[Old Stuff] Star Wars Trilogy VHS Box Sets
About a day ago, I got a pretty good deal on Ebay. I happened to have some 5 dollar off coupon that ebay gave me to go "hey man you should BUY some shit", and someone was selling a somewhat messed up VHS box set of the Star Wars Trilogy for 10 dollars.
So, using my $5 dollar coupon, I bought it, for only $5!
This is it. See, it's somewhat messed up.
It doesn't seem to come with the slipcover it's supposed to, and it's clear that copy of Return of the Jedi is one of the original, individual releases. Actually, hold that thought.
You're looking at me funny. You're going "why the hell would you, in nearly the year of our lord anno domini two-thousand and nineteen, buy VHS tapes?". Well first off, I like VHS tapes. Certainly, for some movies I really do want them on blu-ray, as the cinematography, use of color, overall seriousness, or perhaps just quality of the film says to me "I need to see this in high definition", and even DVDs are better looking that VHS tapes.
However, for certain movies, I just enjoy seeing them on VHS better. And while I am videophile, and notice the problems with VHS picture quality even more than most people, I actually really have an appreciation for it. I like to say I'm watching a movie that isn't data on a disc being played by a program, but that I'm watching a movie on god damned magnetic tape, that's housed inside of a plastic shell. I'd say it's about as close as you'd get to watching a movie off of super 8 film without actually just doing that, and I think you need to buy a film projector which is more expensive than a VCR and then actually acquire the film reels which can't be very affordable.
Also I'm the kind of weirdo who actually wants to own a LaserDisc Player some day. Key factor.
As I was saying I like VHS tapes, I like cassette tapes, hell I even like 8 track tapes. I have a fascination with old media, especially stuff from before my time. I think I might get a record player sometime too. I recently watched some videos about betamax tapes, the 4 different types of cassettes(of which only 3 were ever really used) and the Sony Trinitron, the best CRT you can get. I'm planning on doing more posts about old and obsolete media.
But who cares about that, the second factor is that I think, even now, VHS is the only way you can watch the non-special edition cuts of Star Wars. Due to this, not only is it the way to do that and thus you should want them too, Star Wars fans and VHS collectors alike really like them! They're worth more! In fact, that Return of the Jedi tape that doesn't belong with this set, actually tend to go for more than 5 dollars.
If it's got that grey box and the red hi-fi label, I've been told that means it's one of the original releases. Now, some people are trying to sell not those for the same price, that's just people thinking OMG I GOT A RARE TAPE, when really those are from one of these box sets. Still I got a good deal on this really, I'd say!
Hey wait a minute, one of these box sets... How many are there? Well unfortunately I couldn't really find out how many there are, even wookiepedia doesn't really say. It mentions the 1995 box set, the original releases, the uhhh ultimate laserdisc edtion(note to self: get that some day), and that's really it. I think it mentions some other VHS releases but no real details. I wish I knew when each of these were put out, especially since there's two versions of the one I bought from what I can see.
Here's what I got:
With the right 3rd tape, and the slip cover of course... and in better shape.
But here's... that same one?
No. It's not the same one
See? The first one says CBS/FOX VIDEO, the second just says FOX VIDEO.
What does this mean? What this means is the first set was put out some time after 1982, when CBS/Fox Video was established, and the second was put out after 1991, when a reorganization took place and the companies split into CBS Video and Fox Video.
Fox Video and CBS Video ended up folding into CBS Home Entertainment, and the Fox just took their side of things to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Read more about that here,
I think the first one was released in 1988, as I've seen listings for it under that. I don't know when the second one was put out. I think I might have seen it listed as 1995, but I don't know if that's just people thinking "it's a 90s box set of star wars it has to be the 1995 one", or if it was really re-issued alongside the 1995 set.
Oh right, yeah, the 1995 set is this:
You may have seen this. I actually have the A New Hope from this set. This is also known as the "faces" set.
Oh and then there was the special version of that:
So, using my $5 dollar coupon, I bought it, for only $5!
This is it. See, it's somewhat messed up.
It doesn't seem to come with the slipcover it's supposed to, and it's clear that copy of Return of the Jedi is one of the original, individual releases. Actually, hold that thought.
You're looking at me funny. You're going "why the hell would you, in nearly the year of our lord anno domini two-thousand and nineteen, buy VHS tapes?". Well first off, I like VHS tapes. Certainly, for some movies I really do want them on blu-ray, as the cinematography, use of color, overall seriousness, or perhaps just quality of the film says to me "I need to see this in high definition", and even DVDs are better looking that VHS tapes.
