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G. Lucas to host showing of Star Wars "1977" for AFI's 40th anniversary.

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George Lucas will be presenting Star Wars as one of eleven films shown in honor of the American Film Institute's 40th anniversary.

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It's listed as "Star Wars (1977)" , but of course we all know, it WON'T be the 1977 version.

I've already sent an email to the AFI to ask whether or not this will be the 1977 version, and if it's not, then it should be stated that it's the 1997 version.

If you'd like to send an email as well, here's the address:

onscreen@afi.com

This revisionist crap has got to stop!!!

EDIT: Thanks to all the emails we sent, the AFI listing now reads "special edition" rather than "1977."

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Thanks for the heads up. Here's my e-mail:

Hello, you've got on your website (http://www.afi.com/tvevents/40th//) a mention that you will be playing:

"Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)"

This movie never existed. If you are intending to play "Star Wars: Episode IV..." then that would be the rerelease from 1981.

I sincerely hope you don't fraudulently advertise playing the 1977 "Star Wars" but actually play the 1997 Special Editions at your ceremony, that would be tragic.
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To whom it may concern,

I always enjoy the AFI specials each June, as it is a time for me to reflect on all the great films I have come to love. I have read that George Lucas will presenting Star Wars as one of the 11 films to honor the 40th Anniversary of the AFI Institute, and I believe he will be presenting the wrong version from 1977.

Star Wars is my favorite movie of all-time, and that movie has become beloved the same way the Wizard of Oz has done to multiple generations, but Mr. Lucas changed the version that won 7 Academy Awards in 1997 and later updated it in 2004. It is now known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. It has new scenes, changed scenes, and new special effects that were updated to make the movie look more like the present day movies, instead of its ground breaking time of 1977.

I can only hope that you are showing and honoring the 1977 film, because that version revolutionized movies, and I think it deserves the respect to a new fanbase that this was the film that took the movie public by storm that summer. I am not against director cuts, or extended cuts of any classic film, as I own several movies that do have multiple versions, but I believe that when you honor a film, it should be the original version, not the updated version.

Thank you,
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Great! I hope everyone here sends an email.

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I guess this makes it seem like we can do something but we really can't. In the event that we flood AFI with enough responses and they ask Lucasfilm for permission to be leant a 1977 print the following exchange will occur:

AFI rep: a lot of people have been asking about the original version of the film, would it be possible to get that print?

Lucasfilm rep: No.

AFI rep: Okay.

Because LFL is the boss and they call the shots. I have to admit that Lucas is quite clever to actually achieve this sort of control.

The Secret History of Star Wars -- now available on Amazon.com!

"When George went back and put new creatures into the original Star Wars, I find that disturbing. It’s a revision of history. That bothers me."

--James Cameron, Entertainment Weekly, April 2010

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Originally posted by: zombie84
I guess this makes it seem like we can do something but we really can't.

I don't think for a minute that Lucas will give them a '77 print.

What may happen if they get enough complaints, is that they list the film as the "1997 special edition" rather than falsely listing it as the "1977" version.

Lucas wants to pretend the 1977 version didn't exist. I want people who go to that screening KNOW that what they're about to see is NOT the original version of the film, the 1977 version DID exist and it is being suppressed!

How long does it take to send an email? Thirty seconds?

Something simple will suffice:

Dear AFI,

Regarding your 40th anniversary screening of "Star Wars (1977)", is it actually the 1977 version that will be shown or the 1997 Special Edition?

If you will be screening the 1997 Special Edition, the your advertisements stating that the 1977 version of Star Wars will be shown are misleading.



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Originally posted by: none
Thanks for the heads up. Here's my e-mail:

Hello, you've got on your website (http://www.afi.com/tvevents/40th//) a mention that you will be playing:

"Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)"

This movie never existed. If you are intending to play "Star Wars: Episode IV..." then that would be the rerelease from 1981.

I sincerely hope you don't fraudulently advertise playing the 1977 "Star Wars" but actually play the 1997 Special Editions at your ceremony, that would be tragic.


Very clever of you to point that out, none. I actually didn't know what you meant until I read it a second time and realized it's the combination of the subtitle "Episode IV: A New Hope" with the year 1977 that's fraudulent, not the existence of a version of "Star Wars" in 1977, so props to you.

