To quote a character from a franchise that isn’t from a galaxy far, far away, I feel old. Worn out. Not helping is the fact that the third chapter of the “Star Wars” trilogy, “Return of the Jedi,” celebrates its fortieth birthday this month. Forty years. And along with that comes a boatload of memories, being that it was also my introduction to the world of wookiees and walrusmen. Which is not only wild but also unearths many varied emotions from the years since.
I was born between the release of “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back,” so by the time “Jedi” rolled around, I was fully indoctrinated. The former had made its television premiere in October 1982, and around the same time my dad had managed to procure a pirate VHS of the latter, and I was instantly transfixed. It didn’t matter how grainy or stretched the image looked on an old CRT, just seeing the blanket of white and those amazing snowspeeders flying over it was enough to make me feel like I’d just seen God.
Subsequently, to my delight, “Jedi” was my first trip to the cinema, the old Regal theatre on the Minehead high street, not far from the Olympia arcade where I spent pockets and pockets of 10p coins on the Atari “Star Wars” cabinet. It was the stand-up version - the bigger Carousel arcade on the seafront had the sit-down version. I don’t really remember much about the trip itself, but as with “Empire,” my dad managed to get a dodgy copy of “Jedi” fairly quickly, and we’d watch the speeder bike sequence over and over. The toys also surrounded me; Christmas 1983 saw my parents gift me the amazing Kenner Millennium Falcon, and I would constantly re-enact the climax of the film where the Falcon speeds through the innards of the Death Star. I had the read-along versions of the trilogy, where you would listen to the story on a record or cassette while reading along in the accompanying book, and with the music and sound effects it felt just like watching the film, so I would play it while I was zooming the fairly large and unwieldy Falcon around my sisters’ bedroom, which was much bigger than mine.
I guess the friendlier tone of “Jedi” helped. The “Ewoks” and “Droids” cartoons came shortly after, as well as more toys, but by the late ‘80s, I wasn’t so enamoured, and my parents giving away all my toys didn’t help. We also moved after my dad lost his job and a lot of things were up in the air. He decided to open a shop - a greengrocers - in Bristol and, fairly fortuitously, a video shop moved in next door, which I frequented often, and eventually would work in. At this time Sky TV and its movie channels had also appeared, and I caught the original film at a friend’s (we couldn’t afford it) and it reignited something that was further fuelled by finding a copy of “The Empire Strikes Back” in the video store. CBS/Fox had just reissued the trilogy on widescreen, so it was a chance to see the picture as a teenager.
I was blown away.
The tone of the film stood out right away, along with the character choices, the cinematography, the effects, and the music. That was it, really. The big bang. I bought the other two tapes quickly, and then went back and started to spend what money I had on various things (as well as cigarettes). I bought toys and comics from a much-beloved and long-gone comic shop, Forever People, and more from a nearby market stand, which is where I also picked up the “Empire” soundtrack LP, the purchase of which is a significant plot point in my film score love origin story. Then "Star Wars” as a franchise kind of exploded, and we’re where we are now.
The films, at least the original trilogy, are also intrinsically connected to my relationship with my mum. She took me to “Jedi” and she would buy me figures from the local market; I vividly remember her picking me up from primary school and whisking an R2-D2 figure out of her handbag, which was just the best thing ever. It still is, with his vac-metal head and that clicking sound when you turned it, which I guess was the nearest thing to a robot sound that they could put in a tiny figurine. She’d later take me to many movies, including “Dune,” “The Black Cauldron,” “The Living Daylights,” and “Jaws the Revenge,” and it was a big thing for us, especially as my dad was away on business a lot during my early childhood. Which in retrospect might have been a good thing.
She died in 2005, and I’m still not really over it. We had a connection that I never had with my dad, and I still mourn losing it. But “Star Wars,” and especially “Return of the Jedi,” still remind me of her. Of that connection, of that experience.
And of that loss.
I recently watched “Jedi” again - I watch the films occasionally, but not as much as people might think, and certainly not as much as I did when I was growing up. It’s still a blast, even with its flaws. And the reminder that love and compassion are such essential instruments in leading a satisfying life is a powerful one. That no one is lost, as long as you believe that.
I also recently wrote about “Jedi” for Fangoria, talking about the great monsters in the movie and how they were created. I’ve also written another piece about the film for another outlet but it hasn’t been published yet. I’ve also written about some great new Blu-ray releases, including Francois Truffaut’s “The Bride Wore Black,” and a favourite of mine, Christophe Gans’ “Brotherhood of the Wolf.” And if you feel inclined, here’s a piece from the archives where I wrote about John Williams’ music for “Jedi.”
As I mentioned previously, I’m trying to post a lot more on here, so I’ll hopefully be back with some soundtrack reviews. As always, have a better one.
thank you for sharing this with us, Charlie
Love this - what a great peek into your past!