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How did you first see the Star Wars films? — Page 4

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TPM- Midnight showing, Palm Springs CA. My brother was in the newspaper for having been in line playing "Star Wars Trivial Pursuit" all day. After the movie, I drove four hours to Vegas, slept for three hours in my car, and got up to film a wedding (my job at the time). After the wedding I went to see TPM again.

AOTC- Midnight showing, Eureka, CA. Watched TPM projected on the side of the theater beforehand from the back of some dude's truck. 

ROTS- Midnight showing, Cathedral City, CA. Bribed a dude 40 bucks to get my party  (me, dad, brother, best pal and his wife) seats together near the front. Enjoyed an excellent El Salvadorian meal instead of waiting in line. WORTH IT.  The theater had gotten some vintage Star Wars trailers, on for ESB and one for the ANH-SE to show before the movie. 

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Unfortunately, I am too young to have seen even RotJ in theatres.

Coincidentally, my first Star Wars film was RotJ anyway. It was a DVD-Bootleg of the '97 SE LD, before the official '04 release (strangely, no one remembers buying it, and I didn't know what it was until after joining OT.com). I saw this one over and over again.

For TPM, it was the original P&S VHS. I remember being bored by it... still am.

As for Empire and SW, I saw the '04/'97 versions at least twice on television or at a friend's house. Actually, maybe I saw the GOUT of SW, because I don't remember the Jabba scene until much later in life.

For AotC, I only saw it at a friend's house over a decade ago. Haven't seen it since.

I saw RotS at theatres... needless to say, everyone thought the ending was awesome (NOOO notwithstanding). I later saw it on DVD.

Then, many years later, I first saw the theatrical versions of the SW trilogy from the DeEds (missed the GOUT release), and absolutely fell in love with Star Wars again. So, thanks for that, guys.

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I kinda first saw 1997 SE on VHS, at least that was when I saw it properly. I might have seen theatrical versions on VHS before but I didn't remember much.

真実

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          In '77, I had no idea that there was a "phenomena" taking place. My father, a casual sci-fi buff, came home one evening and gathered my mom and sibling and took us to the theater. There was a long line of excited people of all ages. Lots of MTFBWYs flying around. I still had no idea what was happening. We got in and the opening crawl just blew everyone away. The ships went roaring over our heads and everyone was completely captivated. It was the most electric and shared movie experience I've ever had.

        In '80, I went with my cousin. The darker tone seemed to fit perfectly with the times. It was like living a game of 'Asteroids'. Dagobah was spooky and enchanting. Stunning.

        In '83 I went with a friend and we were wowed. Full and fun.

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My first time seeing TPM was the p&s vhs too. When I first moved into my current house 12 years ago, the previous owners left it all alone in a closet. Good for them!

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TheBoost said:

TPM- Midnight showing, Palm Springs CA. My brother was in the newspaper for having been in line playing "Star Wars Trivial Pursuit" all day. After the movie, I drove four hours to Vegas, slept for three hours in my car, and got up to film a wedding (my job at the time). After the wedding I went to see TPM again.

AOTC- Midnight showing, Eureka, CA. Watched TPM projected on the side of the theater beforehand from the back of some dude's truck. 

ROTS- Midnight showing, Cathedral City, CA. Bribed a dude 40 bucks to get my party  (me, dad, brother, best pal and his wife) seats together near the front. Enjoyed an excellent El Salvadorian meal instead of waiting in line. WORTH IT.  The theater had gotten some vintage Star Wars trailers, on for ESB and one for the ANH-SE to show before the movie. 

 *smack upside the head*

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TV's Frink said:

TheBoost said:

TPM- Midnight showing, Palm Springs CA. My brother was in the newspaper for having been in line playing "Star Wars Trivial Pursuit" all day. After the movie, I drove four hours to Vegas, slept for three hours in my car, and got up to film a wedding (my job at the time). After the wedding I went to see TPM again.

AOTC- Midnight showing, Eureka, CA. Watched TPM projected on the side of the theater beforehand from the back of some dude's truck. 

ROTS- Midnight showing, Cathedral City, CA. Bribed a dude 40 bucks to get my party  (me, dad, brother, best pal and his wife) seats together near the front. Enjoyed an excellent El Salvadorian meal instead of waiting in line. WORTH IT.  The theater had gotten some vintage Star Wars trailers, on for ESB and one for the ANH-SE to show before the movie. 

