Christmas- out completely. It's so good to see it again, and what a fantastic job of reconstructing it. So good to see it again. Thank you!
Man, when I was a kid I just ate this kind of thing up! I would intensely watch any kind of 'behind the scenes' making of docs or shows about my favorite movies. Filmmaking in the 70s & 80s was just as exciting to see behind the camera as it was on the screen.
31:36 ... I KNEW Han originally said "Trust Me" not... "I can see a lot better now".... phew, thought I was going crazy. Also, the Trust Me makes more sense as a phrase between the characters given their past.
Yeah there are some changes like this that feel pretty pointless. Like adding the extra planets and Anakin’s young force ghost were good changes in my eyes then others were random dialogue and alien replacements
I think the "I can see a lot better now" works better as it echoes Anakin later in the film when he asks Luke to take his mask off so he can "see you with my own eyes". Star Wars always plays with the same dialogue and motifs across all six films.
It's fair to say there are a number of geniuses: McQuarrie, John Williams, Richard Edlund and John Dykstra, Ben Burtt, even Harrison Ford. Might as well throw in Frank Oz too.
i have a question: a lot of behind the scenes clips in this were reused in the 2004 Empire Of Dreams documentary in slightly higher quality but in shorter duration. could one theoretically crossfade those clips against the VHS clips to get a slightly higher quality version?
Thank you very much for this. I looked for this a while ago but it must have been before you uploaded this and Im really chuffed to have found it. I really appreciate your time and effort
Sourced from VHS (don't think a laserdisc existed of this). Bluray footage of the film scenes has been "overlaid" whenever the doc shows a scene or shot. It's a hybrid of VHS & 4k footage which was exported so you get the best quality available when possible.
Awesome documentary return of the jedi for star wars in 1983 of that summer. Bring the new jedi order in star wars cinematic universe with the return of George Lucas someday with Disney may the force with us all ❤😍
13:08: Now that A.I. tech has been able to isolate John Lennon’s voice for the new Beatles song, could it be done to do the same for this track (which is in the film but was never released), by removing Mark’s voice and other sounds?
Justin Fencsak While I first saw this one on PBS back in the day, I remember seeing the SPFX: Empire one on one of the networks (CBS, I think). This one is still without a doubt one of the best of its kind.
Thank you for this! My dad had this on VHS when I was a kid and I watched it over and over. It’s so great to see it again and in such a good restoration! 🎉🎉🎉
Yes, Ben Phillips!!! I totally forgotten about this great documentary. I had it once on VHS and knew every word from it. Thanks for posting it. It's my birthday on top of all that. So thank you very much.
It's amazing how many people were operating Jabba and how much they worked on his development. I really hope that they never swap Jabba for a cgi version in some future special release.
Did someone mention this vid somewhere? If so can you provide a link? I'd really like to see that. Edit: Oh wait, I think I found what you're referring to. James Rolfe's new video right? Not a reference to the HD version, but nice to see the doc get a shout out none the less.
This is such a great documentary series (videos were also made for the two prior Star Wars movies). There are so many moments with the creators as they assemble the many aspects of these films, it's such a joy to behold. This really ought to be released on Blu-Ray. Thanks for sharing!
Recorded this on VHS when it was first on in the UK must of watched it once a week every week for a long time and i've most likely still got it among'st my videos in the garage.Big thanks to Ben Phillips for the fantastic job you have done,you have made me feel 30yrs younger,gonna sit and watch this with my 9yr old son now.
Lucas is just a weeee bit full of shit around 53:00 to like 54:30 or whatever time it is, when he describes why he had to change it from a Wookie planet to Ewoks (I'm one of the few idiots that likes Ewoks more than Wookies, but what do I know). I call BS because it was really the Holiday Special, which had the Wookie planet and Chewbacca's family, and he was probably sure a good number of people would remember that and be like 'huh?' Of course we just HAD to see the Wookie planet later, so in ROTS it went.
I wish more people made that connection! I only just recently made it myself. People don't like the Ewoks and say they wish they had seen Kashyyk instead, but in 1983, the painful memory of the "Holiday Special" was still too strong in Lucas' mind. No way he was going to do a Wookie planet and have people remembering the "Holiday Special" the whole time!
I think he'd still make them mostly the way they turned out (maybe with a few differences, since the lore was still developing in his mind at the time).
