Star Wars comes home: The history of the 1977 film on VHS and Beta

Star Wars at home: the original US
VHS version from 1982

The history of Star Wars on home entertainment formats is long and complicated, but for a long time it could be boiled down to one simple rule:

Every time you bought the film in what you confidently believed to be the ultimate, definitive edition, Lucasfilm would release another one.

That was the rule of thumb for a long time, but later it became clear that a rider had been added, which was this:

While George Lucas was happy to release all kinds of enhanced deluxe versions of the film, he was never again going to release the movie as seen by the original audiences in 1977-78.

Day one: Star Wars on its first release, May 25 1977

Star Wars mania: Crowds at Mann's Chinese 
Theater in August 1977

There's a famous story about the opening day of Star Wars.

Did everyone really think Star Wars would be a flop?

Star Wars: The At Long Last Love of science fiction?

Who knew Star Wars would be a hit?

Most written accounts suggest that Fox was bracing itself for a $10 million flop.

John Dykstra, ILM and the special effects of Star Wars

The special effects of Star Wars – 
fine just the way they were

On its first release, the thing reviews of Star Wars seemed to dwell on more than anything else was, perhaps inevitably, the special effects.

It's not that films hadn't had great visual effects before. 2001: A Space Odyssey almost certainly contained individual effects shots of higher quality than those of Star Wars. But films had never had so many great effects, flitting by so fast.

Writing Star Wars: "The story of Mace Windy"

The opening of George Lucas's handwritten
"idea fragment" that became Star Wars

"This is the story of Mace Windy [sic], a reviered [sic] Jedi-bendu of Ophuchi,as related to us by CJ Thorpe, padawaan learner to the famed Jedi."

George Lucas actually wrote that sentence. 

Wars-weary: The production of Star Wars and how George Lucas's stress made for a great movie

How not to dress for a heatwave:
Chewbacca's fur is combed on
the set of Star Wars

Here in the UK, we've been experiencing a heatwave. Or at least, what passes for one in Britain. So what better time to reflect on the summer of 1976, when Britain was sweltering in the most famous heatwave of modern times – and a young film director was struggling to make a science fiction movie.

Perfect finish – the final scenes of Star Wars

The Rebellion lines up all the troops – including 
a few strangely lifeless ones to make up 
the numbers – as it salutes the heroes

One of the blogs I most enjoy is John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV. John recently ran a list of his Top 10 Science Fiction Movie Endings and invited readers to submit their own lists.

The release of Star Wars: You never forget your first time

At last: Ads like this announced the long-awaited 
opening of Star Wars in the UK regions

I don't suppose anyone has ever forgotten the first time they saw Star Wars.