There’s a good chance you’ve never actually seen Star Wars.
Not the version that hit theatres in May 1977. That version, the original cut of Star Wars, not yet labelled Episode IV: A New Hope, has been out of public circulation for almost five decades. What most fans have seen is one of the many altered versions, from the 1997 Special Editions to the later Blu-ray and Disney+ releases.
But now, for the first time in 47 years, that original version is returning to the big screen.
When Star Wars first came out it reshaped cinema but George Lucas never stopped editing. Starting in 1981, changes began creeping into the film. Some were technical improvements. Others were… less welcome. Over time, we got an increasingly cluttered film, filled with CG extras, altered dialogue, and infamous changes like Han no longer shooting first and the addition of a rough-looking CGI Jabba.
Lucas always saw the Special Edition as the “real” version. In 2004, when asked why he wouldn’t re-release the original, he made it clear: to him, it was unfinished. “The Special Edition, that’s the one I wanted out there… I’m sorry you saw a half-completed film and fell in love with it,” he told the Associated Press.
So the original was shelved. Fans who wanted to see it again had to make do with bootlegs or old VHS copies from the early ’80s.
This June, the British Film Institute will screen one of the few surviving Technicolor prints from Star Wars’ original theatrical run. It’s part of the BFI’s Film on Film Festival and is being billed as the first public screening of this version since 1978.
The print itself has been kept in storage for 40 years at -5°C (23°F), preserved in near-pristine condition. The BFI had to negotiate with both Disney and Lucasfilm to make this happen. That alone tells you how rare this event is.
There are no plans (yet) to show it elsewhere.
This cut predates:
- Episode IV in the opening crawl (it was added in 1981)
- Greedo firing at all
- Jabba’s tacked-on scene in Docking Bay 94
- CGI dewbacks and background clutter
- The redone Death Star explosion
- The edited audio mixes and remastered soundtrack
It’s leaner. It’s simpler. And it’s the film that first captured the imagination of millions without needing a digital touch-up.
For those wondering if this could lead to more, the answer is: Probably not. Lucas’ stance hasn’t softened over the years, and Disney has shown no interest in officially releasing the original version. But this screening shows it’s not impossible. With a well-received showing at the BFI, there’s a chance it opens the door for future screenings or even a limited release in the US.
Tickets will go fast. If you’re based in the UK, you’ll want to keep a close eye on the BFI’s listings. For the rest of us, we’ll be hoping this one small step might eventually lead to a return of the film that started it all… as it really was.
No edits. Just Star Wars.