Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Where were you in 1977?

I lived in Urbandale, Iowa in 1977 and I was 10 years old. There were several significant events that occurred in 1977 including Jimmy Carter taking office as President. But, there were two that stand out in my memory. One of those was the death of Elvis but I am going to save that one for another post. The other was Star Wars being released in the theaters in 1977.

Star Wars is the first movie I can ever remember seeing in the theater. I'm sure I had seen other movies in the theater prior to that but they didn't make an impression on me like Star Wars. Two of my friends and myself were dropped off at the theater and the line seemed like it was 2 miles long. (Parents, can you imagine dropping your 10 year old off at the movie theater today?). Once we were in the theater I'm sure my mother wouldn't have been pleased with my behavior but once the movie started and those famous words "A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away..." scrolled up the screen, we were transfixed. I had never seen or imagined a movie like Star Wars.

Star Wars was and still is a unique film that has stood the test of time. There aren't many movies that you could watch 28 years later and not feel it is "dated". Also, the story has gone across several generations. There are people standing in line as I write this to watch the midnight showing of Episode III who weren't even born when Star Wars came out.

So, why is the Star Wars story so popular? Maybe it's because it can make a 38-year-old feel like a 10 year old again.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So you and your two friends saw Star Wars? Was anybody else there? Funny how the memory works.

Anonymous said...

I know this post was months ago and it's too wya too late to comment, but I had to! When SW came out, I was 12, my brother was 10. It was the first (and only, to date) movie I ever sat through with a coke in one hand and popcorn in the other - both full at the end of the movie. I didn't move. I barely breathed. I loved this movie. Lucas did everything right, and in the process created the most believable "fantasy" film ever made.