STAR WARS (1977) Retrospective / Review
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STAR WARS (1977) Retrospective / Review
Get the Star Wars series on Blu-ray here goo.gl/59j2CH
Get the soundtrack to STAR WARS here goo.gl/LfYFYx
New Star Wars artwork provided by Micah Brooks.
Learn more about the despecialized versions here • Introducing the Despec...
Let's Play Channel
/ retropodcasts
Get the Star Wars series on Blu-ray here goo.gl/59j2CH
Get the soundtrack to STAR WARS here goo.gl/LfYFYx
Oliver Harper How do I get the unchanged trilogy
besides the GOUT DVD's
There's no official release of them. You'd have to search for the Despecialized Edition.
You can find them the Despecialized Edition. and download from CZcams, or used to as that's how I got mine.
I give you thumbs up just for spreading the basic Star Wars Classic OT info to young uns millenials because most all you are voicing are in many documentaries ALREADY posted on CZcams or online blogs.
In my 50s now, it is a little sad to know I am nearer the end of my life than its beginning. But on the other hand, it means I was there for Star Wars, Star Trek The Motion Picture, and the great 80s action era culminating in Terminator 2. A great cinematic era.
What a life you had. Cheers for a great life back then, now and beyond
Plus we had Saturday Morning and then weekday cartoon. Arcades with dozens or hundreds of machines or just a pinball or arcade cabinet in a random place like a laundromat.
Also had decent radio stations. Comics were at an all time high too.
Come on 50 doesn't mean ur near ur end of ur life. People die of all ages and I met plenty of people who pass 60. Take good care of yourself and stay happy those are the important things age doesn't define you.
I'm old enough to remember watching star trek when it first aired and watching the moon landing
It's all over now thanks to a phantom audience Hollywood wants to cater to which dosen't pay.
I was 10 when it came out. The next year (1978) it was popular in drive-in theaters and I TAPE RECORDED the whole thing from the speaker. Really took my action figure game to the next level.
the force is strong with you
that was such a cool idea
Alan Caldwell - I loved collecting Star Wars figures as a kid.
Good call! The sounds are amazing. The music is awesome the sound effects are incredible. It's probably the best sounding movie ever made.
I did the same thing but I hide a tape recorder in a popcorn box into the theater. I listened to so much I could do the complete Greedo speech in his language
1977. I was 4.my sister, 8yrs older than me, returned from the moviehouse...my mom asked "what did you see?""Star Wars. It was stupid." she motions over to me and says..."Bring him, he'll love it.''.the rest is history.
Sounds like you had better taste than your sister.
Girls always go through a lameness phase. I bet she really wanted a pony then.
I remember queuing outside the Gaumont cinema in Birmingham back in 1977 as a 14 year old. You could FEEL the buzz of excitement and anticipation in the air as you waited back then.
@@kaerakh4267, @ghost man Taste is very personal, but she did have the insight that you would like it far more. Very sweet of her. What kind of job does she have right now? I bet it's something that requires empathy to succeed.
My mom had a friend who was a girl and saw it something like 28 times
In memories of:
Carrie Fisher, Kenny Baker, Peter Cushion, Alec Guinness
Gary Kurtz and Gilbert Taylor too
*Peter Cushing
Are we remembering just the first film or does Lee gets lots of loves too
Phil Brown & Shelagh Fraser (Uncle Owen & Aunt Beru)
Ralph McQuarrie
As a ten year old watching this in the cinema had a huge impact on me. Watching Luke stare at the twin sunset gave me a wanderlust that has never left me. Thank you Star Wars, you literally changed my life for the better.
It was love at first sight for me as well and I've never lost it...
When my nephew was very, very young, I didn't like him very much as he was an extremely annoying kid, always screeching and throwing strops. But when he was around 8 or 9 years old, he discovered Star Wars. One day, when I was visiting my sister and everyone was at school or work, I decided to watch the first Star Wars as I hadn't watched it in ages. My nephew came home as I was halfway through the first one, and he was delightfully shocked that I loved this trilogy. We watched the rest of the film together, and then the next one too. From that day forward, we became friends, bonded together by our love for the Star Wars franchise.
I was eight when it came out, and I'll never forget what a mind-blowing, jaw-dropping experience it was seeing that first star destroyer chasing down the rebel ship. Nothing like it had ever been seen before. The world it created felt so real and lived-in, and all the effects looked like things really happening: that's what really sold it. Prior to that, with the exception of 2001: A Space Odyssey, sci-fi meant fake-looking cardboard spaceships, horrible green-screening, laughable costumes, inane plots, and alien costumes that looked like rejects from the local Halloween outlet.
