The Phantom Edit

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The VHS cover
The VHS cover

The Phantom Edit is a fan edit of the movie Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, removing elements of the original thought to be unsuccessful by some critics and long-time fans. The purpose of the edit, according to creator Mike J. Nichols, was to make a much stronger version of The Phantom Menace based on the previous execution and philosophies of film storytelling and editing made famous by George Lucas himself.[1] The Phantom Edit was the first unauthorized re-edit of The Phantom Menace to receive major publicity and acclaim for making the film appreciably better, and although many other re-editing attempts followed, the original Phantom Edit is still highly regarded as a successful exercise of professional and artistic narrative film editing.[2]

Contents

[edit] Changes

The changes include:

  • removing or re-editing some scenes featuring Jar Jar Binks (Though retaining others, including, notably, the scene in which Jar Jar's tongue becomes stuck in a Pod Racer's energy binder)
  • removing or re-editing most Battle Droid dialogue
  • limiting redundant exposition throughout film
  • trimming reiteration of the politics
  • re-arranged shots and scenes to match original trilogy presentation style
  • removing "Yippee" and "Oops" from young Anakin's dialogue in order to make him a stronger character (but retaining some similar lines, such as "Now this is Podracing!")

It is worth noting that the Pod Race remains mostly uncut, with all or most of the two-headed announcer's lines intact.

It was originally circulated to studios in Hollywood in 2000 and 2001, and was followed by worldwide media attention in magazines, television, and especially the Internet. It was acclaimed as providing a more focused and better paced version of the film.

Rumor attributed The Phantom Edit to Kevin Smith, probably because he edits his own films and his films frequently refer to the Star Wars mythos. Smith admitted to having seen the re-edit but denied that he was the editor. The editor was revealed to be Mike J. Nichols of Santa Clarita, California in the September 7, 2001 edition of the Washington Post and the June 1, 2002 edition of the Los Angeles Times.

Illicitly available on VHS, DVD and later via BitTorrent, the DVD contains two deleted scenes and a commentary track by the editor as well as a few easter eggs. The DVD version has also been relabeled as Episode I.II, has a slightly different podrace from the VHS version, and contains more extensive editing to individual images and sounds that have not been entirely cut.

[edit] Reviews

Critics and filmmakers have commented on the original Phantom Edit, in most cases providing the approval and recognition which furthered the fan edit movement.

"Smart editing to say the least." — Kevin Smith, Film Director (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy)[3]

"...Materialized from out of nowhere was a good film that had been hidden inside the disappointing original one." — Daniel Kraus, Salon.com (November 5, 2001)[4]

"[Done by] someone with a gift for editing!" — Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune Film Critic (June 18, 2001)


[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "This project began as a personal endeavor when I watched 'The Phantom Menace' as an audience, analyzed it with the care and attention of a Lucas team member, and carefully re-edited it, concentrating on creating the storytelling style that Lucas originally made famous. ... Although I definitely appreciate all the unexpected attention and support, I also respect and understand the discontent of Lucasfilm Ltd." The Phantom Editor, as quoted in the Salon article
  2. ^ "The general consensus of fans on the Internet seems to be that the new edit is an improvement on the original version...."If you haven't watched [the original], you don't know," said Jercan. "Whoever did the job did a hell of a job. It's like there's no break. So it had to be a professional. Because two kids can't do this."" Zap2it. "The Phantom Editor had apparently used new, cheap computing power to assemble an alternative, professional-quality movie -- exactly the same kind of new, cheap computing power that had allowed Lucas to make the original film, with its digitally created characters and special effects." PBS.
  3. ^ Zap2it.com - Movie news - Kevin Smith Speaks Out About 'The Phantom Edit'
  4. ^ Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | "The Phantom Edit"

[edit] See also

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Non-canon Star Wars
Fan films
Official
mockumentaries