Star Wars revisited
Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 08:43AM
In June of 1977 I had just finished my first year as a high school English teacher in the small Iowa town of Stuart. The big city of Des Moines was about an hour drive east. And the big city had multiple movie theaters, including the fancy-schmancy Riviera with its wide screen and audacious audio system.
It was where I watched Star Wars one summer afternoon. And was completely blown away.
The special effects were (for the time) totally amazing. The characters were ones with which this “rebel” could identify. Hey, Luke’s bad hair style was a lot like my own at the time. Lucas and the movie had a sense of humor. The musical score was amazing.
But what captured me the most were the sound effects. The swish of the light sabers. The scream on the hovercraft. The honky-tonk of the alien musicians in the bar. But most of all, the inhalations and exhalations of the menacing Darth Vadar. All which made the air and seats and floor in the movie theater vibrate. Each time the heating vent in my classroom started the next fall, I looked behind me to make sure it wasn’t Darth breathing down my back.
Of course I raved about the film to my fellow teachers. Eventually Star Wars came to the Grand Theater in Greenfield, some 30 miles south of Stuart, and a group of teachers went there one evening to see the show - on my recommendation. (Being teachers, we liked the lower cost of the tickets and the popcorn.)
Unfortunately, it just wasn’t the same. At the time, the Grand’s screen was small and old. I probably have better speakers in my living room today than the movie house had in the 70s. It was the same movie, but it wasn’t the same experience as seeing it at the Riviera. I lost a lot of my movie critic cred with my fellow educators that night.
I rewatched the original Star Wars movie this week, for probably the tenth time. I have the DVDs of all nine movies. The earlier ones, as I remember, have been “remastered” with a bantha added here and there. But the plot and characters were the same. I have a large screen TV and a good sound system. The air doesn’t vibrate when a spaceship goes overhead, but it’s better than at the Grand. It’s still an engaging movie and I could nearly recite all the dialog, scene by scene. Luke’s haircut hasn’t improved with age.
Star Wars has, of course, gone on to become a big franchise. My love of the series shrank as Episodes I, II, and III appeared and dwindled even more during VII, VIII and IX. And while I watched the Mandalorian, it felt like it took place in another universe - one with which I found it hard to relate.
My son, son-in-law, and grandsons can tell you all you want to know about Boba Fett and Jango Fett and other wonkish lore. But my Star Wars excitement peaked during that first showing at the Riviera. I’ll keep rewatching the series over the next couple of weeks. Perhaps my appreciation will grow. Can’t wait to see Leia in her harem costume and Jar Jar in his fighting mode.
May the force be with you.
Reader Comments (7)
Very similar memories - the theater had a new sound system and I remember everyone looking to the back at the opening scene thinking there actually was something coming through the back of the theater.
Some movies you need to see on the big screen...
I didn't see Star Wars until almost a year after it's debut. The remarkable thing about that was the fact that the movie played continuously for more than a year in the same first-run, single-screen theater. Even the biggest films of today, like the most recent Spider-Man, will only last a couple of months before heading off to pay-per view and streaming.
In 1980, I didn't wait nearly that long to see Empire. I was in the crowd for opening day, along with friends, colleagues, and more than a few of my students.
Kenn,
I sound like a geezer, but they just don't make movies like they once did!
Doug
Hi Tim,
Our "entertainment" options were more limited back in the day. But we somehow survived! I love a good movie but give me a good book any day!
Doug
My first date with the geeky guy who became my husband. Married 43 years now and still watching the movie.
Joy,
Did your husband remind you of Luke, Han, or Chewie?
Doug
Yoda
Good one, Joy! Wise are you.