He'd be thrilled as the technology he helped develop finally caught up to what he originally wanted Star Wars to be. If you read Jonathan Rinzler's Making Of books you can read first hand how miserable he was making them because of the limitations of not being able to fully realise his vision. I'm glad he got to make his films the way he wanted them as it's all about telling story with him versus a corporate product like it has become under Disney.
Outstanding!! I was just thinking of this one the other day. Thank you! Haven't seen it since it aired on PBS. This documentary and all that it encompasses is what inspired me to get into filmmaking.
Aurora Uplinks Yes, I know. He's the joker in the animated Batman series (which earned him an Emmy), a Fire Nation villain in "Avatar", and the list goes on and on.
I can't STAND the way George Lucas replaced Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen, I don't care what idiotic reason he had for doing it; as it relates to Luke, seeing his dad as a young man made ZERO sense! Luke's reaction would have been..."Who the f*** are you?!" Overall, it's weird, this is Star Wars, not Back to the Future!!
Then Anakin’s ghost should have been a limbless burn victim, not some old guy that has his limbs and skin completely intact. Even as a kid, I wondered who the third ghost was supposed to be since we didn’t see what Anakin looked like without the burns until that very moment.
Thanks for uploading this. I was actually just thinking of this documentary the other day. And also found another copy during a garage sale. I too think its "the" documentary of all SW documentaries.
I "really really really" want to see the whole Japanese laserdisc master of this documentary uploaded on the internet only because the laserdisc for this documentary has a little bit higher video quality than the VHS plus it's the only way to watch the special in high quality. If someone has the Japanese laserdisc of From Star Wars to Jedi "please" upload the laserdisc master of this documentary on Internet Archive.
its so sad to see george talk the way he does in this. He literally was a talented, hard working talented artist that completely sold out and went against everything he preached/believed with the exact same series he proved the opposite mentality with....
"the reality is i love that world. there are friends there. i have a home there. so there's always going to be a desire to go home again."
Thanks a lot for doing this....honestly, you're sort of heroic for taking a classic documentary, practically lost to time, and increasing it's cinematic viewability to more reflect today's HD potential.
For real, thanks again....
I grew up having this on VHS. Pretty sure I watched it so many times that the tape disintegrated. Thank you for your efforts for uploading this and enhancing it. Re-watching for the first time in many years, I still find myself learning something new from it.
Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi are quite simply the three greatest and most influential films ever created. They are the blueprint for almost every movie that has been released since. The Holy Grail of modern cinema without question.
This is magical. Haven’t seen this since I was a child. It’s criminal it’s not on any DVD/Blu Ray release as it’s absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for uploading this. I’m ready for the 40th release of Return of the Jedi and watching this has got me feeling 9 years old again.
Proper Star Wars.
"Special effects are just a tool, a means of telling a story, people have a tendency to confuse them as an end to themselves.
A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing."
You said it brother, WAIT YOU SAID THAT?!
If you are saying this as a criticism of the prequels, it doesn't apply that trilogy.
The prequels stayed the course with the philosophy of that 'special effects without a story is a pretty boring thing' quote. it's the sequels that's completely derailed from the philosophy of that quote. That's what you get when you make Star Wars without George Lucas.
I grew up on this documentary which I had recorded from PBS television on VHS... its influence cannot be overestimated. You're doing the lord's good work by preserving this new presentation in HD. Incredible efforts, Sir... Incredible!
Seriously! This is awesome! Lots of work to update this with HD footage sync. Really great!
Ditto
Man, seeing the CBS/Fox logo alone brings back great memories...
'special effects without a story is a pretty boring thing'
Someone should tell George Lucas tha... oh... wait....
Someone should have told JJ Abrams.
He was taking a swipe at Star Trek: The Motion Picture that has a 5 minute scene with a shuttle pod circling the Enterprise as Kirk looks at it in ecstacy. There's nothing even comparable to that in the prequels.
patbuddha I wasn´t talking about Star Trek.
He's talking about the original Star Trek film from 1979.
6:15 "The Dark Lord of the Sith" it's always existed wasn't just a name thought up for the prequels.
Yes there's a return of the jedi annual mentioned that from. 83
The word "Sith" has existed in Star Wars since the original 1976 novelization.
I first saw this on the the Sci Fi channel in 1993 when they first marathoned the trilogy hosted by Carrie Fisher
Me too over the next few years back then, they'd play the whole thing. Alot of good memories.
