tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post3990637507051246520..comments2024-03-28T14:49:36.133-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Happy 40th Anniversary, Star Wars (May 25, 1977)John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-16628521954354963642017-05-26T21:50:21.048-04:002017-05-26T21:50:21.048-04:00Here is my own personal "Story of Star Wars&q...Here is my own personal "Story of Star Wars":<br />My Dad took my two brothers and I to see the film, shortly after my 12th birthday. I had already read the Starlog magazine article regarding the film, which didn't really prepare me for actually seeing those pictures in motion. I was somewhat skeptical for whatever reason, although the Ralph McQuarrie painting of Luke and Darth Vader fighting using "laser swords" was pretty cool.<br />In the opening moments of the film, I recall cynically sitting in my theater seat thinking about how cheap the spaceships looked. I'd already seen models like these on Space:1999. I wondered if I was about to watch a two-hour version of Space, which was fine for tv but not for a feature film.<br />Then Darth Vader showed up, and everything changed.<br />I was fully committed the moment that then-mysterious perfect movie villain appeared on screen. That was the moment the movie had me. He picked up that guy like he was nothing! His voice...that breathing...How could he be stopped?<br />I also identified strongly with Luke. That moment he watches the suns set on Tatooine was forever engraved in my memory. It seemed to capture so much.<br />Needless to say, I loved the film. The Death Star battle was like nothing I'd ever seen. The video game element to shooting TIE fighters appealed to my younger self. All of the aliens and creatures in the Mos Eisley cantina were incredible, as well. I knew I'd be seeing this movie again, and I did, at least a few more times.<br />For Christmas I received a record, "The Story of Star Wars," and I listened to that album repeatedly.<br />Several years later, 1981-ish, our family had its first VCR player/recorder, and one of my brother's friends had secured bootleg copies of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark, all before they were available commercially! That summer, I watched each of those films over and over, memorizing the dialogue and story beats.<br />In fact, it was at that time that I learned that the original Star Wars had several audio tracks spread across several releases. Most notably, the sound effects of C3PO's gears and Aunt Beru's dialogue readings were markedly different when the movie was finally released on VHS (which we all rented because the film was too expensive to buy). I thought it must have been my imagination, although I could swear there were pronounced differences.<br />As it turns out, I was correct! The Star Wars Wikipedia page confirms that different markets of the country received varying cuts of the film as it was rushed to get it to distributors who were clamoring for more copies of Star Wars due to its unexpected popularity. Some versions had differing line readings and sound effects from others, as copies were cobbled together and George Lucas began tinkering with the film even back then, "fixing" elements which he felt needed adjusting.<br />What stands out most to me as I look back through the years and remember seeing Star Wars for the first time was seeing it with my Dad, how much he enjoyed it. It was such a good time for my brothers and I, and that to me is the true power of Star Wars.<br />SteveAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13101722769411384962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-34604706635271426052017-05-26T13:32:39.895-04:002017-05-26T13:32:39.895-04:00As I wrote about on my own blog (simonstlaurent.bl...As I wrote about on my own blog (simonstlaurent.blogspot.ca) my life didn't become all about "Star "Wars" after seeing the film, but I did enjoy it very much.<br /><br />The reason there were so few prints ready to unfurl on May 25th, 1977, was because Fox had so little faith in "Star Wars" to perform. After the first few days of SW's release the labs went into overdrive to get addional prints made.<br /><br />What a great story that is....Simon St. Laurenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948457860768548876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-24142383034739720102017-05-26T10:27:31.569-04:002017-05-26T10:27:31.569-04:00I was 14 when Star Wars came out but there were no...I was 14 when Star Wars came out but there were no theaters within reasonable driving distance of northern Rhode Island to see the movie. It was at least mid-July before my brother and his friends decided they wanted to see the movie at the closest theater in Massachusetts and I tagged along, eager to finally see the film.<br /><br />Strange but I remember the car trip we took to see the film more than I remember that first viewing. My brother and his friends stopped along the way to get high because they wanted to experience the movie in an "enlightened" state of mind. I can still remember their collective "whoa!" when the opening crawl finished and the camera panned down to Tatooine. The Rebel Blockade Runner and Star Destroyer hadn't even appeared yet and they were all whispering about how "deep" outer space looked and how crystal clear all the star appeared! Crazy...<br /><br />My actual recollection of the film is somewhat mixed. I had read so much about Star Wars prior to its release and had even read the paperback. Finally seeing the movie ended up being a somewhat underwhelming experience since most of the surprises had been "spoiled".<br /><br />I do remember thinking how well made the movie was and I was completely taken aback by the quality of the sets, costumes and special effects. Later that Fall, my best friend's older brother gave me the Cinefantastique double issue about Star Wars which I read cover to cover multiple times. I was now completely hooked and looked forward eagerly to news of the coming sequel as well as all the new shows and movies that were soon following like Buck Rogers, BattleStar Galactica, the Star Trek movie and so on.<br /><br />Ultimately, films like Star Wars convinced me, as well as so many other people, to pursue a film career. By the time we arrived for our freshman year, many of my best friends had already completed their Super 8 Star Wars-inspired epics. Magazines like Starlog, Fantastic Films, Cinefex, Cinemagic, Cinefantastique and others fueled our desire to be like George Lucas and make our own films.