Remakes, Remasters, and the ethics of preservation (Gaming)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Thursday, December 10, 2020, 12:42 (1534 days ago) @ squidnh3

It was 100% unethical.

To do the remasters, he had to cut the original finished negative to conform it to the special edition. This means he literally destroyed the original version of those movies. They do not exist anymore in their negative form, and CANNOT exist anymore as recutting the negative was destructive. As an extremely influential and important piece of culture, it can no longer be preserved.

There are separation masters that still exist (somewhere), so there is at least the possibility of creating a faithful remaster. But it is unlikely.

I understand what was done, I'm more interested in the argument for it being unethical.

Because it destroyed the original, which is a cornerstone of cinema and culture.