I was also 8. We went to one of our local Drive-Ins - I came from a small town, and we had two! It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Liam Neeson once put it like this - "it was like we were REALLY seeing a movie for the first time." Like what came before seemed so static & slow; we were reminded again that Movies MOVE, so to speak.
The T-Shirts were in all department stores; a disco version of the main theme was on the radio. Summertime, and the month of May, I have associated with STAR WARS to this day.
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"I'm not smart so much as I am not dumb." - Harlan Ellison
Registered: Sep 2006
Location: MANCHESTER - ENGLAND
i was 8 too
my earliest memory of Star Wars is seeing the novel in a bookstand during the summer holidays and thinking "that looks good"
then came the clip on tv which was always the escape from Mos Eisley scene and right away i was fascinated by Chewie as i was a big Planet Of The Apes fan and at the time i thought he looked like a big ape
then came the Marvel comic and entering the competition to win one of the MPC models before the movie was released(we got it later than the U.S) (please log in to view the image)
i didnt win but i got one bought anyway
then there was the STAR WARS ALBUM magazine with the Hilderbrandt cover (please log in to view the image) and the poster book i got from my mum which she got me as a surprise after a shopping trip
then came the movie
i went to see it with my friend and i even remember the hamlet cigar advert which was on before the film which featured a robot on a conveyor belt and feeling smug as the audience laughed when they realised it wasnt the actual movie beginning but a cleverley placed advertisement
thats when the "them and us" thing started
they didnt understand even at the beginning
i made sure i found out which of my pals were going to the and when movie and tagged along so i must have seen it about 5 times with pals and twice with family
i was blown away ...Planet of the What? Star Trek?? Dr Who? i put them all to one side and the obsession began
which scarily is a strong as ever
whilst the movie was doing its run came those 3 3/4 figures which im off out today to buy a couple more of
nothing changes
the prequels may have been a pile but thank you Lucas for putting pencil to paper and writing THE STAR WARS
I was not born till the eightys.So I had not seen the movie when it first came out.My brothers however did and they love it.My dad claim it was teh best movie of all times and had special efforts that he never seen before!jm
I was 5 years old that summer, and I do have feint memories of the movie. I do remember for some reason Vader entering the prison cell of Leia with that flying truth serum ball and the door closing shut and I yelled at the screen, "How could do that to your daugther Anakin!"
I just remember EVERYONE I know saw the movie, the long lines waiting to go see it, the movie was a pure event for ANY person who went to the movies, cause there were no SW fans yet. I do remember the death star blowing up and the crowd went crazy, and as the movie ended, the crowd clapped and there was utter jubliation from so many people. The movie still resonates the same as it did for me in 1977, and that is a testament to the greatness of the movie, put aside the OT, or the saga now, but that movie works as a standalone movie with a beginning, middle, and ending, and in the context that it was written that Luke, Leia, and Vader are not related, it is still my favorite movie of all-time. Thanks George, I may have my beefs with ya for the SE & PT, but the OT and especially SW are #1 in my book.
May 25th, 2007 11:24 AM
