This extended version of the work-in-progress documentary about the history and sources of Harmy's Despecialized Edition was unfortunately removed from Harmy's own RUclips channel by a copyright claim from FOX. Ridiculous; this documentary is undoubtedly fair use for the purpose of commentary and criticism, but we don't want Harmy to have to deal with that nonsense. Thus, I've uploaded the video to my own channel with Harmy's permission, and will do everything I can to ensure it stays online. Enjoy!
I've uploaded two Chinese subtitles for this amazing documentary, still waiting for you permission!! These subtitles has been recognized by Harmy on the previous video on his channel, since the unexpected copyright claim, I re-uploaded them again!!
This kinda makes me NOT want a official release anymore, since NOBODY will ever have the same amout of passion this guy had for cleaning up the image. Congrats!
Honestly, if Disney and Fox can ever work out the distribution rights, they should just give Harmy a budget and have him do the official restoration himself. He already has a head start on all of the various tricks one would need to undergo to restore the original cut.
But Fox was bought by Disney. I saw the german Version of the despecialized trilogy yesterday. I now know why I used to love Star Wars but I will still boycott everything comin out under the Umbrella of Mouse
@@br1rocksEh.. the real crime is against the many people listed in the credits, the creators of these movies. But Episodes VII, VIII, and IX---THOSE are definitely a spitting in the face of fans of the O.T.!
Absolutely ! I finally got my hands on these and just watched them they are truly beautiful now I'll never again have to hear the awful Nooooo from Vader in ROTJ or see unnecessary changes to special effects like explosions.
I never grew up with the original unaltered trilogy, and Harmy's Despecialized Editions finally made my dream of seeing the original 1977 cut of Star Wars come true. A big thank you to all the people who put their hearts into this project, truly a remarkable work of art.
It is a great work of preservation. However... since there were at least 3 different print edits rotating through the theaters on the first run, which one is actually the original?
To everyone who contributed in making the Despecialized Edition a reality I want to say a big thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Believe me when I say, if I could hug you I would. A big thank you to HanDuet as well because I remember watching this video a while back but when I came back to re-watch it I couldn't find it, so thank you HanDuet for re-uploading it.
The despecialized movie is fantastic. This film means so much to so many people, and to american culture, that it deserves to be preserved in it's original Oscar winning state. The fact that lucasfilm wouldn't give the original masters to the national film registry is just ridiculous.
It will give us it... unfortunately, not much film from the original remains that can work with your modern TV. They had a special edition a while back that did have the original, but again it was hard for it to be compatible with modern TVs.
7 лет назад+5
Jar pretty sure Disney owns distribution rights these days...
Harmy's Despecialized Star Wars Trilogy is THE definitive version of the classic trilogy. When I have a Star Wars marathon, I always choose these films over the special editions. There are very few special edition changes that are better choices than the originals. This is the way to go.
Mark Deez What I did like in the Special Editions were 3PO explaining where the source of Death Star’s tractor beam was located, as well as the Stormtrooper saying “close the blast doors”, Luke saying “Thanks 3PO” as well as “this is it” before his snowspeeder got shot down, and Luke and Biggs together before they took off to destroy the Death Star. Those were the only things I did really like in the Special Editions. I don’t get why those added lines from C-3PO and the Stormtrooper didn’t make into the original theatrical releases.
@Patrick Wilson Those lines you mentioned were a part of the originals, they were only on the audio tracks of the original 70mm prints from 1977 and 1980, that’s why they don’t seem estranged from the originals like the rest of the Special Edition changes.
@Charix No, no, no, Ian McDiarmid should never be in Empire Strikes Back, ever! He looks so out of place and nothing like how he looked in Return of the Jedi, which should always be first appearance in the originals!
What you have done is nothing short of miraculous. I watched episode 4 despecialised for the first time day and was in absolute disbelief at the quality of colour and detail. A truly wonderful achievement. Thank you.
Someday I'd like to see Mark Hamill do voiceover on a documentary about the people who contributed to the restructuring of the original Star Wars films.
just finished watching these 3 movies one after another and i have to say i'm so shocked by how well done this is done. For years i thought i was crazy for thinking they was a version of these movies without the CGI effects i knew i had seen it on VHS as a kid for the first time. I'd tell my friends their wasn't CGI in it when i first watched it but they didn't believe me saying the only version they had seen of these movies was the Special Edition they had on DVD growing up. For awhile i thought i was crazy that i thought this up until i heard more in the community saying the same thing. I'm so happy someone took the time and effort to work to put these back to the orginal format as they was created in and to also bring them into HD.
I have the 2006 DVDs just so I could have the laserdisc scans of the original films, but when I saw the Harmy restorations 2 years ago I was like, "At last, at last!!!" It was so great to see the films as I remembered them, and without the "improvements" that we've been force-fed ever since 1997. I will never watch an "official" released version of the original trilogy ever again, thanks to Harmy!
I have to say after just watching these, it really took me back to my childhood and I didn't find myself cringing in scenes like I do with the re-releases! Thank you so much Harmy!
This project is the definitive definition of epic and legendary. SO much work and passion, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. And this documentary does it justice. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone involved, from top to bottom.
I would have liked to hear more about the various audio sources used. That said, I am very glad these versions exist, but I hope that one day, Disney will take it upon themselves to provide us with an official remastered HD version of the unaltered original trilogy. Maybe even in 4k or 8k. They would make so much money. LOL
Ben M8 Actually there’s a lot of audio sources like the 32mm 5.1 & 2.0 mix it even include a mono mix which actually has more & altered sfx & voice lines that later be in ‘97. Other sources like the 1985 LD & 1993/95 THX LD mix are included. I think my favorite is the 93/95 THX LD mix cause I grew up with the ‘95 vhs in the early 2000s.