However, for certain movies, I just enjoy seeing them on VHS better. And while I am videophile, and notice the problems with VHS picture quality even more than most people, I actually really have an appreciation for it. I like to say I'm watching a movie that isn't data on a disc being played by a program, but that I'm watching a movie on god damned magnetic tape, that's housed inside of a plastic shell. I'd say it's about as close as you'd get to watching a movie off of super 8 film without actually just doing that, and I think you need to buy a film projector which is more expensive than a VCR and then actually acquire the film reels which can't be very affordable.
Also I'm the kind of weirdo who actually wants to own a LaserDisc Player some day. Key factor.
As I was saying I like VHS tapes, I like cassette tapes, hell I even like 8 track tapes. I have a fascination with old media, especially stuff from before my time. I think I might get a record player sometime too. I recently watched some videos about betamax tapes, the 4 different types of cassettes(of which only 3 were ever really used) and the Sony Trinitron, the best CRT you can get. I'm planning on doing more posts about old and obsolete media.
But who cares about that, the second factor is that I think, even now, VHS is the only way you can watch the non-special edition cuts of Star Wars. Due to this, not only is it the way to do that and thus you should want them too, Star Wars fans and VHS collectors alike really like them! They're worth more! In fact, that Return of the Jedi tape that doesn't belong with this set, actually tend to go for more than 5 dollars.
If it's got that grey box and the red hi-fi label, I've been told that means it's one of the original releases. Now, some people are trying to sell not those for the same price, that's just people thinking OMG I GOT A RARE TAPE, when really those are from one of these box sets. Still I got a good deal on this really, I'd say!
Hey wait a minute, one of these box sets... How many are there? Well unfortunately I couldn't really find out how many there are, even wookiepedia doesn't really say. It mentions the 1995 box set, the original releases, the uhhh ultimate laserdisc edtion(note to self: get that some day), and that's really it. I think it mentions some other VHS releases but no real details. I wish I knew when each of these were put out, especially since there's two versions of the one I bought from what I can see.
Here's what I got:
With the right 3rd tape, and the slip cover of course... and in better shape.
But here's... that same one?
No. It's not the same one
See? The first one says CBS/FOX VIDEO, the second just says FOX VIDEO.
What does this mean? What this means is the first set was put out some time after 1982, when CBS/Fox Video was established, and the second was put out after 1991, when a reorganization took place and the companies split into CBS Video and Fox Video.
Fox Video and CBS Video ended up folding into CBS Home Entertainment, and the Fox just took their side of things to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Read more about that here,
I think the first one was released in 1988, as I've seen listings for it under that. I don't know when the second one was put out. I think I might have seen it listed as 1995, but I don't know if that's just people thinking "it's a 90s box set of star wars it has to be the 1995 one", or if it was really re-issued alongside the 1995 set.
Oh right, yeah, the 1995 set is this:
You may have seen this. I actually have the A New Hope from this set. This is also known as the "faces" set.
Oh and then there was the special version of that:
These ones are wide screen! This I haven't ever seen mentioned either.
But, wait, there's another box set! No no, not the special edition box set, this one:
Oh wait no, that's not the one I'm thinking of either, this was just a super collector's edition, that was also widescreen, but came out before the other widescreen one. I dunno when this one came out. The special documentary aired in 1983, so it must be during or after that year.
Here's the one I mean.
This honestly seems like the nicer box set there is, that obviously wouldn't/wouldn't have cost an arm and a leg, seems to be nicely compact and looks pretty good. Unfonately, this is a special edition box set. It appears to be from 2000.
But that's not the special edition set you were thinking of, wast it?:
Here's the Gold Box, regular Special Edition tapes. Would be nice if it wasn't the special editions. I have the Empire Strikes Back tape from this.
But then there's the one you'd obviously want instead, the widescreen, Platinum Box. Again, would be nice if it wasn't the special editions. These ones came out in 1997.
What's kinda shitty about those two is they're clearly meant to go together, but why would you want to buy both the pan & scanned and the widescreen versions? I guess if you're a serious collector you would... especially since without both Darth Vader's face is incomplete. And you can't have Darth Vader with an incomplete face, can you?
EDIT 2:
I found a collector's edition of the Special Edition Trilogy:
Even not liking the SEs, as anyone should, I gotta admit that this is really cool.
These are all that I'm aware of, but there might be more, considering that I just barely got enough info on these between these two pages:
Crazy how the star wars wiki page doesn't mention the collector's edition, or the original box set, but does make sure to mention all the LaserDisc versions and the VHS tapes of... Droids and Ewokes.
Welp that's about all I have this time, maybe next time I'll tell you more about video tapes... like that copy of Thunder in Paradise I got...
EDIT 1:
AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON FOREIGN BOX SET RELEASES
Comments
Post a Comment
Ey watchu think mang?