The Star Wars Vault: Thirty Years of Treasures from the Lucasfilm Archives, With Removable Memorabilia and Two Audio CDs Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Nothing you read about this incredible collection can prepare you for how actually spectacular it is. After flipping through only a few pages you will quickly realize it was money well spent and by the time you get to the end you'll be proud to be a Star Wars fan all over again. No aspect of the Star Wars galaxy appears to have been forgotten. There is even goodies on the "The Star Wars Holiday Special"! If you are any type of Star Wars collector then this set is an absolute must!

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"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." It's been 30 years since those immortal words were first seen on movie screens nationwide and it was the start of a worldwide phenomenon and the beginning of the most successful movie franchise of all time.

The Star Wars Vault: Thirty Years of Treasures from the Lucasfilm Archives, With Removable Memorabilia and Two Audio CDs by Stephen J. Sansweet and Peter Vilmur (HarperEntertainment; on-sale October 30, 2007; $85.00) is the official illustrated book celebrating this year's 30th anniversary of George Lucas' first Star Wars movie, and includes removable reproductions of memorabilia, along with two CDs containing vintage radio ads, original cast interviews, George Lucas' commentary, and even Carrie Fisher singing in the Star Wars Holiday Special.

The Star Wars Vault is the insider's look at the development and making of all six movies, and the huge cultural impact they've had. In addition to hundreds of photos and pieces of artwork, the book includes fifty interactive, rare, and some never-before-seen pieces of memorabilia.

Among the book's features are:


The special questionnaire for the first and only test screening of the original Star Wars — and the invitation to attend it
George Lucas' hand-written treatment for The Empire Strikes Back
Lucasfilm Christmas cards
Iron-on T-shirt transfer
The very first concept sketch drawn for Star Wars
Blueprints of Star Wars vehicles and sets
Original hand-written directions for ground-breaking special effects


The Star Wars Vault is the ultimate, one-of-a-kind insider's look into the sensation that launched a phenomenon that includes six feature films; two spin-off films; three television series with more to come; and an extensive collection of licensed books, comics, video games, action figures, trading cards, and many other products worldwide.

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Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace (Star Wars Instrumental Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)After expanded releases of all the other three Star Wars movies, it was expected that someone would release an expanded edition of The Phantom Menace soundrack. Well, it finally happened, and of course it is worth the price tag. John Williams' 120+ minutes of masterly music is wonderful. The quality is great and the packaging is phenomenal.
On the down side, there are a few things that make this only a four-star buy. Unlike its predecessors, this two-disc set is not made from the original master tapes. It is simply taken directly from the film, an isolated music track if you will. Although it is nice since it is in true chronological order, many of the tracks run into each other, and they are cut up to fit the film. For instance, in the end of the film the music changes as the viewpoint goes from the space battle to the ground battle. This carries directly to the soundtrack, so most of the end songs are cut up between numerous tracks without any fade ins or fade outs.
This aside, the sheer wealth of new music and fine packaging are reasons to buy this soundtrack. Notable in the new music is the song where Anakin leaves his mother (track 1 on disc 2). Also notable are some annoying and unecessary "extra" tracks (skip them).
Along with the two-cds it comes with a long booklet that has many pictures from the film (it does not have any music commentary like the previous ones unfourtunatly). Although it would have been nicer if this release was more like the previous expanded releases, the new music makes it worth the buy. To get the true experience, I would recommend buying both this and the original Phantom Menace soundtrack release though.

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These great new arrangements from the John Williams movie score can be played alone, or as duets or trios in any instrumental combination. Titles are: Anakin's Theme * Augie's Great Municipal Band * Duel of the Fates * The Flag Parade * Jar Jar's Introduction * Qui-Gon's Funeral * Star Wars (Main Theme).

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