Artistic Rights
 

Today I heard Lucas was making more changes to the Special Edition Star Wars's being released on DvD the 21st. Some of these are drastic changes, such as adding Hayden as Anakin Skywalker at the very end of ROTJ (as the blue ghostly image, not replacing the actor who plays Vader under the mask).

Lucas claims that it's his artistic right to change his work as he sees fit, as to express it more of the way he wanted it. I have mixed feelings about this, as to, "It could be better, or it could make it a lot worse."

If this thread has been done already, then Mods, feel free to thwack me upside the head with a blunt object.

It's perfectly in his rights, I guess.

But I know it's in everybody, especially the other people who worked with him on these older projects, right to hate him for it. It's perfectly superfluous and laughable...

He has the right to make whatever changes he wants. What he doesn't have the right to do (at least from a moral standpoint) is to make a series of classic movies unavailable, which is what he did when he took the original versions off the market.

I say, let him change the movies as he sees fit, but give us the originals, too, dammit!

"Greedo shoots first forever".

It's true, that's the worst thing: the whole totalitarian revisionist (using two words grossly wrong I know) aspect of the changes.

There comes a point when an artist's work is no longer his... Star Wars reached that point over 30 years ago.

But, of course, LEGALLY he has every right. And I have a right to make fun of him for it. :)

Star Wars hasn't existed for 30 years. It was released 27 years ago.

New Coke anyone? When will they learn......tsk tsk

Wasn't the New Coke a ploy to get people to regret the Old Coke's passing, and then bring it back?

Edit for the post below because I'm already so off topic: So that's where that comes from! I was probably thinking of something else then...

Actually I believe it was an attempt to copy Pepsi, but everyone still liked Pepsi better so they took advantage and renamed Coca Cola "Classic". It was a big disaster they managed to salvage.

However that also resolves the Lucas problem. If no one buys the new one because they prefer the old, then he will be forced to revert. The consumer is king, unfortunately a weak and easily fooled and manipulated king.