If you're a fan of the original, unaltered Star Wars trilogy, you've likely heard of . But did you know it's available on the Internet Archive ?
The restoration restores the original color timing of the 35mm IB Technicolor print. This means the familiar blue tint present in later Blu-ray releases is gone, replaced with warmer, more natural tones.
A 4K restoration of Return of the Jedi (1983), which was actually completed before 4K80 due to the pristine quality of the sourced 35mm print. Legal and Ethical Status project 4k77 internet archive
Project 4K77 occupies legally ambiguous territory. The team doesn’t monetize their work; the films are distributed freely, though donations are accepted to cover equipment costs, film reel purchases, and hard drive space. This non-commercial nature places the project in a different category from piracy operations seeking profit.
In the world of film preservation, there is a silent war raging between corporate copyright holders and passionate fan communities. Nowhere is this battle more iconic than within the Star Wars fandom. If you're a fan of the original, unaltered
: The original sequence where Han Solo shoots Greedo without Greedo returning fire is restored.
If you’ve ever complained about the "Special Edition" changes to Star Wars —Greedo shooting first, Jedi Rocks, or that awful CGI scream falling down the shaft—you’ve likely heard of . This means the familiar blue tint present in
: Once scanned, the footage undergoes cleaning and restoration at 4K. This process involves dust-busting (removing dirt and speckles), color correction to match the original Technicolor palette, and stabilization to reduce jitter. The team works to preserve the film’s natural grain structure, which many feel was overly scrubbed in official releases.
The team carefully matched the colors to the 1977 theatrical color timing.
The team spent countless hours digitally cleaning the scan to remove dirt, scratches, and damage accumulated on the film over decades.