I’m on a mission to read all the famous forever books and see the most revered movies—those creations that rocked the world and appealed to zillions of people. I’m just so curious about what made them so popular.
Is it the moral of the story?
A writer’s voice or a director’s style?
Does the audience relate somehow?
Is it because the story is familiar—or perhaps new?
Or did the creator revolutionize the genre? “Never been done before” is a powerful lure.
In most cases, I’ve learned it’s the latter.
As a young adult, I saw Star Wars with my dad at the lavish domed theater in Concord, California in a rare outing for just the two of us. We sat high in the balcony flanked by three-story high red velvet curtains. The new Dolby surround sound proved a spectacular experience. With the new technology at the time, and being in that big ol’ theater, I felt like I was co-piloting Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Starfighter. My seat rumbled and shuttered with every Boom! and blast. The trumpets, trombones, and tubas reverberated in my ears—no—in my body. My elevated balcony seat set me in the vast, black outer space, right smack in the middle of a war. I swooped and dove and maneuvered that starfighter, willing or not, right next to Luke.
The force was in me.
Never before had a movie proved so real, so exhilarating. My dad squirmed in his seat like a giddy kid, rising and falling, grasping the armrests. I’d never seen him so mesmerized or hyped. As we left the theater, he practically skipped to the car. The frigid air whipped our coat tails, but I think he put his hands in his pockets to anchor himself to the ground. “Man!” he’d say repeatedly. “Oh, man!” For years, he recounted that experience with the same bright-eyed enthusiasm as on that day. For years!
It was, in a word, thrilling.
And the world agreed. Star Wars in 1977 proved the highest grossing movie of all time. Today, it’s legendary. Cultish. It fundamentally changed the aesthetics and narratives of films. Special effects and computer-generated scenes created new blockbusters.
Watch it years later though and it comes across corny. Laughable.
I call this, The Star Wars Principle.
It’s a term I created to explain the idea that some cultural phenomena were so revolutionary in their time that their impact just doesn’t translate to future generations.
“Oh, but if you only saw it when it first came out! It was revolutionary at the time!” we old folk cry.
“Revolutionary” experiences don’t translate.
The Star Wars Principle is any experience that can’t translate to people outside the original time frame.
You had to be there, then, at that time, to understand and appreciate the shift in progression—its audacity(!).
Original movie poster for Star Wars in 1977
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To illustrate the phenomenon, here are some fun facts:
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was originally released in theaters as Star Wars on May 25, 1977. It had a significant theatrical run, remaining in theaters for over a year. The film was re-released multiple times, with notable re-releases in 1979, 1981, and 1982. Its initial theatrical run is often considered to have lasted until approximately 1982, making it available in theaters for about five years in various forms.
- In some areas, jugglers were reportedly employed to entertain those waiting in line.
- News helicopters hovered in the air above the crowds to report the long lines.
- Some people slept in sleeping bags while waiting.
- Kids in 1977 were skipping school to see it.
- In 1977, people watched it over and over in theaters.
- Some people consider their first viewing a religious experience.
- Some people drove for hours to see it. Some rode their bikes for miles and miles and miles to see it.
- In the opinion of veteran broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite, “[George Lucas’ film] lifted us out of our depression of the ’70s [with] an awareness and focus on space, and of possible future.”
(Fun facts were copied from Phil Archbold’s acrticle “What It Was Really Like To See Star Wars In 1977.” Read more here.)
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What’s a moment you think fits The Star Wars Principle?
May we strive to fully appreciate all the audacious people and their creations before our time.
And may the force be with you always.
Love, light, and enthusiasm~
Deborah