Several years later, I’ve determined It would absolutely ruin the trilogy to make it in 4K. Look at what happened to the Simpsons. I would love, as a fan of both specialized and despecialized it would be nice to see the originals in their original theatrical format and have specialized editions.
It's 4 years later and Disney is STILL nowhere close to releasing the unaltered films. I guess they realize at this point it's pointless since you can own the Despecialized Editions and Project 4K77 and Project 4K83 online.
When I was a little kid, in the 90's, they showed A New Hope in the Cine Capri theatre in Phoenix, Az. It was so cool to get to see it in theatres! I wish they would have shown all 3. I'll always cherish that family memory.
My dad took me to see Star Wars at Hollywood’s Chinese Theater in 1977, I was 5 years old at the time and this movie left a very strong lasting positive impression on me and holds a very special place in my heart ❤️ so I like so many others I had so desperately been wanting to see Star Wars in its original version and now that we finally can, I can hardly contain my excitement 👍😃. Thank you so so much Mr. Harmy.
Thank you for reposting this Han. I had just discovered this a week before it was taken down. I had told so many of my friends about it and it was sad to see that it was gone until now. Thank you again!
This is amazing how flawlessly Harmy composited all these different sources together, and at such high resolution! I’m very excited for this project in preserving Star Wars in its original form for humanity.
Thanks HanDuet to reupload this documentary, i just discovered the video down on Harmy's Channel a couple of days ago, now i can show to my friends and spread rhe word, may the Force be with you.
Maybe Lucas always wanted to release both versions but when he was working on the ‘97 Special Edition he accidentally hit “Save” instead of “Save As...” and he's been trying to cover it up ever since :P At any rate I love these De-specialized edits, if anybody’s having trouble finding them try looking at the bay where you’d find Jack Sparrow ;) it's the first result under “Star Wars”
im so happy you reuploaded this! i show people this when talking about star wars because some people dont know the differences or dont know someone is trying to restore the originals. THANK YOU HARMY!!!:D
Thank you Harmy and everyone that made it happen! Just watched Star Wars for the first time the way it was meant to be! Harmy did an incredible job. I’ve watched Star Wars countless times but it was the 2004 special edition, and I’m so glad I downloaded and watched Star Wars the way it was first seen in 77 when I was not born yet. The quality and the picture is absolutely incredible too. May the force be with you Harmy!!!
Thank you so much for making this! I grew up watching a VHS recorded from TV back in the 80s or early 90s. I hated everything about the Special Editions. Thanks to Harmy, I was able to show my kids and husband Star Wars as it is meant to be
I HATE the fact that they replaced Wolfman with Barbara Streisand and Cthulu. Third worst change next to that infamous Greedo Shoots First alteration and the Hayden Christiansen As A Spirit revision.
@@GamerWho One of the most powerful scenes in all of cinema, ruined in an attempt to make it fit better with the trainwreck of a film Revenge of the Sith, and one of the most laughable and memed lines of dialogue ever.
There are so many restorations, but I felt that this was the one to prioritise even though I now have others. Great job Harmy. Thanks @HanDuet for putting this out here.
I really wonder how the Project_BLU upscale of the GOUT DVD looked so good, as in what methods beside upscaling did they do to increase the image quality, as Im aiming to copy this process on Star Trek Deep Space Nine to make the DVD release look more presentable on modern HD TVs.
this kinda reminds me of The Beatles, back when they rereleased their albums on CD in the 80s the quality wasn't that great. so they started doing vinyl to digital transfers that sounded better (dr ebbets). and it wasn't until 2009 that we got their discography remastered officially by Apple which was in even more higher quality. so i do hope this happens to the original trilogy officially, till then this is the next best thing we have, and it's absolutely fantastic.
I guess I owe my childhood passion & the most magical time in my life to G.L; a god of the directors chair, but like all god's, he also had the power to just take it away... For many, their most treasured early movie memories almost wiped from the planet. Since VHS fizzled out, I purchased the first DVD versions & could not see any logic nor sense in them, to put it politely. I gave up after a painfully long search, realizing uncut/unaltered versions were just not available. Stuff just kept changing, & changing; & changing, like the new school production crew had an epidemic of obsessional digital disorder, hell bent on making a mockery of the (for me, perfect) original films. I realized recently I had to do something urgently to reconnect with those those memories & started trawling for VHS versions; when I discovered a link to an article about Harmy's Despecialized project. I am in the process of obtaining them now, and am excited by the sheer passion of someone who wasn't even around when Star Wars hit the cinema's. Can't wait... A pre- watch thanks to all involved, and respectfully, I wish the rights holders to the original film (Disney/Lucasfilm?) would consider that a classic doesn't have to be re-mixed to meet current technology & formatting; it's magic was captured the very 1st time around. Like with all things vintage: adding anything is to severely devalue it's worth.
I would love to see someone do dirt and scratch removal on the original Phantom of the Opera from 1925, because, believe it or not, the version that most people have seen is a mix of different camera angles, different takes, and some footage from the 1929 version. A private collector did a close reconstruction of the '25 version, but the prints are in bad condition with several bits of scratches and dirt on the image.
Bottom line, the special editions utterly destroys the ground breaking integrity of the films. Fan or not of either the originals or the special editions, to completely deny what made these films stand apart from so many for decades and act like they never happened is insulting.
You're right, and now Disney will destroy the message of Star Wars (..The Last Jedi..) as they don't want children growing up to fight injustice, but rather mindless automatons that buy what they're told.
