Thankfully, there are a dedicated few with projects like the Despecialised Version, and more recently 4K77, who do their upmost to preserve one of the true giants of cinema in a presentation from when it was first shown. That first edit is adored by a generation or more and it continues to be a source of frustration that it is not commercially available. The story of how the film was saved in the editing suite is well known, little wonder it gained an Academy Award I wonder how they feel now with the continuing editorial tinkering the film receives. During its development, Lucas cast his net far and wide, with most of it emulating master film maker Akira Kurosawa, in particular The Hidden Fortress, in which the story telling device was through two bedraggled peasants, whose bickering and friendship allowed the film to unfold – an idea that was stolen wholeheartedly with the droids C-3P0 and R2-D2 and one which proved to be a winning combination. It was only as I got older that I began to appreciate it from a different perspective that of its construction as a film. And at each viewing my adoration for the film just grew, like so many of my generation the film seems to speak to me, somehow, it was … magical. I saw the film three more times in its first run, though not in such auspicious surroundings, my venue of choice was the ABC Cinema in Ewell (most famed for being used by the Comic Strip crew in their short, Dirty Movie) as it was just a short walk from my then grandparents’ house. Then the lights went down and that iconic score from John Williams started, prefacing the opening crawl and that giant Star Destroyer coming from overhead. I remember being amazed at the size of the cinema (we were sat in the circle, towards the left quarter as you view the screen), never before had I seen a screen so big, and the theatre was so ornate with plush red seats. I remember queuing outside Odeon Leicester Square, standing at the doorway entrance looking at the lobby cards proudly displaying tantalising images of what was to come. My first overriding memory of this trip was seeing two Stormtroopers in the window of a shoe shop.
I first saw Star Wars on the second week of its first UK theatrical run, it was a cold, grey day in early January 1978 and my dad drove the family up to London. So, instead of going down tried and tested routes, I thought I’d bring something unique: my own Star Wars Much has been said and written about George Lucus’ most successful film, so it’s somewhat difficult to bring something fresh to a review. You came here in that thing? You’re braver than I thought!
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