Special thanks to Harmy for the despecialized editions for fans to enjoy! Nice review!
John Williams is legend.
" the prescence of a quality Soundtrack is key to a good movie "
Oliver you're absolutely right
The music is the narrator in all the Star Wars movies
That's part of the reason modern movies, at least the big summer blockbusters, aren't as good. No one makes great music anymore. You don't even get good music that often.
Yeah no Doubt the Sound Track is just as much if not more of what is Star Wars then the script if self is to Star Wars
“As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced”. Aka CZcams
for decades I thought he said 'millions of oysters''
yeah millions not say billions... as if it wasnt very highly populated, yeah moff tarkin wore slippers... apparently peter cushings feet wouldnt fit in the boots,
LEFT tube indeed
I saw this 5 times in 1977/78 (aged 12) and it was a cinematic thrill still never equalled. At the time the scene that really amazed everyone was the cantina scene. We'd never seen so many aliens in one movie, though today this must seem unremarkable. The hyperspace jump also wowed everyone.
I saw Star Wars and Empire at the drive through. I was so young at Star Wars, my dad covered my eyes when Vader lifted the rebel soldier at the start. Watching the jump to hyperspace from the tailgate of our stationwagon is one of my strongest childhood memories.
I always find it funny how Lucas originally did not want Harrison Ford in Star Wars because he was in American Graffiti. Yet he auditioned Cindy Williams for Princess Leia who had a bigger role in American Graffiti than Harrison did.
It was never meant to make sense, it was only meant to rhyme.
I was 10 when it was released. One my neighbor's Mom took us to the theater to see it one Saturday afternoon. This movie was so BIG back THEN in 1977. No multiplexes back then. GREAT Memories. THANKS
Lucas' wife was the unsung hero of the original StarWars. Her suggestions and last minute editing saved the movie.
BTW, Oliver Harper, this is a fantastic documentary.
Bullshit. It was a COLLABORATIVE effort by all parties involved. Plus there were 3 editors on this film, not just her. You sound like an ignorant fool parading as a know it all.
@Disney is the Devil lol nice one
Well, she was the one who suggested killing Obi-Wan. She was also the one who suggested having the Death Star orbiting Yavin in order to fire on its moon, when Lucas' original intent was to just have it sitting there doing nothing. Ironically, Lucas also wanted to delete the Mouse Droid scene because test audiences were laughing at it and Lucas didn't like people laughing at his movie! It was only when his wife told him that they were laughing because they thought it was sweet and not at the movie itself that he kept it in. I think that, along with her major editing contribution and the encouragement she gave Lucas, makes her well worth the praise people give her.
Disney is the Devil they aren’t “unsung heroes”, they get plenty of praise. And “playing down the overwhelming superiority of males”.....Jesus Christ dude might want to tone down the stupidity a bit, kinda showed your true colors in purpose of the comment you made by saying that...
can't understand how this guy is not getting more views ! Oliver you're amazing ! thank you for another great retrospective !
+Vizgar Thanks buddy.
+Oliver Harper You are amazing man! Subscribed for sure; I love how you're able to go in depth with the films. Do you ever face copyrighted problems?
I agree.... i normally view Minty channel but his voice and tone alot of times makes me cringe. I've been watching more of Oliver channel lately. His delivery and tone of speech is refreshing. Plus Oliver is very informative and his insight is wonderful when it comes to the films he reviews
@@bryantwilliams4027 very well said...But if you like 007 then there's my channel 😉😁
His review of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines has more views than this. I guess it shows how much damage Disney has done to the Star Wars franchise.
"Harmy's Despecialised Edition" - DO NOT BOTHER WATCHING ANYTHING ELSE.
I bought the despecialised editions off amazon. This year has been the first year of my life with the original StarWars.
how do you get it? i have kinda tried but its unclear imo
Drewdles the Noodle Anything after 1977 is not the original. Changes were made as early as the first rerelease.
Adywan's version is better.
