|
|
Post by Subtext Mining on Apr 15, 2024 21:07:41 GMT
One thing I like about those 1950s trailers is, by imagining what it would've been like if these had actually come out in the '50s, it helps remind us how fantastical, special and out-of-nowhere Star Wars was when it emerged in the late-70s.
Now that Star Wars has been around for over 45 years, (and nearly driven into it's own oversaturated irrelevance by the 2020s), it's become just, somewhat normal and even blasè.
For me, at least, these trailers help rekindle the starry-eyed wonder and other-wordly newness the Star Wars films used to evoke in our mundane world. And an appreciation for just how well the films turned out.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cryogenic on Apr 15, 2024 23:12:57 GMT
One thing I like about those 1950s trailers is, by imagining what it would've been like if these had actually come out in the '50s, it helps remind us how fantastical, special and out-of-nowhere Star Wars was when it emerged in the late-70s. It does, but if you watch enough of those trailers (there are exactly the same type of trailers, on the same channel, bearing the same basic title, for films like "Avatar", "Jurassic Park", "The Lord Of The Rings", "The Terminator", et al.), all the imagery starts to bleed together and the uniqueness of the experience -- the sheer surreality of it -- is dulled. You're right, though, that Star Wars just seemed to explode out of the ether. Lucas himself even said the same thing in his 2015 interview with Star Wars; sorry, Charlie Rose: "We've gotta remember that Star Wars came from nowhere ... There was nothing like it." ( 37:26) Title: George Lucas Calls Disney “White Slavers” in Charlie Rose interview Channel: Laurent Touil-Tartour Uploaded: 2 Jan 2016 A spontaneous creation event. Like a quantum fluctuation in a great void over an immensity of time. A true black swan. This must be why Elvis died at 42! Star Wars has outlived its own parameters. Soiled itself in the land of Disney, Where dreams go to die. Fuck. Now, I like that. Although, honestly, this is just a good a reminder as any of why STAR WARS FUCKING ROCKS: Title: 4K Star Wars 1977 'Despecialized' - Battle of Yavin - Full Battle Channel: Prometheus of Videos Uploaded: 31 Dec 2021 Description: Relive the iconic Battle of Yavin Death Star assault in its original 1977 brilliance, meticulously restored to 4K without CGI and 1997 'Special Edition' enhancements. The original Star Wars trilogy, as seen theatrically during their initial runs, is no longer publicly available. Since 1997, George Lucas has designated the Special Edition as the official release, a stance maintained even under Disney's ownership, with no plans for the despecialized versions to be released. With the analysis of the Death Star plans, a weakness is found in the exhaust port. The Rebels send 30 X-wings and Y-wing in hopes of destroying it before it can destroy them. Sourced from the despecialization project known as D+77. ---------------------------------- Yeah, I admit it, I'm a big bitch for high-quality classic film presentation. There's a gorgeous late-70s ambiance to the original film, especially its climactic, all-stops-pulled-out battle sequence -- literally still one of the most perfectly edited and gripping action sequences in cinematic history -- that is like some form of fully-saturated innocence: a bold, vigorous, imaginative, crowd-pleasing yet beautifully idiosyncratic, stunning home-run of an arcade game come to life. A wondrous confection. Yet underpinned by a technical seriousness both sides of the cinema screen (the rebel and TIE Fighter pilots and amassed rebels and Imperials at their respective "bases" perfectly echo the fevered, seat-of-their-pants filmmakers and cool-hand craftsmanship yoking all the elements together and bringing this strangely verisimilar concoction/contraption to life). The final action sequence of the original film, whether in its original presentation or buffed-up Special Edition version, is a vivid microcosm (a kinetic action mandala) for the original six films -- even the more recent unwieldy "franchise" incarnation of the mythos. It is a movie within a movie. No, a fantastic movie within a fantastic movie within a fantastic movie (GL's 12-hour meta structure). There have been many contenders, and many pretenders, but there is still only one STAR WARS. And the Battle of Yavin just smokes everything. Seriously. What came after isn't to be underestimated, but the concluding action sequence to the original film is still the crowning-jewel pinnacle of the definitive crowd-pleasing blockbuster with eloquent arthouse aspirations. It's better than a "happy ending" in a shower at a Scientology resort. |
|
|
|
Post by stampidhd280pro on Apr 16, 2024 1:05:03 GMT
Concerning Star Wars appearing from the ether, George was steeped in stuff outside of himself that was begging to be fully realized, with an enormous budget etc. IIRC George has referred to himself and his friends as "the luckiest" filmmakers. He isn't an originator of ideas. He's more like someone who could distill them from the ether, amplify them, and moreover have the foresight and means to present them to a receptive audience. It might be inevitable that starwars (lowercase) in some form was going to be sold to us by a shrewd businessman, and not someone more eccentric, impractical, or even more original like Jodorowsky. I'm just glad it was Lucas, who also happens to be a subversive artist, and someone who seems to like the audience of children he makes films for.
