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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Your experience seeing the SE of the OT on the big screen (1997 only)

Discussion in 'Classic Trilogy' started by obi-rob-kenobi4, Feb 10, 2010.

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  1. dewback_rancher

    dewback_rancher Jedi Master star 4

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    Aug 23, 2009
    I don't remember WHEN, exactly, I found out- but I DO remember the excitement that made me even MORE hyperactive than usual; see, this was my first chance to see any of the films on the big screen, since I'm too young to have seen them in theaters (I was born in 1985, two years after ROTJ came out).

    So I just kept bugging my parents to take me to see ANH:SE, and it was GREAT! One of the best moviegoing experiences I've ever had- though I'll admit, the fact that ANH is my favorite SW film didn't hurt matters one bit! :p

    I was so ecstatic at the chance to finally see these films in theaters, I kept pestering my parents until they agreed to take me to see ESB and ROTJ as soon as they hit our local theater, too- and then kept pestering them every so often in the intervening months to make sure they didn't forget.

    Yeah, I was a royal pest about it- but it worked, and I finally got to see the entire trilogy on the big screen.

    As far as ESB, one part I remember in particular is that seeing it on the big screen allowed me to see details I'd never seen before, even in the unaltered parts; for example, I'd never noticed this one lizard (to me, it looks like an iguana, especially having seen it 10 feet tall) on a log at one point where Yoda is lecturing Luke; I also remember seeing Luke pull that snake out of his X-wing's engine intake for the first time in theaters.

    Yeah, I loved seeing them, since there's no substitute to seeing them in theaters, and it was really my first and only chance to do so. Can't argue with that, am I right? :D
     
  2. Endor_Commando

    Endor_Commando Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2007

    I remember that the cinema was packed out at the first showing of Star Wars that i went to. Lots of pointing at the screen when a new scenes came on.
    I saw Star Wars three times, Empire three times (twice in one day) and Jedi only once for some reason! My biggest memory of seeing Jedi is when i was the first to walk into the empty theatre,and as i walked down the isle,the Star Wars theme played loud. Quite emotional that was!

    The last time i had seen the three on the big screen was when the Original Star Wars Triple Bill was showing in the 80's.
     
  3. Gary_Buchenara

    Gary_Buchenara Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 29, 2009
    I seem to remember knowing about them for quite awhile beforehand. Maybe 18 months or so. When the trailer appeared I just about fell out of my seat with excitement... and I was 24 years old at the time.

    ANH was huge, queues, full houses etc. Saw it three times and loved the experience again. The magic was recaptured.

    Saw TESB three times as well. Remember thinking that it had received less treatment than ANH. Fully lived up to my nostalgic memories.

    By the time ROTJ came out, the hysteria had died down and the cinema was half empty. I enjoyed seeing it again on the big screen after all these years, but it confirmed my feeling that it was the weakest of the 3. Only one screening this time for me.

    Overall a great experience.
     
  4. Ord-Mantell70

    Ord-Mantell70 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2009
    I became aware of the SE in January 97, when they showed a report at the evening news on French TV about the release in the USA and its huge success. It came out a month later over here. I had seen the movies on the original theatrical release, and of course it was really exciting to see the trilogy on the big screen again, after all those viewings on TV, and I was really curious about the added scenes.

    I saw each movie once and it was really great, except for the Han Solo/Jabba confrontation added scene in ANH that was awful to me, as I saw the French-dubbed version where Harrison Ford has a totally different voice in that scene than in the rest of the movie, probably because the actor who originally dubbed Solo was either dead or unavailable, and it just looked ridiculous ! I just can't believe they had the guts to do this !
     
  5. Jedi_Ford_Prefect

    Jedi_Ford_Prefect Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 9, 2003
    I first learned of the Special Editions reading about them in a magazine before going to a movie (can't remember which-- ID4 probably) that ran the first SE trailer. Talk about great timing.

    Mostly I remember all the build-up to the release of the movies. I read all the reports of new footage and effects, and how excited everybody was for it (even Greedo shooting first). I tracked down an old making-of tape of the original trilogy that showed the pre-CG Jabba scene, or at least enough of it to get an idea of what was coming our way.

    My reaction of the films themselves is a bit of a blur-- I think the biggest thing that affected me wasn't really the changes themselves, but seeing them on the big screen, in their full aspect ratio. I can't stress this enough, really, as all the tape-versions I'd ever owned before were pan-and-scan. I was 13 at the time, and only just sort of becoming aware of letterboxing, and seeing "Star Wars" in all its cinemascope glory made me realize the full importance of widescreen presentations. ANH and ESB impressed me most of all-- Lucas' epic framing and use of scope in the former and cinematographer Peter Suschitzky's luscious use of lighting and color in the latter (really, screw Kershner-- Suschitzky is the unsung hero of "Empire").

