I grew up on this documentary which I had recorded from PBS television on VHS... its influence cannot be overestimated. You're doing the lord's good work by preserving this new presentation in HD. Incredible efforts, Sir... Incredible!

@dinkyvision

6 жыл бұрын

Seriously! This is awesome! Lots of work to update this with HD footage sync. Really great!

@wingitprod

6 жыл бұрын

Ditto

Thanks a lot for doing this....honestly, you're sort of heroic for taking a classic documentary, practically lost to time, and increasing it's cinematic viewability to more reflect today's HD potential. For real, thanks again....

Man, when I was a kid I just ate this kind of thing up! I would intensely watch any kind of 'behind the scenes' making of docs or shows about my favorite movies. Filmmaking in the 70s & 80s was just as exciting to see behind the camera as it was on the screen.

Man, seeing the CBS/Fox logo alone brings back great memories...

6:15 "The Dark Lord of the Sith" it's always existed wasn't just a name thought up for the prequels.

Wow, what a historic moment to see all three directors of the original trilogy together. It feels weird when they're talking about the Sy Snootles puppet as it eventually got replaced with CG in the Special Edition. I can understand George not being entirely happy with the puppet and therefore replaced it with a CG version. But couldn't he have kept Lapti Nek in the movie instead of changing it to Jedi Rocks? 40:30 Control, control! You must learn control! 41:52 OMG! I had no idea that was a miniature Leia on the speeder. Such an amazing documentary.

I still remember a time as a child in 1983 when I saw this on PBS knowing it might be the last source of Star Wars footage ever. Then came Ewok Movies and Saturday Morning Cartoons. Then came the Prequels. Then came the new cartoons. Then came Disney. Maybe I was right in 1983.

@OmegaPointZen

2 күн бұрын

Right you were.

I grew up having this on VHS. Pretty sure I watched it so many times that the tape disintegrated. Thank you for your efforts for uploading this and enhancing it. Re-watching for the first time in many years, I still find myself learning something new from it.

Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi are quite simply the three greatest and most influential films ever created. They are the blueprint for almost every movie that has been released since. The Holy Grail of modern cinema without question.

Have the VHS of this. Thank you for the HD upgrade! Really turned out great. Looks seamless. Great job syncing the proper HD footage into this.

@savedfaves

3 жыл бұрын

God's work.

You know, when I was a kid, I ran my VHS tapes of the trilogy itself dry. Each movie had an ad for this documentary beforehand, but we didn't have that tape, so I never got to see it. Thank you for your efforts, Ben Phillips! Now I can finally watch this!

best documentary out there bar none to this day!! Still holds up well to this day also,Nothing better than the original trilogy V IV VI point blank no argument!!!

"Special effects are just a tool, a means of telling a story, people have a tendency to confuse them as an end to themselves. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing." You said it brother, WAIT YOU SAID THAT?!

@theunknowncommenter725

3 жыл бұрын

If you are saying this as a criticism of the prequels, it doesn't apply that trilogy. The prequels stayed the course with the philosophy of that 'special effects without a story is a pretty boring thing' quote. it's the sequels that's completely derailed from the philosophy of that quote. That's what you get when you make Star Wars without George Lucas.

This is magical. Haven’t seen this since I was a child. It’s criminal it’s not on any DVD/Blu Ray release as it’s absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for uploading this. I’m ready for the 40th release of Return of the Jedi and watching this has got me feeling 9 years old again.

Thank you for this! My dad had this on VHS when I was a kid and I watched it over and over. It’s so great to see it again and in such a good restoration! 🎉🎉🎉

I never saw this documentary as a kid, but one of my earliest memories is the cheesy promo at the start of all the Star Wars VHS tapes.

I first saw this on the the Sci Fi channel in 1993 when they first marathoned the trilogy hosted by Carrie Fisher

@RA-VEN8

3 жыл бұрын

Me too over the next few years back then, they'd play the whole thing. Alot of good memories.

@russellj.s.257

2 жыл бұрын

I bought ROTJ in the previously viewed shelf at my local video store in 1990 in the summer same time in January I taped A New Hope off The Disney channel which was good timing because they had just opened Star Tours at Disney MGM studios and in 1993 I taped TESB and ROTJ off the sci-fi channel that summer

Mark Hamill's narrating is out of this world!

@brickbybrick7432

7 жыл бұрын

Miss Agent E says the guy with Mark Hamil profile pic

@missagente8100

7 жыл бұрын

You don't think so? I'm just wondering...

@brickbybrick7432

7 жыл бұрын

Miss Agent E I think it's amazing aswell

@missagente8100

7 жыл бұрын

Brick By Brick Oh. I'm glad. If I sounded harsh in my first reply I apologize.

@s1050

3 жыл бұрын

He’s a true fan too

This is what's missing in the new sequels. The fun.

