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Hardcore fans can (illegally) celebrate this May 4th with an original un-retouched version of Episode IV thanks to a group of ‘superfans’ aptly named ‘Team Negative 1’.
From Digital Trends:
How exactly Team Negative 1 acquired the original print is a mystery, with Lucasfilm having claimed that all original 1977 negatives were given the special edition CGI treatment.
The new restoration doesn’t have the blessing of Lucas or current rights holder Disney, and represents the original version of the film that was officially disowned by Lucas in 2004, when he said in an interview with the Today show, “The special edition, that’s the one I wanted out there. The other movie” … “to me, it doesn’t really exist anymore. It’s like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I’m sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it.”
A restoration of the pre-special edition of the film — thought by many to have been permanently altered by Lucas himself — was accomplished by a small group of #Star Wars purists called Team Negative 1.
As reported by Ars Technica, a restored version of the original 35mm print of 1977’s Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: #A New Hope) has hit the web.
It’s a keystone of the greatest space saga of all time and the genesis of one of the most influential stories of an entire generation. And now, after years of being lost to the sands of time, one group has brought the original tale in all its ’70s glory back from the brink.
It should be noted that this print is illegal, and Geek’d doesn’t condone piracy. But it’s hard not to think of these die-hard purists as ‘rebels’ just trying to release something vital, thwarting the schemes of some large, scary empire. And we’ve always rooted for the little guys. (Unless they’re Ewoks.)