@@xti7386 limetorrents.at/star-wars-the-original-trilogy-1977-1983-despecialized-editions-720p-x264-ac3-5-1-multisubs-t1530475.html it is bluray quality and I recommend using the duckduckgo search engine to find anything youre looking for. Google blocks a lot of searches/websites to keep you from finding content like this. Each movie is just over 1gb and may take a day to download but it is well worth it, all three films are identical in appearance and sound as the original 77, 80, and 83 theatrical release. These are the best versions I have ever seen/owned, the only authentic unaltered copies are the 2006 laserdisc to DVD transfers and the despecialized edition is far superior in sound and visual fidelity and i highly recommend them. If you do not have a blu ray burner, you can downscale the resolution to DVD quality and burn them on dvd-r.
It always touched my heart when Han came to Luke’s rescue in the destroy of the Death Star
Dittos. And Wedge surviving too...
My hunch is that Lucas put it in the deal with Disney that they won't revert to the original versions of episodes 4-6 while he's alive
+The Sean Ward Show I wonder the same. Was George stubborn enough not to let Disney re-release them.
@Malchik Blue This comment aged well.
@@Filmsmith129 LMAO
Nah Kathleen is keeping it from happening
I don't know about that but I think you've got a kernal of truth here. I think he did sign something with Disney like maybe that he wouldn't "disrupt" the market while Disney ruins the franchise. By then the pent up demand should reward him handsomely. He better hurry up, his first fans are getting old.
Props to you for using the de-specialized edition footage ;)
that's not the despecialized… the blacks are WAY to saturated
@@narmale That's disappointing to hear.
It is the despecialized editions, just probably an older version.
Or it may be how he uploads his videos, but these are the Despecialized editions.
Darren Munsell Lucas has already been doing this
24:50 and this was one of the reasons why the lightsaber was so popular.....not just because its a cool weapon but because you dont see it that much often, so you know something serious ih happening when they are activated.
In the Prequels even the lightsaber became boring by overusing.
I cant believe its been 38 years ago since this movie was released. I remember seeing this movie on cable day after day on HBO back in ....um.....think it was 81. I was too young to see it or Empire in theaters. But at least I got to see Return of the Jedi in theatres on its opening weekend. Great movie experience. A magnificent communal feeling in that theatre. like I cant even put into words. its sad the younger generation never got to experience, that special communal experience the original trilogy produced, from the prequels.
42 yrs ago (and Elvis died at 42)
I'm in my 50's but having been able to see this movie in the theaters in 1977 was a once in a lifetime experience.... NEVER before or since have I had the magical movie experience I had watching this epic movie!
Seeing it back in 77 as a boy of 13 completely blew my mind. All the stuff in this vid just reminds me of all the feelings from the past. I saw it countless times in the theatre until I could get a vhs copy then all the dvd editions and blue ray enjoyed introducing my daughter to the movies and stories books and comics and toys expanding both our collections of toys.. The prequels gave us even more to enjoy. Now to the present The dark times the evil Disney empire . Neither of us are enjoying the last movies the feeling is lost on these .
Nothing is better than blasting that opening theme, unless it disturbs the neighbors.
I'll never forget the idea I saw Star Wars. My uncle who is no longer with me asked if I ever saw Star Wars. I said no. As a result, he sat me down and popped in the VHS of a New Hope. I was amazed. Me as a young child, seeing Luke Skywalker, Lightsabers, and the Force blew my mind. Star Wars to me is something so personal.
And while later on I became an Expanded Universe fan via the Prequel era stuff and KOTOR, I'll never forget these original movies. They were an expression of how talented Lucas is. Because for all the haters and critics, he wouldn't have this franchise without him. That isn't to dismiss any of the criticisms levied to Lucas. His ego for the Prequels, plus his stubborn stance of not realizing the original cuts(something I understand, but personally really don't care for. Though, the Han shot first thing does bug me).
But to me Lucas is a great individual. His creative work will live on. And that's something no one can ever take away. Overall, I'm glad Star Wars is back at the cinema. Even if TFA was a painful retread of this movie.
Charmed by its freshness. A much better produced take on the world of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon.
Wow, I thought I knew most of the stuff about the making of Star Wars, but that info about the lighting designer was totally new to me.
Yeah, I had never heard that either
I just love how you start your retrospective after the "trailer", at 3:37: the ominous music, the beautiful artwork that just screams "fantasy" and "adventure"...
It's a very nice moment in all of these reviews, all the treasured memories start flowing :)
Cheers from Italy
Such amazing work. It's kinda scary once you realize how close Star Wars was to being scrapped.
15:39 - Brilliant set design improv. I've always felt like the indoor lighting in Star Wars is somehow more interesting than many other sci fi:s but never thought about that it was these light panels that did it.
