This is not true, there is no such thing as a theater that does not support colour. A film projector doesn't need to do anything different to show colour film vs b&w film. It was Dolby Stereo sound that most theaters did not support and those theaters got prints with mono sound instead. Star Wars was NEVER shown in black and white in theaters.
The novelization of Star Wars was released in Christmas of 1976 and completely sold out. A good portion of the kids going to see Star Wars were seeing an adaptation of a book they read.
@@barnstormer546 Even accounting for inflation, that would still make no more than 50m in today's $. Marketing and actors' payroll simply cost _much_ more than they used to. Also, cinema ticket prices have soared like crazy over the last few decades, especially due to the VHS revolution.
He's right, you know. Those who participate in the Special Olympics are incredibly brave people who overcome adversity. People who create religions based on Star Wars are the real retards.
@@Manx123 Two popular religions, Christianity and Islam, are both based on fantasy fiction books. I see nothing different with a religion based on fantasy fiction movies and cartoons.
@CrimsonTheNeek: Holy shit, tard cart. He's telling everyone to "do the research". That in itself says that most people don't know obscure influences. How hard is that to realize? You're funny, keep it coming, Chad.
“These people are odd, even by the standards of a high crime area that’s no stranger to people sleeping on the street.” Damn. 1980s news media was SAVAGE.
@CrimsonTheNeek boomers think more then this zombie generation everything cool was made back then today's movies,music, and so called art are all shit so easy on the boomer bashing you owned them way more then you think boy!!!
Yeah, no moral or message, after saying it was Good against Evil. Sort of like, oh, I don't know, maybe the Bible? Which apparently also has no moral or message. Then for Empire they say "retarded kids" Groan
Geoffrey Linehan no moral msgs. Really? It’s called a fokin NEW HOPE! Teaches about friendship, corruption, senates, politics, spiritual powers, inner self, love, helping others, science, discipline, war, hope, teachers, books, culture, good vs bad... What the FOK more they want? Same as twilight, iron man, titanic...yeah, right!
Disney also destroyed the escapism for a lot of us. Now that we know what the future is for our beloved heroes in Disney’s cannon. They’ve become failures, cowards, unhappy lonely people. Thanks Disney.
@@whiskeycompany13 but it's not "women power", diversity for diversity's sake, or complaining for representation for lgbtq... Star Wars was a simple good guys fight for freedom from the bad guys and that even the most evil of them can be redeemed. I can see the argument that Star Wars was a metaphor for historical events such as the world wars or religious beliefs but its not social justice propaganda.
Yeah but it’s so true though. That’s why Star Wars was so amazing when it came out. It essentially combined two dead genres. Westerns movies which became oversaturated in the 50s and 60s and the Sci Fi genre which was either Schlock or Twilight Zone. I think that’s why a lot of people like The Mandalorian. It may be different but it feels like a return to roots compared to the sequel trilogy which doesn’t actually feel like Star Wars for most of it and a weird fever dream of corporate pandering and awful script writing.
@@pavan_kumar556 As impossible as it might be, I’d love to see a western version of star wars, like some alternate universe in which the movies are actually set in the Wild West.
@@femmefuntime Except that the Empire's uniforms are Nazi inspired and the word Jedi is a contraction of Jehudi (Jew). The Jedis also have a Jewish ethos.
You feel that way because it's what just happened. Much as we might complain about boomers today, they had it just as bad (if not worse) when it came to enduring dismissive and judgmental rhetoric on many things they did, or would develop an interest in.
"It's not the actors, it's the special effects that steal the show" That's the reason why so many Star Wars clones failed miserably. What makes Star Wars so special is a combination of outstanding special visual and sound effects, the incredible score by John Williams, iconic characters and a rousing plot.
Even Lucas said that you need two things for a movie to be successful and that was a great story and great characters. Special effects didn't even factor into the equation.
@beta wave I'm pretty sure that's exactly where he went wrong. He knew that digitally he could create anything and he really went overboard with it with the prequels. One of the things I really enjoyed about the originals was the special effects at that time and how everything was so real.
Probably because the news was the only marketing you would receive that wasn't a trailer. People could easily avoid it. Kinda like trailer breakdowns on RU-vid.
It's still funny how the media back in the days gave so much covering to the special effects. 40 years later, when those effects are mostly pre-historical, we still love these movies for the exact opposite reason: characters, story and actors.
“Star Wars is simple escapist entertainment...no moral, no message.” USE THE FORCE, DOUGLAS! LET GO, DOUGLAS!” “He’s turned off his targeting camera!” “Douglas, are you ok?” “I’m alright! No moral, no message here!!” 0:40 - 3:31
@@psych46 Was just thinking the same thing. I'm not a big fan of the new movies at all but I felt the series started over-complicating things with social messages from the prequels onwards to be fair. They just went totally overkill with the newer ones.
A small diverse group of scavenger rebels miraculously defeating a technologically superior (implied racially segregationist) government dressed as Nazis, but no, definetely no politics here.