@theunknowncommenter725

3 жыл бұрын

and respect for the story of what came before, not just the surface level details.

@troyandrew6154

2 жыл бұрын

We true star wars fans pretend the disney star wars don't exist

@MikeSidious

2 жыл бұрын

@@troyandrew6154 💯

@Mokkari77

2 жыл бұрын

@@troyandrew6154 Including the Mandalorian?

@josebro352

2 жыл бұрын

@@Mokkari77 No. Not the Mandalorian, Rogue One, or Solo either. They were all great. It's episodes 7, 8, and especially 9 that suck. To me those three films aren't canon.

I am so happy to find this on KZread! I had it on a beta cassette... THANK YOU!!!

the un-remastered star wars audio sounds super uncanny

I wore my original copy of this - on Betamax, recorded from the TV one Christmas- out completely. It's so good to see it again, and what a fantastic job of reconstructing it. So good to see it again. Thank you!

"the reality is i love that world. there are friends there. i have a home there. so there's always going to be a desire to go home again."

I can't believe the quality here for a VHS from almost 30 years ago! Incredible!

@CK2012

7 жыл бұрын

It could be from the laserdisc

@dinkyvision

6 жыл бұрын

Sourced from VHS (don't think a laserdisc existed of this). Bluray footage of the film scenes has been "overlaid" whenever the doc shows a scene or shot. It's a hybrid of VHS & 4k footage which was exported so you get the best quality available when possible.

"Hey, sweetheart, I like your threads!" *tail smack* "! ... Sorry." That part still gets me every time! XD

i think the original vhs doc was mixed with the despecialzed blurays for the cimematic film clips, however it was done though, it's absolutely fucking brilliant. A+ Ben

@perchristianhaug7078

4 жыл бұрын

Look at the end...its Sebastian Shaw as Anakin Skywalker! Thanx Ben Phillips, this was awsome!!!

What a wonderful documentary :) Also, that guy smoking inside Jabba xD

Totally Awesome, I remember seeing the commercials for this with the new releases back in the day. Been looking for it ever since. Thank you.

This documentary used to air on PBS. It was the first Star Wars documentary to air on such a network.

@MrAvenger1975

7 жыл бұрын

Justin Fencsak While I first saw this one on PBS back in the day, I remember seeing the SPFX: Empire one on one of the networks (CBS, I think). This one is still without a doubt one of the best of its kind.

i'm here from the 1980s when this aired on PBS. Anyone else watch this back in the day?

I picked this up on VHS at a flea market when I was like 12 and watched it until the tape broke! Thank you so much for uploading ❤❤❤❤

13:08 the greatest music of ROTJ. Lucas, please recreate this lost track.

@crixxxxxxxxx

2 жыл бұрын

John Williams’ son wrote it.

@Endo-uu8mo

Ай бұрын

Hes also known as the the singer of TOTO 😅​@@crixxxxxxxxx

Fantastic! I bet they were hard to make but ya can tell they were having a blast making em. Those sets still look realistic to me. I've been watching em for nearly 40 years and ya still see things you've not noticed before. I know it's all for the story but ya can watch these films just taking in all the detail in the sets and designs. There was nothing much like it back in them days. Everything about it was mind blowing! : )

@adammartinez8061

9 ай бұрын

I know Jurassic park has nothing to do with this, but since It also Changed Film Industry. I’m just going to say this. Before Jurassic Park, there was……STAR WARS. Sorry if this sounded dumb. Had to put this since Jurassic park also changed Film Industry apparently.

This is great! I recorded this off the TV back when it was first shown...and I watched that tape to absolute death!

Recorded this on VHS when it was first on in the UK must of watched it once a week every week for a long time and i've most likely still got it among'st my videos in the garage.Big thanks to Ben Phillips for the fantastic job you have done,you have made me feel 30yrs younger,gonna sit and watch this with my 9yr old son now.

I'm going to have to put this permanently on my phone. It's the story of the saga behind the saga!

‘A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing’

Puppets are so much better than CGI. They actually seem real. 'Farscape' was an excellent example of this. You can grow attached to something you know is physical, but fake, not so much. The brain is a funny thing.

@TREVORVADER

5 ай бұрын

I like both both Puppet Yoda and CGI Yoda. Except the puppet in the Phantom Menace. It looks so strange

I like the preview in the beginning!, I have this, and that box set advertised!

I haven't seen this documentary for about 30 years. I, like many others in this thread watched this nearly as many times as the actual films, I pretty much had all of Mark Hammil's commentary memorised. Watching it again has been a joy especially with the added high definition footage. Absolutely brilliant work, and thank you so much.

KK and Jar Jar Abrams: "Yeah - but does it have 28,546 star destroyers? ?"

Thanks for not just preserving this documentary but also enhancing it!

