Star Wars Theatrical Cut to be Screened for the First Time in Decades
The BFI Film on Film Festival has announced that they will be screening Star Wars in its original form during their opening night festivities!
Apr 8, 2025
Lucasfilm/Youtini Illustration
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The BFI Film on Film Festival has announced that they will be screening Star Wars in its original form during their opening night festivities!
What we know:
Since the 1997 Star Wars Special Editions were released, Star Wars or A New Hope has never been publicly broadcast without the changes Lucas made to the film in the 90s
BFI will be screening an “unaltered cut” of the film thanks to a dye transfer IB Technicolor print produced for the first British release that has been preserved in the BFI National Archive
The screening will open the festival on June 12th
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The big picture:
This screening marks the first time that the original version of the film has been publicly available in almost 30 years
A DVD set featuring the original cut was released in 2006 for a limited time
In addition to viewing the film, attendees will also be able to see parts of the original continuity script which includes rare on-set Polaroids, annotations, and deleted scenes
Star Wars has experienced numerous changes over the years from color grading to effects to entirely new scenes, but it’s always special to go back and witness the original magic just like audiences would have in 1977.
Eric Eilersen is a Senior Writer at Youtini and co-host of The Youtini Show. He loves collecting Star Wars Funkos, lightsabers, and LEGO as well as playing video games, reading Brandon Sanderson novels, watching the Dallas Cowboys, and spending time with his partner and pets. You can follow him at @EricEilersen.