 *smack upside the head*

 You don't like El Salvadoran food?

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Return of the Jedi 1985 theatrical re-release.

Star Wars bootlegged recoding off of HBO.

Empire strikes back HBO broadcast premiere.

1997 special edition in theaters

Phantom Menace 1999 last Star Wars to be shot on film until Episode VII.

As to the order i watched the oot in, Empire first, then star wars and jedi.

Found empire boring and star wars far too slow to get to the action, as a kid i mean.  I now find empire and star wars virtually tied for first place and jedi for second place.

Guess i never really saw the real star wars though because it was episode IV and not the 77 version.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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TheBoost said:

TPM- Midnight showing ... After the movie, I drove four hours to Vegas, slept for three hours in my car, and got up to film a wedding (my job at the time). After the wedding I went to see TPM again.

Was this some kind of self-flagellative atonement for grievous and mortal sins, as prescribed by a particularly cruel and sadistic priest?

Or are you just a world-class masochist?

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Beatleboy99 said:

My first time seeing TPM was the p&s vhs too. When I first moved into my current house 12 years ago, the previous owners left it all alone in a closet. Good for them!

 Nice.  I can just imagine the conversation:

"Honey, you left a videotape in the closet."

"I know."

"You don't want to pack it with the rest of the videos?"

"No."

"There's plenty of room, Hon."

"I know."

"But we're already paying the movers to haul 16 boxes of videotapes--might we not as well just throw that last one in there?"

"Just.  Leave it.  It's Star Wars "Episode I"--you know, with the little kid and the minstrel-show rabbit thing?"

"Oh dear god give me the packing tape the packing tape now!!!"

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Darth Id said:

Beatleboy99 said:

My first time seeing TPM was the p&s vhs too. When I first moved into my current house 12 years ago, the previous owners left it all alone in a closet. Good for them!

 Nice.  I can just imagine the conversation:

"Honey, you left a videotape in the closet."

"I know."

"You don't want to pack it with the rest of the videos?"

"No."

"There's plenty of room, Hon."

"I know."

"But we're already paying the movers to haul 16 boxes of videotapes--might we not as well just throw that last one in there?"

"Just.  Leave it.  It's Star Wars "Episode I"--you know, with the little kid and the minstrel-show rabbit thing?"

"Oh dear god give me the packing tape the packing tape now!!!"

 I'm sure that's not too far off haha. And my initial reaction was "Hey it's that new Star Wars movie I haven't gotten to see yet!"

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Star Wars at night at a drive in.  I was hook. The sad part my dad left because no speakers were working.

looking for HDTV of the  Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.  Also HDTV of The Lord of the Rings trilogy

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Hey, Everyone--This is my first post. 

STAR WARS...It was 1983.  I was living in Hagerstown, Maryland and 3 years old.  Our neighbors had a VCR and let us borrow it and their copy of STAR WARS.  (I remember the neighbor, an older kid, was a big fan and had, I think, all the action figures, in the Darth Vader and C-3PO cases.)  All I remember from that first viewing was Vader boarding the Blockade Runner.  That is an iconic image, particularly because the tableau is overwhelmingly white and he is clad in black.

It was the first movie I ever saw.

RETURN OF THE JEDI...I saw the trilogy out of order.  In the fall of '87, we had just got our first VCR.  It was a free-preview weekend of HBO.  I was all geared up for ROTJ and was ready to record with our sole blank tape (!).  Just before it aired, I got confused by the TV/VCR switch and channel settings on the VCR (I think I set the VCR for channel 5 (HBO's number) when I should have set it for channel 3 (the Sylvania's number)). 

Anyway, the recording started as the shuttle entered the Death Star.  So I missed the opening crawl.  I cried and cried and cried.  Even then I was a completist and hated to miss anything of a movie.  And for those of you too young to remember those halcyon VCR days, when a big movie was broadcast, you had to be ready to record, because it could be years before it might be on again, and your only recourse would be to buy the pre-recorded tape, and sometimes they cost $100!

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK...It was February of '88.  It was a Sunday night, and I was wrapping up a week out of 2nd grade for chicken pox.  NBC broadcast TESB and I was better prepared this time, starting the recording right on time.  I remember being a bit confused why Leia was so mad at Han at the beginning of the movie, like a lot had transpired since STAR WARS.  Regardless, it was a thrilling ride, and Vader's revelation left me dumbfounded.  (However, I never thought he wasn't telling the truth). 