@@Scripzure I prefer the original Wampa scene, it's more vague. I prefer the original Boba Fett voice. Now the new Emperor scene and Cloud City enhancements aren't bad, but the original film should be preserved. Release both versions I say. I'd buy the double pack.
@@usul573 Why should George release original movie in HD if he doesn't like it? He made Star Wars as he wanted it to be, and he didn't forbid you watch original version on VHS.
I will say that I do love the Special Edition of Empire Strikes Back though, it looks gorgeous and the enhancements are respectful, not the same thing I can say for Episodes 4 and 6.
I think the Sy Snootles musical number is the most respectful addition to the Star Wars saga. The effects are timeless, and the music brings a tear to my eye.
To be completely honest, it baffles me that Lucas refuses to release even just the first Star Wars film. I mean seriously, he is denying his own groundbreaking work that was ahead of its time and made him the most talked about director in film. Now, he is the most talked about director and for the most part, not in a pleasant way.
@@rogersstinson4019 I have Harmys Despecialized Edition on blu ray and is the definitive version of the films in my collection. The laser-disc 2006 bonus DVD transfer is the absolute best official version to own if you cannot get the HDE.
I saw the original version at Grauman's Chinese theater in LA. myself and my brother and one other guy was in the theater, 3 people in the entire movie house.
Glad to see this back on RUclips, I was really disappointed when I saw Fox took it off. I recently finished burning my Despecialized Edition Blu-rays and they're great! So you can bet I'll be using this to introduce my friends to Harmy's work.
I am 53 when i bought the despecislized blu ray i never looked back lucas went insane in 1997 so i am glad the purist fans are taking matter into their own hands
I love the despecialized editions and 4K77 they look incredible and great job done by harmy and others who are dedicated fans of the original trilogy it would be a shame now if they released the original unaltered version in HD or in 4K by Disney
This is such a labour of love, I just wish it was easier to get hold of. Obtaining a copy is so hard as to be impossible for the average person - namely me :-(
Lucas was an idea man and that's all he is. He's a subpar director and a horrible editor. You can thank his ex-wife for saving "A New Hope" with her superior editing skills. In the end he took credit for the work of skilled filmmakers and ruined their hard work with his bullshit retreading. I honestly don't even think he understands the franchise he created.
Now Disney will destroy the message of Star Wars (The Last Jedi..) as they don't want children growing up to fight injustice, but rather mindless automatons that buy what they're told.
Gareth Graham sorry to hear you've not yet realized that Disney is corporation that spent $3.9 million dollars in 2016 just on lobbying. Now go play with your Porg toys.
This is quite an awesome preservation/restoration project of the originals done for fans, and considering the fact that we will probably not see an official HQ release of the original non Special Edition versions any time soon. These beloved films have been affected one too many times by George's changing "personal vision" and stripped of much of that which made them such icons, this is because they were made with methods and special effects that were standard for the time in which they were filmed. The SE altered versions and their offshoots since 1997 have fundamentally altered what made these films already great in with a bunch of pointless and horrible CG additions and alterations which outweigh the few good ones. It sucks that we have to resort to other methods to see them since there hasn't been any move made by Lucasfilm or Disney to restore them into a high definition form, this is clearly a service to the people like me who grew up with the original editions of the trilogy watching them (either in theaters or VHS, Laserdisc.etc) and not the Special Edition versions. Though i personally have the '06 GOUT discs myself, this Despecialized edit does look pretty cool with the way he went about it. This is definitely a labor of love done in lieu of there being any official release at this time.
dude, that cgi jabba was and is hideous, horrible, terrible! so nobody has taken an old vhs version and transferred it to dvd or laser disc, as they were shot on the 70s, much less a theater version of the film?
@Risen General New song is amasing and symbolises freedom of the galaxy, while yub nub was just Ewok party. Anakin never looked like healthy 70-year old Shaw in Jedi robes. His soul died in ep3 and was reborn when he turned back and then died, that's why he looks young. What "real effort"? He looks good. Also Bespin shots, Boba in Slave1 tracking Han, stormtroopers trapped Han.
@Risen General Yes, Ian Mcdermid got old, simple fact. Yes, his soul returned after 23 years, that's why it looks the same. Otherwise he should be burned and in black suit. Also, Hayden is 40 now and still looks the same. Idk, most fans prefer new song, it's more emotional. Yes, Bespin shots were unnecessary, but it is good world building.
I applaud everyones' efforts in saving/restoring this cherished series I grew up with. I really despise most of the "remastered" features of the original trilogy so having this in my collection is amazing. Thank you, a heartfelt thank you, to all those who participated. And to the ORIGINAL creators of this series, thank you and it's a shame your work was tampered with; it was perfection.
Thank you, Harmy, and all the other team members at OriginalTrilogy!! I have mine burned on Blu-Ray, and for travel, on thumb drive. So thankful to finally have these. -CHEERS
Superb work by all concerned. With A.I. being a gradual concern in film restoration and mono tracks not being used on films from the past as frequently, this work is greatly appreciated. I fear this may be the way forward for other films in the future. So much tampering and colour alterations that make these films look unnatural. George Lucas sold his own creation out in 2012. That was the most shocking and terrible undoing of Lucas's commitment to being independent in the first place. Now, Star Wars has been exploited to the absolute hilt by Disney. The deliberate destruction of Star Wars was for all to see and the loss of great space adventurism forever shrouded in the mists of time. These new restorations breathe life back into the Star Wars of old and also help future generations experience what that cinematic experience was like.....in a galaxy, far, far, away.
It does bring up the question of are these really a HD version of the originals or just an imitation and if that really matters when the differences will be so subtle
It is amazing. I showed these to my gf for her first time watching the originals and I will be showing these versions to my kids as well. Harmy and the others that helped are true heroes of film preservation.