I also heard about this recently on Access Hollywood or something while flipping between tv channels and asked the exact same self-answering question, "yea, but will it be the '77 version?" Not a chance in hell.

An interesting question is how will this be exhibited? Since this is AFI I would hope they'd at least use the High Def master from '04 if not an actual print from '97.
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I'm just fed up with this whole 1977/1997 thing. The 1997+ version is the only one that exists now and will be the one that our descendants will always know to be star wars. The whole email campain will obviously fail.
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generalfrievous? replacing it with an untrue propoganda about Darth Vader? Explain! I'd really like to hear this! (because I was bugged by the prequel's stupidly being focused on Anakin and the Jedi, whereas the OT was focused on many more things...) Sorry for going off-topic there, though.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/Lord_Phillock/starwarssig.png

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Originally posted by: generalfrevious
I'm just fed up with this whole 1977/1997 thing. The 1997+ version is the only one that exists now and will be the one that our descendants will always know to be star wars. The whole email campain will obviously fail.


Maybe your descendants will only know the 1997+ versions, but my son (as long as I have anything to do about it) is only going to see the 1977 version (or at least anything pre 1997). I'm sure that once he's older he'll eventually see the 1997 version, but hopefully by then he'll say the same thing we are "Why did they change that? The original was fine as it is"
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Pissing off Rob since August 2007.
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I really hope that's true, lordjedi. I am not in any way, shape, or form a fan of the PT or the SE. It's just that to Lucas the 1977/1997 numbering is the exact same thing because the OT has been replaced by the SE. The reason I said that future generations will only know the SE because Lucas and his sucessors to Lucasfilm will maintain this propoganda, while the OT we all know and love will be cast forever into the realm of bootlegs.
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Here's what I wrote:

Dear AFI,
Thank you for honoring "Star Wars" in your 40th anniversary. You obviously
care deeply about honoring the great art of movie-making and its glorious
history. I can only assume that you also value the preservation of movies
as not only a valuable historic record, but as a mirror to our culture and
as priceless windows into the times in which they were made.

To that end, I hope that you can assert whatever influence you might
have in seeing that "Star Wars" (1977) is preserved in its original,
un-modified, un-"improved" form that garnered 7 Academy Awards and changed
movie-making forever. I fear that by presenting the movie in its 1997
altered "special edition" form, or even its 1981 "A New Hope" altered form,
you are in fact condoning the singular neglect and continued failure to
preserve this 1977 American masterpiece. It is unfathomable that an
Academy Award-winning movie has been made unavailable in its original
award-winning form, as it would be unfathomable to alter or "improve"
say, the Mona Lisa. Art is art, and the American Film Institute has an
obligation inherent in its very name to not tolerate the altering of film
history. Movie lovers are looking to you to help preserve, protect, and
honor the cinematic art of the past, and to demand artistic integrity
regardless of any pragmatic obstacles that doing so might face.

Respectfully,
Dr. Scott Gordon

"Close the blast doors!"
Puggo’s website | Rescuing Star Wars

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Howdy,
It has come to my attention that your prestigious institute intends to screen "Star Wars" on October 3rd for your 40th Anniversary. That is exciting news for me and I am glad you have chosen such a masterful work of art which as been forever cemented as a great motion picture and a big turning point in cinematic history on many levels. However, my previous compliments only apply if you intend on showing the original "Star Wars" which was presented in 1977 that was the actual work of art that changed so many of our lives. If you instead present the 1997 "Stars Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope", then it will cause me to believe that your institution obviously does not treasure actual film history and rather follows the guidelines of revisionist history because of money. If you travel this road and present "Stars Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" as the film that changed history, then your organization will be out and out lying. It will also serve as the moment that the American Film Institute is proven as a bought and paid for exploitation device. All of that aside, I will offer my complete faith that your wonderful organization will correctly screen "Star Wars - 1977" as the movie that changed film making in 1977 and not "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope - 1997" nor any other bastardized retelling of the original. Thank you so much for your time.