The editing of this review is phenomenal.
Absolutely well done. I believe you explained Star Wars very well. I believe you captured the essence of what the film was all about. And what to fill meant to us as kids. Granted I am older than you. I was in the theater when this movie was new. I was there in the front row watching it. I just turned 47. And the entire Star Wars trilogy always hold a special place in my heart. It's what made me love sci-fi. And that is a love that survives to this day. Again well done
Thank you very much for your feedback!
This is an amazing tribute to a great film. I loved that you honored the lighting director's contribution when no one else had.
"My father will know how to retrieve it" Wow that's funny in hindsight!
7:54 After having written over 2,000,000 words of Dragon Ball fan fiction, and am currently writing a 6-month block of my own original fictions, as well as listening to Oliver drone on for hours and hours on end (Don't worry, Oliver, you're not boring me) I've come to realise that most creatives that make it big and produce beloved characters and original storylines were heavily influenced, and wanted to make additional stories for the properties they grew up on, or loved as fans. George Lucas wanted to make a Flash Gordon movie and ended up with Star Wars, and Stephen Spielberg wanted to make a James Bond movie and ended up with Indiana Jones.
Hopefully this fanaticism I have for Dragon Ball and magical action stories I've loved can inspire me to greatness as well. And that it will lead to me to success like it has for Lucas and Spielberg. Thanks so very much for these retrospectives, Oliver. They're always class.
I liked this comment. It's like you were in my head. I'm a writer myself, self-published author and I get it. You start out wanting to write what you grew up on and somehow end up with something original that has highlights of what inspired you.
Echoing what you said, don't worry, your long comment didn't bore me😉. I'm just glad I'm not the only one who is inspired by Star Wars.
We had our tenth birthdays in 1977 and we all went to the cinema with our friends. I'd seen it around five times by the middle of '78.
The thing I LOVED about it was mentioned in the video. Stuff was dirty, used and abused. It made it real for us kids. A masterpiece film reviewed brilliantly. Thank you.
This movie came out when I was 10 years old. I remember dragging my grandmother to see it in New York City. We saw it in one of those huge old time movie theaters with balconies and stuff. I can still remember being so blown away by the effects. It was like nothing no one had ever seen before. I do t remember what my grandmother thought of the movie though.
Wow, just learned that the de-specialized edition was conceived by Petr "Harmy" Harmáček from Czech Republic, who also lead the team who did the job done. So cool to see a fellow countryman behind a project I whole-heartedly agree with.
Anyway, great job on the review as always!
Lots of people made this movie the masterpiece it was. They have been essentially removed from history.
Geeeee8 What do you mean?
Lucas Dunker I think what he means is that subsequent versions of this film have introduced so many changes and made the original untouched release almost impossible to find and watch.
No other classic film would receive that, not King Kong, Ben-Hur or Casablanca, yet the original Star Wars fell victim to that mindset.
Oliver. What a cracking piece of work, great tribute to one of the greatest movies of all time! Hats off to you sir 😆
7 years old back in '77... unforgettable movie experience.
i saw this in '97 when they reissued them and A New Hope remains my fave Star Wars and whole heart
Very respected opinion
I've seen a CGI clip in Rogue Leader.
I grew up with Star Wars in the 90s and ANH has always, and till this day, always been my favorite SW movie.
I must admit that this movie's score is the best of the original 3 but the single greatest piece of Star Wars music didn't appear until the next movie, ''The Imperial March''. Still gives me goosebumps if I hear it now. Compare this movie's score with the bland score for The Force Awakens!!!
too be fair John Williams rushed the score for force awakens because he had an injury or something like that.
To me, the best Star Wars soundtracks (musically) are the original Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back, but they are also the most poorly recorded/engineered, even for their time. Perhaps that is due to Star Wars having a low budget and Empire Strikes Back being seen as a bit of a gamble.
It is hard to choose which of the many versions to listen to.
The original albums are lacking somewhat in clarity and dynamic range, have some major instruments very faint and almost lost in the background due to poor miking (kettle drums on Imperial March are almost missing in action). Tape hiss, tape wrinkles (wow and flutter, drop-outs) are apparent.
Later releases are remastered, but they are not the original soundtrack albums in terms of how they are arranged.
The original Empire Strikes Back was released as a double album on LP, but in USA only. The rest of the world got a cut-down single disc version with side 1/2 labelled back-to-front (Main Title as first track on side 2, End Title as last track on side 1). The later CD release was the single disc version.
