Before the prequels, sequels, theme parks, video games and more, an independent sci-fi turned out to be the smash hit of summer 1977. Audiences today are almost grappling with Star Wars fatigue, but back in the late seventies, moviegoers couldn’t get enough of Luke, Han and Leia’s adventures in a galaxy far, far away.
For modern audiences, finding the original version that screened in theaters when the film was originally released has been as tough as trying to complete the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, but now, thanks to little known streamer Cinema Box (available on Roku devices), the pure, un-tinkered with version of the seminal sci-fi is available to stream, and what’s more, it’s totally free (via Men’s Journal).
Under creator George Lucas, the Star Wars franchise has been re-edited and remastered a number of times over the years, dating all the way back to 1981, when the re-release of Star Wars (in the run up to the release of The Empire Strikes Back) saw the ‘Episode IV – A New Hope’ subtitle added.
The biggest changes came in 1997, when the entire original trilogy was given a CGI sheen, much to the dismay of long-time fans. Desolate locations became densely populated circuses, Jabba the Hutt was shoehorned where he didn’t belong and most egregiously, Han shot first. The films were altered again for the flagship 2004 DVD release, and again for their Blu Ray bow in 2011.
Since Disney’s acquisition of the franchise in 2012, no major alterations have been made bar changes to opening logos to reflect new ownership, and slight adjustments to the color, compositing and effects resolution for a 4K HDR release.
The theatrical versions of the original trilogy, particularly the pre-1981 version of Star Wars, have previously been available on VHS, LaserDisc and as bonus features on the 2006 DVD releases of the films, but to my knowledge, this is the first time the 1977 release of the OG movie has appeared on streaming.
Over on Reddit, one user pointed out that this particular edition of the film appears to be a version known as Harmy’s Despecialized Edition, a fan-edit aiming to recreate the original as closely as possible – using footage from the Blu-ray release and the 1993 LaserDisc as a guide – as opposed to a genuine copy of the original master.
Comment from r/StarWars
While Cinema Box appears to be exclusive to Roku devices (so not available via a browser), it also seems to come and go – if you’re interested in seeing this curio, you may need to take action at hyperspeed.
