Over the years, the original Star Wars films have been subject to many changes and additions. According to Lucas, the original cuts have been lost to time. Well, sorry George. We the fans cannot let that happen. This is the story of how the fans saved Star Wars.
This is Part I in a new series I’m creating documenting the fan preservation of the Theatrical Cuts of Star Wars. This episode focuses on Laserdisc Bootlegs.
This bought back some memories. I remember downloading the TR47 bootlegs which were really good copies for the time.
There’s a very dedicated team of fans who have bought, or been lent, cinema reels of the original Star Wars trilogy.
It’s taken them years to scan it in, frame by frame and to correct the colour and repair the picture.
They’re considered the gold standard. Search for 4K77, 4K80 and 4K83.
I remember interviews with Lucas and I think Rick MacCallum that said the original Star Wars negative was used to create the Special Editions.
The Library of Congress definitely has a print of Star Wars that was submitted in 1978. I think they also have Empire and Jedi but I’m not sure if they are the original editions.
My understanding is they have original copies stored but these are for legal/archival purposes and are not available to the public.