I bought ROTJ in the previously viewed shelf at my local video store in 1990 in the summer same time in January I taped A New Hope off The Disney channel which was good timing because they had just opened Star Tours at Disney MGM studios and in 1993 I taped TESB and ROTJ off the sci-fi channel that summer
I still remember a time as a child in 1983 when I saw this on PBS knowing it might be the last source of Star Wars footage ever. Then came Ewok Movies and Saturday Morning Cartoons. Then came the Prequels. Then came the new cartoons. Then came Disney.
Maybe I was right in 1983.
Right you were.
best documentary out there bar none to this day!!
Still holds up well to this day also,Nothing better than the original trilogy V IV VI point blank no argument!!!
Have the VHS of this. Thank you for the HD upgrade! Really turned out great. Looks seamless. Great job syncing the proper HD footage into this.
God's work.
i think the original vhs doc was mixed with the despecialzed blurays for the cimematic film clips, however it was done though, it's absolutely fucking brilliant. A+ Ben
Look at the end...its Sebastian Shaw as Anakin Skywalker! Thanx Ben Phillips, this was awsome!!!
Thanks for not just preserving this documentary but also enhancing it!
i'm here from the 1980s when this aired on PBS. Anyone else watch this back in the day?
Wow, what a historic moment to see all three directors of the original trilogy together.
It feels weird when they're talking about the Sy Snootles puppet as it eventually got replaced with CG in the Special Edition. I can understand George not being entirely happy with the puppet and therefore replaced it with a CG version. But couldn't he have kept Lapti Nek in the movie instead of changing it to Jedi Rocks?
40:30 Control, control! You must learn control!
41:52 OMG! I had no idea that was a miniature Leia on the speeder.
Such an amazing documentary.
Thank you for doing the work necessary to preserve and improve this important video. It has been one of my favorite behind the scenes shows about Star Wars, and it literally has never looked this good. Nice work.
in 1989 90 when i bought this vhs I kept watching it over and over im 51 now its emotional but also sad because George lost his mind around 1997 when the special edistions came out i only watch the theatrical cuts the prequals and all the new Disney stuff is not Star Wars ot at least not my generation star wars anyways the magic of practical effects and model; will never be replaced by cgi
The Prequels have more practical effects and models than the entire Original Trilogy combined. George never changed. He just continued to make the films to his tastes and not how the fans wanted. This should be admired as it's much more powerful than the corporate product it has become under Disney.
‘A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing’
The irony of George Lucas saying this 😂
Puppets are so much better than CGI. They actually seem real. 'Farscape' was an excellent example of this. You can grow attached to something you know is physical, but fake, not so much. The brain is a funny thing.
I like both both Puppet Yoda and CGI Yoda.
Except the puppet in the Phantom Menace. It looks so strange
You know, when I was a kid, I ran my VHS tapes of the trilogy itself dry. Each movie had an ad for this documentary beforehand, but we didn't have that tape, so I never got to see it. Thank you for your efforts, Ben Phillips! Now I can finally watch this!
Thank you! I lost my VHS ages ago.
I actually like the original version of Jabba.
The first cgi Jabba in a new hope is flawless. He looks so real
Did a good job. But I wish he didn't need with other footages.
You are the original version of Jabba, mate, if anyone is...
@@danecompton6604 the first Jabba it's the one in Return of the Jedi that terrible CGI was added in 1997
@@disma4191 agreed. I was joking. It looks like shit. They should not have tampered with those movies. I think I was probably stoned when I said that. Wasnt funny when I look at it now haha
ITs sad they changed the singer and the music in Jabas hut for the new release it was the worsed idea ever and the ending music for Jedi.
you should watch the cut scenes from return of jedi on youtube
New ending music is so much better.
@@Сайтамен yes but the og is good too
The New ending music is so much better. Yub Nub was the end of one movie. Victory Celebration was the end of the whole saga.
I understand hating the change to Sy Snootles and replacing Lapti Nek with Jedi Rocks for the Special Edition, but hating the change to the ending music of Jedi? That’s one of the few changes that George did right. I cannot stand Yub Nub. No wonder John Williams lost Best Original Score to The Right Stuff at the 56th Academy Awards. It’s because the Academy members hated Yub Nub.
Great colour and resolution to the footage
What a wonderful documentary :) Also, that guy smoking inside Jabba xD
Mark Hamill's narrating is out of this world!
Miss Agent E says the guy with Mark Hamil profile pic
You don't think so? I'm just wondering...