There was a limited edition CD box set that seems to be somewhat improved quality, which included all tracks from the original albums, plus never before released outtakes, but with tracks presented in different order. Presuming the tracks match, ripping this set to hard drive might be sufficient to reconstruct the original albums using a playlist to customise track order. It was also the first opportunity to hear the complete score for Return of the Jedi which was originally released as a single disc album on LP and CD.
The most recent remasters (special edition versions) sound a lot better, but they are not arranged as composite musical suites, as John Williams presented them on the original albums. Instead, they are cut to fit the film and presented in the order that they appear in the film. This makes them musically less satisfying because the music is chopped up into little bits.
More recently, the original trilogy soundtracks have become available as HD FLAC (24/192). These sound like they are the original LP masters transferred directly to digital without alteration, warts and all. You get the tape hiss, the tape wrinkles and problems with dynamic range and instrument balance, but you also get the best possible version of the original double disc sets for both Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back, plus the single disc original version of Return of the Jedi (but not the full score because no out-takes are included).
However, something smells bad about the HD FLAC release. Return of the Jedi was a digital recording (the original CD was DDD), and it seems unlikely to have been mastered as 24/192 back in the day. So, either the HD FLAC has captured an analogue LP master (not the original digital master) or the original was needlessly upsampled to 24/192 to match Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back (historic analogue recordings are often captured at very high sample rates for posterity). Note that the prequel soundtracks in this set are presented as 24/44.1, which presumably reflects the state of the original masters. So, the providence of Return of the Jedi is a bit uncertain.
Despite all this, I keep going back to the HD FLAC, because they are the original albums "as they were", despite having all these versions on hand. They seem to capture the original albums well, without any of the harsh edginess of early CD releases.
I think I first saw "A New Hope" when I was about 5 years old; there's a very faint memory of me laying on the living room floor, while it played on TV. That was 31 years ago, and I still love the whole series. I'm looking forward to "Rogue One" and the Han Solo spinoff, plus Episodes VIII and IX of course. But it all started for me back in 1985, in my aunt and uncle's small house. To quote Doc Brown: "My God, has it been that long?"
Moviefan2k4 Try watching at the cinema when you're 5. One word. WOW! And I saw it in early 1978 during half term I believe. I'm now 44, so my first memories of it are rather hazy :)
I watched Return of the Jedi in the theater as a kid.... It was wow too :) Then again, I thought Avatar was an amazing experience as an adult. But, people love to bash it for it's simple story.
I was 8 (almost 9) when it first came out in 1977. I don't remember specifically seeing it in the theater, but I remember my mother telling me and my 4 (almost 5) year old brother how good it was, and how much we were going to like it. It is rated PG, so my parents had seen it first to make sure it was ok for us.
It’s too bad you weren’t old enough to have seen Star Wars in a movie theater as a child when it came out in 1977. My memories of seeing the original trilogy at the Cooper Theater on Colorado Boulevard in Denver when I was 9, 12 and 15 are priceless. There wasn’t a single movie to compare to Star Wars. It was that groundbreaking of a movie.
Great work, Ollie. I'm amazed at your ability to put out so many videos that vary in length and manage to keep any of them from dragging. Really entertaining.
I was hoping you'd mention the Despecialized edition. Thorough as always, Oliver, well done!
I turn into such a child when I watch this movie. It's my favorite film of all time and easily the most re-watchable. Excellent review as always!
I remember being small and Star Wars was my entire world. I surrounded myself with all things Star Wars, at least as much as I could.
I was so lucky my dad took me to the theatre re release when I was a kid. I mean how insane that I got to witness star wars on the bigscreen in the 90s. Needles to say I was hooked on it ever since. It was incredible.
Thanks Oliver. Sometimes when I am feeling a bit down or low I watch one of your reviews and it will at least put a smile on my face. Keep up the good work ol' friend. And once again thank you
I love these retrospectives!!!
Can't get enough. Thank you for making them!!
Saw it 7 times (or was it 8 times?) on the Big Screen with the love of my life in 1977. I remember that other movies at the time were in a dystopian, depressing downward spiral. Star Wars brought back the humorous, adventurous Good People vs Bad People genre, with a generous smattering of science fiction, great visual effects (FOR the TIME), and John Williams' timeless cinematic score. WE KNEW that it was a HIT. No one needed to tell us. Just wish that I would have collected the toys and kept them in boxes . . .
