facts-i-just-made-up:the-walrus-squad:historycultureeducation:Waiting in line for Star Wars, 1977.So
facts-i-just-made-up:the-walrus-squad:historycultureeducation:Waiting in line for Star Wars, 1977.Source: https://reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/ee3kel/waiting_in_line_for_star_wars_1977/When I went to see Star Wars Episode 1 in 1999, the line was all the way around the giant megaplex, which was playing it on 4 screens (I’d never seen a film get more than 2 there before). In the line were over 20 Darth Vaders, countless storm troopers, Lukes and Leias and Wookies and more. There were light saber fights in the parking lot. Star Wars trivia games and card games in line. People shared pizzas they’d ordered, and everyone I saw was the happiest I’d ever seen them.We entered the theater and got decent seats. Not the best seats because we hadn’t literally camped out by the theater, and seating was not assigned. We sat down and soon the movie began at midnight, the very first showing. On a school night, btw. There were no trailers. Just the 20th century fox logo. People clapped. Then the Lucasfilm logo, people stood up and cheered.When “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” faded in, the entire audience sat and went dead silent. So silent I could hear my heartbeat. And then the title and the music hit and people screamed, deafeningly. Many of us had waited our entire lives for this. The crawl began and silence resumed. And we enjoyed the movie.We enjoyed it a great deal. I didn’t run into anyone who didn’t love it the first time. We were excited by the action, thrilled to see Obi Wan in action, young, the sci-fi world was unmistakably Star Wars and absolutely new. We laughed at Jar Jar, nobody groaned he was just simply funny the first time. We ooh’d and ahh’d at the effects and cheered with the good guys. We all stayed through the credits and heard the Darth Vader breathing. And we looked ahead to the next, basking in the highest high a movie can award to its audience.Time passed. Prequels finished. Disney bought it. Sequels came out. And I went to see Episode 9 at the same theater where I saw the saga begin.I saw it alone, all my friends had long since moved away. There was no line, seats were assigned. I sat down and the theater filled about halfway. Not sold out by a long shot. The lights went down. 30 minutes of trailers played. The 20th Century Fox logo, now also owned by Disney, ran, and after it the Lucasfilm logo. Nobody clapped or cheered. A couple people laughed.The movie played. No applause, no cheers, a few laughs but not where they were meant to be. People groaned at the big unspoiled reveals. Personally, I enjoyed it despite my objections to the new movies. At the end, two or three people clapped but stopped when they realized nobody else was. And I went home. And that was the end.Star Wars began four years before I was born. It’s uncertain but we think my first movie in a theater was Return of the Jedi. All my life I heard stories of my parents and their generation in those lines in the photo above. And in 1999 I got to live it for myself with my generation.And in 2019, I saw a new generation live their version. A version with scattered derisive laughter and frequent disgust. A version with no fun camaraderie in the lines, nor culture or costumes around it, nor enjoyment in it. Just angry people let down, and a few people ashamed they had fun.I promise I will do everything I can in my life to make the Valhalla books into a movie trilogy that will blow audiences away, like I felt, like my parents felt, like so few seem to feel anymore. I will die having done it or die trying. I promise.Something I didn’t make up. Just real memories.I’m afraid to post links now because people are getting deleted for promoting their sites or art or books, but I’m Ari Bach and the Valhalla trilogy is my work. It’s ready to be made into movies, and the world is more than ready for its next sci-fi epic to hit.If you enjoy such reading, please check them out. -- source link