How come my dvd bonus disc of the original trilogy from 2006, mine plays on my TV in wide screen. Why does eveeyone else say it pops up as a little square in the middle of their TV?? Mine never did that.
@usul573 I do have smart TV. But when I first got the 2006 DVDs, I had a big box TV from the early 2000s. And it still didn't pop up as a weird square. All well, I wouldn't want it to pop up as a little square anyways 🤣
That was hilarious. I saw that in theaters but after all these years, I was afraid I mis-remembered that silly yell because it wasn't in the "special edition" version.
I was born in 1988, so i remember always renting the original films of the trilogy. It was extremely disappointing when the alterations began, and became more difficult than ever to see the originals. In all honesty, to know that George Lucas felt the originals weren't his vision; started a domino effect and became less interested in Star Wars. I loved the originals as a kid, and glad there are hard working people putting their efforts for everyone to see. Nice job.
I owned two sets of the LaserDiscs editions of the original trilogy and the later DVDs that included the original theatrical releases. I see people mention the DVDs coming from LaserDisc sources or master tapes, but I don't recall a LaserDisc without the Episode IV title. My older CBS/Fox full frame discs had the episode title, and my THX discs had the episode title. I always get a little confused when the source for the bonus DVD gets mentioned because of the differences with the titles. Because of the time involved, I admit I took the easy route and simply cropped the image to 16:9. For A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, I shifted the frame up so there was room for the subtitles at the bottom of the frame. Not perfect but so far the best copy I have of the movies. My LaserDisc player died and I got a used one that had issues. I ended up selling all 200+ of my discs. I needed the money and couldn't get a new player easily at the time. I still have the DVDs.
At 18:08 why didn't Harmy just use the blu ray footage? Was that not originally there? I'm confused. The Harmy version blacks out the soldiers on the side.
If you have the gout dvds, depending on what settings are on your dvd player or tv you can go to zoom settings and august it until it fits the wide screen tv or you could buy an old box crt tv.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
This extended version of the work-in-progress documentary about the history and sources of Harmy's Despecialized Edition was unfortunately removed from Harmy's own RUclips channel by a copyright claim from FOX. Ridiculous; this documentary is undoubtedly fair use for the purpose of commentary and criticism, but we don't want Harmy to have to deal with that nonsense.
Thus, I've uploaded the video to my own channel with Harmy's permission, and will do everything I can to ensure it stays online. Enjoy!
To quote Nostalgia Critic, "Where's the fair use"?
#wheresthefairuse?
I've uploaded two Chinese subtitles for this amazing documentary, still waiting for you permission!! These subtitles has been recognized by Harmy on the previous video on his channel, since the unexpected copyright claim, I re-uploaded them again!!
Thank you for your contribution! Your provided Chinese subtitles have been published for viewing with this video.
this documentary is excellent. I'm so glad to be able to watch it Thanks.
thanks for the reup...
This kinda makes me NOT want a official release anymore, since NOBODY will ever have the same amout of passion this guy had for cleaning up the image. Congrats!
Exactly, with the treatment that even the Blu-Rays had is clear that Lucasfilm only wants a quick buck with those dvd´s
Honestly, if Disney and Fox can ever work out the distribution rights, they should just give Harmy a budget and have him do the official restoration himself. He already has a head start on all of the various tricks one would need to undergo to restore the original cut.
@@robbhays8077 Unfortunately Kathleen Kennedy gave the OT to Turner and Fox owns them too.
But Fox was bought by Disney. I saw the german Version of the despecialized trilogy yesterday. I now know why I used to love Star Wars but I will still boycott everything comin out under the Umbrella of Mouse
@@robbhays8077, my thoughts exactly. It will never happen, but that would be a perfect scenario for everyone involved, including Disney.
this is the most important fan edit project ever made
And Snydercut
Say it loud enough for the folks in the back!
@@christophermarabella5683 lol
You’re right…whenever I watch the original trilogy this is ALWAYS the one I watch I can’t stomach the Special Edition in any way shape or form.
Agree
The fact that we're forced to do this shit is... UNBELIEVABLE.
Tell Mona Lisa fans about it ;-)
Yes, it’s totally spitting in the face of all the fans of the original trilogy as they were released in theaters. It’s like we don’t even matter.
@@br1rocksEh.. the real crime is against the many people listed in the credits, the creators of these movies. But Episodes VII, VIII, and IX---THOSE are definitely a spitting in the face of fans of the O.T.!
You can thank George for that.
@@davidgreff2799i agree with you
Harmy got the plans to the Death Star and saved the Rebel Alliance.
Harmy, you are a hero.
He is the chosen one.
Absolutely ! I finally got my hands on these and just watched them they are truly beautiful now I'll never again have to hear the awful Nooooo from Vader in ROTJ or see unnecessary changes to special effects like explosions.
@@aarong12 Oh no, Vader said no seeing his son dying, Star Wars is ruined!
@@Сайтамен dude, it was stupid and unneccessary.
@@Virjunior01 So what?
I never grew up with the original unaltered trilogy, and Harmy's Despecialized Editions finally made my dream of seeing the original 1977 cut of Star Wars come true. A big thank you to all the people who put their hearts into this project, truly a remarkable work of art.
And in HD 🗿🍷
It is a great work of preservation.
However... since there were at least 3 different print edits rotating through the theaters on the first run, which one is actually the original?
The VHS and Laserdisc releases were quite different from the original theatrical releases.
To everyone who contributed in making the Despecialized Edition a reality I want to say a big thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Believe me when I say, if I could hug you I would. A big thank you to HanDuet as well because I remember watching this video a while back but when I came back to re-watch it I couldn't find it, so thank you HanDuet for re-uploading it.