Brandon *******
Fort Worth, Texas
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This is where I always get confused about the rights of The Original SW. Lucas owns ESB, ROTJ, and the PT outright, but the original agreement was Fox takes the majority profits of SW'77 and Lucas gets the sequel rights, and the merchandising. Does anyone know if Lucas finally acquired the full rights to SW'77 possibly around the SE in 1997?
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I'm pretty sure Lucas did in fact get the rights to the original film starting in 1995 with the Faces THX-certified "one last time" release although I could be wrong and it may have happened earlier. Looking at my three official copies of ANH right hurr, the '95 vhs reads "Copyright '77 Fox Corporation. All rights reserved. Trademark and copyright '77 Lucasfilm Limited. Reserved (I'm assuming that's what the R with the circle around it means), trademark and copyright 1995 Lucasfilm Limited. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization."

The '97 vhs reads "Reserved, Trademark and Copyright 1977 & 1997 Lucasfilm Limited. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization."

The '04 dvd reads "Reserved, Trademark and Copyright 1977, 1997 and 2004 Lucasfilm Limited. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization. 'Star Wars' and all associated characters, logos and other elements are the property of Lucasfilm Limited."
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Although its gone virtually unreported, I believe that Lucasfilm recieved the full rights to Star Wars in exchange for Fox getting full distribution rights for the prequels. Very smart--Lucas finally bought the only film that Fox owned because Fox would do anything to get the next Star Wars trilogy (indeed, it netted them som $1 billion+). Thats why the older video boxes say ESB and ROTJ are copyright Lucasfilm and Star Wars copyright Fox but starting with the SE I believe everything belongs to Lucasfilm.

The Secret History of Star Wars -- now available on Amazon.com!

"When George went back and put new creatures into the original Star Wars, I find that disturbing. It’s a revision of history. That bothers me."

--James Cameron, Entertainment Weekly, April 2010

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Great emails, everyone!

Smart bunch we've got here.

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But unfortunately all our intelligence and legal gnosticism will get sucked up by George Lucas' galactical ego
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Originally posted by: generalfrevious
But unfortunately all our intelligence and legal gnosticism will get sucked up by George Lucas' galactical ego


Still, you should at least send a letter; I know I am, and I haven't seen the OOT (save for ROTJ) in widescreen.
Speaking of sending letters, here's mine:

Dear AFI,
I have heard that you are showing the 1977 movie Star Wars as part of the celebration of your fortieth anniversary. I am of the younger generation being fourteen. Despite that, I am interested in seeing the original unaltered version of it - in otherwords, the real 1977 movie; however, I am guessing you will be showing the 1997 revision released by Lucasfilm. I am e-mailing you to protest and ask you to do a proper showing of the original version of Star Wars - known to fans as the original unaltered trilogy. As stated before, I am very intersted in seeing the original version, which I have only seen once on a low-quality recording of the three movies. If you are not planning on doing so, I would like for you to change the date on your description to 1997; that way, you would not be confusing fans such as myself.
Thank you,
Kevin Brennan

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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Boy I bet their inbox will look like hell on Monday morning!!
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They have the playing time listed at 121 minutes. Maybe they really are showing the 1977 version after all.

Anyone here going? 25 dollars isn't much and there are some heavy hitters in that list of films. Would be an interesting evening for sure.
originaltrilogy.com Moderator

"Why are you here, Rey from nowhere?”

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Originally posted by: Anchorhead
They have the playing time listed at 121 minutes. Maybe they really are showing the 1977 version after all.


Yeah, we all wish.

“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.”

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

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Originally posted by: Mike O
Originally posted by: Anchorhead
They have the playing time listed at 121 minutes. Maybe they really are showing the 1977 version after all.


Yeah, we all wish.


Just pointing it out, kid. I'd like to think the AFI would at least know how long a film is when it's a one-of screening.

originaltrilogy.com Moderator

"Why are you here, Rey from nowhere?”

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If it was the 1977 version, I could see Lucas opening up before the movie:

"For all you young fans in the audience, this is a rough cut of the film, as it took me 20 years of editing and rewriting, and if you buy the DVD's, that is the final version of the film. I worked so hard to get the right angle for Greedo shooting first, and took years to develop a CG Jabba, cause I knew that would sell the film to the public, not the story and the characters. Enjoy!"