Box front

Box back

Box contents

Box rear info

Film cells

The Art of Star Wars Book

Plaque

Art print envelope

Star Wars art print

Star Wars art print

Star Wars art print

Star Wars Trilogy Limited Edition Collector's Set, Widescreen, VHS, 20th Century-Fox Home Ent, USA 1997

In 1997 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment published a lavish, limited edition box set of the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition on VHS and Laserdisc. The box is a heavy cardboard box, covered in black faux-leather vinyl. Though you can't tell from the pictures, Vader's features are slightly embossed on the front. Nice touch! Inside you'll find all three films in Widescreen format in Hi-Fi Stereo, as well as a separate tape featuring "The Making of Star Wars Special Edition" documentary. The accompanying artbook is a soft cover 56-page book with lavish illustrations and sketches from the Special Editions. (This is a different book to the one they show on the info leaflet that was on the back under the shrinkwrap. They must have changed it in the last minute.) You also get a heavy pewter plaque with an edition number on the back (This is no. 12.866 of 40.000), a set of 35mm film cells from one of the Special Editon scenes (mine features the Jabbah scene), as well as a set of prints of Drew Struzan's Special Edition poster art. I bought my set second hand on eBay (naturally) in 2010. While the box set was opened, the actual tapes were still shrinkwrapped, so I haven't wanted to play them and check for any differences to other releases.