Movie Review: Star Wars (1977 Original Theatrical Cut) · 5:45am Nov 19th, 2018
Last Saturday afternoon, I got to see something quite special.
A special showing of the original, theatrical cut of Star Wars (what we nowadays are supposed to call "Episode IV: A New Hope").
That means, none of the later "Special Edition" edits that so inflamed the Internet against George Lucas.
So yes, here, Han shoots first, the effects are all practical, and at one point Obi-Wan's lightsaber blade disappears briefly during his duel with Darth Vader. XD
Now, I've said it before and on other occasions, I am a huge Star Wars fan. Maybe not to the extent of others, but I still love the long-ago far-away galaxy of Jedi, Rebels and Imperials and whatnot.
So that being said, what can I say about the original cut of Star Wars versus all the later movies?
How does this 1977 classic hold up against a modern perspective?
...Pretty damn well, I must admit.
The story, of course, is familiar to most anyone: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, stolen Death Star plans, Han Solo and Chewbacca, Princess Leia, starfighter battles, and those two funny droids C-3PO and R2-D2.
The story, I must also say, moves along at a pretty damn brisk pace, especially once the players get off of Tatooine and are on their way to Alderaan. Lucas' plot moves from scene to scene at a consistently swift speed, establishing characters and settings at breakneck rate (Jawas, Sand People, Jedi Knights, Mos Eisley Spaceport, oh my!), though it manages to avoid overwhelming the audience - perhaps thanks in part to the meticulously constructed weirdness and "used future" aesthetic of the setting. When Luke enters the famous Cantina and we see all those wacky aliens, the bizarre creatures and the gritty, smoky setting really do create the feeling that this is actually a place that has other characters and greater goings-on to it.
This is definitely helped by good performances from various actors. Yes, Mark Hamill's Luke is kind of a whiny idiot, but he's SUPPOSED to be a naïve farmboy in over his head for much of the picture. This is the first stage of his growth as a character, going from hopeful young hero-wannabe to the wiser, hardened Jedi Knight that he ultimately becomes by the time of Return of the Jedi.
Harrison Ford's Han Solo is a standout performance, being a guy full of swaggering toughness who can be badass (his shooting Greedo and the casual "Sorry about the mess" as he leaves) and also offering lots of his own brand of humor as well: from his easy banter with Chewbacca, to bickering with Leia (which I must say, actually does feel like it plants the seeds for the later romance in Empire Strikes Back), and snarking at Obi-Wan's talk of the Force... Han Solo is just a guy with a lot of personality.
Carrie Fisher does a good job with what she has as Princess Leia in this movie, but I'll be honest, she's never been my favorite of the Star Wars trio like Luke and Han have been. That being said, it's definitely a LOT of fun to see her basically take charge of her own rescue, pick up a blaster and help fight out of the cell block and the Death Star. (A particular bit of teamwork I really enjoy is seeing Leia exchange fire with stormtroopers while Luke readies a grappling hook for them to swing across a downed walkway in the Death Star.)
I readily admit, that two of my favorite characters in this film are the British ones. XD
I love Sir Alec Guinness' performance as Old Ben / Obi-Wan Kenobi, which is of course highly ironic given the actor's antipathy towards the part and the series as a whole. It definitely speaks a lot though, that if he was really phoning it in, he still managed to make the hidden Jedi general such a memorable character: a kind of Gandalf of the desert, dry and wily, able to slice an arm off as easily as offer a lesson on the Force or sneak through an Imperial battle-station. (And also, when Luke asks him "How did my father die?" That thoughtful/contemplative pause that Guinness makes is so, SO lucky for George Lucas. 
)
And I also am a big fan of Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin. While he counts as the major villain of this film (Darth Vader only has about fifteen minutes of screen-time all in all - definitely proof that this is the first SW film! XD), Tarkin doesn't get much focus, but Cushing definitely owns the smallest material. His calm cool sadism in ordering Alderaan destroyed is delightfully evil, and his look of idle curiosity as he watches Vader strangle a mouthy Imperial admiral is quite wonderful too.
On the comedy-relief side, it's a lot of fun to see 3PO and R2 in their first cinematic outing. For the opening twenty minutes of the film, they ARE our protagonists, and their interactions bring a lot of character and humor to the film. (As I said to my dad when we were watching the movie, it's amazing that the filmmakers took what was essentially a rolling trash-can and gave him SO MUCH personality.)
