Star Wars DVD Specs
Lucasfilm has finally provided more details on their Star Wars Trilogy 4-disc set.
The set will include more than 10 hours of bonus content in all, in addition to the films. Each film will be presented in anamorphic widescreen video and a full frame version, both certified by THX and lovingly restored and remastered by the folks at Lowry Digital. Audio for all three films will be Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX.
Each film will also include audio commentary with the likes of creator George Lucas, director Irvin Kershner, actress Carrie Fisher, sound designer Ben Burtt and ILM’s Dennis Muren.
Disc Four will feature all new and exclusive bonus material. The centerpiece of the disc Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy. According to Lucasfilm: “This two-and-a-half hour documentary traces the evolution of the saga, from a low-budget labor-of-love space saga to the movie phenomenon that defied the odds and reinvented the rules.
This comprehensive documentary features all new interviews with George Lucas and more than 40 members of the cast and crew from the original trilogy, as well as a host of filmmakers and mediapersonalities.
Empire of Dreams includes some never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the three films.”
When you’re done with that, you can check out the Episode III behind-the-scenes preview featurette, The Return of Darth Vader, in which Lucas discusses how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader. We also get a first look at the new Vader costume for Episode III, and see how actors Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor prepared for the epic lightsaber battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Next up, The Birth of the Lightsaber featurette takes a look at the origins and creation of “this elegant weapon from a more civilized age.” The Characters of Star Wars featurette takes an in-depth look at how all the classic characters developed, from original concept art to interviews with Lucas and the cast. The Force Is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars featurette looks at the influence of the Star Wars films on filmmaking and entertainment as a whole, and includes interviews with “the most notable filmmakers of our time.”
Rounding out the film content on this disc, are the original theatrical teaser, launch and re-release trailers for each film, plus TV spots, a gallery of hundreds of rare production art images and photos, and a gallery of poster and print campaign artwork.
Then there’s “the rest of the disc”, which will be of less interest to film fans. This includes preview trailers for the Star Wars: Battlefront and Star Wars: Episode III videogames, an Xbox playable demo of Battlefront, and DVD-ROM access to a special online site with additional exclusive content.
All in all, not too bad. Certainly not the definitive special edition treatment of these films on disc, but you know that’ll happen later on Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD, so not bad for now.
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