Miss Agent E I think it's amazing aswell
Brick By Brick Oh. I'm glad. If I sounded harsh in my first reply I apologize.
He’s a true fan too
I am so happy to find this on RUclips! I had it on a beta cassette... THANK YOU!!!
57:11 is NOT in the finished film. They mention that shot in JW Rinzler’s Making Of Book. There are also NUMEROUS space battle shots with finished FX that have never seen the light of day.
There is a very nice version of this. i might upload it. 2k scan i believe, it was all shot on film. think about that for a second.
Do it…
+25:08 Tim Rose had the best job ever.
42:44 idk why, but this is funny af.
I like the preview in the beginning!, I have this, and that box set advertised!
The BEST of the Star wars making of's.
The crew isn't bitching about Lucas is the main benefit of this one.
Thank you George Lucas for making the Star wars universe.
All of it. :{D
Because George Lucas wasn't such an Asshole
@Risen General it's funny how I always get these weirdos who stalk my comments across tons of videos like you're doing. :{
@Risen General bullshit. You're following my comments around on several videos now creep. :{
Totally Awesome, I remember seeing the commercials for this with the new releases back in the day. Been looking for it ever since. Thank you.
13:08 the greatest music of ROTJ. Lucas, please recreate this lost track.
John Williams’ son wrote it.
Hes also known as the the singer of TOTO 😅@@crixxxxxxxxx
Isn't that the music that plays on Jabba's sail barge when they're out on the Dune Sea?
@@Bauglir100 The same. (also plays when "Boushh" arranges the deal for Chewbacca)
Fantastic! I bet they were hard to make but ya can tell they were having a blast making em. Those sets still look realistic to me. I've been watching em for nearly 40 years and ya still see things you've not noticed before. I know it's all for the story but ya can watch these films just taking in all the detail in the sets and designs. There was nothing much like it back in them days. Everything about it was mind blowing! : )
I know Jurassic park has nothing to do with this, but since It also Changed Film Industry. I’m just going to say this.
Before Jurassic Park, there was……STAR WARS.
Sorry if this sounded dumb. Had to put this since Jurassic park also changed Film Industry apparently.
KK and Jar Jar Abrams: "Yeah - but does it have 28,546 star destroyers? ?"
1:08:17 spirit of Anakin Skywalker ... the classic scene ... how i like it ;)
Yeah, I also like the little wink Luke gives them at 1:08:32, which sadly was cut from the Special Edition.
That's not Anakin, it's the Wizard of Oz in a Jedi Robe.
I can just never see that Anakin. He doesn’t look related to Luke or Leia, neither does he look 45 like Anakin should be in RotJ. Dude lukes at least in his 50s-60s
I wore my original copy of this - on Betamax, recorded from the TV one Christmas- out completely. It's so good to see it again, and what a fantastic job of reconstructing it. So good to see it again. Thank you!
Man, when I was a kid I just ate this kind of thing up! I would intensely watch any kind of 'behind the scenes' making of docs or shows about my favorite movies. Filmmaking in the 70s & 80s was just as exciting to see behind the camera as it was on the screen.
Now everything is “we did it on the computer “
Nice job.Looks brand new. Thumbs up!
31:36 ... I KNEW Han originally said "Trust Me" not... "I can see a lot better now".... phew, thought I was going crazy. Also, the Trust Me makes more sense as a phrase between the characters given their past.
Yeah there are some changes like this that feel pretty pointless. Like adding the extra planets and Anakin’s young force ghost were good changes in my eyes then others were random dialogue and alien replacements
I think the "I can see a lot better now" works better as it echoes Anakin later in the film when he asks Luke to take his mask off so he can "see you with my own eyes". Star Wars always plays with the same dialogue and motifs across all six films.
The real genius behind Star Wars is Ralph mcquarrie
Nope
amaxamon yes
Fuck off :)
George had to tell Ralph what was good and what wasn't though. So, you couldn't be more wrong. X{D
It's fair to say there are a number of geniuses: McQuarrie, John Williams, Richard Edlund and John Dykstra, Ben Burtt, even Harrison Ford. Might as well throw in Frank Oz too.
This is NOT the documentary you're looking for.
the un-remastered star wars audio sounds super uncanny
I never saw this documentary as a kid, but one of my earliest memories is the cheesy promo at the start of all the Star Wars VHS tapes.
i have a question: a lot of behind the scenes clips in this were reused in the 2004 Empire Of Dreams documentary in slightly higher quality but in shorter duration. could one theoretically crossfade those clips against the VHS clips to get a slightly higher quality version?