Very nice video, the summation is spot-on!!
Imagine if Welles did Vader in that special way that he did that wine commercial
actually its 2.25% addional to his acting fee, with quite a funny story behind it: Lucas wanted to bump up the percentage to 2.5% due to good reviews prior to release.. when the movie was out for a few days (with stellar success) guiness approached a producer if he could get the additional percentage in writing. The producer turned to him and said "ah the additional 0.25%".. guiness just smiled and shook his hand, sealing the deal to 2.25%. (there is a youtube video where guiness tell this story)
That was a pleasure to watch.
I was 10 and I remember seeing it like it was yesterday. Never gave one poop to a films sound track but the Star Wars track made an Impression on even a 10 year old.
Oh and Han shot first....... As a pirate would. (insert big smiley face here)
O. O.
\____/
Great retrospective. I was 6, when the movie came out and alI the boys and me felt in love with the Kenner stuff, loved to collect every precious shred, while we were waiting for rare news and rumors - and primarily the next episode. Back then all was manageable and valuable. There were some figures, machines and weapons, which all found place on one sheet. Today you can get all the unclear stuff at once and everywhere. Yes, the old days were by far more magic.
One of the greatest of all films. :D
It is.
Forget the sequel trilogy. I prefer the original trilogy.
Together with The Empire Strikes Back And Return Of The Jedi my favorite movie of all time
@@gochem3013 sequel is trash
@@gochem3013 Oh you think?
So happy that you mentioned the despecialized editions, they really are far better to watch than the re-released versions.
Finally somebody said it. I am a purist when it comes to Star Wars. I will not watch the “special editions”
Just like I love the original Star Trek tv show without being remastered. I wish I could find it lol.
When I first saw this movie as a kid in the 80s, it was quite simply the best thing I had ever witnessed on a screen.
If they had momentarily shown Grand Moff Tarkin's eyeballs ejecting from his face when the explosion ripped through the Death Star, that would have been very satisfying.
Five members from the Empire disliked it and were struck down by Luke Skywalker. Excellent job Oliver.
I'm old enough to have seen Star Wars first time round, taken to see it by my dad when we were on holiday, even now, i can still remember the feeling when we first saw the blockade runner, and thought 'thats a big ship', and then, the 'holy shit' feeling when it was chased by the star destroyer, and that was before we'd seen a single character.
and then, as a young child, seeing Darth Vader for the first time, the man who, even now, decades later, i still consider to be the greatest movie villain of all time.............
i was 4 when my parents took me to cinema 40yrs ago, apparently i was playing up & on verge of taking me out when opening scene came on, i instantly shut up with eyes & mouth wide open.
I'll never forget the first time I popped in that VHS tape of the first movie and being blown away by it.
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of watching the original, unedited trilogy on VHS when I would spend time over at my father's apartment and while I wasn't the hugest Star Wars fanatic (more of a Trekie honestly), I did have a genuine appreciation for the franchise as well as it's fanbase. I'm so very glad that the series is receiving a redemption with the Force Awakens and wish I could share in the joy of numerous people that the new film is touching
I always loved Star Wars but never watched Star Trek. It's weird because Star Trek (the original) was always on tv but I don't think I ever watched a whole episode. I actually wanted to go back and watch some just because I never did.
STAR WARS got a lot of help in getting picked to be made because of STAR TREK . A few years before STAR WARS was released a STAR TREK magazine was released , STARLOG MAGAZINE . Because of all the huge TREKKIE conventions a new TREK themed show was in development . Paramount and Roddenberry wanted to make the series be about The Federation and it's Academy , NOT about the Starship Enterprise . After the huge success of STAR WARS , STARLOG became a magazine about science fiction NOT just TREK series .
Thanks for highlighting the contributions from all of the production team, everyone just seems to focus on Lucas but there was a whole creative team behind the movies and Mcquarrie is often overlooked. BTW his original trilogy portfolio is available for preorder on Amazon. Looking forward to the next few retrospectives.
I remember how my father would speak about seeing this movie. I remember how he fussed about how my mother showed the original trilogy out of order. I know the Special Edition release is not really the same feeling for my dad’s generation nor was it for me having seen the home videos. But I did greatly enjoy my dad taking me to see the special editions in the theater.
i honestly never minded the special editions, did the new stuff clash with the old sure, but it was nice to see never before seen scenes and what george had originally envisioned for the film come to life
I was 8 years old when this came out in theaters. Great experience.