|
|
|
|
Post by ArchdukeOfNaboo on Apr 17, 2024 22:04:59 GMT
What else better to do with your Wednesday evening? 
|
|
|
|
Post by Subtext Mining on Apr 18, 2024 1:08:45 GMT
I guess it's about making magic, and of course making a living making magic. The thing is, making magic requires more than a good, cost-effective production model. George was a rare individual who was good at business and making magic. Something that only a few people per generation are gifted with. The problem is, are the newer generations' GLs even being given the chance to be the new GLs? George began making films during a window in time that favored him and his friends. But look at today's industry. Ingram is right. Iger may not be an amateur, but where are the Ladds and Kurtzs? Now that Padmé is gone and the Empire has control, where are the Mon Mothmas and Leias and Lukes? Are Kenobi and Yoda still out there to help them get on their feet? I agree with you here. Problem is, Lucas helped foster those very conditions, including the race to the bottom that Disney and other companies are now aggressively caught up in. It's hypocritical of Lucas to have assumed a dominant position over his employees, but to have at least inspired their loyalty because they respected him enough to know that he was running the show, only for him to subsequently enslave those same employees -- and all future ones -- after selling to Disney, thus holding his companies hostage to the aims, whims, concerns, and diktats of a bunch of well-heeled shareholders and corporate executives. He has not only broken the sacred paternalistic bond that held his companies together before and provided basic reassurance to the many people employed at those companies, but essentially thrown everyone to the wolves, making it virtually impossible (almost by definition and certainly in practice) for them to enjoy the sort of creative freedom and job satisfaction they had before. Turning straw into gold isn't easy; and if you try it under a corporation, you're probably out the door before you're given the chance to prove it's possible. It's just a whole different paradigm now. A depressing and insufferable one, I have to imagine, for any true artist. In the short term, at least, George Lucas has helped ensure there can be no more George Lucases. Yeah, when he gave the reason of selling in order for his employees to keep their jobs, I was like, "Yeah, but... now they have to... work for disney..." Having learned 2d animation back in the '00s, with the intent of doing it professionally, I'd learned through many stories that it is not a place you want to work at if you value artistic integrity. |
|
|
|
Post by Ingram on Apr 19, 2024 8:15:10 GMT
Now, and once again, the same age as I am. We even have the same receding hairline. shit happens
|
|
|
|
Post by Cryogenic on Apr 19, 2024 22:04:24 GMT
Now, and once again, the same age as I am. We even have the same receding hairline. shit happens  |
|
|
|
Post by Somny on Apr 20, 2024 0:50:20 GMT
I'm waiting for these guys to dare one for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, given its storied time frame. Speak of the algorithm! ...and it's identical to ROTLA.  |
|
|
|
Post by jppiper on Apr 20, 2024 1:43:07 GMT