Thank you very much for this. I looked for this a while ago but it must have been before you uploaded this and Im really chuffed to have found it. I really appreciate your time and effort
I can't believe the quality here for a VHS from almost 30 years ago! Incredible!
It could be from the laserdisc
Sourced from VHS (don't think a laserdisc existed of this). Bluray footage of the film scenes has been "overlaid" whenever the doc shows a scene or shot. It's a hybrid of VHS & 4k footage which was exported so you get the best quality available when possible.
Awesome documentary return of the jedi for star wars in 1983 of that summer. Bring the new jedi order in star wars cinematic universe with the return of George Lucas someday with Disney may the force with us all ❤😍
13:08: Now that A.I. tech has been able to isolate John Lennon’s voice for the new Beatles song, could it be done to do the same for this track (which is in the film but was never released), by removing Mark’s voice and other sounds?
This documentary used to air on PBS. It was the first Star Wars documentary to air on such a network.
Justin Fencsak While I first saw this one on PBS back in the day, I remember seeing the SPFX: Empire one on one of the networks (CBS, I think). This one is still without a doubt one of the best of its kind.
Another VHS i utterly destroyed as a kid from constant replays.
OMG! That CBS FOX video intro!!
"Hey, sweetheart, I like your threads!"
*tail smack*
"! ... Sorry."
That part still gets me every time! XD
Lucas' six films and original EU > Disney Star Wars (especially Kenobi, Andor, and Ahsoka).
I'm going to have to put this permanently on my phone. It's the story of the saga behind the saga!
Thank you for this! My dad had this on VHS when I was a kid and I watched it over and over. It’s so great to see it again and in such a good restoration! 🎉🎉🎉
Yes, Ben Phillips!!! I totally forgotten about this great documentary. I had it once on VHS and knew every word from it. Thanks for posting it. It's my birthday on top of all that. So thank you very much.
18:58 "Hey Edgar!" LOL
It's amazing how many people were operating Jabba and how much they worked on his development. I really hope that they never swap Jabba for a cgi version in some future special release.
Who's here because of James?
me
Did someone mention this vid somewhere? If so can you provide a link? I'd really like to see that.
Edit: Oh wait, I think I found what you're referring to. James Rolfe's new video right? Not a reference to the HD version, but nice to see the doc get a shout out none the less.
me
same
Same
This is so cool! I've always wanted to to get this when I was growing up, but it was so rare I couldn't find it! Thank you for uploading this!!
I picked this up on VHS at a flea market when I was like 12 and watched it until the tape broke! Thank you so much for uploading ❤❤❤❤
12:36 ah, what a relief to hear that good old song instead of the 97+ version.
Thank you!!!
This is awesome. I remember watching this on TV when it was first shown in 1983(?)
Why did they leave this off the blu-ray set??!!
mikusguitarius I know, right?! This is a classic!
George Lucas is a genius he deserves all the cash
I love the outdated audio. Really brings the nostalgia.
This is such a great documentary series (videos were also made for the two prior Star Wars movies). There are so many moments with the creators as they assemble the many aspects of these films, it's such a joy to behold. This really ought to be released on Blu-Ray. Thanks for sharing!
Recorded this on VHS when it was first on in the UK must of watched it once a week every week for a long time and i've most likely still got it among'st my videos in the garage.Big thanks to Ben Phillips for the fantastic job you have done,you have made me feel 30yrs younger,gonna sit and watch this with my 9yr old son now.
George Lucas says 'Leah'. . . LEAH?!!!
It even sounds like a warbly VHS! Excellent...
How funny it would be if hamil narated the making of material of the new ones too, but with his grumpy sarcastic attitude
This is great! I recorded this off the TV back when it was first shown...and I watched that tape to absolute death!
Lucas is just a weeee bit full of shit around 53:00 to like 54:30 or whatever time it is, when he describes why he had to change it from a Wookie planet to Ewoks (I'm one of the few idiots that likes Ewoks more than Wookies, but what do I know). I call BS because it was really the Holiday Special, which had the Wookie planet and Chewbacca's family, and he was probably sure a good number of people would remember that and be like 'huh?'
Of course we just HAD to see the Wookie planet later, so in ROTS it went.