My pleasure! It was a bummer these documentaries were flagged on Harmy's RUclips channel, but he was happy to have me reupload them for him.
Could you put subtitles in Spanish, I am from Spain and I would like to find out about this great story
The despecialized movie is fantastic. This film means so much to so many people, and to american culture, that it deserves to be preserved in it's original Oscar winning state. The fact that lucasfilm wouldn't give the original masters to the national film registry is just ridiculous.
Michael C, not only means so much to the american people, it means to much to the whole world!
Michael C I'm sure they would but they legally can't because fox still has the distribution rights.
It will give us it... unfortunately, not much film from the original remains that can work with your modern TV.
They had a special edition a while back that did have the original, but again it was hard for it to be compatible with modern TVs.
Jar pretty sure Disney owns distribution rights these days...
sailingwhisper hopefully now we will fox is most likely getting bought by Disney
Harmy's Despecialized Star Wars Trilogy is THE definitive version of the classic trilogy. When I have a Star Wars marathon, I always choose these films over the special editions. There are very few special edition changes that are better choices than the originals. This is the way to go.
Mark Deez What I did like in the Special Editions were 3PO explaining where the source of Death Star’s tractor beam was located, as well as the Stormtrooper saying “close the blast doors”, Luke saying “Thanks 3PO” as well as “this is it” before his snowspeeder got shot down, and Luke and Biggs together before they took off to destroy the Death Star. Those were the only things I did really like in the Special Editions. I don’t get why those added lines from C-3PO and the Stormtrooper didn’t make into the original theatrical releases.
@Patrick Wilson
Those lines you mentioned were a part of the originals, they were only on the audio tracks of the original 70mm prints from 1977 and 1980, that’s why they don’t seem estranged from the originals like the rest of the Special Edition changes.
@Charix
No, no, no, Ian McDiarmid should never be in Empire Strikes Back, ever! He looks so out of place and nothing like how he looked in Return of the Jedi, which should always be first appearance in the originals!
@@patrickwilson1459 The new ending of Return of the Jedi is so much better than old one.
@@goldenshark3182 The original emperor in Empire Strikes Back looked even more different than Ian McDiarmid in Return of the Jedi
What you have done is nothing short of miraculous. I watched episode 4 despecialised for the first time day and was in absolute disbelief at the quality of colour and detail. A truly wonderful achievement. Thank you.
Someday I'd like to see Mark Hamill do voiceover on a documentary about the people who contributed to the restructuring of the original Star Wars films.
Little singham
Mark Hamill hates this type of fans, especially the ones in the people va George Lucas
@@orlandofurioso7329 Film preservationists?
The despecialized version is friggin beautiful
These improvements are being presented on RUclips in a 720p format and still look like freakin' gold!
just finished watching these 3 movies one after another and i have to say
i'm so shocked by how well done this is done.
For years i thought i was crazy for thinking they was a version of these movies without the CGI effects
i knew i had seen it on VHS as a kid for the first time. I'd tell my friends their wasn't CGI in it when i first watched it but they didn't believe me saying the only version they had seen of these movies was the Special Edition they had on DVD growing up. For awhile i thought i was crazy that i thought this up until i heard more in the community saying the same thing.
I'm so happy someone took the time and effort to work to put these back to the orginal format as they was created in and to also bring them into HD.
I have the 2006 DVDs just so I could have the laserdisc scans of the original films, but when I saw the Harmy restorations 2 years ago I was like, "At last, at last!!!" It was so great to see the films as I remembered them, and without the "improvements" that we've been force-fed ever since 1997. I will never watch an "official" released version of the original trilogy ever again, thanks to Harmy!
Thanks to all who worked so hard on this project... Amazing
This is such an important project and i'm glad someone is working so hard on it.
I have to say after just watching these, it really took me back to my childhood and I didn't find myself cringing in scenes like I do with the re-releases! Thank you so much Harmy!
This project is the definitive definition of epic and legendary. SO much work and passion, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. And this documentary does it justice. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone involved, from top to bottom.
I would have liked to hear more about the various audio sources used.
That said, I am very glad these versions exist, but I hope that one day, Disney will take it upon themselves to provide us with an official remastered HD version of the unaltered original trilogy. Maybe even in 4k or 8k. They would make so much money. LOL
It is the 1977 theatrical mix from a laserdisc I think
Ben M8 Actually there’s a lot of audio sources like the 32mm 5.1 & 2.0 mix it even include a mono mix which actually has more & altered sfx & voice lines that later be in ‘97. Other sources like the 1985 LD & 1993/95 THX LD mix are included. I think my favorite is the 93/95 THX LD mix cause I grew up with the ‘95 vhs in the early 2000s.
Several years later, I’ve determined It would absolutely ruin the trilogy to make it in 4K. Look at what happened to the Simpsons. I would love, as a fan of both specialized and despecialized it would be nice to see the originals in their original theatrical format and have specialized editions.
It's 4 years later and Disney is STILL nowhere close to releasing the unaltered films. I guess they realize at this point it's pointless since you can own the Despecialized Editions and Project 4K77 and Project 4K83 online.
When I was a little kid, in the 90's, they showed A New Hope in the Cine Capri theatre in Phoenix, Az. It was so cool to get to see it in theatres! I wish they would have shown all 3. I'll always cherish that family memory.
I am almost crying. This is so beautiful. I need to watch this!
I really appreciate the hard work to preserve those movies.
