The Force will soon be with DVD fans as ‘Star Wars’ hits shelves
The Force will soon be with DVD fans. On Sept. 21, George Lucas will finally release his original space trilogy – “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977), “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” (1983) – in digitally remastered DVDs that will only be available as a boxed set (Fox; $69.99). The package will also contain a bonus disc with extras and a 150-minute making-of-documentary (“The Empire of Dreams: The Story of the ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy”).
The set may be pricey, but Lucas must be credited with refusing to take any shortcuts in processing the titles and insisting on a high-definition transfer of the original trilogy. That means the frames of the prints were painstakingly cleaned and restored, a job tackled by Lowry Digital Images, a company previously employed by Lucas to prepare the “Indiana Jones” trilogy for the DVD format.
“We’ve cleaned up more dirt on these three movies than we have on any movie that we’ve ever worked on, including ‘Citizen Kane,'” John Lowry, head of Lowry Digital Images, told Home Theater magazine. “And that (film) was almost impossible (to restore).”
For the boxed set, Lucas used the 1997 “Special Edition” versions of the three films, not the original theatrical-release cuts. Lucas did some further tweaking for the DVDs.
According to USA Today, that includes digitally inserting Hayden Christensen – who plays the young Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” and the upcoming “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (opening May 19, 2005) – into the final shot of “Return of the Jedi” with Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness).
In the film version of “Jedi,” the adult Darth Vader is played by Sebastian Shaw, and as fans of the series know, Anakin started out as a Jedi Knight before being seduced by the dark side of The Force and transforming into Darth Vader.
Director’s cut of ‘THX 1138’
Lucas’ legion of fans has another reason to celebrate.
The director’s visually striking 1971 film, “THX 1138” (Warner; $19.99, regular edition, DVD only; $26.99, “The George Lucas Director’s Cut,” DVD only), arrived in stores earlier this week.
The director provides commentary on both DVD versions of the visually striking R-rated film, which unfolds in an oppressive 25th century society where individuality and sexual contact are forbidden. Robert Duvall (“Apocalypse Now”) and Donald Pleasence (“Halloween”) co-star.
The two-disc version also offers a documentary on the making of “THX 1138,” a documentary on the San Francisco filmmaking community in the 1970s and Lucas’ student film that inspired the film.
A blazing ‘Passion’
No one was surprised by the huge initial success of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” (Fox; $24.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; $34.99, digital tape) in video outlets.
According to Video Business, it sold more than 4.1 million copies on Aug. 31, its first day in stores.
Only two titles have bigger first-day sales. “Spider-Man” and “Finding Nemo” sold 7 million and 8 million copies, respectively, on their debut days.
Coming Soon!
The following VHS and DVD titles either have been or soon will be released to video stores.
If your local outlet doesn’t stock them, the tape and disc offerings can be mail ordered by calling (800) 523-0823 or going to the Web sites www.amazon.com or www.moviesunlimited.com, unless otherwise noted.
Movies
? “Coffee and Cigarettes” (MGM; $49.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Sept. 21) with Bill Murray (“Lost in Translation”), Cate Blanchett (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy) and singers Iggy Pop, Tom waits, RZA and GZA. In this intriguing R-rated ensemble tale, directed by Manhattan filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (“Mystery Train”), some characters are linked through their enjoyment of conversation, caffeine and nicotine.
? “Godforsaken” (TLA; $24.99, tape and DVD; now available), director Pieter Kuijpers’ unrated, fact-based tale from Holland about teenagers dabbling in extreme violence.
? “Kaena: The Prophecy” (Columbia TriStar; $24.99, DVD only; now available) with the voices of Kirsten Dunst (“Spider-Man 2”) and Anjelica Huston (“Buffalo 66”) in a computer-animated, PG-13 tale about a brave teenage girl who lives on a distant planet and makes a dangerous journey to save her people.
? “The Last Great Wilderness” (TLA; $24.99, tape and DVD; now available) with Jonny Phillips (“Titanic”) in director David Mackenzie’s unrated Scottish import about two guys who are trying to escape from the mob. They then find themselves in even more danger while hiding in an out-of-the-way village filled with strange characters, including ghosts.
? “Love Comes Softly” (Fox; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; now available) with Katherine Heigl (TV’s “Roswell”) in an unrated TV movie about a suddenly widowed pioneer woman who considers embarking on a new relationship. It’s based on the book series by Janette Oke.
? “Mean Girls” (Paramount; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Sept.21) with Lindsay Lohan (“Freaky Friday”) and Tina Fey (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”) in a PG-13 comedy about a teenager trying to adjust to the cutthroat code of conduct at a new high school.
? “7 Days in September” (Anchor Bay; $19.99, DVD only; now available), a documentary that was shot the day after Sept. 11, 2001 and chronicles the reactions of New Yorkers to the terrorist attack.
? “2LDK” (TLA; $24.99, tape and DVD; now available), an unrated Japanese black-comedy import about two struggling actresses who begin an intense, ultimately deadly battle of wills while sharing an extremely cramped apartment.
? “We’ll Meet Again” (Ardustry; $24.99, DVD only; Sept. 21) with Laura Leighton (TV’s “Melrose Place”) and Brandy Ledford (TV’s “Baywatch”) in an unrated drama about an innocent socialite who spent six years in prison for murdering her husband and after being released vows to track down the real killer. It’s based on the novel by Mary Higgins Clark.
Television
? “Diff’rent Strokes: The First Season” (Columbia TriStar; $29.99, DVD only; now available) with Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, Conrad Bain, Dana Plato and Charlotte Rae in a three-disc set from the show’s 1978 debut year. The sitcom’s plot concerns two African-American children from Harlem who move in with a wealthy Caucasian family.
? “Everwood: The Complete First Season” (Warner; $59.99, DVD only; now available) with Treat Williams (“Hair”) in a six-disc set with all 23 episodes from the debut year of the critically acclaimed series. The plot concerns a single parent who moves out of Manhattan to a Colorado town to raise his two children.
? “MADtv: The Complete First Season” (Warner; $39.99, DVD only) with Artie Lange (“The Howard Stern Show”) and other comics in a three-disc set with the first 19 episodes of the sketch-comedy series featuring political satire, commercial spoofs and celebrity parodies.
? “Popular: First Impression, First Season” (Buena Vista; $59.99, DVD only; Sept. 21) with Leslie Bibb (TV’s “ER”) in a six-disc set with all 22 episodes from the show’s premiere year. The story unfolds inside the walls of Kennedy High where students wage a war to become the most popular person at school.
Children
? Ten colorful titles – “A Bear for All Seasons,” “Sense-Sational,” “Shapes, Sounds & Colors,” “Dance Party,” “Party Time,” “Potty Time With Bear,” “Everybody’s Special,” “Sleepytime with Bear & Friends,” “Heroes of Woodland Valley” and “Tiddy Time With Bear” (Buena Vista; $9.99, tape; $14.99, DVD; now available) – in the “Bear in the Big Blue House!” series featuring Muppet characters. The show educates pre-school children through music, movement and exploration.
? Three titles – “Brainy Baby English,” “Brainy Baby Spanish” and “Brainy Baby French” (The Brainy Baby Co.; $15.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; 1-877-455-2229; Sept. 21) – in a series designed to help those between the ages of 1 and 5 develop cognitive skills by using language.
? Two titles – “Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Once Upon a Dream” and “Disney Princess Stories Volume One: A Gift From the Heart” (Disney; $14.99 each, tape; $19.99 each, DVD; now available) – that bring together the princess characters from Disney animated films. A third title – “Disney’s Princess Party Volume One” – is only available ($19.99) on DVD only.