The Empire Strikes Back (Post-Release): 40th Anniversary

I've must of seen it at least 10 times at the Paramount. Enjoyed it every time.

1980 June - The Empire Strikes Back at the Paramount

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I was 6 years old in 1982 when my Dad took me to see a double feature of star wars and empire. It changed everything. Bo and Luke duke suddenly meant nothing to me.

For most of my life, ESB was always my favorite. It's the reason that winter was always my favorite season as a kid. I looked forward to snowstorms, as I was at the park, playing Hoth by myself.

In recent years, however, I've introduced my kids to the series and watching it through their eyes put A new Hope at the top of my list. Even though AtAt's intrigued me the most growing up, the Perfection in the way Lucas told that initial fairy tale has place it as the top movie in my life.
 
My mother took me out of middle school on May 21st (opening day locally), and we drove into the city to see ESB. I remember the throng of raucous young adults and feeling like I was going to be trampled going into the theater when staff let down the barrier ropes. I loved the sequel and fondly remember its opening day.




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Regency Twin theater (long gone). Parents dropped me off. Somewhere beneath the foundation of the building that replaced it is my jaw (Vader's reveal).

Fortunately that point had not been spoiled for me. However, I knew the pesky green knome was actually Yoda immediately because of this, the bastards:
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Saw lots of flicks in that theater. Raiders, Star Trek III, Jedi, The Goonies....
 
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I remember my mom taking my brother and me to a screening when we were quite young. Standing in front of us on line was a guy who told us he was 22 years old and he has seen the movie 32 times (in the theater) up to that point. My mom was in disbelief.
 
I was 8 when I saw Empire in 1980. Absolutely loved it then and love it now. My friends and I would take the bus to the next town over to see it. Saw it 7 times in the theater and got to see Vader in person at the mall doing a PR tour. Probably the greatest sequel ever made. Empire and Star Wars are two of the biggest influences that made me need to work in the film industry.
 
The first time I saw Empire in the theater was in 1997 for the Special Edition. Even with the changes it was so exciting to see the trilogy on the big screen. I hope one day I get to experience these classic movies the way they were meant to be seen at least one last time!
 
Missed this by a year....of course at birth would still not remember it. Saw ROTJ when I was 2, which I still don't remember.....
However, my first time watching Empire was kinda odd. I had seen parts of Hope, I do remember watching Jedi on TV around 5 or 6, then did see Hope. Then my Mom is like, theres another one thats in between these 2. I was a horrible VHS copy that had these annoying black lines on it for whatever reason. Still loved it of course.
As a young kid, while the battle stuff was awesome, I thought the movie was too slow and boring. I much preferred Jedi. As a whole, all 3 are really great.
 
Since this is the 40th anniversary, I'm going to post this once again. I posted it back in 2011, but maybe newer members never saw it.
I'm assuming this photobucket link still works. I had the link saved from 2011 and it still works for me and all the pics are still there. Let me know if it works. If it does, please read the Forward before going to the pics, it explains everything.
 
Empire, arguably the best of all Star Wars films. Still to this day, I have never seen it on the big screen :(

My first experience of Empire was a pan & scan VHS. While I thought it was amazing at the time. If only it could have been on a giant theater screen.
 
I was 3 when it came out and I only know I saw it in the theater because my parents told me. The first movie I really remember going to see was ROTJ. I think I saw SW in the theater when it was released so technically I saw all the OT in theater, but only clearly remember one!

People occasionally talk about what age to let their kids watch SW and whether it was too scary. I was never scared watching any of them. I do remember after seeing ESB that I had a nightmare where Snowtroopers were at the head of my bed and they grabbed me and took me prisoner.
 
I was 9 and remember standing in line and hearing people talk about it being a sequel (which, at that time, was unusual - at least to me - that movie had a follow-on movie). I also (for some reason) remember the distinctive "wipes" between scenes for the first time (mostly, the ones shifting between Bespin and Dagobah). Strange what you remember as a kid.
 
Anyone who was a kid, at the time, will remember seeing these on TV—A LOT—between 1980 and 1982.

To this day, it is still unknown as to why Kenner thought that the Tauntaun and Wampa repeatedly shouted their species’ names whenever they appeared on screen...

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