One thing I like about those 1950s trailers is, by imagining what it would've been like if these had actually come out in the '50s, it helps remind us how fantastical, special and out-of-nowhere Star Wars was when it emerged in the late-70s. It does, but if you watch enough of those trailers (there are exactly the same type of trailers, on the same channel, bearing the same basic title, for films like "Avatar", "Jurassic Park", "The Lord Of The Rings", "The Terminator", et al.), all the imagery starts to bleed together and the uniqueness of the experience -- the sheer surreality of it -- is dulled. You're right, though, that Star Wars just seemed to explode out of the ether. Lucas himself even said the same thing in his 2015 interview with Star Wars; sorry, Charlie Rose: "We've gotta remember that Star Wars came from nowhere ... There was nothing like it." ( 37:26) Title: George Lucas Calls Disney “White Slavers” in Charlie Rose interview Channel: Laurent Touil-Tartour Uploaded: 2 Jan 2016 A spontaneous creation event. Like a quantum fluctuation in a great void over an immensity of time. A true black swan. This must be why Elvis died at 42! Star Wars has outlived its own parameters. Soiled itself in the land of Disney, Where dreams go to die. Fuck. Now, I like that. Although, honestly, this is just a good a reminder as any of why STAR WARS FUCKING ROCKS: Title: 4K Star Wars 1977 'Despecialized' - Battle of Yavin - Full Battle Channel: Prometheus of Videos Uploaded: 31 Dec 2021 Description: Relive the iconic Battle of Yavin Death Star assault in its original 1977 brilliance, meticulously restored to 4K without CGI and 1997 'Special Edition' enhancements. The original Star Wars trilogy, as seen theatrically during their initial runs, is no longer publicly available. Since 1997, George Lucas has designated the Special Edition as the official release, a stance maintained even under Disney's ownership, with no plans for the despecialized versions to be released. With the analysis of the Death Star plans, a weakness is found in the exhaust port. The Rebels send 30 X-wings and Y-wing in hopes of destroying it before it can destroy them. Sourced from the despecialization project known as D+77. ---------------------------------- Yeah, I admit it, I'm a big bitch for high-quality classic film presentation. There's a gorgeous late-70s ambiance to the original film, especially its climactic, all-stops-pulled-out battle sequence -- literally still one of the most perfectly edited and gripping action sequences in cinematic history -- that is like some form of fully-saturated innocence: a bold, vigorous, imaginative, crowd-pleasing yet beautifully idiosyncratic, stunning home-run of an arcade game come to life. A wondrous confection. Yet underpinned by a technical seriousness both sides of the cinema screen (the rebel and TIE Fighter pilots and amassed rebels and Imperials at their respective "bases" perfectly echo the fevered, seat-of-their-pants filmmakers and cool-hand craftsmanship yoking all the elements together and bringing this strangely verisimilar concoction/contraption to life). The final action sequence of the original film, whether in its original presentation or buffed-up Special Edition version, is a vivid microcosm (a kinetic action mandala) for the original six films -- even the more recent unwieldy "franchise" incarnation of the mythos. It is a movie within a movie. No, a fantastic movie within a fantastic movie within a fantastic movie (GL's 12-hour meta structure). There have been many contenders, and many pretenders, but there is still only one STAR WARS. And the Battle of Yavin just smokes everything. Seriously. What came after isn't to be underestimated, but the concluding action sequence to the original film is still the crowning-jewel pinnacle of the definitive crowd-pleasing blockbuster with eloquent arthouse aspirations. It's better than a "happy ending" in a shower at a Scientology resort. What are your thoughts on Despecialized editions? like the ones on that youtube channel i linked on the SE page? |
|
|
|
Post by Ingram on Apr 20, 2024 8:40:06 GMT
I'm waiting for these guys to dare one for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, given its storied time frame. Speak of the algorithm! ...and it's identical to ROTLA.