As the credits started, my father, who was a stickler for maximizing VCR-tape usage and never cared about credits, told me to stop the tape.  I said 'no,' and he proceeded to chase me around the room, trying to grab the VCR remote I was fleeing with.  I remember thinking that I had to keep him off of me for as long as possible, because this was my one chance to get the movie. 

Well, he caught me, so for years TESB ended with Peter Suschitzky's credit and "Yoda's Theme."

As for the prequels, I saw TPM in the theater 3 times and AOTC and ROTS 2 times each, respectively.  But those memories are not nearly so near and dear to my heart.

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Indeed it was a big deal when a movie had its TV premier.  It was also usually years after the theatrical run.  Alien was the first VHS release I ever bought, but I don't remember the cost.  That was around 1982.  Just the blank VHS tapes were about $25.00 back then.  That's if I could find them at the high end audio\video equipment stores.

It wasn't long after that and I made the switch to my Pioneer laserdisc player.  First movies were Alien, Star Wars, Blade Runner, and Apocalypse Now.  That started me on my road to full-film audio rips (onto cassettes back then), which eventually led me to this board, years after VHS and Laserdisc were no longer part of my world.

I was going to dispute the halcyon descriptor, but if I had to be honest about it,  it was a very big deal back then.   Alien, Star Wars, Blade Runner, and Apocalypse Now - all on my crazy-huge 26" screen and sound out of my 5-foot-tall Magneplanar speakers.   No telling how terrible those things really sounded, but I thought they were really something in 1980.  ;-)

Welcome aboard Anti.

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SW: TV in 1983. Dad taped it. I and my brother watched the tape often. On the tape before the movie was also a documentary about the depiction of space aliens in movies throughout the years, hosted by ET and Robin Williams (RIP).

ESB and ROTJ: I got the comic-book version of ROTJ as a birthday present in 1984, right when the movie came out in my country. Star Wars toys and comics was a big deal then, but I did not actually see any of the movies until on cable in 1990 or thereabouts.

TPM: Not available in my country until August. Saw it not the first showing, but within the first week.

AOTC: Midnight. Not the best theatre, but anyway.

HS: Video-CD at a Star Wars party.

ROTS: Second in line for tickets for the midnight showing at the best theatre and the very best seats.

CW "movie": Avoided when it was in theatres. Eventually saw it on the Internet or on the Cartoon Network years afterwards, I don't remember.

Rebels "movie": Not happened yet, but got an invite to a Disney event in a couple of weeks.

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Hi there... I'm new to the O.T. community so am excited to share my first Star Wars experience...

I was always aware of Star Wars. But I didn't really take an interest until my brother took me to see The Phantom Menace at our local cinema in 1999. I was only 11 and by the time the Jedi had reached Amidala I was hooked!!!

A few weeks later a friend of my sister leant me the special editions  from 1997 on VHS. I quickly realised that these were even better and, as my sister lost contact the the guy who leant me the videos, I still have them now!! 

Several months after that, I found the unaltered versions while staying at my uncle's house. He had the definitive collection on laserdisc and I was blown away all over again by the original films.

Next came The Phantom Menace full screen VHS... I still have this too.

2002, aged 14, I saw Attack Of The Clones the day it was released. Again, my brother and I went together and I loved it!! My mum bought me the fullscreen VHS the day it was released and yes I still own it...

Revenge Of The Sith, was the biggest thrill for me... Purely because my uncle, who's laserdiscs I had watched almost every time I visited since finding them, managed to get us tickets for the UK premiere. I sat in the theatre and again was blown away!!! An extra bonus was snagging a few autographs and meeting Jeremy Bullock in the toilets...!!! =0

Pre-ordered the DVD and got it delivered a day early!!! :)

I now have the whole saga on DVD, blu-ray and (with the exception of ROTS) VHS...

Well there you have it... I will say that my love of the prequels has died somewhat in the last couple of years. I'm not a hater, but they certainly lack the magic of the originals. And there are some major plot wholes if you try to watch all six in order...I've also, ALWAYS preferred the unaltered versions of the classic trilogy. Here's hoping they release them on blu-ray in the build up to episode VII... 

