Product details: - Product group: Video
- Edition: VHS Tape
- Publisher: 20th Century Fox
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, THX, NTSC
- Release Date: 1995-08-29
- Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness
- Audience rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Run Time: 121 minutes
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
- Package Dimensions: 7.32 x 40 x 75 inches
The 2006 limited-edition two-disc release of George Lucas's epic space fantasy Star Wars is not only the first time the movie has been officially available by itself on DVD. It marks the first-ever DVD release of Star Wars as it originally played in theaters in 1977. What does that mean exactly? Well, for starters, the initial title crawl proclaims that this is just Star Wars, not Episode IV, A New Hope. Second, the film is without the various "improvements" and enhancements Lucas added for the theatrical rerelease in 1997 as well as the DVD premiere in 2004. So no more critters and droids scurrying around the port of Mos Eisley when Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi first arrive, no meetings between Han Solo and Jabba the Hut and between Luke and Biggs (extraneous scenes that were cut in 1977), no enhanced explosions during the final reel, and--most importantly to some fans--no more of Greedo shooting first in the bar. Instead Han is free to be the scoundrel and not even let Greedo squeeze off a shot. What do you lose by watching the 1977 version? Dolby Digital 5.1 EX sound, for one thing (only 2.0 Surround here). Digital cleanup for another--Tatooine looks like it's been coated with an additional layer of sand cloud. Yes, it's true that fans who want better sound and picture can always watch the 2004 version of the movie also included in this set. But chances are good that they already picked up the trilogy edition of all three films, so their decision to buy the 2006 two-disc edition depends on how much they want the original film. The official LucasFilm stance is that this is an individual release of the 2004 version of Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope, and the 1977 version of the film is merely a "bonus feature." Common speculation is that the only reason the original versions are seeing the official light of day at all is to undercut the booming black market for the laserdisc version. Star Wars fans will have to decide for themselves if that's worth the purchase. --David Horiuchi Customer reviews:  I knew what I was getting, but I'm complaining anyway, 2010-02-08
Ok, so, for one of the all time biggest movie franchises ever in the history of the world, this DVD, nor the original trilogy boxset, contain any trailers or any worthy special features whatsoever. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Oh wait, unless you want to watch a trailer about a stupid lego game. What? HUH? Absolutely PATHETIC. And yea... the whole original version not being in anamorphic peeved me too.
 Great movies, mostly good revisions, 2010-01-19
I've never been quite sure why so many people are complaining about the revisions to the original version of A New Hope. It's a great movie, but it came out in an era when people didn't have home video players (much less DVDs). Lucas cleaned up the movies, made the ships more realistic, and generally most of the improvements make the film look better. I agree that I wish Lucas didn't mess with the Greedo scene - I still believe Han shot first. However, that's relatively minor. Don't let that ruin the movie for you. I think overall you'll find yourself enjoying Star Wars all the more with this DVD version.
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