'special effects without a story is a pretty boring thing'

@benphillips2947

7 жыл бұрын

Someone should tell George Lucas tha... oh... wait....

@fundhund62

7 жыл бұрын

Someone should have told JJ Abrams.

@patbuddha

7 жыл бұрын

He was taking a swipe at Star Trek: The Motion Picture that has a 5 minute scene with a shuttle pod circling the Enterprise as Kirk looks at it in ecstacy. There's nothing even comparable to that in the prequels.

@fundhund62

7 жыл бұрын

patbuddha I wasn´t talking about Star Trek.

@Jared_Wignall

7 жыл бұрын

He's talking about the original Star Trek film from 1979.

I think it's neat learning about the Star Wars movies and people get to learn new things.

Another VHS i utterly destroyed as a kid from constant replays.

I still remember seeing the trailer for this on my parents’ VHS copies of the original Star Wars trilogy.

Thank you for doing the work necessary to preserve and improve this important video. It has been one of my favorite behind the scenes shows about Star Wars, and it literally has never looked this good. Nice work.

It's amazing how many people were operating Jabba and how much they worked on his development. I really hope that they never swap Jabba for a cgi version in some future special release.

31:36 ... I KNEW Han originally said "Trust Me" not... "I can see a lot better now".... phew, thought I was going crazy. Also, the Trust Me makes more sense as a phrase between the characters given their past.

@TREVORVADER

5 ай бұрын

Yeah there are some changes like this that feel pretty pointless. Like adding the extra planets and Anakin’s young force ghost were good changes in my eyes then others were random dialogue and alien replacements

18:58 "Hey Edgar!" LOL

57:11 is NOT in the finished film. They mention that shot in JW Rinzler’s Making Of Book. There are also NUMEROUS space battle shots with finished FX that have never seen the light of day.

1:08:17 spirit of Anakin Skywalker ... the classic scene ... how i like it ;)

@AndrewChapman

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I also like the little wink Luke gives them at 1:08:32, which sadly was cut from the Special Edition.

@theunknowncommenter725

3 жыл бұрын

That's not Anakin, it's the Wizard of Oz in a Jedi Robe.

@TREVORVADER

5 ай бұрын

I can just never see that Anakin. He doesn’t look related to Luke or Leia, neither does he look 45 like Anakin should be in RotJ. Dude lukes at least in his 50s-60s

One of the most greatest franchises in media, entertainment, and Hollywood history.

12:36 ah, what a relief to hear that good old song instead of the 97+ version.

Thank you! I lost my VHS ages ago.

Thank you very much for this. I looked for this a while ago but it must have been before you uploaded this and Im really chuffed to have found it. I really appreciate your time and effort

This is such a great documentary series (videos were also made for the two prior Star Wars movies). There are so many moments with the creators as they assemble the many aspects of these films, it's such a joy to behold. This really ought to be released on Blu-Ray. Thanks for sharing!

Amazing job! Thank you so much for posting this.

This is glorious! This is the Star Wars that I remember watching as a kid. I wish I could go back in time to then.

Oh man i had this vhs, i miss watching it over and over after the trilogies

This is so cool! I've always wanted to to get this when I was growing up, but it was so rare I couldn't find it! Thank you for uploading this!!

There is a very nice version of this. i might upload it. 2k scan i believe, it was all shot on film. think about that for a second.

@TokyoXtreme

2 жыл бұрын

Do it…

Nice job.Looks brand new. Thumbs up!

I love the outdated audio. Really brings the nostalgia.

Outstanding!! I was just thinking of this one the other day. Thank you! Haven't seen it since it aired on PBS. This documentary and all that it encompasses is what inspired me to get into filmmaking.

I love this documentary. I was 11 when Star Wars came out. It took me away from dark things in my life. It's a shame movies miss the story anymore.

in 1989 90 when i bought this vhs I kept watching it over and over im 51 now its emotional but also sad because George lost his mind around 1997 when the special edistions came out i only watch the theatrical cuts the prequals and all the new Disney stuff is not Star Wars ot at least not my generation star wars anyways the magic of practical effects and model; will never be replaced by cgi

OMG! That CBS FOX video intro!!

I actually like the original version of Jabba.

@danecompton6604

3 жыл бұрын

The first cgi Jabba in a new hope is flawless. He looks so real

@Gary80264

3 жыл бұрын

Did a good job. But I wish he didn't need with other footages.

@itsMrNoble

3 жыл бұрын

You are the original version of Jabba, mate, if anyone is...

@disma4191

3 жыл бұрын

@@danecompton6604 the first Jabba it's the one in Return of the Jedi that terrible CGI was added in 1997

@danecompton6604

3 жыл бұрын

@@disma4191 agreed. I was joking. It looks like shit. They should not have tampered with those movies. I think I was probably stoned when I said that. Wasnt funny when I look at it now haha

It even sounds like a warbly VHS! Excellent...

awesome!! Thank you may you be with the force forever ! Born Norway 1975 never hit the store here

Thank you! This was great!

