Now, Sarek Fires First
Just a couple of weeks before George Lucas releases those intentionally lo-fi editions of the original versions of the original "Star Wars" trilogy to DVD, along comes this distressing bit of "Star Trek" news from the Digital Bits' Rumor Mill, in relation to the eventual high-definition release of that franchise:
It turns out that CBS Video, as part of their high-definition remastering
of The Original Series, IS giving a lot of the special effects shots a new
CG face-lift! Specifically, they're re-doing all of the spaceship shots.
To further mix the sci-fi metaphor: Oh, frak me.
Have we learned nothing from Lucas' endless tampering? Part of the appeal of these shows is their vintage -- the dated nature of the sets, the clothes, the dialogue and especially the special effects are all intrinsic to the experience of watching the show as it was originally conceived.
Cleaning up the transfers up for HD-DVD is entirely fine, but in any restoration, the ethical line seems pretty clear to me -- you don't alter the print, you just take away the dirt and specks that have accumulated since it was first locked.
And no, I don't want 5.1 audio where it didn't originally exist, either. Philistines.
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2 Comments:
Oh, Christ. This revisionism is reaching a point of satire. The thing nobody seems to take into consideration is the incongruancy between the original aesthetic and CGI; so, okay, the spaceship will now look slick from the outside, but short of re-lighting the interiors and adding funky new buttons to the control panels, it's just going to make the show look even cheaper. I already get a good laugh where there didn't used to be one out of those styrofoam boulders going boom-boom in the subwoofer.
Are they going to improve Walter Koneig's Russian accent as well? I mean, while they're at it and all...
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