Movie tastes among older people were different in 1977 compared to today, but those who fondly remember Star Wars and have established its positive legacy online all were very young in 1977. Did older adults have a different opinion of the film?
shareMost of them pretty much dismissed it and waited for it to come out on video. To them it was kids stuff, more like Flash Gordon material, and they were thankful that it was said to be not very bloody.
shareWas much coming out on video in 1977? If memory serves, movies coming out on video (even the early version of video discs and betamax) wasn’t really a thing until the early 80’s.
shareI think early rentals came out in 82 or 83. The red label version which was sold to consumers was released in 84.
shareThey watched it years later, of course.
shareBut in 1977….did they even KNOW to “wait until it comes out on video”??
That wasn’t even a thing yet. They either liked Star Wars at the time or they did not. But I doubt many said: “I’m not sure about this one….I think I’ll wait until it comes out on video (once that becomes a thing…5 years from now”). LOL
You are so wrapped up in the current "watch it, rent it or skip it" paradigm that you are unable to imagine any other.
I repeat. When it came out, they decided to skip it. Period.
When some years later it came out on video and also on network television, they thought, oh well, might as well check out what the fuss is all about. That's how and when they came to see it, okay? WTF is so difficult to understand?
As homework, go watch on youtube the Siskel and Ebert initial review of it. They were not particularly enthusiastic.
Do you have a link to the Siskel and Ebert initial review? I've been looking for it. I recall they both gave SW a thumbs down.
BTW, every movie critic disliked it except for the music, SFX and two "robots".
I recall moviegoers of all ages enjoying the movie and went to see it repeatedly for over a year it played in the theater. The SFX was something never seen before so seeing it in the theater on the large screen was a must. Also, new Dolby stereo sound. It was an experience!!
I have to emphasis that critics were completely out of touch with SW moviegoers. Lines were hours long and around the block across the country for weeks. Huge phenomena! I waited many hours, but worth it! Don't confuse regular adults who loved SW with the idiot critics.
Critics didn't like Star Wars. Young adult and teen moviegoers did. Some even married on the line a few years later when the sequel came out. It became a thing to park out on the line for days, weeks even months to get tickets and best seats.
SW was to be watched only in the theater on a large screen to experience the SFX and Dolby stereo sound. Cheesy SFX was the norm for sci-fi at that time so revolutionary SW was theater only viewing. Many saw it multiple times in the theater like me.
Lucas refused to release it for TV and video for many years since he also considered it a theater-only experience.
When the sequels were released, SW would return to the theater and fans would rewatch it, again.
To be clear, nobody waited to see SW in '77 on video. Never a thing.
Wow, I always did wonder why trailers used to say "only in theaters" in a time when we had VHSs. Now I know.
share"WE" didn't have VHS machines back then. I suppose the elite did. They reached the US market the same year as Star Wars but were over a thousand dollars for a machine (70s dollars). I've read that in 1977 select scenes were available in silent super 8 film but it didn't become available on VHS until 1982 (As ----bleqachhkkkk--- 'A New Hope').
sharewe got the first vcr in the neighborhood
it was 1980, and it cost $1,000
That was quite an investment back then. Did the kids of the neighborhood pile into your house to watch movies?
Around that same time we were the first in our neighborhood to have an Atari 2600. It turned our house into the local arcade for a bit haha. We didn't get a VCR until around 1985 (a hand me down from my dad) and even then it was a big deal.
Adults of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts in 1977 thought Star Wars deserved a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
shareFreddie Mercury didn't like it.
shareand Jaws was never his scene...
shareWho gives a shit what Freddie Mercury thought? He was just an average singer of the time.
Bicycle Race ~ Jazz (78)
Mr. Mercury is widely regarded by critics and fans as having the most range and vocal power of any Rock and Roll singer ever.
His credentials as a movie critic however.... are about the same as the average poster on this site.
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It wasn't a big deal among adults in 1977. From what I recall, the majority of adults enjoyed Empire of the Ants as the best movie that year
shareThe first movie as fun. It was senseless cartoon fun that borrowed or stole from all kind of other adventure genres and SF books and themes. As an actual movie ... it was not good, it was a kiddie marketing movie. My toddler cousin loved it and got all the stupid toys.
shareMy dad loved it. He had been a huge fan of the old time Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials as a boy.
shareThose serials were before my time (I was born in '72).
Yeah. Me too. My dad watched them back in the 1940s at the movies when he was a little kid. I watched some of them with him on TV in the 70s. When he took me to see Star Wars in '77 he said it was like an updated version of all his boyhood favorites.
shareEVERYBODY LOVED IT!!!
share