One other point I'd like to make about this film - well, maybe two - is that it's definitely interesting to see the myriad of influences that went into the making of this film. You have the Flash Gordon influence right from the opening crawl, the influence of classic Westerns in a lot of the Tatooine stuff (Luke finding the burned farm is straight out of The Searchers), along with the Kurosawa feel of Ben Kenobi's hidden general and his duel with Darth Vader... and of course, the WWII dogfight nature of the climactic trench-run on the Death Star. (Or as my Dad likes to snarkily call it, "attack of the bad 70s' haircuts". )
Anyway, the point that I'd like to make here is that it's really interesting to me, from a modern perspective as well as a cinema fan, to look at this movie and see all the influences that went into it. Star Wars at its original form represents an unusual synthesis of a ton of different genres and styles, and it really is a miracle that the film brings it all together so well, and that it caught on so well with audiences too.
In the end, even if I weren't a Star Wars fan, I'd have to applaud this film for the massive impact that it has (and continues to have) on our pop culture experience. George Lucas definitely caught lightning in a bottle with this film, thought it definitely was with the help of a lot of people coming together to make it all possible.
Definitely an experience I am VERY happy to have had. ^_^
You have no idea how refreshing it is to see someone NOT be bitching and moaning about Star Wars as that seems that's the only thing the Internet can do. First it was the Prequels, then it was the Sequels, then it was the standalones, fucking hell! The positivity helps. Thanks.
4970275
It's just so draining, can't anyone say something good about it any more?
Hehe, no problem. I definitely get what you're saying. It seems like all anyone can do anymore is just rage and bitch about any-and-everything Star Wars.
That's why it was so much fun to go back to this film. It was the first, it still holds up pretty well, and basically just offers a good time.
4970359
Hence why I choose to focus on the good of the movies. I will be the first to admit they’re not perfect. But damn they’re still fun. I like Attack Of The Clones the least and I still find stuff to enjoy. Yoda’s Hoverchair, Dooku, the Geonosis fight, still fun.
4970362
Definitely. The movies are not by any means perfect (the prequels in particular, and I say that as someone who defends them) but it's just frankly petty and childish to obsess over how they didn't pander to your vision or whatever. I love the Darth Maul fight in the Phantom Menace. I love Count Dooku's duel against Yoda. There's a lot of fun or cool stuff in the movies, if you're willing to just accept them as they are.
4970364
For all the bitching aout Revenge of the Sith, it had good scenes. Padmé’s pregnancy reveal, the snark betwen Anakin and Obi-Wan, the entire beginning scene, the Opera House scene, the Mustafar/Senate duels, the first time chronologically we hear the Vader Breath...
Revenge is my favorite movie of the, I wanna say 10 that we’re at?
4970365
That moment still gives me chills. You could have heard a pin drop the first time I saw that scene. Just perfection in that moment.
Revenge of the Sith is my definite favorite of the prequels. I don't know if it's my top favorite of the series (I actually try not to keep a best/worst list of Star Wars, admittedly, mainly out of irritation with the snobs and fanboys) but it's got a lot to it.
The novelization of that film is actually one of my favorite books ever. I mean, holy shit, it's so good.
4970368
I need to get my hands on Revenge of the Sith’s novelization. Hell, I can even defend the much decried Big No. Consider that that movie happened in about a week. Anakin lost everything he ever had in the span of a Week. And the climax happened in a DAY. That is the scream of one who has lost everything he ever had, down to his own freedom. Vader is as much a slave to Palpatine as Anakin was to Watto. All the loss, the pain and the realization of what he did and that he broke through rock fucking bottom, it’s no wonder the source of Vader’s power is his endlessly self loathing. He is a broken man, and worst of all, he did it to himself.
4970371
Exactly! Couldn't have put it better myself. Anakin destroyed everything good that he had, and delivered himself into a slavery far crueler than any he could have known or imagined.
That scream is a painful and awkward moment, because it's the last breath of a man forced into a new and unfamiliar mechanical body, lashing out in desperate broken pain, before numbly sinking into acceptance of his place as Palpatine's newest minion.
4970376
In that moment, Anakin Skywalker died and all that was left was Darth Vader. Actually have a book on Anakin’s life from before Phantom Menace to Revenge Of The Sith. The way his forced breathing is described, it hurts. He is in constant pain, emotionally and physically to the point where he eventually becomes numb. Vader is THE example I go to when I think Tragic Monster.
4970380
Indeed. Here, have an excerpt from the ROTS novelization, of Anakin in the Vader suit:
Just... damn.
What a nightmare to live through.
4970382
Vader isn’t just a Nightmare to anyone in his path. He himself is living a nightmare wide awake.