The news broadcast was about the original Star Wars (what is called “A New Hope” now) The reporter was saying there’s no message in ANH, when in fact there were a lot of supermarket tabloids denouncing (and some supporting) the idea of “the Force” as a secretive message, an attempt to introduce Eastern mythology to American youth (including things like Yoga, if you’re young enough to remember that outcry when schools started having it in PE). That’s what I was referring to, not to the hardcore leftist crap that prances about like it’s legit SW movies.
I remember being 6 years old and wondering about this movie all the adults were talking about. While my dad stood in line for the theater, I went around to the side of the building and put my ear to the wall trying to hear what was going on in there... And the reactions of people to the movie were visceral and moving... laughter, cheers and applause at all the right points. Everyone was a friend of everyone that day.
"lee-ah?" Well, to be fair, even that rebel general giving the flight crew their briefing on the Death Star's vulnerable exhaust port mispronounces Leia's name this way... :)
@@VicEntity Speaking of which, George Lucas, who produced the Indiana Jones movies which were directed by his friend named Steven Spielberg, came up with the name because his pet dog, a malamute, was named Indiana.
Star Wars had no moral message? I strongly disagree. 'Strive to do the right thing, even against all odds', that was a message I took away from the film, and that was when I was 6 years old. Geez, that reporter was so cynical.
@@TS-qq7vr True, I didn't think too much about the moral message, either, when I was a kid. But I knew what that message was; I knew the Empire was evil, but the Rebels kept fighting despite the odds. Point is, there is a moral message.
Yeah, that's not a message. It's a cliche. Compared to sci-fi which typically explores complex themes, the original Star Wars movie (A New Hope) is pretty devoid of any such nuance. Even your quote doesn't really say anything. "Strive to do the right thing." Well everyone believes that. Tarkin for all you know believes he's doing the right thing. The key is in what *you* consider to be "the right thing" to do.
@@UnchainedEruption It may be a cliched moral message, but it's still a moral message. Nor does a theme have to be complex. You might enjoy complex themes; so do I. But, nonetheless, Star Wars has a theme. And you're taking me out of context, by the way. You know that when I said, "Strive to do the right thing...", it was in the context of good against evil. If you don't believe in concepts such as doing what is "good" or "right", because you believe that such concepts are subjective or relative to every individual, well, then so be it. Just know that the whole history of humanity and storytelling disagrees with you.
The reporter covering The Empire Strikes Back is named “George Lewis.” At first I thought the anchor had said, “George Lucas has the story.” Yes, yes he does.
Too be fair, that is when Star Wars fans started to get annoying. Then the prequels came out and crushed their dreams. Sequels came out just to shit on the original and to make money. At least we still have the extended universe...oh wait.
That’s what they told middle aged folks and the elderly who watched broadcast news. The younger generations were already Sci-fi fans from things like Star Trek and all the silly sci-fi before ‘77.
They probably didn't want to give credit to George. I mean, listen to the way they describe the fans. These news people seemed to be incredibly cynical and dismissive of the "odd" people waiting in line for Return Of The Jedi.
Not exactly. The reporter said, "Alan Ladd Jr., an executive at 20th Century Fox, whose film this is..." It sounds to me like he meant the film is 20th Century Fox's.
Christopher Thorkon George had little involvement in the early trilogy. It was his idea and some of his writing, but between Fox and the editing, it was no longer fully his and better off as a result
I can't explain it but when I saw the ladies packaging those tie fighters I just broke down in tears. I have That tie fighter from Return of the Jedi. To know that those people are the ones who built my toy. They look as though they took pride in their work and to know that the result, in that box landed in my hands and inspired me to make my dreams come true too. The dreams and hopes of a child to go on and do great things. Those people brought joy to so many children, including me. To see those boxes and think that one of those could be MY Tie Fighter. It just broke me down and I cried. I can't explain why exactly. i guess its just the memory and emotions of remembering my childhood. I don't know.
It is a fun story, but still fiction. Try studying history. There are a lot of real life events that are inspirational. This is how I might wax poetically about the early aviation pioneers who inspired me to fly. Now I could see something like "George Lucas inspired me to get into filmmaking..." being emotional. Unless there is something you arent telling us, like you flew the Space Shuttle or something like that...
The news was so much different. They mention the escapist quality of movies. A large corporation talked about advertising costs openly. They talk about potential sales goals openly. There was a spoiler in the news.
OK - I get that maybe Star Wars had no moral or message, I'll give you that. But Empire?!? Holy smokes - that movie changed people's lives! Why? Yoda. 1) That the greatest Jedi warrior is this little green guy who's 800 years old (moral: don't judge a book, don't underestimate, etc.) 2) Yoda's line: "Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try." 3) Remember this is 1980 - and Empire shows a black man running an entire planet (at least the mining colony.) Long before we had movies with black presidents. 4) When Yoda lifts the X-wing. And Luke says "I don't believe it." and Yoda says "That is why you fail." LIFE CHANGING!! I could go on - but jeez did NBC News miss the whole point back then.
