In 1977,
I was six
(Egads! For-ev-er, ago!)
and my dad took my whole family to the movie theater (a big treat, as we very rarely went to the movies) to see this new movie that had just come out, Star Wars. I had no idea what this movie was about, I vaguely remember Dad sitting in his plush movie seat with this excited smile on his face and a big bag of popcorn in his lap. I sat between my mom and my little sister and squirmed in my seat as the lights went down.
Then, that, now all-too-familiar, music cracked the silence and captured my instant attention. Seconds later, as that huge Imperial Star Cruiser just kept coming and coming and coming across the screen, my mouth fell open in awe and it stayed open until the credits rolled at the end of the film.
In some ways, my mouth is still hanging open in awe. At that moment, I became a born-again Science Fiction Fan (my love was later cemented by a bad TV showing of Enemy Mine but that is another story.)
Star Wars was unlike anything that came before it - it revolutionized the movie industry and energized an entire generation. Almost everyone, around my age, has a similar story of the first time that they saw Star Wars. (And, for some people, the dozens and dozens of times that they stood in line to see it - at the movie theater, this was before VCRs and DVD players. :) )
It's hard to explain exactly what the draw is to this movie. The special effects were undreamed of when it came out - it quite literally blew everything else away - and the characters were and are unforgettable. Those things are all true, but it's hard to describe that "other" thing that it has. What is that attraction that won't let me go? It does have something to do with the first time awe of childhood innocence. But, once, after I'd grown into an adult and was discussing the draw of Star Wars with my mom, who is not such a big sci-fi fan, even she, full of awe, replied (in reference to herself and my dad,)
The "older" (but newer to me) prequel Star Wars will never have the charm or the draw that the "newer" (older to me) middle ones do. (There's some "New Math" for ya- 1,2,3 Star Wars are really 4,5,6. While, 4,5,6 Star Wars are really 1,2,3. Please, let's not even discuss where 7,8,9 fit in. My head might explode.)
The Star Wars Trilogy spanned my entire childhood - the last one came out in May 1983 when I was 12, that's six years that I lived in anticipation of the next movie and the next development in the story line. That's a long time in the life of a child.
Later, in college, we studied Star Wars in my Mythology class and that class became one of my favorites of my college career and helped explain to me why that movie has made such an impact on our collective psyche - it is, perhaps, the perfect myth.
Which brings me to today, today we - Middle Child and I - ordered his "big boy bed."
He is so excited, but not about the bigger bed.
(I can't wait on that! He needs to get out of MY bed.)
He is so excited about the "Star Wars Bed," as he calls it.
He was explicit that it have "Stormtroopers," on it.
Got it.
Comforter,sheets,curtains and Stormtrooper lamp, ordered.
.JPG)
( I was so surprised, I asked Oldest Child,
.JPG)
He sighed with 15 yo angst and answered,
My husband agrees with him.
Oh sorry, my bad. <sarcasm>
Guys are weird.)
AND, for Halloween, we found Middle Child a Stormtrooper costume. He CAN NOT wait.
And, me either - Star Wars has arrived for real in the A-Girl household!
I was six
(Egads! For-ev-er, ago!)
and my dad took my whole family to the movie theater (a big treat, as we very rarely went to the movies) to see this new movie that had just come out, Star Wars. I had no idea what this movie was about, I vaguely remember Dad sitting in his plush movie seat with this excited smile on his face and a big bag of popcorn in his lap. I sat between my mom and my little sister and squirmed in my seat as the lights went down.
Then, that, now all-too-familiar, music cracked the silence and captured my instant attention. Seconds later, as that huge Imperial Star Cruiser just kept coming and coming and coming across the screen, my mouth fell open in awe and it stayed open until the credits rolled at the end of the film.
In some ways, my mouth is still hanging open in awe. At that moment, I became a born-again Science Fiction Fan (my love was later cemented by a bad TV showing of Enemy Mine but that is another story.)
Star Wars was unlike anything that came before it - it revolutionized the movie industry and energized an entire generation. Almost everyone, around my age, has a similar story of the first time that they saw Star Wars. (And, for some people, the dozens and dozens of times that they stood in line to see it - at the movie theater, this was before VCRs and DVD players. :) )
It's hard to explain exactly what the draw is to this movie. The special effects were undreamed of when it came out - it quite literally blew everything else away - and the characters were and are unforgettable. Those things are all true, but it's hard to describe that "other" thing that it has. What is that attraction that won't let me go? It does have something to do with the first time awe of childhood innocence. But, once, after I'd grown into an adult and was discussing the draw of Star Wars with my mom, who is not such a big sci-fi fan, even she, full of awe, replied (in reference to herself and my dad,)
"A (-Girl), WE'D never seen anything like that, either!"
The "older" (but newer to me) prequel Star Wars will never have the charm or the draw that the "newer" (older to me) middle ones do. (There's some "New Math" for ya- 1,2,3 Star Wars are really 4,5,6. While, 4,5,6 Star Wars are really 1,2,3. Please, let's not even discuss where 7,8,9 fit in. My head might explode.)
The Star Wars Trilogy spanned my entire childhood - the last one came out in May 1983 when I was 12, that's six years that I lived in anticipation of the next movie and the next development in the story line. That's a long time in the life of a child.
(I remember sitting in elementary school
and some little boy telling me that
Darth Vader was really Luke Skywalker's father.
I refused to believe it -
no, that was too horrible to even think about. <shiver>)
Later, in college, we studied Star Wars in my Mythology class and that class became one of my favorites of my college career and helped explain to me why that movie has made such an impact on our collective psyche - it is, perhaps, the perfect myth.
Which brings me to today, today we - Middle Child and I - ordered his "big boy bed."
He is so excited, but not about the bigger bed.
(I can't wait on that! He needs to get out of MY bed.)
He is so excited about the "Star Wars Bed," as he calls it.
He was explicit that it have "Stormtroopers," on it.
Got it.
Comforter,sheets,curtains and Stormtrooper lamp, ordered.
.JPG)
"Since when
are Darth Vader
and Stormtroopers cool?
and Stormtroopers cool?
They're the bad guys.
I thought we didn't like them."
.JPG)
"Mom, that's 'cause you're a chick. Darth Vader has ALWAYS been cool."
My husband agrees with him.
Oh sorry, my bad. <sarcasm>
Guys are weird.)
AND, for Halloween, we found Middle Child a Stormtrooper costume. He CAN NOT wait.
And, me either - Star Wars has arrived for real in the A-Girl household!
" <mechanical breath> Luuuke! I am your fa-ther!"
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