'I Think I Can Manage' is a weekly column by retailer Steven Bates, manager of Bookery Fantasy, a million dollar retail operation in Fairborn, Ohio (see 'ICv2 Adds First Regular Columnist').
Extreme makeovers: our society seems obsessed with the concept. Don't like your nose, your teeth, your breasts? No problem. With a nip here and a tuck there, everything is picture-perfect. Throw in Lasik and hair replacement, and you're practically a whole new person. What about your house? Hate that 'Brady Bunch' split-level with the two-car garage and the fenced-in back yard? How about a subterranean cave home with a full-size tennis court on the roof, and a Zen garden wet bar instead? And let's not forget your career, your car, your lifestyle, and your family--nothing lasts forever, right? Upgrade now, before you're too old to enjoy it!
Retailers are not immune from the syndrome. As this column goes to press, the Bookery has signs posted that read 'CLOSED FOR NEW CARPET' and 'PARDON OUR DUST.' Our customers are quite familiar with Bookery's penchant for rearrangement, from little rotations of product from rack to rack to entirely new floor arrangements. Customers are mostly just confused by the change, but we justify the constant state of flux as innovation, improvement, keeping the store fresh.
Are all such make-overs and renovations a good thing? Is there such a thing as too much tweaking? In the pursuit of idealized excellence, can you overwork something to the point where it loses whatever charm it once had?
Pop culture and mass media retailers are celebrating the fact that George Lucas is finally releasing his Star Wars Trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) on DVD. The versions in the set are the 'Special Editions' from the late nineties, with added-in CGI, cleaned up special effects, a re-mastered THX stereo soundtrack, and deleted scenes. Additional changes have been made for this release, such as replacing Sebastian Shaw (as the specter of an aged Anakin Skywalker) with young Hayden Christiansen in the final moments of ROTJ, and a different computer-generated version of Jabba the Hutt threatening Han Solo in Mos Eisley Spaceport. Retailers remember how the theatrical release of the Special Editions heralded in a new era in STAR WARS fandom, boosting sales on toys, comics, books, collectibles, and other memorabilia as a whole new generation of Star Wars fans were stricken by the mysterious ways of the Force.
Like many in my generation, Star Wars was a nigh-religious experience for me. Sitting, mesmerized, in the theater those 40-odd times the summer of 1977, I memorized nearly every minute of Star Wars. I knew just when the X-Wing fighters would make their initial pass at the Death Star, when the Millennium Falcon would drop out of the sun, and when Luke would fire that proton torpedo. There was a rhythm to the story and editing (reinforced, of course, by John Williams' brilliant score) that captivated me, a magical quality and charm, even when the special effects didn't hold up (though they were light years ahead of everything else in '77). THAT was my Star Wars. My reaction to the 'Special Editions' was something akin to Catholics' response to Vatican II in the sixties-who needed it?
I don't begrudge George Lucas tinkering with his masterpiece. Artists often paint over earlier attempts, or create whole new canvases, in an effort to perfect their paintings. Composers and musicians toy with notes and riffs, seeking some singular, unattainable, intangible quality. Writers constantly edit, adding to and taking away from the initial draft, striving for the ultimate conclusion. It's what creative people do. I only wish Mr. Lucas would acknowledge that, for some of us, STAR WARS was already perfect, like the old jalopy rusting in the driveway, the faded and torn jersey from our high school glory days, that comfortable pair of sneakers rotting in the garage, and the 40-year-old teddy bear disintegrating in the bottom of my sock drawer; the only way to improve them is to take them back to their original state. I have to wonder if it's not the same with Star Wars: would there be a market for unedited, unimproved, classic editions of the trilogy on DVD?
George, maybe it's time for restoration, not renovation.
The opinions in this article are those of the columnist, and are not necessarily those of the ICv2.com editorial staff.
