The Phantom Edit

"The Phantom Edit" is a fan edit of the movie "", removing elements of the original thought to be unsuccessful by some criticswho and long-time fanswho. 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. ["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of a Lucas team member, and carefully re-edited it, concentrating on creating the storytelling style that Lucas originally made famous.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 [http://archive.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/2001/11/05/phantom_edit/index.html article] ] "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. ["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.]

Changes

The changes include:
* removing or re-editing some scenes featuring Jar Jar Binks
* removing or re-editing most Battle Droid dialogue
* limiting redundant exposition throughout the 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
* removing dialogue that specifies that Midichlorians are a biological basis for Force sensitivity.

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 acclaimedwho 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."

Illegally 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.

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") [ [http://movies.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/1,1259,---7392,00.html Zap2it.com - Movie news - Kevin Smith Speaks Out About 'The Phantom Edit' ] ]

"...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) [ [http://archive.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/2001/11/05/phantom_edit/index.html Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | "The Phantom Edit" ] ]

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

Attack of the Phantom

The Phantom Editor followed up his edits of "Episode I" with an edit of "", for the stated purpose of not just providing easy criticism of "Episode II", but to do the harder work of demonstrating why he thinks his edit is better.

Called "Star Wars Episode II.I: Attack of the Phantom", the DVD contains a re-edited version based on a DVD release of "Episode II" in surround sound, with a commentary track. At points during the commentary, the viewer has the option to interrupt the movie to view in more detail some of the things that the editor is talking about. For example, included is a short music video satirically contrasting Artoo's ability to fly in "Episode II", with the notably non-flying Artoo in "Episode IV", "V", and "VI".

While there are many changes in the editing, the overall effects are to make the Anakin character less annoying and Padmé's relationship with him more believable, as well as to cut down some of the special effects sequences that don't drive the story forward.

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/1375742.stm Mystery of Star Wars phantom edit] , BBC News Article, Thursday, June 7, 2001
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1125961 All Things Considered] , an NPR story, 'Star Wars' - The Phantom Edit, Robert Siegel talks with Andrew Rogers from Zap2it.com, July 16, 2001
* [http://archive.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/2001/11/05/phantom_edit/index.html "The Phantom Edit"] , a Salon.com article by Daniel Kraus, November 5, 2001
* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hollywood/digital/mann.html Hollywood Goes Digital, Like It Or Not] , a PBS Article by Charles C. Mann, November 22, 2001
* [http://www.theforce.net/rouser/reviews/phantom_attack.asp "The Phantom Editor Strikes Again"] , Joshua Griffin's April 29, 2005 review of Episode II.I: Attack of the Phantom, on TheForce.net fan site
* [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Attack_of_the_Phantom "Attack of the Phantom"] , Wookieepedia page about this edit

References

ee also

* List of changes in Star Wars re-releases