:)

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I’m gonna revive this thread to say that my first exposure to Star Wars was the fullscreen 1992 VHS tapes. To this day, only the colors of the pre-Definitive Collection/Faces VHS tapes and laserdiscs look 100% right to me for this reason. And even the full widescreen image, though obviously superior, seems a bit off on some subconscious level to someone who was weaned on pan & scan. Especially the first time I saw it in widescreen, which would have been the 2004 DVDs. At the time, though I disliked most of the changes I was pretty impressed by the picture and sound quality. Of course now I realize that it could and should have been much better, but back then I was just happy to have widescreen digital Star Wars with surround sound, and I assumed George would get around to remastering the original versions soon afterwards. Oh I miss those days of blissful ignorance.

As for the prequels and TFA, I saw them all in theaters when they first came out. Three disappointments (though I admittedly at first enjoyed ROTS for at least attempting to actually give relevant backstory to the originals and I was impressed by the visuals of all three, though they look painfully dated now) followed by one very satisfying film that I think will hold up much better with time. Especially if its follow-ups take advantage of the possibilities it unlocks.

Above all though, I really hope Disney re-releases the originals in theaters so I can say I saw them all, and particularly the best ones, on the big screen. No 3D crap, no Special Edition crap (for whatever reason I didn’t see the SEs in theaters in '97, I honestly don’t even remember their release at all and I didn’t bother with the '97 VHS tapes either). My dream would be restored unaltered films on 35mm or 70mm. Now I know that’s highly unlikely (though maybe a limited 70mm IMAX conversion is possible), but digital would still be fine. And considering it looks like they’re finally planning an imminent official restoration of the OOT, I really hope they do show it off in theaters. Quite possibly to commemorate the 40th anniversary next year. I think that’s my best hope.

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Rented them from Movie Gallery. Honestly don’t remember what order but I like to imagine it was OT first. Star Wars movies and Tron were the most rented and watched movies of my childhood. They’re both still some of my favorite movies in case you didn’t notice from my profile pic and the signature below 😉

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My dad’s colleague lent him the VHS tapes to watch before I saw TPM in theaters. No clue what version it was. All I remember from that first trilogy experience is the Bespin duel.

TV’s Frink said:

I would put this in my sig if I weren’t so lazy.

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First I watched a fullscreen VHS of TPM when I was four. I remember being confused because at the Podrace everyone called Anakin “Skywalker” and i didn’t know that he was Lukes dad (I had already known who Luke Skywalker was, and was blown away when my Dad told me that Anakin grew up to be Vader) Then I watched the special edition VHS’s of the OT, because we didn’t have Attack of the Clones, or Revenge of the Sith. After watching Return of the Jedi, we went to our local library to rent Attack of the Clones, which I can’t remember watching at all. I did like how the VHS matched up with the VHS of The Phantom Menace, with characters on the spines. When we rented ROTS, I re-borrowed AOTC, because I wanted to see all the spines together. To my dismay, however, they only had the DVD of ROTS, which didn’t have a picture on the spine. I did, however, enjoy thre film. It’s the only one I remember watching. I liked the opening space battle, and how Anakin had no qualms with killing Dooku. I remember hating when a hero wouldn’t kill a villain, just take him into captivity, from which he would always escape. I loved how Grievous had four sabers and used them all at once. I felt so strange when Anakin turned evil. It came out of nowhere, which I felt even at age five. I was bored by the Ani/Obi battle, it was too long. I must have mixed up AOTC and ROTS, because for some reason I had this memory of Obi-Wan fighing Grievous on Kamino. Even as a youngie, they were basically interchangable.

Not enough people read the EU.

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I know for a fact that I saw the OT on home video before the 97 SE, but I have difficulty remembering it. I’m assuming that those were the Faces tapes. Then after that, I saw the SE in theaters (the first time I remember seeing them clearly). Then the prequels as they were released. Then Harmy’s 1.0 cuts two or three years ago, and then the 2.x releases as they became available, as well as a host of other preservations.

I’m 26, for what it’s worth.

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Forgive me if I replied to this already,I simply cant remember! (Havent been here in awhile)

I first saw all 3 movies on HBO I think in the 80s…

I have the first on on its official VHS tape (No digital compromise) and the 3rd one recorded from HBO I think…(Analogue cable)

I cant find the 2nd one though!!! (The original movie (Nothing digital))