    As for the new scenes-- ANH's revamped effects were cool as hell to me. I always dug the Jabba scene (including Boba Fett's cameo). Greedo's shot, I could've done without (though I don't mind it being there). What I wasn't expecting, though, and probably the change I love the most-- Biggs. At that point I kinda knew a little bit about the deleted scenes from the film, the stuff at Anchorhead, but I didn't expect any old footage other than the Jabba stuff to be reinstated, and frankly I didn't even know about the pre-battle meeting at all. As such, it was the perfect amount of characterization and backstory at just the right moment.

    I also remember being home one day, after seeing the Special Editions, and watching my THX copy of ANH while I surfed an old "Star Wars" AOL chatroom. And you know what? It just wasn't the same. One of the reasons I never understood the whole SE backlash or the clamoring for the original theatrical versions isn't because I wasn't exposed to them-- I practically had the OT memorized from watching the movies over and over again on tape when I was small. But after the Special Editions, I just couldn't go back. Those were "Star Wars" to me, from now on.

    Though I will admit, I never did like the new song in Jabba's palace. A small price to pay, especially for that wonderful new ending we got. Second only to the Biggs scene, ROTJ's galaxy-wide celebration of the Empire's end is my favorite new bit of the SE, a really emotionally effective montage. At the time, however, it was even cooler as our first glimpse of the fabled Prequel Trilogy, as here we finally got to see the central planet of Coruscant. I love the PT, so even remembering witnessing our first snatches of it with the SE just reinforces what it means to me.

    Now, with all the rumors of a possible 3D revamp of the saga, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic. Still, what I long for most is simply to see any or all of these six films up on the big screen again. That's where they belong, after all.
     
  6. Avian005

    Avian005 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2009
    I was five years old, and I don't remember that much. I do remember the Jabba the Hutt scene for ANH, thinking it was made out of clay. And the last memory I have for it was asking my mom to read the intro for ESB. Other than that, I don't remember the SEs except for home video.
     
  7. StampidHD280pro

    StampidHD280pro Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 28, 2005
    I knew it was CG when I went to go see it, but in retrospect I've made the same observation. I think both ANH Jabbas are supposed to look like more like claymation in order to match the rest of the movie's graphics. But thats just me speculating.
     
  8. Illi

    Illi Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 14, 2010
    I've been a long time reader of the TFN forums but this is my first time posting, and could there be a better thread to do so? :)

    I was 6 years old when I saw ANH in 1997 and I hadn't heard of Star Wars at all before my dad told me he was taking me to the cinema. Needless to say I loved every minute of it, and went back to watch it two more times. I couldn't wait to see TESB but the first time I did go to see it, I only saw about a tenth of the movie because I was sick all over the cinema floor as soon as Han cut open Luke's taun taun and all the blubber poured out haha, bless me. I went to see it again the next day (at a different cinema however ha) after deciding to man up and was thrilled throughout the whole film, and shocked at the thought of Vader being Luke's father! Finally, I remember seeing ROTJ, favouring it more than the other two at the time, and loving the closure that it brought to the trilogy, yet wanting to see more adventures in the Star Wars galaxy!

    It's these kind of experiences which just can't be re-lived by watching the saga again on dvd, which is why I'll always remember them.
     
  9. _Sublime_Skywalker_

    _Sublime_Skywalker_ Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 8, 2004
    Seeing the OT on the big screen in '97 was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.

    Don't get me wrong, I'd seen it before, my dad made sure of that. I was only turning eight when it was re-released, and it was the perfect age to get me hooked.

    Though ANH was a little slow for me, I remember getting a little bored. But seeing ESB on the big screen next more than made up for it :).
     
  10. Slowburn

    Slowburn Jedi Youngling star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 22, 2010
    Oh, I loved seeing the OT on the big screen. I had gotten into the trilogy early on in my life so it was a real treat. I was still at a pretty tender age so it had a big impact on me. I went with my dad and brother, and my brother was the one that got me into the whole "Star Wars" universe in the first place. We at at Taco Bell, who was advertising the film to a big degree, I got an awesome toy out of it, and then we went to see "A New Hope", followed by the others. It was all an awesome experience for me. I felt that it was the first time I EVER saw them since it was on the big screen. Very cool memory.
     
  11. DRush76

    DRush76 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 25, 2008
    I appreciated the OT a lot more when I saw it on the big screen back in 1997, than I had did upon its original release.
     
  12. trixiebee67

    trixiebee67 Jedi Youngling

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    Sep 26, 2009
    Seeing the SE on the big screen in 97 was a bit of a let down. I was working on the help desk of a very large IT outsourcing company. Not to stereotype, but that generally comprised a decent sized geek population and a large group of coworkers went together. Not one of us liked the changes to the movies we had enjoyed in our youth. Chacun son goût.
     
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