Star Wars - A Retrospective

Star Wars never seems to age. Or does it? With its setting in a different galaxy, and a few elements of fantasy, it does not become dated as our modern world of technological gadgets marches forward.

But what was it like to see the first movie when it first came out? (Awesome.) Was it any different from its 20th anniversary Special Edition release? (Yes.) Here is a retrospective from that first set of showings. We attempt to capture some of the moments that made it different. And we'll give you a hint up front... the first-run showings of Star Wars (now titled Star Wars: A New Hope) were an audience participation experience.

(Now... we realize some people haven't seen the original movies, that is, Episodes IV, V, and VI which were released in the 1970s and 1980s. Fans find this extremely hard to believe, but we've actually run into such people.)

If you haven't seen the original three movies yet, go find some friends who also haven't seen them, along with a few fans, get the tapes and some popcorn, and have a good time.

Last major update -- 1999 April 15: I have you now...
Last minor update -- 2003 Dec 17: format change, minor editorial changes

Drum roll and fanfare please...

Prolog

Along time ago, in a galaxy... well, really 1977 in Los Angeles, California, to be precise, Westwood, California, just outside of UCLA... One of the places where Star Wars played an exclusive engagement in a first-run theatre. (The scene was probably the same outside Grauman's (now Mann's) Chinese Threatre, where the movie first opened.)

America was a nation of scars. It had come out of the Vietnam War. A president had resigned disgrace. It was a nation sorely needing to escape its troubles, and also something to believe in. There had not been any popular science fiction films in a long time.

So here was a phenomenon. A long line of people outside this Westwood threater, waiting to see the newly released sci-fi film. And it wasn't even clear that all of them were sci-fi fans. Even within the first few weeks, there were reports of movie goers seeing it several times.

The long line of people fills the theatre. Another line is already building for the next showing. Almost immediately after the whole audience has filled the theatre, it begins. You read:

And suddenly, the theme music hits you, along with the Star Wars logo. Immediately, you are in a different world.

As the prologue rolls up the screen, it effectively announces to you that this is a time to forget your troubles. It sets the scene with "the evil Empire ... the Death Star..." A few in the audience who read this break into immediate laughter. They know what kind of film this is going to be.

Then, moving down through the star field, the stunning view of a planetary horizon stretches along the base of the wide screen. Above you, a space ship glides into view.

It is large.

But no, it is even larger than that.

It is still filling up the screen! It feels as if the ship is cruising over you. And you are caught in the middle of military crossfire.

(The impact of the ship filling the screen is not captured on videotape versions of the movie, even with large TV sets. You almost have to experience this is the theatre. One teenager who had seen it on tape several times, but just come out from the Special Edition in the theatre, remarked, "I'd never seen it like that before. That was different.")

There hasn't been movie music like this in a long time. It's beautiful. It carries the emotion of the action.

Capture

The action switches to the smaller passenger ship, which has been captured by the larger battle cruiser.

The two droids R2-D2 and C-3PO are stuck on one side of a stream of weapons fire. They hastily beat their way to the other side... as hastily as they slowly can, anyway. At this point, the whole audience breaks out in laughter. No human would attempt that! And of course, C-3P0 is unable to duck under the fire.

With the rebels defeated, out of the haze appears Darth Vader. The music announces evil intent. As if on cue, the audience hisses at him.

Droids

After their crash landing onto the desert of a Tatooine wasteland, it becomes clear that the droids have personality. They must face hardship.

C-3PO sums it up nicely: "We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life."

There is laughter in the audience. In 1977, the attitude is, of course they were made to suffer and do dangerous things! What else are robots for? No one in the audience expects the droids to be so human. Never before have they empathized with such characters.

R2-D2's unintelligible (to us) chirps and squeals somehow seem understandable. There are no words, but certain sounds seem to convey certain meanings, and the audience seems to understand. How is that possible? It is a strange sensation.

I Have You Now

Luke flys his X-Wing into a narrow trench of the Death Star, leading to a small exhaust port. Darth Vader is on his tail. Vader is closing in: "I have you now." But he is taken by surprise. "What?!"

Han Solo has returned, taking Vader by surprise. In fact, the audience is taken by suprise; no one expected Solo to come back, much less save Luke from disaster. The audience applauds and screams in delight.

More moments...

There are a lot of other "audience participation" moments in Star Wars: A New Hope. Moments like...

• Chewbacca and the mechanical mouse (or whatever that thing is)
• Uh... situation normal. We're all fine. How you are?

The audience laughed and cheered and clapped.

Spontaneously. Together.

It was an experience to be shared.