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Story: Jack Foley
ADVANCE orders of the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD have
topped Amazo’s UK website almost six months before their
September release.
The eagerly-anticipated box set is number one on the site's top
100 DVD chart, having claimed pole position just 24 hours after
the retail side made it available to pre-order, for £29.
The success means it has beaten DVDs of recent hits such as The
Matrix Revolutions and Love Actually in the Amazon chart.
September’s release date will mark the first time the original
films - Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the
Jedi - have been available on DVD, and suitably whet the appetite
ahead of the release of the final film in the new trilogy, which
is due for cinematic release in 2005.
That film has yet to be named, although Star Wars fans are licking
their lips at the prospect of seeing Anakin Skywalker’s path
to the dark side of The Force finally being realised.
POSTED EARLIER: AS anticipation builds ahead of the release
of the final part in the new Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm has
announced that the original three films in the series will be
released on DVD for the first time, in September.
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The news, which is sure to delight any movie fan with a DVD,
was announced on Wednesday, February 11, and confirms that Star
Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi will be released
as part of a four-disc box set, with bonus footage and improved
picture and sound quality.
Jim Ward, executive producer for Lucasfilm, said he hoped the
DVDs, which are sure to feature among the Christmas best-sellers,
would be ‘as memorable as seeing the movies for the first
time’.
It should also serve to heighten the excitement ahead of Star
Wars: Episode 3, which is due to hit theatres in May 2005.
Needless to say, the US and Canada will be the first to own the
DVDs, from September 21, although an international release will
follow soon after.
The bonus disc will provide fans with new features, including
a feature-length documentary which is being billed as ‘the
most comprehensive ever produced about the Star Wars saga’.
It will also include previously unseen footage from the making
of all three films.
What’s more, each film, which will only be available as
part of the collection, has been digitally restored and re-mastered
for superior sound and picture quality.
Mr Ward told the BBC: "We know how long fans have waited
for this release and how much they have been looking forward to
it. So everyone has been working overtime to make sure that the
Star Wars trilogy on DVD is an awesome experience."
Further details of what to expect, and international release
dates, will be released on the official Star Wars website, which
fans have been advised to keep a keen eye on over the coming months.
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