Very well done Oliver! I was hesitant to watch because I already know so much about Star Wars, but this was just so well done. I also appreciate the exclusive use of footage from the original 1977 cut in your intro and outro segments.
released in May 25, 1977 it was viewd in a limited number of theaters in the United States on May 25, 1977, and quickly became a blockbuster hit, leading to it being expanded to a much wider release. The film opened to critical acclaim, most notably for its groundbreaking visual effects. It earned a total of $775 million, surpassing Jaws (1975) to become the highest-grossing film at the time until the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). When adjusted for inflation, Star Wars is the second-highest-grossing film in North America (behind Gone with the Wind) and the fourth-highest-grossing film in the world
Yes this movie was 40 years ahead of its time!
When you watch a movie and cant imagine a single change or better improvement. You cant even imagine leaving out the bloopers and flaws... Thats a good movie.
I just stumble upon an old copy of the original 1977 version. I can't wait to watch I just need to settle in before i do. I enjoyed your Alien, Aliens and Alien 3 retrospective. I just ordered the directors cut and special edition. I do have Prometheus so I have a lot of viewing. If it wasn't for you I think it would've slipped past me.
THANK YOU for all your Retrospectives: Incredibly thorough, thoughtful commentary.
Saw Star Wars at cinema age 10 in 1977. Fast forward to 2019...WTF RIP
Fantastic review, Oliver! Love the bit about Gilbert Taylor's creativity in using in-wall lighting to define the interior look of the Death Star, fascinating! I was 14 when I saw Star Wars (not A New Hope: Episode IV, just STAR WARS) at the cinema in 1977 with my family, and I still think it's the best. The atmosphere, the characters, the worlds created, the adventure, etc etc! Thanks for bringing back some great memories.
James Earl Jones messed up. He took 10 grand instead of 1% of the franchise as pay. and later Will Smith would pass up The Matrix for Wild Wild West. History should teach these actors to have a bit of faith.
akechi mitsuhide 1% of everything? You mean Jones could have made money off of the toys also? Huge mistake! But $10,000 is not a small amount in 1977.
Especially as the WILD WILD WEST movie feels like a satire to the classical DESILU series from the Sixtieth. Since the old series is still on reruns in the USA people had the chance to compare the movie to the originally and there the movie falls flat.
With due respect to all that were involved in the film, many thought this movie was going to bomb. They didn't see the end product with all the state of the arts special effects and John William's glorious score. Had they seen the finished film, I'm sure they would've seen the hit making potential.
20/20 Hindsight. Easy to say after the movie has been released to universal acclaim. He might prefer the certainty of being able to pay the rent, rather than risking a percentage of a movie that might bomb on the box office possibly leaving him destitute. I agree with Lamarr Avery on this one.
$10,000 was crazy great money for a few days of voicework only in 1976- most people were not warning that in a year!
This video deserves an oscar... well done!
+PureDetroit This channel deserves an Oscar, his videos are so underrated!
+PureDetroit This particular video seems to be a condensed version of the two and a half hour "Star Wars Empire of Dreams" I'd say maybe 90% of the archival footage is from that documentary. You may want to check that out if you want a longer version of this.
+jonuiuc most of the archival footage from Empire of Dreams is taken from the original 70s making of.
ah cool, I'll have to find that.
PureDetroit nominated for Best Documentary Feature Academy Award.
My childhood was all about star wars. I was a kid in the early 90s watching them recorded on vhs. Later my parents bought me the 1995 release on vhs. I still have em.
But my biggest experience of star wars was when watching Empire strikes back at a real cinema in 1997.
Given what we NOW know(with the release of Rogue One), Captain Antilles wasn't lying to Darth Vader when told they intercepted transmissions by Rebel spies. The Tantive IV didn't actually intercept them, the Mon-Calamari ship it was inside of did.
Oh Ollie, I could listen for hours...
I love the John Williams music used. Definitely gives me goosebumps.
Overall, excellent coverage, Oliver.
Despite the admittedly controversial creative decisions Lucas has made in recent years, the man's spirit, will, and dedication as a film maker and artist are undeniable. As an aspiring writer and illustrator myself, I often look up to him and the production hell he went through as inspiration to keep pursuing my dreams and push forward.
