Monday, February 16, 2004
After my little temper tantrum this morning about the Star Wars trilogy, I got to thinking about film as art. This is the real reason that I don't like filmmakers tampering with their films. Actually, that's not quite true. I don't mind it if they tamper with the films, but I do like to be able to get my hands on the original cuts in addition to the modified versions (case in point, Steven Spielberg released the double-disc of E.T. with both the original, unaltered version and the new version with the guns edited out).
For the most part, changes to films are not necessary at all, and in a good many cases, they don't improve the film. The only director's cut version I can honestly say improved the film was Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Let's face it, the so-called original was what the studio wanted, not what Scott wanted. The director's cut version was closer to what Scott wanted. Unfortunately, for those who liked the subtitles and happy ending, it's very difficult to get a copy of the original cut of Blade Runner these days. That's really too bad, as I would like to have both versions on DVD.
A lot of cases can be made for both sides. Was Spielberg right to take out the guns in E.T. and replace them with walkie-talkies in an era that was more sensitive about firearms? Should Greedo have shot first, and thus not given us the impression Han Solo was a scumball? Should Apocalypse Now really have been over three hours long? Should Jar Jar just be edited out and replaced with an Ewok? (Just kidding. Jar Jar rawks!)
As a filmmaker, I'm sure the answer is: "Hell, yeah, it's my creation. I can do what I want with it." And I'll agree with that up until a certain point. However, by releasing it to the public, the artist "gives" it to the public. The filmmaker owns it, for sure, but the public definitely has a stake in it as well, especially when it comes to classic movies like the Star Wars trilogy, Citizen Kane, Apocalypse Now, Alien, Gone With The Wind or any of a few dozen more movies that can be called classics.
So looking at it from a fan's perspective, we enjoyed the movie the way it was originally shown. I remember seeing A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back in a double-feature sitting when I was a little kid. The grain on the film, the dust and hairs on the lens, the projector whirring in the background -- all of that is part of what I loved (and still love) about Star Wars. The movies take me back to when I was kid -- before CG effects, before we knew that Star Wars action figures were going to be worth a bundle, during the period of time when non-sports trading cards of movies and TV shows were starting to become popular.
When such things are changed and we, the fans, are told we're never going to be able to see our beloved movies the way we originally saw them and the way many of us prefer them, then I'm appalled. If Michelangelo were around today, would he break out the chisel and update David for this millennium? I would think not. I certainly would hope not.
Sculptures, paintings, sketches, you name it -- they're art. The newer media, such as photography and film, are also art, although many of the Hollywood productions have changed film from an art into a commodity. No matter what, though, art is art, and it reflects an age, a state of mind, a setting and a creativity of the time.
The Star Wars Special Editions were interesting to see in many ways, but they also seriously detracted from the artistic nature of the film. What George Lucas and company accomplished on a meager budget during the mid-1970s was amazing, and the addition of computer-generated special effects is a stain on that accomplishment.
I recall seeing the A New Hope Special Edition in the theatre. Everyone sat there, waiting to see what Lucas had done to improve and enhance the movie. I'm sure few, if any, were ready to just toss out the old version in favour of the Special Edition, but we were willing to give it a chance -- to give the creator an opportunity to try to show us what Star Wars might be like if he had filmed it in the 1990s.
However, I think all of this disdain for the Special Editions can be summed up in an anecdote told to me by an acquaintance after seeing A New Hope Special Edition for the first time. He sat there, watching, and as the scene came up where Greedo was going to be toasted by Han Solo's hidden blaster, the audience was silent. Then the shot from Greedo's pistol. Then Han's shot. According to this person, the crowd was dead silent. Then someone voiced what the entire audience was thinking at that very moment: "What the fuck was that?"
For the most part, changes to films are not necessary at all, and in a good many cases, they don't improve the film. The only director's cut version I can honestly say improved the film was Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Let's face it, the so-called original was what the studio wanted, not what Scott wanted. The director's cut version was closer to what Scott wanted. Unfortunately, for those who liked the subtitles and happy ending, it's very difficult to get a copy of the original cut of Blade Runner these days. That's really too bad, as I would like to have both versions on DVD.
A lot of cases can be made for both sides. Was Spielberg right to take out the guns in E.T. and replace them with walkie-talkies in an era that was more sensitive about firearms? Should Greedo have shot first, and thus not given us the impression Han Solo was a scumball? Should Apocalypse Now really have been over three hours long? Should Jar Jar just be edited out and replaced with an Ewok? (Just kidding. Jar Jar rawks!)
As a filmmaker, I'm sure the answer is: "Hell, yeah, it's my creation. I can do what I want with it." And I'll agree with that up until a certain point. However, by releasing it to the public, the artist "gives" it to the public. The filmmaker owns it, for sure, but the public definitely has a stake in it as well, especially when it comes to classic movies like the Star Wars trilogy, Citizen Kane, Apocalypse Now, Alien, Gone With The Wind or any of a few dozen more movies that can be called classics.
So looking at it from a fan's perspective, we enjoyed the movie the way it was originally shown. I remember seeing A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back in a double-feature sitting when I was a little kid. The grain on the film, the dust and hairs on the lens, the projector whirring in the background -- all of that is part of what I loved (and still love) about Star Wars. The movies take me back to when I was kid -- before CG effects, before we knew that Star Wars action figures were going to be worth a bundle, during the period of time when non-sports trading cards of movies and TV shows were starting to become popular.
When such things are changed and we, the fans, are told we're never going to be able to see our beloved movies the way we originally saw them and the way many of us prefer them, then I'm appalled. If Michelangelo were around today, would he break out the chisel and update David for this millennium? I would think not. I certainly would hope not.
Sculptures, paintings, sketches, you name it -- they're art. The newer media, such as photography and film, are also art, although many of the Hollywood productions have changed film from an art into a commodity. No matter what, though, art is art, and it reflects an age, a state of mind, a setting and a creativity of the time.
The Star Wars Special Editions were interesting to see in many ways, but they also seriously detracted from the artistic nature of the film. What George Lucas and company accomplished on a meager budget during the mid-1970s was amazing, and the addition of computer-generated special effects is a stain on that accomplishment.
I recall seeing the A New Hope Special Edition in the theatre. Everyone sat there, waiting to see what Lucas had done to improve and enhance the movie. I'm sure few, if any, were ready to just toss out the old version in favour of the Special Edition, but we were willing to give it a chance -- to give the creator an opportunity to try to show us what Star Wars might be like if he had filmed it in the 1990s.
However, I think all of this disdain for the Special Editions can be summed up in an anecdote told to me by an acquaintance after seeing A New Hope Special Edition for the first time. He sat there, watching, and as the scene came up where Greedo was going to be toasted by Han Solo's hidden blaster, the audience was silent. Then the shot from Greedo's pistol. Then Han's shot. According to this person, the crowd was dead silent. Then someone voiced what the entire audience was thinking at that very moment: "What the fuck was that?"
// posted by Chris @ 5:59 PM 
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