Opening night – Star Wars (Thursday 12th June)
An unmissable treat for Star Wars fans. A long time ago, George Lucas’s original space fantasy set in a galaxy far, far away was released in 1977, captivating countless imaginations for generations to come and forever shifting popular culture. Film on Film presents Star Wars exactly as experienced by audiences on its original release, screening from one of the precious handful of dye transfer IB Technicolor prints produced for the first British release, preserved in the BFI National Archive.
On display to coincide with the opening night screening there is also a rare opportunity to view material from the original continuity script for Star Wars, which includes rare on-set Polaroids, annotations and deleted scenes. The script is from the collection of Ann Skinner, script editor on the original film, and is now cared for by the BFI National Archive.
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The prints in this year’s programme have many stories to tell. There’s the original, unfaded dye transfer IB Technicolor British release print of Star Wars (1977), preserved in the BFI National Archive, and ready to transport us to a long time ago, and a galaxy far, far away, back to the moment in 1977 when George Lucas’s vision cast a spell on cinema audiences.
The whole article is well worth a read - and great to see BFI continuing to showcase many rare films and format variances.
Definitely have to try and get to this. The BFI do a quality job preserving and restoring various films in all formats - as anyone who has been to their many previous screenings and film festivals will attest.
On-sale dates…
BFI Patrons – Tuesday 6 May (from 12:00)
BFI Members – Wednesday 7 May (from 12:00)
General sale – Friday 9 May (from 12:00)
Full details will be listed on the BFI website from Monday 28th April. (www.bfi.org.uk)
Article on The Grauniad: Star Wars original cut to be screened this summer in London
James Bell, senior curator of fiction at the BFI National Archive, said: “One of the ambitions of the BFI Film on Film Festival is to screen original release prints that transport audiences back to the moment a film was first released – to give audiences of today the special emotional connection that comes when viewing the very same object seen by a film’s original audience.
“In the case of Star Wars, the festival screening is a unique opportunity to present the film to audiences in exactly the same form as they would have watched it in 1977.”
The BFI said Lucasfilm and Disney had granted permission for the original version to be screened. There are no plans to show the original cuts of The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi.
