ANH on the Big Screen

Tonight, I was a part of a very privileged group that was able to see Episode IV on the big screen at the new Cine Capri theater in Scottsdale, Arizona. At least a dozen Phoenix Fan Force members were in attendance, which was about 600 people in all. All the proceeds from the screening went to a local charity, and each commemorative ticket had a piece of the swatch that covered the old screen before each movie. For those that don't know, the old one, built in 1966, was torn down in 1998 (shortly after its last showing of Titanic) despite a signature drive to save it that gathered 272,000 signatures.

It was the first movie ever shown at the new Cine Capri, and it was a fitting first showing. The sound was amazing (32,000 watts of power for you), and the screen is 70-by-27-foot. There was spontaneous applause on several occasions, including right after the destruction of the Death Star. The credits were turned off halfway through to loud boos, and they were restored (albeit almost drunkenly, with the words garbled beyond recognition) to loud cheers.

It was a grand night for Star Wars fans, and I was lucky enough to be there for it. Just wanted to share that with everyone here .

On a related note, I can say with certainty that Mark Hamill did indeed yell "Carrie!", and that someone out there can make quite a few bucks with ticket number 1138. I think it might do well enough to merit a sequel or few.

 

Nice one!!! And yes... I am jealous .

 

That is so awesome. I wish someplace around here would do something like that.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Now, to hype everyone for the DVD releases in a few years, they need to have the movies showing in theaters in 2005.

 

Sometimes (most of the time) I think its THE ONLY way to 100% enjoy the Star Wars films- at the cinema!

 

The only Star Wars movies I have seen in the cinema are The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. I was just starting to like Star Wars soon before the SE's were released, but I wasn't yet a big enough fan to realize the significance of them being in theaters. Too bad I was only 8 then.

 

I saw SW: Special Edition at the old Cina Capris before it was torn down -- WOW -- it was H-U-G-E...Too big almost.

That's awesome that they rebuilt it and awesome that they chose to show Star Wars.

That fills me with hope that there are some people in the world that still do it right.

 

That sounds really cool, Knight.

 

Seeing ANH:SE opening night in 97 is still the moviegoing highlight of my life. I dont' think any theater experience will ever match or beat it.

 

Knight-

Which version? SE or original?

 

I remember the first time I saw ANH on the big screen, back when I was 10 in 1997. It was awesome, it was shown on the Showcase Downtown in Worcester, which is now been closed. The screen was massive, and so was the auditorium My dad took my sister and I, and 125 minutes later my mind was ablaze with Star Wars, and that fire hasn't been put out since.

That as definately one of the most memorable trips to the theater yet.

 

I saw ANH:SE, ESB:SE, ROTJ:SE, TPM and AOTC all in the same theather, all on Opening Day.

HOT SAUCE.

 

On a related note, I can say with certainty that Mark Hamill did indeed yell "Carrie!"

Hehe, you are so wrong on this.

 

I have also seen every Star Wars film released in the same cinema, and that includes the original releases since 1977. When Eps 1 and 2 were released I was in that same cinema at the midnight screenings. It's a tradition that I see the films there.


On a related note, I can say with certainty that Mark Hamill did indeed yell "Carrie!"

I've never been able to work that one out! It's too high and whiney sounding to tell.

 

How did they get their hands on a print?

 

Yeah, that is my question too. How did they get a print? It must have been a really old one, because Lucas is not releasing the S.Es out. I remember in 1996 a local theater showed EMPIRE from an orginal 1980 print. It was pretty old. So that print must have been from the eighties or the seventies. Oh, he definately did not scream "Carrie". The offical site had a whole thing about Star Wars Urban myths, and that was one of them.

 

Hehe, you are so wrong on this

The sound system at the Cine Capri is amazing, and it sounded rather distinctly like "Carrie!".

It was the Special Edition that they used, and I imagine they simply asked Lucas for it. The old Cine Capri here was famous in part because of Star Wars, and they also showed it for a week in 1992 (I found that out on Thursday night). The proceeds also went entirely for charity, so that may have helped as well.

I saw the SE's when they were released in 1997, and that was a great experience as well. ANH and ESB were better for me, because I saw them both on Opening Night. I didn't see ROTJ until a week or so after it was released.

 

I have seen them all on the Big Screen. Three of the five I have seen on the first release day. I saw ANH a week after it was released when I was still a learner (10). I also waited untill the hype was over to see AOTC, I was fully committed to the Dark Side by then (35).

 

Gee, I wish I lived in Az. Well, actually I wish I just saw the movie... God, I can't WAIT for those DVDs.anyway...

 

Everybody out there should regularly check their local theaters. During the summer, many theaters tend to have special screenings of older (relatively speaking, of course) films usually only once and sometime around midnight on a given night so as not to take away from their ability to capitalize on new films on their screens.

A few years ago, my wife and I were able to catch Raiders of the Lost Ark at an AMC here in Chicagoland. Bad print, but still cool to see.