My dad took me to see Star Wars at Hollywood’s Chinese Theater in 1977, I was 5 years old at the time and this movie left a very strong lasting positive impression on me and holds a very special place in my heart ❤️ so I like so many others I had so desperately been wanting to see Star Wars in its original version and now that we finally can, I can hardly contain my excitement 👍😃. Thank you so so much Mr. Harmy.
Thank you, Harmy (and everyone else who contributed) for allowing me to watch Star Wars as I remember it from my childhood.
Thank you for reposting this Han. I had just discovered this a week before it was taken down. I had told so many of my friends about it and it was sad to see that it was gone until now. Thank you again!
This is amazing how flawlessly Harmy composited all these different sources together, and at such high resolution! I’m very excited for this project in preserving Star Wars in its original form for humanity.
I'm not even kidding when I say finding out this was made brought me to tears of joy.
Thanks HanDuet to reupload this documentary, i just discovered the video down on Harmy's Channel a couple of days ago, now i can show to my friends and spread rhe word, may the Force be with you.
Maybe Lucas always wanted to release both versions but when he was working on the ‘97 Special Edition he accidentally hit “Save” instead of “Save As...” and he's been trying to cover it up ever since :P
At any rate I love these De-specialized edits, if anybody’s having trouble finding them try looking at the bay where you’d find Jack Sparrow ;) it's the first result under “Star Wars”
im so happy you reuploaded this! i show people this when talking about star wars because some people dont know the differences or dont know someone is trying to restore the originals. THANK YOU HARMY!!!:D
Always come back to this. So inspiring and beautiful.
Thank you Harmy and everyone that made it happen! Just watched Star Wars for the first time the way it was meant to be! Harmy did an incredible job. I’ve watched Star Wars countless times but it was the 2004 special edition, and I’m so glad I downloaded and watched Star Wars the way it was first seen in 77 when I was not born yet. The quality and the picture is absolutely incredible too. May the force be with you Harmy!!!
The dedication of Star Wars purists is absolutely insane
Thank you all so much for this. I will watch Harmy‘s versions with my son! All of these altered cgi added version are really bad.
Thanks for uploading this. I have great admiration for all those involved and hope to see the despecialized edition someday.
Thank you so much for making this! I grew up watching a VHS recorded from TV back in the 80s or early 90s. I hated everything about the Special Editions. Thanks to Harmy, I was able to show my kids and husband Star Wars as it is meant to be
This documentary definitely shows how much work went into this edit. Great Job!
I HATE the fact that they replaced Wolfman with Barbara Streisand and Cthulu. Third worst change next to that infamous Greedo Shoots First alteration and the Hayden Christiansen As A Spirit revision.
Add RotJ "Noooo!" to the very top of that list. It's the climax of Vader's arc and it's just distracting to hear that change every. Damn. Time.
@@GamerWho One of the most powerful scenes in all of cinema, ruined in an attempt to make it fit better with the trainwreck of a film Revenge of the Sith, and one of the most laughable and memed lines of dialogue ever.
You forgot the “Jedi rocks” song in ROTJ
JainaSolo1994 “train wreck of a film”?
it’s treason then
You don’t know the reason do you?
Thank you, Harmy, and everyone involved in making this! 😃 May the Force be with you!
Found 2.5 yesterday and it's such a treat, looking for 2.7 now. Thank you for all of your work.
How to get 2.7 from the OFFICIAL GUIDE: docs.google.com/document/d/1yLsvexWBVM8IYSGopKuSfsGk5YIgCwQWd23bqb5ryD4/pub#h.i7moft3wu22k
Is оn the rutracker
There are so many restorations, but I felt that this was the one to prioritise even though I now have others. Great job Harmy. Thanks @HanDuet for putting this out here.
This is the only version I watch
My favorite version was watching it in a movie theater in 1977
Bless you for restoring these treasured heirlooms.
I really wonder how the Project_BLU upscale of the GOUT DVD looked so good, as in what methods beside upscaling did they do to increase the image quality, as Im aiming to copy this process on Star Trek Deep Space Nine to make the DVD release look more presentable on modern HD TVs.
thanks so much for this video and to harmey and all who helped to create this wonderful masterpiece
this kinda reminds me of The Beatles, back when they rereleased their albums on CD in the 80s the quality wasn't that great. so they started doing vinyl to digital transfers that sounded better (dr ebbets). and it wasn't until 2009 that we got their discography remastered officially by Apple which was in even more higher quality. so i do hope this happens to the original trilogy officially, till then this is the next best thing we have, and it's absolutely fantastic.
You guys are AMAZING! Thank you for "returning" to us, REAL fans, this masterpiece as it was intended to be!
I guess I owe my childhood passion & the most magical time in my life to G.L; a god of the directors chair, but like all god's, he also had the power to just take it away... For many, their most treasured early movie memories almost wiped from the planet. Since VHS fizzled out, I purchased the first DVD versions & could not see any logic nor sense in them, to put it politely. I gave up after a painfully long search, realizing uncut/unaltered versions were just not available. Stuff just kept changing, & changing; & changing, like the new school production crew had an epidemic of obsessional digital disorder, hell bent on making a mockery of the (for me, perfect) original films. I realized recently I had to do something urgently to reconnect with those those memories & started trawling for VHS versions; when I discovered a link to an article about Harmy's Despecialized project. I am in the process of obtaining them now, and am excited by the sheer passion of someone who wasn't even around when Star Wars hit the cinema's. Can't wait... A pre- watch thanks to all involved, and respectfully, I wish the rights holders to the original film (Disney/Lucasfilm?) would consider that a classic doesn't have to be re-mixed to meet current technology & formatting; it's magic was captured the very 1st time around. Like with all things vintage: adding anything is to severely devalue it's worth.