4970383
I'll have to remember that one. That's a damn good way of summarizing Vader and his nature.
4970385
And in sharp contrast, James Earl Jones is a completely harmless and a good person, and short, whilst Vader is I think about 6’6, towering over anything short of a Wookiee.
4970387
Indeed so. You had Jones as Vader's voice, and David Prowse as Vader's suit actor, and (in some fight scenes later in the OT) Bob Anderson in the suit for duel scenes.
4970388
Yep. Apparently JEJ is a very kind and calm man, sharp contrasts to Darth “Force Choke” Vader.
4970391
Yep. Never fails to amuse me how some of the most scary or evil villains in fiction often have really nice actors playing them.
Guess that playing bad guys is wonderful stress release, huh? XD
4970394
OH IT IS. Look at Christopher Lee, he was a chronic movie villain, but he was a metalhead, a Nazi stabber and apparently did a lot of roles for his grandkids.
4970396
Perfect example right there. He was an amazing actor and a pretty great human being.
4970398
Honestly, I think Lee did too good a job at playing Dooku. I just couldn't hate the guy and I think the writers for some of the books felt the same way as some of his portrayals in literature show him to be quite reasonable and truly believed in the cause he fought for.
Also, did you know that Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai) was originally supposed to be cast as Obi-wan?
4970430
Hehe. Good point there. His charisma may have worked too well with the character. (He is my, and my sister's, favorite of Palpatine's apprentices, because of that.)
Oh yes, I am aware! Would have been VERY interesting if that had been the case.
My sister and I paid tribute to the idea with a Mifune-esque Jedi we made up once. Master Rokurota. (Another Mifune reference.)
4970431
Would have been interesting to see definitely. As would Al Pacino as Han. They did do a nod to Mifune in an old tactics game with an Asian Jedi, Echuu Shen-Jon.
Yeah, Han and Leia's relationship in the movie is a good beginning and something we don't always see, even in MLP. They were very very different people that took time before they really grew into the relation. Too often, I think, people have this misconception that you have to have everything in common with each other to make a relationship work and if you have different views or tastes it can't possibly work. I say that as I watch Rear Window where the Han and Leia dynamic is proven good story telling.
4970432
Really? Cool.
Indeed. There's a lot of misconceptions about romance, unfortunately. It seems to be either "you have to have everything in common" or else it's some kind of crazy "opposites attract" thing where belligerence is taken to mean that it's clearly attraction, when it may not BE romantic tension at all. People are complicated. There's never any one "right" way to love. (Despite the obvious "don't be an asshole" of course.)
4970398
Another example of the sheer discrepancy between actor and character is Ian McDirmid as Palpatine. Palpatine is a vile, horrible monster of a human being who openly delights in causing agony and who seemingly orchestrated the Clone Wars and his rise to Emperor simply out of a desire for absolute power. Whilst Ian McDirmid is very much the spitting image of the kindly old grandfather you don't see often but you love it whenever you do see him because he has such stories to tell you.
4971324
Another great example there. I have an old Star Wars encyclopedia, the introduction of which was written by McDirmid. It's fun and charming as hell, as he recounts the experience of playing the Emperor for the first time, and his delight at returning to the part for the prequel trilogy.
He just seemed like a very nice and pleasant man. He also had a great quip about how he'd first played the Emperor's younger self in the prequels:
4971376
You should try watch him read Star Wars Shakespeare, it is terrifying how quickly he switches from harmless old man to one of the most terrifying and cruel beings in the Star Wars universe who is responsible for the deaths of trillions at the very least.
4971377
Oh wait, he did a reading of Star Wars Shakespeare? That's awesome, and I will definitely check that out.
4971379
Well, some of his dialogue to Luke while Force Lightningifying him, but yes.
4971380
Ah, I see now. XD
But I'm definitely intrigued. McDirmid did once compare Palpatine to Iago from Othello.
4971382
I wouldn't know.
4971383
It was from another piece of an interview I read with McDirmid. He talked about the fun of playing a character that everyone thinks is honest and helpful, but is really lying and twisting every word he says. That's Iago from Othello in a nutshell: the other characters call him "Honest Iago" but he engineers all the misery of the play (up to Othello killing his wife in suspicion of betraying him - which really seems like Lucas was paying attention with ROTS) out of cruelty and spite.
4971385
Huh, guess Palpatine is a grander scale Iago by that logic.
4971386
Definitely draws from him, at any rate. I've heard about other influences for the Emperor: ranging from Ming the Merciless to Nixon.