Return of the Jedi, Laserdisc, CBS/FOX Video Japan, 1987

1987 saw the release of the Star Wars films in Widescreen for the first time, in the "Special Collection" sets from Japan. The letterboxed image was shifted above center to accomodate Japanese subtitles. Audio was the original English Dolby Pro-logic-encoded surround sound, in Digital PCM. The discs were formatted in CAV, enabling flawless frame advance and reverse, something the Star Wars movies were ideal for. After the main programme on side 6, there is a short "Star Wars Trilogy Scrapbook" feature. It is a set of still frames comparing the Widescreen and 4x3 framing, as well as some clips showing the panning necessary for the pan-and-scan process. Examples from all three films are included. It doesn't show on the cover scans, but the "Special Collection" letters were printed in gold. In fact, CBS/Fox went all out for these releases. All discs came in their own sleeves, with chapter descriptions for each disc. Very classy. Japanese discs usually have an insert, and these were no exception. Also released in a box set. The Star Wars disc is dated 1986, while Empire and Jedi are dated 1987. I always assumed they were released together, but I may be wrong. Japanese laserdiscs command a higher price if they come with their original OBI, a price/information strip that is common on Japanese media but often discarded by the original buyer. The OBIs on these discs were wider than usual.

Assorted screenshots:

CBS/Fox Video logo	Fox fanfare	A long time ago...	Title card	Opening crawl
Star Destroyer	Jabba subtitles	Obi Wan	Transfer stunt	Shuttle landing
Emperor's slug	Duel	End credits	End credits	Japanese version credit
Copyright notice	"Scrapbook" feature	"Scrapbook" feature	"Scrapbook" feature	"Scrapbook" feature
"Scrapbook" feature	"Scrapbook" feature	"Scrapbook" feature	"Scrapbook" feature	Side 6