Star Wars

A long time ago in a generation far, far away there was Star Wars! It was on May 25, 1977, or 39 years ago (OK, not so far awary), that the first of the Star Wars movies was released. This movie has gone on to produce subsequent movies, games and memorabilia for generations of fans, including grandchildren of the original viewers. It cuts across multiple generations as a cultural phenomenon probably unrivaled in the history of movie making. It spans the baby boomers who first saw the movie as young adults, it has captured generation X, the ever-present Millennial’s and to what is known as the i-generation, those born after 2000. Yes, we are in year 16 of the new millennium, and the Millennium Falcon, with an aged Harrison Ford still playing Han Solo is at the controls in the most recent sequel released last December. When the original film was released on Memorial Day weekend in 1977, I had just completed my first year of college, and was in the prime movie demographic—a single young male. Although, I was not a big fan of Princess Leia, as were many young men. Perhaps it is because she was not a redhead.  Ladies had Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker. And, of course there was Yoda.  It was a time with no cell phones, no personal computers. Music was on cassette tapes, or 8-track. Betamax was a new form for video, but was only about two years old. There was no internet and world wide web in households. We did have landlines for telephonic communication, phone booths (in which Superman would change) and stereo. At my university, the computer was a large mainframe, in which you had to use punch cards to place data and obtain print outs of your statistics or maps. It was in the technology of this era that Star Wars was born.

Star Wars poster

The Star Wars film release was preceded by a marketing juggernaut. It was meant to draw attention not only to the film, but its then cutting edge special effects. Younger aged persons today, like my sons, almost laugh at the primitive special effects. However, back in 1977 the meticulous models, and graphics were a cut above anything else than had before been viewed in film. In a sense, the special effects in Star Wars are part of the generational divide, and why the Star Wars film is representative of a generation far, far away. Computer generated special effects and graphics are now the norm and can do so much more than the primitive computers in existence in the mid 1970’s. This movie earned eleven Academy Award nominations, and won seven. Showing the balance of its then present day work with its groundbreaking special effects, the movie won, among others, for Visual Effects, Costume Design, Art Direction/Set Decoration. It also earned a Special Achievement Award.

Lego display of Millenium Falcon

When first released, Star Wars was not known to have been in the middle of a series of potential movies. It had the simple title “Star Wars.” That is the title to which I refer to it today. I am often told, by those younger than me, that it is the “New Hope.” Any hint at a series had to wait for the first sequel--The Empire Strikes Back, which would note Episode V. Three trilogies set out of order. The first two trilogies, or the first six movies, were released by Twentieth Century Fox, and all completed by Lucasfilm. Of these six movies, the best all time in North America was the 1999 release of Phantom Menace, which ranks #7, beating out Star Wars which is at #8. World-wide, Star Wars only comes in #62 all time, while Phantom Menace comes in at #21. Of course, Star Wars had an $11 million dollar budget, and showing the changes in complexity, the Phantom Menace had a budget of $155 million! Use of advanced techniques comes higher cost. I don’t think 20 years of inflation would cause that high of a rise. Special effects have been a hallmark of the seven films produced in the Star Wars series. These values are all rather pedestrian when compared to the most recent movie.

Empire Strikes Back poster

With Lucasfilm, the original creator of Star Wars, having been sold to, as George Lucas himself said, the “white slave holders” at Disney for over 4 billion (he made a nice sum of money off the sale) the Disney marketing machine is even greater than that put together by Lucas and Twentieth Century Fox 39 years ago. The Force Awakens, the first in the last trilogy, was released on Dec. 18, 2015, and had a budget of $200 million, but it is the top movie in North America and #3 worldwide. Sales worldwide for The Force Awakens is over $2 billion, which doubles the gross of the Phantom Menace. This is just the movie. Think of all the play figures, computer games, books and clothing and other merchandise. It is a Disney money-making machine.

Darth Vadar with Luke

The cultural phenomenon of Star Wars continues to this day. One only need to see the current rage on the internet of the lady who puts on the Chewbacca mask in her mini-van, which has been posted on various news web sites. Her posting went viral with 50 million having viewed it during the first 24 hours, and views are now over 100 million. Laughing is really contagious. CNN titled a report on her donning the mask “Chewbacca Mask Lady brings Joy to the Internet.” Besides joy, Star Wars brought hope in the battle of good over evil.  It also had a story of  redemption. One of the most powerful scenes is in the third movie, Return of the Jedi is when Darth Vadar saves Luke from the evil emperor, but in so doing ends up dying in the arms of his son. Both understood the biblical verse that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend. Star Wars is a movie that bridges the gap between old and new methods of movie production. But it is more than that, it is a movie that bridges divides between multiple generations. It is nostalgic for us who experienced it during its first release, and provides action and adventure for subsequent generations. In that sense it deserves its spot as a world-wide cultural phenomenon.