Yeah, ya see, this is where it fails for me, where the aforementioned criticisms are most apparent, sure, but also where the very point of this ongoing exercise is nullified. I mean, Raiders was already vintage by design in terms of its production mindset, art-direction, cinematography etc., and in a manner that even predates '50s Technirama. So the gimmick here feels redundant and thus by comparison inferior. The '50s era aesthetic used for spinning imagery from A New Hope, The Matrix, The Terminator and Dune has nowhere to go with a1930s set period film. Rather, it just looks like generic concept art for a 1930s period film, which I suppose is fine in and of itself if fashioned by an individual artist with his/her own voice instead of a mere algorithmic generator. As is, it just feels nondescript.
Now I hate AI for undermining one of my favorite movies. Stupid AI! *punches AI*
|
|
|
|
Post by Somny on Apr 23, 2024 1:40:40 GMT
One of the more interesting random finds on YouTube...
|
|
|
|
Post by stampidhd280pro on Apr 23, 2024 2:57:13 GMT
One of the more interesting random finds on YouTube... Some money, is priceless. And that right there, is gold. |
|
|
|
Post by Ingram on Apr 23, 2024 8:48:12 GMT
I know these are fast becoming routine (springing up like weeds all over Youtube and under different channels) but...it's Attack of the Clones, bitches. What am I gonna do.
And I must say, I'm kinda feelin' this one. The circa 1961 Italo Sword 'n' Sandal vibe is there just enough; a bit of Goliath Against the Giants or Hercules and the Captive Women baked into Lucas' Buck Rogers pulp we all know and love. I even find germane the slight rosetta-whisky color palette and the Jango Fett clones looking like background bandits from a Leone flick converted into the stuff of retro space cadets.
|
|
|
|
Post by ArchdukeOfNaboo on Apr 24, 2024 20:40:58 GMT
I know these are fast becoming routine (springing up like weeds all over Youtube and under different channels) but...it's Attack of the Clones, bitches. What am I gonna do.
And I must say, I'm kinda feelin' this one. The circa 1961 Italo Sword 'n' Sandal vibe is there just enough; a bit of Goliath Against the Giants or Hercules and the Captive Women baked into Lucas' Buck Rogers pulp we all know and love. I even find germane the slight rosetta-whisky color palette and the Jango Fett clones looking like background bandits from a Leone flick converted into the stuff of retro space cadets.
We don't need a shitty algorithm to produce these things. Some prequel appreciation and artistic flair and you can have something much more imaginative.
|
|
|
|
Post by jppiper on Apr 24, 2024 20:47:49 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Subtext Mining on Apr 30, 2024 20:16:56 GMT
Concerning Star Wars appearing from the ether, George was steeped in stuff outside of himself that was begging to be fully realized, with an enormous budget etc. IIRC George has referred to himself and his friends as "the luckiest" filmmakers. He isn't an originator of ideas. He's more like someone who could distill them from the ether, amplify them, and moreover have the foresight and means to present them to a receptive audience. It might be inevitable that starwars (lowercase) in some form was going to be sold to us by a shrewd businessman, and not someone more eccentric, impractical, or even more original like Jodorowsky. I'm just glad it was Lucas, who also happens to be a subversive artist, and someone who seems to like the audience of children he makes films for. Yeah, it seems the most beloved artists are the ones who can masterfully blend the old and new, the familiar with the exotic, the timeless themes of humanity with current zeitgeist and technology, in a palatable way that everyone of all ages enjoys, while exuding artistic integrity and without catering to any lowest common denominators. And using the tools and stepping stones established by the past masters, to craft a new creation that feels novel and broadens the horizons, is a talent unto itself. And an under-appreciated one at that. In fact, I've been thinking about bands like The Cars and The B-52s lately, and how they emerged at the same time as Star Wars, and were essentially doing the same things. Blending the past with a modern, gritty edge and a sci-fi futurism. All while un-coyly wearing their quirks and eccentricity and weird ideas ("dogs flying spaceships") on their sleeves. |
|
|
|
Post by jppiper on May 7, 2024 19:16:09 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by jppiper on May 24, 2024 16:32:09 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by eljedicolombiano on May 24, 2024 18:58:45 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by jppiper on May 24, 2024 22:34:38 GMT
|
|
