This is how Britain responded to ‘Star Wars’ in 1977

There was once a time when ‘Star Wars’ was just another odd science fiction caper from a weird director with an ill-advised beard.

This week’s arrival of 500,000 archive clips on YouTube from British Movietone and the Associated Press has revealed a lot of things – including a weird dog training regime and a demo of the first modern synth – but for geeks, this clip about how ‘Star Wars’ was received in Britain, when it was released in 1977, is the best so far.

Drink in the plummy announcer declaring: “The attendance at ‘Star Wars’ has been astronomic. In America, more money was taken for ‘Star Wars’ at the box office than for the prestigious ‘Jaws’…”

The reason? Not just getting a glimpse of what ‘Star Wars’ meant before all the merchandising and hype. This footage also includes a big slice of the film as it was before Lucas monkeyed about with it for the ‘Special Edition.’

Enjoy! And then imagine how odd the reaction to ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ will seem over 30 years from now.

➤ ‘Star Wars’ makes cinema history [British Movietone]

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