A restored HD version of the original Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 35mm print has appeared online. While this isn't the first time that attempts have been made to restore Star Wars to its original theatrical version—that's the one without the much-maligned CGI effects and edits of later "special" editions—it is the first to have been based entirely on a single 35mm print of the film, rather than cut together from various sources.
The group behind the release, dubbed Team Negative 1, is made up of Star Wars fans and enthusiasts who spent thousands of dollars of their own cash to restore the film without the blessing of creator George Lucus, or franchise owner Disney. Lucas has famously disowned the original theatrical version of Star Wars, telling The Today Show back in 2004:
The special edition, that’s the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it’s on VHS, if anybody wants it. ... I’m not going to spend the—we’re talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because 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.
Lucasfilm later claimed that the original negatives of Star Wars were permanently altered for the special edition releases, making restoration next to impossible. How Team Negative 1 got its hands on a 35mm print of the 1977 release of the movie is a mystery. But for fans who don't want to see ropey CGI, a pointless Jabba the Hutt scene, and know for a fact that Han shoots first, this restored version of the film—even with some pops, scratches, and colour issues—is the one to watch.
The only official digital release of the original theatrical print was made back in 2006 as an extra feature on the DVD special edition. Unfortunately, those transfers—which were made from the same source as the 1995 Laserdisc release—weren't anamorphic, and only featured compressed Dolby 2.0 audio. That's not to mention that the transfer itself used an aggressive form of digital noise reduction, which erased some of the finer details of the film.
The only issue with Team Negative 1's version of the film is that it isn't exactly legal. That said, it isn't hard to track down online. While that might be a bit too risky for some, Team Negative 1 believes that plenty of people will want to watch its "Silver Screen" restoration.
"We know that anyone under 30 kind of prefers the clean, sharp, detailed look," Team Negative 1 told Movie Mezzanine. "Then the older crowd, the retro crowd, is like, 'give me the grain and give me the matte boxes and give me a little weave in the picture.' It's kind of like CD vs. vinyl."
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