<br /><br />While I eventually fell out of the film industry, I know so many people whose careers exist because of that first Star Wars film and it's enormous effect on an entire generation.Pierre Fontainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09928175455443075350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-30496368944707256252017-05-25T23:29:29.188-04:002017-05-25T23:29:29.188-04:00I was seven when I first saw it too, back in 1977....I was seven when I first saw it too, back in 1977. I was the last person in my class to go see it so I had been hearing all the other kids rave about it but, aside from the TV ads, I had no specific information about what I was about to see - I had no book about the film as you did. It blew me away. One aspect of my experience was probably a little unusual: my dad was an aviation buff and so was I. We had watched many WWII movies together so when I saw Star Wars I remember realizing that some of the scenes were heavily inspired by films such as The Dam Busters, The Battle of Britain, The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress etc. nowherehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12125582590094636085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-80102932425797433422017-05-25T18:47:10.734-04:002017-05-25T18:47:10.734-04:00Star Wars was an example of movies being given tim...Star Wars was an example of movies being given time back then for word of mouth to build: it was biggish enough to show box office potential early, but my memory is that it took a little bit of time for it to show that it would break records. Then the lines developed around the block! These days, if a movie isn't a blockbuster in the first 10 minutes by fake Hollywood accounting, it's all over.<br /><br />I went with all my junior high school friends and the line wasn't that long at the time. One guy had seen it about a week earlier and wouldn't shut up about it (he was a real weirdo, not just a nerd), so we all went. Then the same stupid weirdo SOB blurted out during the lightsaber fight that Kenobi was about to sacrifice himself. Another girl and I beat the snot out of him and poured the ice from our drinks down his pants. He ran to the lobby and whined to the usher--good God, we still had ushers in those days!--who, when we explained what happened, whacked him in the butt with his Maglite and threw HIM out. Unforgettable evening.Sherinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-71109559636155628972017-05-25T12:05:10.042-04:002017-05-25T12:05:10.042-04:00Exec 1-"Well, Damnation Alley won't be re...Exec 1-"Well, Damnation Alley won't be ready in time. We have the slot open, and have promised the exhibitors a film with a sci fi bent to it. What are we going to do?"<br /><br />Exec 2-"What's that thing Lucas just finished, Star Warriors, Space Warriors? Put that in. We'll take the loss, because Damnation Alley will make up for it when it goes big."<br /><br />And history was made.<br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03097420555737415471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-54410859982928272892017-05-25T11:00:54.712-04:002017-05-25T11:00:54.712-04:00Summer of 1977, Space:1999 second and final season...Summer of 1977, Space:1999 second and final season was over. Star Wars was a wonderful surprise to my siblings, my friends and to me as a boy. I can not believe it has been forty years, extremely sobering.<br /><br />SGBSGBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07137406272001346149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-49110048975682431912017-05-25T10:16:42.184-04:002017-05-25T10:16:42.184-04:00Because movies tended to be rolled out more slowly...Because movies tended to be rolled out more slowly back then, Star Wars didn't premiere in Baltimore until June 17th. I guess we were pretty provincial back then because hardly anyone was talking about it. My dad took me to the first showing at a funky old theater in the city and we just walked right in. There was probably only about a dozen people in the whole place. I was 12 and already a big science fiction fan so, to me, I saw Star Wars as a big budget version of Flash Gordon. Not really serious science fiction, but a fun popcorn movie for a Friday afternoon.<br /><br />By the next week, however, the word got around and soon there were lines around the block and everyone was raving about it. I was a little perplexed so a couple months later, I went back with my whole family to give it a second look. I enjoyed it more the second time with a larger audience, but I still wasn't awestruck the way so many others were. What I was happy about was that now Hollywood might take science fiction seriously and we would get some big budget science fiction films rather than Doug McClure fighting men in rubber suits. It took awhile, but they started trickling in by the end of the decade. I still don't consider myself a big Star Wars fan, but I will always be appreciative for all the science fiction movies and tv shows that it paved the way for.Neal Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17053148427058126745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-70852834985828474092017-05-25T09:32:47.048-04:002017-05-25T09:32:47.048-04:00John, I was also 7 years old and living in NJ. I s...John, I was also 7 years old and living in NJ. I saw the movie in Harrison as I was born and raised in Newark just across the Passaic River. I loved the movie so much I didn't want to leave without a copy of the poster but they ran out. So I ended up collecting the Star Wars Kenner action figures, baseball cards, the Burger King glasses, Starlog magazines, bed blanket, etc. I think we both went to the same model toy shop you've described previously on Bloomfield Ave. too! <br /><br />It was a great time for sci-fi. Later that year I would become obsessed with the Logan's Run TV series. Thanks for recently reviewing all those episodes incidentally. It's great to read about someone who writes about similar memories and interests with intelligence. Can't believe it's been 40 years and now we are getting new Star Wars movies again. I'm excited for The Last Jedi. Thanks again for your great blog!<br />Will PĂ©rezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16914816833618314797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-79346267585069014702017-05-25T09:25:51.283-04:002017-05-25T09:25:51.283-04:00Star Wars completely occupied my 11-year-old imagi...Star Wars completely occupied my 11-year-old imagination after seeing it upon its initial release. At my insistence, my mom bought me the Alan Dean Foster novelization from the mass-market rack at the supermarket check-out line, and I read that increasingly worn copy endless times trying to recapture the fleeting film images. I remember reading it cover to cover--twice--on a Saturday afternoon. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com