I was lucky enough to see this tonight. It was amazing to see the original theatrical version. The audience cheered when Han shot first. (There was, of course, no Episode VI: A New Hope.)

I also got to see the continuity script, which really brought hope how much was changed in the edit, & on set/behind the scenes Polaroids.

As the BFI video below explains, it’s a dye transfer print and, as a result, has maintained its colour really well. There were quite a few scratches, lines, shakes & blobs during the Tatooine scenes but that really added to the nostalgia.

For those asking whether Lucas knows about the screening, it was approved by Lucasfilm. Kathleen Kennedy was there & paid tribute to George & ILM. She said there were big plans for Star Wars’ 50th anniversary but there was no indication of a wider release of the original cut.

oojason said:

Inside the Archive: Star Wars in Technicolor | BFI

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bsCliOges0 - a 9 minute video from the official BFI youtube channel.

The blurb: 'In our latest Inside the Archive video we go far, far away - all the way back to 1977 - to examine an original IB Technicolor dye-transfer print of Star Wars (Dir. George Lucas, 1977), held in the BFI National Archive’s collections.

Join Kieron Webb (Head of Conservation) and James Bell (Curator of Fiction, BFI National Archive Programme Director, Film on Film Festival), as they explore the history of this precious object, and examine other unique items related to the film’s production.

Video produced with the support of the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.’