I would love to see someone do dirt and scratch removal on the original Phantom of the Opera from 1925, because, believe it or not, the version that most people have seen is a mix of different camera angles, different takes, and some footage from the 1929 version. A private collector did a close reconstruction of the '25 version, but the prints are in bad condition with several bits of scratches and dirt on the image.
I second this!
Bottom line, the special editions utterly destroys the ground breaking integrity of the films. Fan or not of either the originals or the special editions, to completely deny what made these films stand apart from so many for decades and act like they never happened is insulting.
It's because George to this day has little understanding of what made people love Star Wars.
You're right, and now Disney will destroy the message of Star Wars (..The Last Jedi..) as they don't want children growing up to fight injustice, but rather mindless automatons that buy what they're told.
None of the changes to Empire are bad, stop overreacting
@@Scripzure I prefer the original Wampa scene, it's more vague. I prefer the original Boba Fett voice. Now the new Emperor scene and Cloud City enhancements aren't bad, but the original film should be preserved. Release both versions I say. I'd buy the double pack.
@@usul573 Why should George release original movie in HD if he doesn't like it? He made Star Wars as he wanted it to be, and he didn't forbid you watch original version on VHS.
This is awesome. Big thanks to Harmy for bringing this to us.
I will say that I do love the Special Edition of Empire Strikes Back though, it looks gorgeous and the enhancements are respectful, not the same thing I can say for Episodes 4 and 6.
I think the Sy Snootles musical number is the most respectful addition to the Star Wars saga. The effects are timeless, and the music brings a tear to my eye.
@@RandomRiotGosh, you have a sick sense of humor.
La mejor forma de ver Star Wars!
Gracias Harmy!
To be completely honest, it baffles me that Lucas refuses to release even just the first Star Wars film. I mean seriously, he is denying his own groundbreaking work that was ahead of its time and made him the most talked about director in film. Now, he is the most talked about director and for the most part, not in a pleasant way.
Gout look up gout
@@rogersstinson4019 I have Harmys Despecialized Edition on blu ray and is the definitive version of the films in my collection. The laser-disc 2006 bonus DVD transfer is the absolute best official version to own if you cannot get the HDE.
I do own it
@@rogersstinson4019 Awesome!
George Lucas has turned to the Dark Side.
I saw the original version at Grauman's Chinese theater in LA. myself and my brother and one other guy was in the theater, 3 people in the entire movie house.
Insane Work. Thank you all so much for preserving childhood memories of some many people.
Glad to see this back on RUclips, I was really disappointed when I saw Fox took it off. I recently finished burning my Despecialized Edition Blu-rays and they're great! So you can bet I'll be using this to introduce my friends to Harmy's work.
I am 53 when i bought the despecislized blu ray i never looked back lucas went insane in 1997 so i am glad the purist fans are taking matter into their own hands
I love the despecialized editions and 4K77 they look incredible and great job done by harmy and others who are dedicated fans of the original trilogy it would be a shame now if they released the original unaltered version in HD or in 4K by Disney
This is such a labour of love, I just wish it was easier to get hold of. Obtaining a copy is so hard as to be impossible for the average person - namely me :-(
Han shot first ! Thank you Guys for making this Despecialized Edition for us true fans THANK YOU !!!
iyfranco151 Also Boba original voice
Han shot only*
Lucas was an idea man and that's all he is. He's a subpar director and a horrible editor. You can thank his ex-wife for saving "A New Hope" with her superior editing skills. In the end he took credit for the work of skilled filmmakers and ruined their hard work with his bullshit retreading. I honestly don't even think he understands the franchise he created.
Definitely true. George Lucas doesn't understand _Star Wars._
Now Disney will destroy the message of Star Wars (The Last Jedi..) as they don't want children growing up to fight injustice, but rather mindless automatons that buy what they're told.
Geordi La Forge that's one of the stupider hot takes I've read about Star Wars - and that's an impressive feat.
Gareth Graham sorry to hear you've not yet realized that Disney is corporation that spent $3.9 million dollars in 2016 just on lobbying. Now go play with your Porg toys.
Geordi La Forge it's no different to lucasfilm
This is quite an awesome preservation/restoration project of the originals done for fans, and considering the fact that we will probably not see an official HQ release of the original non Special Edition versions any time soon. These beloved films have been affected one too many times by George's changing "personal vision" and stripped of much of that which made them such icons, this is because they were made with methods and special effects that were standard for the time in which they were filmed. The SE altered versions and their offshoots since 1997 have fundamentally altered what made these films already great in with a bunch of pointless and horrible CG additions and alterations which outweigh the few good ones. It sucks that we have to resort to other methods to see them since there hasn't been any move made by Lucasfilm or Disney to restore them into a high definition form, this is clearly a service to the people like me who grew up with the original editions of the trilogy watching them (either in theaters or VHS, Laserdisc.etc) and not the Special Edition versions. Though i personally have the '06 GOUT discs myself, this Despecialized edit does look pretty cool with the way he went about it. This is definitely a labor of love done in lieu of there being any official release at this time.
dude, that cgi jabba was and is hideous, horrible, terrible!
so nobody has taken an old vhs version and transferred it to dvd or laser disc, as they were shot on the 70s, much less a theater version of the film?
DVD transfers where expensive while this project was happening before being made by Harmy and the fans.
God bless this man!
I'd rather watch this 20 min documentary about the OT 7 1/2 times than subject myself to the Last Jedi again.
@Risen General They are good.
@Risen General No, they were not. Only Jedi Rocks maybe.
@Risen General Original Emperor was awful, wampa wasn't shown, Biggs wasn't a character, and new ending of 6 is much better.
