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THX 1138 The George Lucas Directors Cut 09 Sep, 2004 / Comments: 8

By DJG


George Lucas film THX 1138 from 1971 has been completely digitally restorated and remastered, in a collaboration between Warner Home Video, Lucasfilm and Lowry Digital Images. It is now being released on September 14th on a two-disc special edition: THX 1138 The George Lucas Director's Cut.
For months, the restoration team removed decades' worth of dirt and scratches that had accumulated on the film's negative and meticulously restored the film?s sleek, striking images to be as clear and stunning as George Lucas intended.
What is important to know is that they did not just restore and enhance the original quality. They enhanced the film, by for example adding completely new computer-generated environments, and made CG frame recompositions. Take a look at the images that compare the Director's Cut and original THX 1138.

More info at the official site.
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8 Comments

  • v_nolvak on 13 Sep, 2004, 00:55…
    my comment was also little stupid. anyway... i meant that they can enhance the quality, but why do they add new scenes and elements and stuff?
  • v_nolvak on 13 Sep, 2004, 00:38…
    this reminds me an episode from south park, where george lucas and steven spielberg want to remaster raiders of the lost ark... they replace guns with walkie-talkies and germans with ewoks. anybody, who watched that film, died.
    and when the commercial comes, trey parker and matt stone announce, that they will release south park episode i with all the digitally remastered shit (the original episode i was made with coloured paper)... anyway... their point was: digitally remastering is bad, cause it ruins the old film... and if you take it as a new film, it sucks, because it's stupid.
  • ThunderPeel2001 on 10 Sep, 2004, 13:26…
    I have this DVD and I can honestly say that it's excellent! Even the new footage actually really ADDS to the film!

    Check out the review at:

    www.thedigitalbits.com
  • ATMachine on 10 Sep, 2004, 09:06…
    GL just can't stop meddling with anything.

    Take a look at some of the changes he's made for the Star Wars original trilogy DVDs:

    http://perso.club-internet.fr/willow/SW_Changes/SW_Changes_05.htm

    So now both the original-release versions and the Special Editions are being pushed aside in favor of these "Extra-Special Editions".

    Thank god they didn't revise the Indiana Jones films.
  • ATMachine on 10 Sep, 2004, 09:07…
    Oops, that link is incorrect. Here's the correct link:

    Link to a page with several screenshots from the new DVDs vs. the old versions
  • JBRAA on 09 Sep, 2004, 21:33…
    Look, try hard and be patient when you visit the official site. It's not easy on the menu system. It has a learning curve. But the site has some info and wallpapapers, and three preview trailers. Some photos too. But the Lucasfilm team should have hired a normal webdesigner team to make the site. It's not what I call an easy to use site. It's more an experiment, which of course THX 1138 was too. But I watch the movie for that. The site can have some feel and atmosphere, which is exactly what I want. But please dont mess with the menu system. It's a bit innovative, even fine innovative. But I rather have a list of contents so I can just click and know where I will go. Remember that. The box art is very fine by the way. Check out the quicktime preview trailer here.
  • JBRAA on 09 Sep, 2004, 21:35…
    There are two links in that commentpost, but they aren't visible. Perhaps you find them anyway.
  • Samandmax221 on 10 Sep, 2004, 09:12…
    Well one menu is opened with a blinking dot in the low right hand corner and I don't remember the other.