How have I not watched this one before now?? Oliver, just a FANTASTIC job on this: The editing is spot-on, giving credit where it's sorely due, your understanding of the cultural and film impact of Star Wars, the Despecialized editions, the iconic music and writing, it's all here. I've actually got tears in my eyes. Thank you.
No no jabba wasn’t cast as a human. The guy was just a placeholder.
Nope, that guy would have been Jabba if the scene wasn't cut.
"THX certified my arse". LOL.
Oliver, thank you for using the original footage instead of the new gross magenta color grade and updated special effects in the Special Editions. Also, your “intro trailer” for this one in particular was fucking *incredible* - made me want to watch the movie like it was the first time all over again.
Some of the "lost Luke shots" made it into the Topps Card setd
Hello guys, let me leave a comment : i live near Tatouine, the real Tatouine, the small desert village . yes, i live near Tunisia.
The first screeen shots show the talent of the actors, the genius of Lucas, and the golden era that was the 70's, an era of great inspiration and hope. This era will never comme again, those actors will never come again. this talented actors will never come again. Here we are in 2020, Star wars, the '' child of G.Lucas is sold to Disney. Starwars is dead. ...scenes of 1977's we see in the first minutes are still magic, and beautiful. what disney movies with billion dollars can match at all.
R.I.P CARRIE FISHER YOU WILL BE GREATLY MISSED I WILL ALWAYS LOVE STAR WARS AND PRINCESS LEIA!!!
Love this retrospective. StarWars was huge to my upbringing. I agree that editing and the studio pressure actually got us, as you said, a timeless classic.
I will say by the mid 90s it was fading frome the public mind. It was renewed in what was know as the extended universe of books and role playing material. West End had a quarterly release set of books along with source books. The Zahn novels were some of the best star wars novels i have ever read. Thanks to that I think Lucas was convinced to do the special release. And the rest is history.
Thank you for all your retrospective videos, I do not enjoy them, that would be an understatement. I love them and dissect every detail. Thank you for your hard work Mr. Harper. I would say that The Empire Strikes Back has the best soundtrack in the original trilogy and basically all subsequent SW films. In retrospect, I would say that Star Wars was a series of fortunate events and decision making by Lucas. Him knowing prominent filmmakers, being Spielberg's friend and meeting John Williams through that connection, Ben Burt creating unique and dazzling sound effects, Lucas vision and perseverance, the cast selection, forming industrial light and magic, the costumes, the worlds, the robots. In a nutshell, you remove any component and the entire thing crumbles. If the lightsabers didnt have the sound they designed for them it would have been cheesy. Vader's mask and his breathing, everything worked in perfect harmony to create the greatest and most innovative saga in film history.
Harmy's Despecialized Editions are superb. Wonderful work! Adywan's STAR WARS Revisited is fun, but I adore the originals.
36:54 There's apparently not even a proper print in the *National Film Registry* from the film's 1989 addition. They tried to give a print of the 1997 version to the Registry but were refused 🚫
From someone who was 4 when Star Wars was released this is a beautiful retrospective.
A film that shaped my childhood.
Thank you for this, I had a slight tear at the end.
You know, this should be required viewing for all these people that ask "what's the big deal about the OT?". Oliver has managed to explain the unexplainable. To put in words what fans of the original film have felt and why the film deserves it's near religious devotion. I'm sure many of us are caught up in tFA fever and some might even be suffering from SW overload, but this retrospective has reignited the desire to revisit the OT yet again. And when talking about a film I've personally seen more than 50 times in my life, that's an impressive thing to do. In fact, I challenge people to watch this and then not want to put in aNH directly following. Someone else said it here and I've said it on other retros, but this is really Oliver's best work to date.
Honestly! What 3 nitwits gave this a thumbs down!? How can you possibly say this is bad?
+Cyril Thanks for the very positive and kind feedback. The dislikes are up to 5 now! lol Im guessing its from folk who subscribe to only hate what i do.
THX 1138 should get more recognition. Its one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. Incredible movie. Im in the minority with this opinion but i think the directors cut makes THX 1138 even more stunning.
Very nice review, I remember seeing the re-release in 1997 at the cinema. I was hoping my dad would have taken me to see my favourite of the series Empire Strikes Back, but unfortunately he didn't. Glad to see you are covering ESB too so I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.
As a boy, I can still recall standing in line, during a blazing AZ summer, to see some bizarre scf-fi flick I knew nothing about and wasn't particularly interested in. However, within minutes of opening, as I saw and felt the star destroyer passing over my head I hoped it would never would end