Disney seems to be just as clueless about Star Wars as NBC was back then. Unless *Jon Favreau* is appointed head of Lucas Film, I don't see Star Wars films being any great ever again.
And the first of the first Star Wars is literally about a bunch of college hippies who follow some weird ass spiritual cult & sit around in jungle temples, miraculously defeating the universe’s most technologically mighty government (whom are all dressed as Nazis & literally called ”stormtroopers”) through guerilla warfare & their belief in spirituality - that came out 2 years after the Vietnam war.
The segment covering the first movie dated June 13, 1977, blows my mind. I was born 5 months later that year. It's just crazy seeing footage and knowing you were not alive when it was originally broadcasted. Thanks to RU-vid I was able to see it tonight for the first time, 42 years later.
It's funny how, even in 1980, news stations couldn't help but say things like "the movie is pure escapism, no big social message, but these days, with the way the world is, there is a lot to escape from," echoing a lot of modern day news reports. Makes me wonder if there was ever such a thing as "these days" or if there was ever even a time that this world hasn't been "the way it is."
@Sir Knight Errant I hate Last Jedi, but only because it was bland and generic. They're not trying to "push a SJW agenda." Force Awakens and Rise of Skywalker were pretty good, though Force Awakened copied Empire Strikes Back a bit too much. You evidently despise the movies for daring to have a female protagonist, which is silly. Some pieces of media can fail because of trying to be "woke" instead of a good story, but hating the message is sexist/racist. Hating how it ruins franchises (Land of Stories, Mass Effect, Charlie's Angels) is understandable. My point is, some people create stories with the express desire of making money off of the Me Too movement. Some people ignore that and make good stories. But a golden few make stories that use a minority in their story in a way that makes sense, and doesn't detract from the experience/story and become amazing tales that move people's minds and hearts.
Sir Knight Errant Cool down man! I’m well aware Disney made it for the money, but the people who were in production clearly wanted it to be good. And I assumed (incorrectly, I now realize) that you disliked her because of her gender from your SJW comment. People who complain about SJW agendas usually use that complain as a way of masking their sexism/racism. But that also kinda makes your comment wrong. You dislike the movies for Disney’s greed corrupting them, not the “SJW” agenda then, right?
Love this video, thanks for uploading. Main attraction to me is the viewpoint from the National Network News. Some outstanding news/journalistic talent.
Omg! The FEELS!!!!!!! Started tearing up. All the excitement and severe emotions coming back! Almost like a time machine! Thank u sooooooo much for this!
It's true, I remember going to Star Wars in the 70s and there was no message, in fact nothing even happened at all. They just got in their spaceships and sat there until the movie ended. No message, no content, no anything. I didn't discover til years later that it was actually because of a broken projector
He means moral [of the story]; the lesson to take away from it. Good guys are good and bad guys are bad is not a moral, just self-evident descriptions.
SuperBondfan007 I remember when I was 14, I camped out with my older brother to go see Return of the Jedi. It was a really great experience. We meet a lot of cool fans that made camping out for the film really enjoyable. We had a blast exchanging theories about the film, talking about how we prepared to camp out for days on end, and so much more.
@@vro981 I saw return of the jedi when I was 6 in the movie theater in long island NY, but I never camped out. Guess my parents waited a bit to take me.
@@sergequick5053 It's only meaningful because you give it meaning :) Personally I would love to camp out to buy tickets for a movie without having the theater call security on me lol
No. A dozen others had fallen out of favor. 'Retarded' was the politically correct term in 1977. 45 years from now the kids will be shocked to hear us referring to special needs...
Nah, plenty of stuff was always offensive. People just didn't have the courage to speak out about it. Now they do. Sorry if that inconveniences bigots (not sorry).
@@edgeninja no, negative words just get replaced with another overtime because what was once considered the correct term was deemed offensive because any word used for someone with a condition will be viewed as insulting.
Language changes, the context in which we view it changes, culture changes, that's life. If you're going to worry about every little thing that changes around you you're gonna be worrying a lot, fight the battles you know will help people instead of little silly contrivances.
It's frustrating, to say the least. Seeing as how this pre-dates the prequels, you can't expect them to be savvy about how The Empire was once The Republic...
I am so glad I was alive and in theater for all 3 of these MASTERPIECES. Only 2 years old in 77 but I remember the bar scene with the fun music and the weird creatures. People waiting in line for 6 days sleeping on the HARD sidewalk!?!? Damn man, shows how awesome episodes IV V VI are.
Yeah, as if Luke is a WASP or something. "Long ago, in a galaxy far away" means Luke isn't even human. But those bigoted fools can't even be consistently racist!
You're not allowed to say the word F*rball. It is highly offensive to Wookies because of it's historical significance as a racial slur. Similarly, they also do not like the word carp*t.
