A Real Stooge

George Lucas has out done himself. The director, who has made countless alterations to his original "Star Wars" films, has called out Columbia Tri-Star home-video for colorizing a series of Three Stooges shorts that were recently released on DVD.

Lucas was quoted as saying, "Would color distract from their comedy and make it not as funny anymore?" Maybe just the fact that they're in black and white makes it funny, because their humor is dated. But by putting it in black and white, it puts it in a context where you can appreciate it for what it was.

"But you try to make it in full living color and try to compare it to a Jim Carrey movie, then it's hard for young people to understand. Because you're then thinking you're comparing apples to apples, when you're not. You're comparing apples to oranges. I'm saying it's not fair to the artist."

Lucas may have a point there, but what he fails to realize is that the recently released DVDs feature the shorts in both the newly colorized version and the original black and white. Now I'm no fan of colorization, but at least the consumer is being given a choice of which version they would prefer. This is an option that viewers will not be given when the new "Special Editions" of the three original "Star Wars" movies hit DVD shelves next month. Not only has Lucas modernized the original special effects, but he has also over seen the creation of a brand new surround soundtrack. By doing this Lucas is no longer allowing viewers to enjoy his films "in a context where you can appreciate (them) for what (they)(were)."

I know that I've criticized Lucas in the past, and I do understand that as an artist it is his right to alter his films. What he shouldn't do though, is criticize people who do the same things. George Lucas is many things, but I never figured him for a hypocrite.