10-04-2025
Star Wars Print From A Long Time Ago To Headline BFI Film Festival
It's not often than minor miracles happen, but the BFI in London seems to have conjured one, with the news that an original print of Star Wars, sans its 'Episode IV' title intro, is to be shown on the opening night of its BFI Film On Film Festival on the 12th of June 2025.
According to the BFI, the print, sourced from its own archive, is an 'original, unfaded dye transfer IB Technicolor British release print, with dye transfer being the gold standard for film prints, offering the highest level of color and contrast. I first saw Star Wars on the big screen in a double bill of the first two movies in 1982, and by then, the Episode IV tag had already been added, so this truly is a special opportunity.
The received wisdom is that since the release of the special editions in 1997, George Lucas has refused to let the original versions of his first trilogy see the light of day, with Disney seemingly maintaining that stance.
However, there are exceptions. The original unaltered versions of all three movies were officially released by Lucasfilm in 2006 as part of a DVD box set (albeit in widescreen non-anamorphic format), while a 70mm print of the original, unaltered version was shown at an Academy Awards event in 2019 — reportedly with George Lucas's approval. However, this was a very exclusive, one-off event, so the BFI's claim that this is the first screening of the unaltered original in decades is accurate.
In my opinion, most of the 'special' additions to A New Hope are acceptable. Still, the one that has always really bugged me the most isn't the infamous 'Greedo shot first' incident in the Cantina, but the scene that closely follows where Han talks to Jabba the Hutt with Boba Fett lurking in the background. As the scene was originally unfinished, most of Jabba's dialogue was given to Greedo in the earlier scene. By adding it back in, we hear almost the same lines again, rendering its inclusion narratively pointless. And while the CGI Jabba faced criticism (requiring it to be redone for the 2004 DVD release), for me, what's worse is that his presence in this first film lessens the impact of finally seeing him in Return of the Jedi.
Returning to the BFI film festival, things will close on a high with Kyle MacLachlan presenting the 1990 TV pilot episode of David Lynch's Twin Peaks, a television show considered to be far ahead of its time.
Other highlights include an IMAX 70mm presentation of 2001: A Space Odyssey, a print created under the supervision of Christopher Nolan. I saw this print at the London Science Museum's Ronson Theatre in 2023, but, somewhat surprisingly, this is the first time that it has been presented on the BFI's flagship IMAX screen. Kubrick fans can also see a film print of his 1956 film The Killing and his first short, The Day Of The Fight (1951).
There's also a chance to see classics such as Local Hero (1983) and 70mm prints of Amadeus (1984) and Empire Of The Sun (1988).
The festival weekend will also include workshops, talks, and free events, with the chance to hear from expert voices from the BFI's conservation, curatorial and projection teams.
Tickets for the BFI Film on Film Festival are on sale from the following times and dates:
BFI Patrons – Tuesday 6 May (from 12:00)
BFI Members – Wednesday 7 May (from 12:00)
General sale – Friday 9 May (from 12:00)
