Star Wars
Saw a special tonight on the making of the Star Wars trilogy (aired to promote the DVDs coming out next week, of course) and it's made me nostalgic.
I was 16 when "Star Wars" came out in the summer of 1977. I was already an avid sf reader and Trekker. I hadn't yet developed the habit of following the production of interesting movies from the ground on up, so seeing "Star Wars" for the first time was a revelation from the skies. I had picked up the paperback novelization a week or so before (it had a gold cover and it still sits on my shelf, with the gold copy John bought when he was 15, too), only knowing it was a sf movie due out that summer, and I am very glad I hadn't gotten around to reading the book before going into the theatre.
I went to see "Star Wars" at the theatres at the Centre Mall in Hamilton, which I'm pretty sure aren't there anymore. I was mesmerized from the opening frame. I had never seen such special effects before. Loved the characters and drama and the action and just the -fun- of it all. Swooned when Luke looked mournfully at the twin moons, swooned more when Han Solo swaggered onto the scene, cried when Obi-Wan died. And the only time I've given out a spontaneous whoop in a theatre is when Han swoops in at the end to take care of Vader so Luke can get that shot in on the Death Star. I was dazzled.
I went back to see "Star Wars" three times that summer, unheard of for me up until that time. I was still several years away from seeing "The Wrath of Khan" and "Fellowship of The Ring" eight times each in theatre :). I owned a "May The Force Be With You" button and I collected magasines featuring the movie. Like it or not, it was pretty hard to escape "Star Wars" in the summer of '77.
By the time "The Empire Strikes Back" came out I was in line for a couple of hours to see it on the first day, a ritual I'd repeat with "Return of The Jedi" three years later. I foolishly read the novelization of "Empire" before going to the movie, so I got to fall off the couch when I discovered Vader was Luke's father rather than falling out of my theatre seat. I loved "The Empire Strikes Back" even more than "Star Wars" and spent time in heated debate during my time working at summer camp debating the hot issues- Why didn't Obi-Wan or Yoda tell Luke Vader was his father?, Who was "The Other"?, How 'come Leia was able to "hear" Luke and return for him under Bespin? (could they be siblings? nahhhh, that was too obvious...) The biggest problem with discussing these plot points for three years? The answers provided by "Return of The Jedi" couldn't help but be disappointing :). (though the epic battles between Luke, Vader and the Emperor rocked)
John and I laugh because one of the most sure-fire ways John was able to lure me to his apartment when we were first getting to know each other was by telling me that he had video copies of the three "Star Wars" movies on his new-fangled VCR player. Oooo, well. I was kinda getting to like this guy, but I -knew- I liked the "Star Wars" movies :). A much faster way to my heart than roses or chocolate.
QUESTION:
When did you see "Star Wars" for the first time? Were you first generation (seeing it in a theatre) or second generation (seeing it later on video)? What was your reaction to seeing SW for the first time? Which of the original trilogy of SW movies is your favorite? (Empire is mine.) Do you think the original Star Wars movies are worth the hype they've received over the years? Will you be buying the new SW DVDs next week?
I was 16 when "Star Wars" came out in the summer of 1977. I was already an avid sf reader and Trekker. I hadn't yet developed the habit of following the production of interesting movies from the ground on up, so seeing "Star Wars" for the first time was a revelation from the skies. I had picked up the paperback novelization a week or so before (it had a gold cover and it still sits on my shelf, with the gold copy John bought when he was 15, too), only knowing it was a sf movie due out that summer, and I am very glad I hadn't gotten around to reading the book before going into the theatre.
I went to see "Star Wars" at the theatres at the Centre Mall in Hamilton, which I'm pretty sure aren't there anymore. I was mesmerized from the opening frame. I had never seen such special effects before. Loved the characters and drama and the action and just the -fun- of it all. Swooned when Luke looked mournfully at the twin moons, swooned more when Han Solo swaggered onto the scene, cried when Obi-Wan died. And the only time I've given out a spontaneous whoop in a theatre is when Han swoops in at the end to take care of Vader so Luke can get that shot in on the Death Star. I was dazzled.
I went back to see "Star Wars" three times that summer, unheard of for me up until that time. I was still several years away from seeing "The Wrath of Khan" and "Fellowship of The Ring" eight times each in theatre :). I owned a "May The Force Be With You" button and I collected magasines featuring the movie. Like it or not, it was pretty hard to escape "Star Wars" in the summer of '77.
By the time "The Empire Strikes Back" came out I was in line for a couple of hours to see it on the first day, a ritual I'd repeat with "Return of The Jedi" three years later. I foolishly read the novelization of "Empire" before going to the movie, so I got to fall off the couch when I discovered Vader was Luke's father rather than falling out of my theatre seat. I loved "The Empire Strikes Back" even more than "Star Wars" and spent time in heated debate during my time working at summer camp debating the hot issues- Why didn't Obi-Wan or Yoda tell Luke Vader was his father?, Who was "The Other"?, How 'come Leia was able to "hear" Luke and return for him under Bespin? (could they be siblings? nahhhh, that was too obvious...) The biggest problem with discussing these plot points for three years? The answers provided by "Return of The Jedi" couldn't help but be disappointing :). (though the epic battles between Luke, Vader and the Emperor rocked)
John and I laugh because one of the most sure-fire ways John was able to lure me to his apartment when we were first getting to know each other was by telling me that he had video copies of the three "Star Wars" movies on his new-fangled VCR player. Oooo, well. I was kinda getting to like this guy, but I -knew- I liked the "Star Wars" movies :). A much faster way to my heart than roses or chocolate.
QUESTION:
When did you see "Star Wars" for the first time? Were you first generation (seeing it in a theatre) or second generation (seeing it later on video)? What was your reaction to seeing SW for the first time? Which of the original trilogy of SW movies is your favorite? (Empire is mine.) Do you think the original Star Wars movies are worth the hype they've received over the years? Will you be buying the new SW DVDs next week?