With all this talk about The Mouse That Roared devouring Lucasfilm, I was taken back to the bygone era of my childhood...specifically reminiscences about my experience with the original trilogy. Unlike today's children, many of whom will probably remember only being able to consume the six films on DVD or Blu-ray (no file-based versions exist yet, save for tech-savvy parents who make their own iTunes or MKV versions), my experience was even more foreign: ABC network showings on Sunday night. It was a one-year event, and cause for much anticipation and staying up until the wee hours of the night (well, 10pm usually). This was back before VHS became truly ubiquitous, and even then, Star Wars on VHS usually cost about $30 (in 1980s money, mind you) per movie.
The first film was the easiest to get into. Its basic plot, colorful characters, and amazing special effects appeals to children wholeheartedly. It was great fun. But The Empire Strikes Back? That was a completely different experience.
I won't even begin to pretend like I'm fully in touch with my 5-7 year old self, watching Empire because it was Star Wars, without really being able to appreciate it. I have faint memory snatches, most of which center around the Millennium Falcon on the docking platform in Cloud City. The entire look of the film was different, and I think that memory stands out because it typifies, to my mind, the biggest contrast between Empire and A New Hope/Return of the Jedi.
Empire is slow. There's an exciting open with Hoth, Luke getting attacked by the Wampa, and culminating in the invasion. Very exciting stuff. But then the movie slows to a crawl. The Millennium Falcon ducking and hiding from TIE Fighters (though the asteroid chase sequence is indeed thrilling), Luke's training on Dagobah, the arrival at Cloud City, ect. And the whole feel of the movie is different. The palette is darker, the world dirtier, and the pacing more methodical. The plot is still basic, Chewbacca is just as appealing as ever, and Boba Fett was a terrific addition to the universe, but even so, Empire was never my favorite as a kid. Return of the Jedi felt, to me, like it meshed much better with the first film. It was more light-hearted and had more action set-pieces. It felt more like Star Wars to my kid mind, and thus I always preferred IV and VI.
Frankly, I watched this movies so much as a kid that I rarely have a desire to sit down and watch them as an adult. My first year of college, for one reason or another, I popped in the VHS tape of Empire (the last release of George's Original Unaltered Trilogy or GOUT on that format) and gave it a full viewing.
I was blown away.
I had always paid lip-service to Empire (as I got older of course) of being the best Star Wars movie. Once you get old enough to appreciate drama as opposed to solely action films, it becomes the default "best of the trilogy" film. But it didn't resonate with me as anything in particular.
But sitting there in my dorm room, watching a VHS tape on a 19" CRT television (remember those?), I was struck by how good the movie was. It still feels very different than any other film that starts off with a receding Star Wars typeface, but in a way that's a disappointment that it's the only one like itself. Revenge of the Sith doesn't even begin to come close. Though it, by far, was not my first viewing, I felt like I had discovered the film all over again.
I haven't had a moment like that since then. I watch Star Wars like I'm sure most people who grew up with it like me have watched it. Bits and pieces here and there, or maybe played straight through as some background for the house/apartment. But never sitting down to watch as a film.
Because of reasons I will not get into, I have never seen any of the original Star Wars films on the big screen, either in their original/re-released theatrical runs, or the Special Editions. Even with the butchering of the Special Edition version, plus a 3D conversion, I hope to experience something like that again in 2016 (if the 3D release schedule holds up). Will Empire contain to hold that special magic even with all the fiddling?
One can only hope.
