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Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980 & 2004 Versions, 2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
List Price: $19.98Our Price: $14.99 You Save: $4.99 (25%)Prices subject to change.
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: STAR WARS EPISODE V: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (DVD
EAN: 0024543263838
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Item Dimensions: 30
Label: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed),
Manufacturer: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
MPN: 2236383
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: September 12, 2006
Running Time: 129 minutes
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: May 21, 1980
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Editorial Review:
For the first time ever and for a limited time only the enhanced versions of the Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi will be available individually on DVD. Plus these 2-Disc DVD's will feature a bonus disc that includes for the first time ever on DVD the original films as seen in theaters in 1977 1980 and 1983.System Requirements:Running Time: 127 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating: PG UPC: 024543263838 Manufacturer No: 2236383
The 2006 limited-edition two-disc release of The Empire Strikes Back is not only the first time the movie has been officially available by itself on DVD. It marks the first-ever DVD release of Empire as it originally played in theaters in 1980. What does that mean exactly? The film is without the various "improvements" and enhancements George Lucas added for the theatrical rerelease in 1997 as well as the DVD premiere in 2004. So no more of Ian McDiarmid (the Emperor) replacing Clive Revill with slightly revised lines, or Temuera Morrison rerecording of Boba Fett's minimal dialogue.
What do you lose by watching the 1980 version? Dolby Digital 5.1 EX sound, for one thing (only 2.0 Surround here), and digital cleanup. But for home-theater owners, the biggest frustration will be from the non-anamorphic picture. On a widescreen TV, an anamorphically enhanced (16x9) picture at a 2.35:1 aspect ratio will fill the screen with the exception of small black bars on the top and bottom. The original edition of Empire, however, on a widescreen TV will have large black bars on the top, the bottom, and the sides unless you stretch the picture (and distort it in the process, especially considering the substandard picture quality). If you're watching on a standard square-shaped (4:3) TV, though, you won't notice a difference.
Yes, it's true that serious home-theater lovers who want spectacular sound and anamorphically enhanced picture can always watch the 2004 version of the movie also included in this set. But chances are good that they already picked up the trilogy edition of all three films, so their decision to buy the 2006 two-disc edition depends on how much they want the original film. The official LucasFilm stance is that this is an individual release of the 2004 version of The Empire Strikes Back, and the 1980 version of the film is merely a "bonus feature." Common speculation is that the only reason the original versions are seeing the official light of day at all is to undercut the booming black market for the laserdisc version. Star Wars fans will have to decide for themselves if that's worth the purchase. --David Horiuchi
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The ultimate Star Wars film
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is by far my favorite movie of all time. Once again, I prefer the 2004 version to the 1980, or even the 1997 version of the film, even though I grew up loving the 1980 version. This is the film where the ultimate villian, Darth Vader, shows his true might. If someone fails Vader, he kills them. Love it! This is the film for every fan of Darth Vader. Of course the 1980 version of the film is not in anamorphic widescreen, and is only presented in 2.0 sound. ... Read More
Rating:  - This applies to all three Star Wars DVDs with the original and altered versions
To everyone complaining about the non-anamorphic transfer for the orginal DVDs...stop it! Don't you remember a time when it looked like that George Lucas wasn't even going release the original versions? George Lucas was obviously trying to throw a bone to the fans when he release these DVDs and I for one am grateful for them. He didn't have to release the orginal versions and he may not do it again, so this should be considered a gift.
However, I do dock the DVDs two stars, one because both ... Read More
Rating: - A Return to Innocence.
Hoth.
Yoda.
Cloud City.
That moment when you realize family really does matter ... priceless.
Individually these words represent small facets of pop culture, making whatever the question is in Trivial Pursuit obviously "Star Wars", but when you put them together, in this order, the words "Empire Strikes Back" will inevitably fall from your mouth. The second chapter (or fifth, however you count them) in Lucas' grandiose space opera involves a frozen planet, a little green man, ... Read More
Rating: - The Dark Side Beckons
The Good Things
*Excellent special effects, action, and battle scenes, no matter how old they are. A step better than its predecessor.
*Excellent acting and dialogue.
*Good engaging story. Contains some powerful, intense, dramatic scenes.
*Good characters still.
*Imaginative settings.
*Excellent music.
The Bad Things
*A little long.
As a kid, this one always felt long and dull. Looking back on it now, however, I've come to realize that it ... Read More
Rating: - Exactly What I Wanted
(Note: This is the same review as the one I wrote for A New Hope)
I bought this and the two like Star Wars DVDs as a gift for my father who had seen the remastered versions and wished that they were never made. I wanted to find the original films, just like the VHS tapes I grew up with, for him to add to his collection. There may be a box set out there somewhere with those films but I wanted to be positive of what I got and this was perfect. It contains both the Original and the Remastered on two DVDs which ... Read More
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