Think you’ve seen 1977’s Star Wars? Think again. What you’ve most likely seen is one of several altered versions that went into distribution after the film’s original theatrical run, versions tweaked by George Lucas himself that would eventually come to comprise a set of “special editions” of the beloved epic. But here's a new hope for ya — now it seems some fans will be able to feast their eyes on the actual original cut of the film that Lucas left behind so long ago.
This June, the British Film Institute’s will open their Film on Film Festival with a screening of one of the few Technicolor prints produced for Star Wars’ initial run that still remains intact, according to The Telegraph. This is the first time this print has been screened publicly since December 1978, the outlet reported, though it has been made available on VHS offerings in the past.
Lucas started making tweaks to the film with the first theatrical re-release of Star Wars in 1981, and since then, Lucasfilms has only allowed various “special editions” of the movie to screen. Fans seem to be in for a real treat specifically when it comes to the print they’ll be screening at the upcoming festival; For the last forty years, it has been stored at 23 degrees Fahrenheit to preserve quality, so needless to say it should be a near impeccable viewing experience.
In the past, Lucas has been pretty unshakable in his stance against screening his original cut of what we now know as Episode IV: A New Hope, and has even spoken out about the decision over the years.
“The Special Edition, that’s the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it’s on VHS, if anybody wants it. I’m not going to spend the — we’re talking millions of dollars here — the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn’t really exist anymore,” he told the Associated Press back in 2004 about not releasing the original cut. “It’s like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I’m sorry you saw a half-completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be. I’m the one who has to take responsibility for it. I’m the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they’re going to throw rocks at me, they’re going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good, or at least something I think is not finished.”
Who knows why Lucas is having a bit of a change of heart with this screening — but we certainly aren’t complaining.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
