Ep II Tweaks Digital Vs. Film

[J.A.F._Doorhof]

Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones producer Rick McCallum told fans on the official Star Wars Web site that dozens of subtle differences exist between the 35 mm film version of the movie and the digital version. In particular—and in a spoiler for the movie's final scene—McCallum acknowledged that viewers will notice Anakin take Padmé's hand with his metal one after they are married. In the film version, the two do not touch hands.

"You've noticed a difference between the film print version of Episode II and the version that is being shown digitally (we call it D-cinema)," McCallum told the site. "Naturally, the process of making the thousands of physical film prints of the movie takes time, so we had to lock down that version in April. However, we had some extra time for the D-cinema distribution, so [director] George [Lucas] had a few more days to make some final tweaks to the finished product. At the last minute, George felt the wedding scene needed the affection of Padmé taking Anakin's mechanical hand, so just a few days before Celebration II in Indianapolis, we shot it and inserted it in time for the D-cinema version. That addition is by far the most noticeable change, but we actually made over 70 enhancements for D-cinema. Most involved sharpening, tweaking wipes and color adjustments. However, there are a handful that are definite visual-effects changes. I'd be curious to hear if any fans have found any of the other changes." Episode II is currently playing.