In the realm of film, few things are as sacred as seeing Star Wars for the first time. For many of us growing up, it was a defining moment that sparked our imaginations. However, a lot of us (including myself) aren’t old enough to have seen the first run of the original films in the theater. We missed the magic of seeing it with an audience who had no idea what to expect.
However, thanks to William Forsche’s youtube video, we may have a little taste of that magic in the modern age. Check it out and enjoy your moment of zen:
What’s in the video?
It’s an audio recording of the film seeing screened in the theater in 1977. It’s only 5 minutes long, but it covers parts of the second half of the film… most notably the climax of Luke Skywalker’s Death Star trench run.
The best part is at 2:51, when Han comes to the rescue. The audience goes nuts, but that’s not surprising. Oscar winning screenwriter (and former Episode VII scribe) Michael Arndt once said that the original Star Wars has an “insanely great” ending for a variety of structural factors that culminate in a very emotional satisfying experience. It’s probably one of the biggest reasons the film was so well received.