I wish more people made that connection! I only just recently made it myself. People don't like the Ewoks and say they wish they had seen Kashyyk instead, but in 1983, the painful memory of the "Holiday Special" was still too strong in Lucas' mind. No way he was going to do a Wookie planet and have people remembering the "Holiday Special" the whole time!
He was encouraged to do something else to hire actors already in the Hollywood actors union, he wanted Giants, but most Giants aren't actors
he couldnt get enough actors for twenty full grown or even 'teenage'wookies
I have always been curious to hear what 1983 George Lucas would say about the prequels.
I think he'd still make them mostly the way they turned out (maybe with a few differences, since the lore was still developing in his mind at the time).
He'd be thrilled as the technology he helped develop finally caught up to what he originally wanted Star Wars to be. If you read Jonathan Rinzler's Making Of books you can read first hand how miserable he was making them because of the limitations of not being able to fully realise his vision.
I'm glad he got to make his films the way he wanted them as it's all about telling story with him versus a corporate product like it has become under Disney.
0:23 this might be a best way somebody said that line
They used to show this on HBO as a special back in the day.
One of the most greatest franchises in media, entertainment, and Hollywood history.
Nice job re-inserting the scenes from the films in the correct ratio!
Outstanding!! I was just thinking of this one the other day. Thank you! Haven't seen it since it aired on PBS. This documentary and all that it encompasses is what inspired me to get into filmmaking.
20th Century Fox Television & PBS Present
A Lucasfilm Limited Production
"From 'Star Wars' to 'Jedi': The Making of a Saga"
Narrated by Mark Hamill
With Additional Comments From George Lucas
Music by John Williams
Written & Produced by Richard Schickel
Executive Producers: Howard Kazanjian & Sidney Ganis
Directed by Robert Guenette
HD Reconstruction: Ben Phillips
Image Restoration Supervisor: Petr Harmicek
Additional Restoration Services: Reliance MediaWorks, TeamNegative1, YCM Labs
Additional Funding: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the annual financial support from Viewers Like You. Thank You!
©️1983 20th Century Studios/PBS/Lucasfilm Ltd.
No shit?
@@Milan-rc9on that comment wasn’t necessary. But I do see your point.
@@darthkurlandAs were yours.
@@Milan-rc9on I was just providing a list of the credits. You have to give credit where it’s due.
@@darthkurland Alright. Fair enough. Live long and prosper.
Oh man i had this vhs, i miss watching it over and over after the trilogies
I think it's neat learning about the Star Wars movies and people get to learn new things.
I still remember seeing the trailer for this on my parents’ VHS copies of the original Star Wars trilogy.
Mark Hamill is fantastic as a narrator!
Miss Agent E he's a professional voice actor
Aurora Uplinks Yes, I know. He's the joker in the animated Batman series (which earned him an Emmy), a Fire Nation villain in "Avatar", and the list goes on and on.
I can't STAND the way George Lucas replaced Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen, I don't care what idiotic reason he had for doing it; as it relates to Luke, seeing his dad as a young man made ZERO sense! Luke's reaction would have been..."Who the f*** are you?!" Overall, it's weird, this is Star Wars, not Back to the Future!!
Then Anakin’s ghost should have been a limbless burn victim, not some old guy that has his limbs and skin completely intact.
Even as a kid, I wondered who the third ghost was supposed to be since we didn’t see what Anakin looked like without the burns until that very moment.
Great job, though I would have personally loved if you respected the 4:3 aspect ratio for the non-HD stuff, rather than using the blurring.
Thanks for uploading this. I was actually just thinking of this documentary the other day. And also found another copy during a garage sale. I too think its "the" documentary of all SW documentaries.
I always felt that they focused more on Jedi than the previous two movies
Emotionally yes
of course they did, this was made in 83. It makes sense.
This doc focuses more on Jedi than Star Wars and Empire
This is amazing!!!
Narrated by Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill from the Original Star Wars Trilogy fame!
I "really really really" want to see the whole Japanese laserdisc master of this documentary uploaded on the internet only because the laserdisc for this documentary has a little bit higher video quality than the VHS plus it's the only way to watch the special in high quality. If someone has the Japanese laserdisc of From Star Wars to Jedi "please" upload the laserdisc master of this documentary on Internet Archive.
This was a very impressive upgrade. You should be very proud of this.
its so sad to see george talk the way he does in this.
He literally was a talented, hard working talented artist that completely sold out and went against everything he preached/believed with the exact same series he proved the opposite mentality with....