@Risen General New song is amasing and symbolises freedom of the galaxy, while yub nub was just Ewok party. Anakin never looked like healthy 70-year old Shaw in Jedi robes. His soul died in ep3 and was reborn when he turned back and then died, that's why he looks young. What "real effort"? He looks good. Also Bespin shots, Boba in Slave1 tracking Han, stormtroopers trapped Han.
@Risen General Yes, Ian Mcdermid got old, simple fact. Yes, his soul returned after 23 years, that's why it looks the same. Otherwise he should be burned and in black suit. Also, Hayden is 40 now and still looks the same. Idk, most fans prefer new song, it's more emotional. Yes, Bespin shots were unnecessary, but it is good world building.
I applaud everyones' efforts in saving/restoring this cherished series I grew up with. I really despise most of the "remastered" features of the original trilogy so having this in my collection is amazing. Thank you, a heartfelt thank you, to all those who participated. And to the ORIGINAL creators of this series, thank you and it's a shame your work was tampered with; it was perfection.
Oscar for Harmy! :)
Great job!
Thank you, Harmy, and all the other team members at OriginalTrilogy!! I have mine burned on Blu-Ray, and for travel, on thumb drive. So thankful to finally have these. -CHEERS
awesome work took me back to when i was 9 years old and seen star wars in 1977
Lucky man
This is the best version of the original trilogy
May the original theatrical STAR WARS movie be with you...
Superb work by all concerned. With A.I. being a gradual concern in film restoration and mono tracks not being used on films from the past as frequently, this work is greatly appreciated. I fear this may be the way forward for other films in the future. So much tampering and colour alterations that make these films look unnatural. George Lucas sold his own creation out in 2012. That was the most shocking and terrible undoing of Lucas's commitment to being independent in the first place. Now, Star Wars has been exploited to the absolute hilt by Disney. The deliberate destruction of Star Wars was for all to see and the loss of great space adventurism forever shrouded in the mists of time. These new restorations breathe life back into the Star Wars of old and also help future generations experience what that cinematic experience was like.....in a galaxy, far, far, away.
5:41 Any examples of this on the other two THX Laserdiscs? I was going to confirm this but I only have Empire Strikes Back.
It does bring up the question of are these really a HD version of the originals or just an imitation and if that really matters when the differences will be so subtle
I dont know why I watched this. Thanks for the leisure
It is amazing. I showed these to my gf for her first time watching the originals and I will be showing these versions to my kids as well. Harmy and the others that helped are true heroes of film preservation.
4:03 How anybody... anywhere... ever.... thought that change was a good idea is beyond my comprehension. That new sound is horrendous.
How come my dvd bonus disc of the original trilogy from 2006, mine plays on my TV in wide screen. Why does eveeyone else say it pops up as a little square in the middle of their TV?? Mine never did that.
Maybe your TV is doing some kind of automatic zooming scaling. I can get it to stretch reasonably with my settings on a smart tv.
@usul573 I do have smart TV. But when I first got the 2006 DVDs, I had a big box TV from the early 2000s. And it still didn't pop up as a weird square. All well, I wouldn't want it to pop up as a little square anyways 🤣
Thank you so much for this
When he added Luke screaming as he fell in Empire I was so shocked and angry I walked out of the theater....
Got rid of it
They fixed it in 2011.
@Risen General That's even better.
That was hilarious. I saw that in theaters but after all these years, I was afraid I mis-remembered that silly yell because it wasn't in the "special edition" version.
I was born in 1988, so i remember always renting the original films of the trilogy. It was extremely disappointing when the alterations began, and became more difficult than ever to see the originals. In all honesty, to know that George Lucas felt the originals weren't his vision; started a domino effect and became less interested in Star Wars. I loved the originals as a kid, and glad there are hard working people putting their efforts for everyone to see. Nice job.
Thank you for this!
I still have this despecialized on blu ray disc from eBay.
This reminds me of the 50 fan made remasters of '...And Justice for All'
Harmy deserves an Oscar and Nobel Peace Prize.
Thank you Harmy.
Do have to digg up my very old VHS star wars movies and a VHS player and insane amount of popcorn....
Well my old VHS tapes haven't started doing that bend at the top yet and are the original releases with no modifications or alterations.
Does anyone know why The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are in the 2.20:1 aspect ratio instead of 2.35:1 in their Despecialized Editions?
I owned two sets of the LaserDiscs editions of the original trilogy and the later DVDs that included the original theatrical releases. I see people mention the DVDs coming from LaserDisc sources or master tapes, but I don't recall a LaserDisc without the Episode IV title. My older CBS/Fox full frame discs had the episode title, and my THX discs had the episode title. I always get a little confused when the source for the bonus DVD gets mentioned because of the differences with the titles.
Because of the time involved, I admit I took the easy route and simply cropped the image to 16:9. For A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, I shifted the frame up so there was room for the subtitles at the bottom of the frame. Not perfect but so far the best copy I have of the movies. My LaserDisc player died and I got a used one that had issues. I ended up selling all 200+ of my discs. I needed the money and couldn't get a new player easily at the time. I still have the DVDs.
I would like to have a Star Wars Phantom menace Despecialized Edition
I own and love the Definitive Collection laserdisc set but these look very cool
At 18:08 why didn't Harmy just use the blu ray footage? Was that not originally there? I'm confused. The Harmy version blacks out the soldiers on the side.
He has generally strange colors and contrast.
..
it was fantastic back in 1977 when i first saw it on the bog screen.
That's what I have. 5:06 I ended up keeping the bonus discs and got rid of the special editions...
If you have the gout dvds, depending on what settings are on your dvd player or tv you can go to zoom settings and august it until it fits the wide screen tv or you could buy an old box crt tv.
The problem is a loss of vertical resolution.