''Star Wars Episode I.I: The Phantom Edit'' is a fan edit of the film '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', removing many elements of the original film. The purpose of the edit, according to creator Mike J. Nichols, was to make a much stronger version of ''The Phantom Menace'' based on the previous execution and philosophies of film storytelling and editing of

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

. ''The Phantom Edit'' was the first unauthorized re-edit of ''The Phantom Menace'' to receive major publicity and acclaim and is also considered the first fan-edit of a feature film ever to be shared by an online audience.

History

''The Phantom Edit'' was originally circulated in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

studios in 2000 and 2001, and was followed by media attention. Salon.com,

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, and the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

all covered the edit to various degrees. Rumor initially attributed ''The Phantom Edit'' to

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

, who admitted to having seen the re-edit but denied that he was the editor. The editor was revealed to be Mike J. Nichols of

Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most popul ...

, in the September 7, 2001, edition of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''.

Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company founded by filmmaker George Lucas in December 10, 1971 in San Rafael, California, and later moved to San Francisco in 2005. It is best known for creating and producing th ...

, the production company of series creator George Lucas, condoned the edit and did not pursue legal action against its distributors.

Reviews

Critics and filmmakers have commented on the original ''Phantom Edit'', in most cases providing the approval and recognition which furthered the fan edit movement. * "Smart editing to say the least" —

, film director * "...Materialized from out of nowhere was a good film that had been hidden inside the disappointing original one." — Daniel Kraus, ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

'' * " one by someone with a gift (and equipment) for editing" — Michael Wilmington, ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' film critic

References

External links

Wayback Machine archive of ''The Phantom Edit'' fan website

"The Phantom Editor Strikes Again"
Joshua Griffin's April 29, 2005, review of ''Episode II.I: Attack of the Phantom'', on TheForce.net fan site {{DEFAULTSORT:Phantom Edit 2000 films 2000 independent films Fan films based on Star Wars Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Alternative versions of films Unofficial adaptations 2000s American films