Hypocrisy

It's not savage hypocrisy, but it is a little weak for two guys to complain about alterations, when they make'em between the wed airing and the sat. Yeah, I know that wasn't the point of the ep, but seriously.

It can be argued that the Saturday airing is the final finished product, whereas the Wednesday airing is really a preliminary draft.

I did find that the message of that episode was uncharacteristically unlibertarian for Matt and Trey, though. Though they can argue that the butchering of movies is unwise, what movie owners do with their own intellectual property is their own business, isn't it?

Yes, that was the biggest problem for me regarding that episode. I agreed with them in spirit, but not to the point of preventing directors from making revisions to their movies. After all, if you hate revisions so much, don't watch them! Don't go to the theater to see them, don't buy or rent them, etc. It's not as if the previous versions will cease to exist. Seems to me that they screwed up on this one.

In article , "Bao says...

Thing is, the original versions do cease to exist. Go to the video store and you won't see the original version of ET. Just the walkie talkie one. Spielberg wants to jam his anti-gun agenda down our throats.

Yep, just like you'll never be able to buy a Star Wars: ANH DVD where Han shoots Greedo first. Or one without that horribly animated Jabba the Hutt.

I was referring more to the several million copies that were already sold and floating around eBay, garage sales, etc.

"Bao H. Lammy" wrote in message news:[email]...

directors

to

and you

Spielberg

Those original versions are all on a highly degradable (VHS) or largely archaic (LD) format. With the deluge of of copies of the "improved" versions of these films that will come, most people will replace the old with the new. Also, people just entering the world will most likely be exposed to *only* the new version, with the older one being harder and harder to come by.

With these artists appearently so unhappy with the original version of the film, it also becomes likely that the original negatives may soon cease to exist, or perhaps already have. Any future releases of the original version may have to be "restorations" made after the director's death, if the estate allows it, of course.

-Jay

In article , "Jay G" wrote:

So you're saying that the original LD or whatever copies will become massively valuable?

It doesn't take much work for anyone with a DVD recorder to put it into digital nondegradable form.

Don't the originals have a place as some sort of cultural artefacts? Isn't there a place in the Smithsonian for this sort of thing?

I agree with the complaints about modifying ET for the walkie talkies & SW ANH so Han doesn't shoot Greedo first (really don't like it); but aren't the masters of these films ultimately someone's private property, so he's free to do anything he wants with them? I think I'd rather have some crappily modified films than legislation prohibiting artists/owners from modifying their work.

My $.02

Just what exactly got into these guys anyways? Have they become PC tree-hugging hippies in their old age or something? Why would they be so repentent of their past work depicting the use of firearms, that they would want to wipe out all remnants of the originals from the world's cultural landscape? Do they feel in some way responsible for the recent rash of school shootings and the like?

Yeah, but who really wants to see the classic Star Wars trilogy changed beyond recognition because Lucas was more interested in making the prequels look spiffy than he was in sticking to the proper continuity of the series. Here's a kooky idea: correct the prequels so THEY make sense before you butcher the classics.

"Bill K." wrote in message news:[email]...

complain

This is true. If you recall the Wednesday airing of the "shit" episode there was a part with about ten seconds of silence in the board of directors scene. When the episode re-aired at 1 a.m. three hours later it had the same occurrance. By Saturday night's airing, this had been corrected.

Yes, but it is the fans who keep those movie owners bank accounts in high numbers. Fans get mad, the bank account drops. Matt and Trey were poking fun at the fact that big time directors like Spielberg & Lucas don't seem to realize this, or if they do they don't give a damn.

"Bill K." wrote: } I did find that the message of that episode was } uncharacteristically unlibertarian for Matt and } Trey, though. Though they can argue that the } butchering of movies is unwise, what movie owners } do with their own intellectual property is their } own business, isn't it?

Maybe, but keep in mind that these alterations are done not for aesthetic purposes, but for marketing purposes. "New footage" is a selling point to get more people to see the re-issue version, while sales for the old version are promoted by advertising it as "your last chance to own the original version!"

In conclusion, I think Matt and Trey had a valid point about Spielberg and Lucas selling out.

LOL, that'd be great if the Saturday rerun is a "much improved" version of Wednesday's!