Even though George Lucas first remixed the original Star Wars trilogy in the special editions almost 30 years ago, it has been a very long time since the public had easy access to the original theatrical cuts of A New Hope (or, more accurately, Star Wars as it was back then), Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. That will change now, though, at least for one night in the UK.
The first public screening of one of the few dye transfer IB Technicolor prints left from Star Wars’ initial UK release in December 1977 will be the main event of the British Film Institute’s second Film on Film Festival, which honors the medium of print film itself. The prints have since been preserved in the Institute’s national film archive. This is one of the first public screenings of the original Star Wars cut in decades, and it will happen on the festival’s opening night on June 12.
Since the 2006 DVD release of the 2004 editions of the films (which included more contentious changes to the films to bring them into line with the prequel trilogy) and a bonus re-issue of the original cuts last released on Laser Disc in 1993, it has been difficult to obtain the original Star Wars cuts in a modern manner. Over the past ten years since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, there have been suggestions that officially remastered copies of the original cuts may be released, but that hasn’t happened yet, even though fan-restored movie versions have been widely available online for years. Last month, the original cut of Star Wars was made accessible for streaming on Roku through the Cinema Box for a few days before being immediately removed from availability, which was a very strange move.
Rare on-set Polaroids, notes, and deleted sections from the original Star Wars continuity script are among the rare materials on display to go along with the opening night viewing. The BFI National Archive currently looks after the script, which was part of the collection of Ann Skinner, the original film’s script editor.
There are other exciting genre releases at the event besides Star Wars. Additionally, the BFI said that Kyle MacLachlan will present the first-ever screening of the Twin Peaks pilot in the United States, including a showing of the original 35mm print.
I’ve been campaigning for the original Star Wars movie to return to theaters for years. Maybe this will bring it closer to happening.
The BFI Film on Film Festival will begin on June 12 and tickets will go on sale on May 6.
Would you watch the original uncut Star Wars in theaters? Let us know in the comments below!