Thanks a lot for this !

+25:08 Tim Rose had the best job ever.

This was a very impressive upgrade. You should be very proud of this.

Proper Star Wars.

This is amazing!!!

Nice job re-inserting the scenes from the films in the correct ratio!

Great colour and resolution to the footage

The real genius behind Star Wars is Ralph mcquarrie

@amaxamon

7 жыл бұрын

Nope

@larrylovehandle8472

7 жыл бұрын

amaxamon yes

@amaxamon

7 жыл бұрын

Fuck off :)

@tetsuoswrath

7 жыл бұрын

George had to tell Ralph what was good and what wasn't though. So, you couldn't be more wrong. X{D

@whiplashfilms

7 жыл бұрын

It's fair to say there are a number of geniuses: McQuarrie, John Williams, Richard Edlund and John Dykstra, Ben Burtt, even Harrison Ford. Might as well throw in Frank Oz too.

Mark Hamill is fantastic as a narrator!

@aurorauplinks4703

6 жыл бұрын

Miss Agent E he's a professional voice actor

@missagente8100

6 жыл бұрын

Aurora Uplinks Yes, I know. He's the joker in the animated Batman series (which earned him an Emmy), a Fire Nation villain in "Avatar", and the list goes on and on.

Thanks for uploading this. I was actually just thinking of this documentary the other day. And also found another copy during a garage sale. I too think its "the" documentary of all SW documentaries.

42:44 idk why, but this is funny af.

Had this on VHS, lent it to a friend and never got the fucking thing back. At the time we thought this was gonna be the last taste of Star Wars we’d ever get and we clung to it like a last grain of chocolate.

0:23 this might be a best way somebody said that line

Thank you!!! This is awesome. I remember watching this on TV when it was first shown in 1983(?) Why did they leave this off the blu-ray set??!!

@MrAvenger1975

7 жыл бұрын

mikusguitarius I know, right?! This is a classic!

This video footage has alot of depth

great job!

The BEST of the Star wars making of's. The crew isn't bitching about Lucas is the main benefit of this one. Thank you George Lucas for making the Star wars universe. All of it. :{D

@disma4191

3 жыл бұрын

Because George Lucas wasn't such an Asshole

@tetsuoswrath

2 жыл бұрын

@Risen General it's funny how I always get these weirdos who stalk my comments across tons of videos like you're doing. :{

@tetsuoswrath

2 жыл бұрын

@Risen General bullshit. You're following my comments around on several videos now creep. :{

This doc focuses more on Jedi than Star Wars and Empire

0:40 WILHELM SCREAM

@mikelomez9313

7 жыл бұрын

HardMode They used that a lot in star wars

How funny it would be if hamil narated the making of material of the new ones too, but with his grumpy sarcastic attitude

i have a question: a lot of behind the scenes clips in this were reused in the 2004 Empire Of Dreams documentary in slightly higher quality but in shorter duration. could one theoretically crossfade those clips against the VHS clips to get a slightly higher quality version?

Catching this video again after who knows how many years, I find it sad that all of the good, hard work from the people who put together the Max Reebo band was replaced by that cgi sequence in the Specialized version, whatever that was.

39:30 "No sir I didn't see you playing with your dolls again."

Awesome documentary return of the jedi for star wars in 1983 of that summer. Bring the new jedi order in star wars cinematic universe with the return of George Lucas someday with Disney may the force with us all ❤😍

@40:20 in the animatronic version of the chase Luke is battling Boba Fett, 'very cool'

This is NOT the documentary you're looking for.

ITs sad they changed the singer and the music in Jabas hut for the new release it was the worsed idea ever and the ending music for Jedi.

@aurorauplinks4703

6 жыл бұрын

you should watch the cut scenes from return of jedi on youtube

@user-xx6vy9ri8p

3 жыл бұрын

New ending music is so much better.

@disma4191

3 жыл бұрын

@@user-xx6vy9ri8p yes but the og is good too

@theunknowncommenter725

3 жыл бұрын

The New ending music is so much better. Yub Nub was the end of one movie. Victory Celebration was the end of the whole saga.

@hunterolaughlin

2 жыл бұрын

I understand hating the change to Sy Snootles and replacing Lapti Nek with Jedi Rocks for the Special Edition, but hating the change to the ending music of Jedi? That’s one of the few changes that George did right. I cannot stand Yub Nub. No wonder John Williams lost Best Original Score to The Right Stuff at the 56th Academy Awards. It’s because the Academy members hated Yub Nub.

Haha I use to have this along with the 1995 box set