For anyone who say Empire Strikes Back in theaters.....

[UCFKevin 0]

.......when it originally came out......I was only one year old, so obviously I didn't see it.......

But I just want to know......

What was your reaction and also the general reaction of the audience you were with when Vader revealed he's Luke's father?

I have this image in my head of an audience's collective jaw dropping and a loud gasp heard from everyone. Was it anything like that?

Be vividly descriptive. I love stuff like this!

[AHerrera83 0]

I was fifteen at the time. ("Noooooooo!!!!!!!)

I know that I was repeating Luke's words to myself: "No! That's impossible!" A friend of mine had told me about the rumor, but I couldn't believe it until I saw it.

There was an audible gasp by about one third of the people there, but there were many who apparenly had forgotten the first one by then. Remember, this was before VCRs, so the great majority had either seen SW only once three years before and had passing memories, or had not seen it at all.

However, people were generally amazed by the movie; very pumped up. The most amazing sight were the faces as the audience wlaked out; a general smile of satisfaction and excitement.

Aaaahhh, the memories!

[Rogue_Leader 2]

.......when it originally came out......I was only one year old, so obviously I didn't see it.......

I was the same age when I saw it.

My general reaction was to piss my pants. Which was my general reaction to alot of stuff back then. :spiny:

[Lurker 5]

I saw a re-issue of it in 1981 or 1982 and remember being scared to death and crying a lot, because the theater had a person in a Darth Vader outfit outside before the movie started. Yeah, I was a little wuss. It scared the hell out of me!

Neil

[Wojo 2,453]

I know the thread says for those who say it originally in the theatre, and since I was born in the year of Raiders, I missed Empire by about fifteen months. But since I saw the 1997 edited versions in the theatre, which had the least edits meaning it didn't need fixed that much, I can probably talk here.

I just wanted to share the fact that I saw them all wrong. I remember being really young and starting to watch Return of the Jedi on TV, and all the "monsters in the dungeon" (the aliens in Jabba's court) really freaked me out, I thought it was dumb, and had mom tape over it. Then in about 1991 or 1992 it was on TV again as soon as we got in the house after a day at Idelwild, a Pennsylvanian amusement park, so I taped it again and watched it. Thus, Vader's revelation in Empire never had a chance to surprise or shock me, since I knew they were father and son. However, three years ago when I watched Empire for the first time after seeing Episode I, I got tears in my eyes when I realized that little Jake Lloyd's Anakin grew up to be the Dark Lord on my screen, it really hit home.

They should have a warning that accompanies Jedi, telling people who haven't seen the other two to watch something else first, just as with Star Trek IV. For a time, I thought that Bird of Prey was the Enterprise.

[charlesk 0]

Vader revealing himself to Luke was a mind blowing experience. Remember that at this point we've been living years after SW, and playing with toys of Luke and Vader in imaginary stories, and Vader was always THE BAD GUY THAT KILLED LUKE'S FATHER.

So after all this time, Lucas puts this amazing turning point, and now we learn at the same moment that a) Luke's father is alive, B) Luke was the son of evil Vader, c) Vader cut Luke's hand even when he is his father, and d)Old bitch Kenobi lied.

It was impossible to conceive, and yet impossible to reject. What I heard is the silence of an audience that wasn't even breathing. When the movie finished, shortly after, without conclusion, it was like a tragedy, too soon. It was a torture to wait for Return of the Jedi. Cruel Lucas :spiny:

It was in this movie when Lucas genius reached its highest point, only to fade shortly after.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

There are epiphanys in your life where the sudden realization of the true power of film is revealed.

Planet of the Apes was my first such experience, with its magnificent ending.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was my second such experience which was quasi religious in nature.

Both of these films had audible gasp among large portions of the crowd.

On that rainy Wednesday when ESB premiered back in May 1980,

I was lucky enough to be close enough to the front of the line to be under the eave of the theatre, with my Sister, my friend Craig and his father. What we experienced was extraordinary. The Cinema 150 theatre is a single round theatre, with a huge curved screen. The search for Luke had an almost 3d quality on that screen, and several people afterward said that sequence nauseated them. The same can be said for the asteroid sequence, which in my opinion is one of the most thrilling sequences in all the Star Wars, or any film. Finally, when the revelation came that Vader was Lukes father, you heard a collective gasp among the audience. Then you could have heard a pin drop as the attention to the screen was 100 percent. This was the first screening of the day, and when people walked out they expressed their joy over the film, but saved the secret for the next audience to discover.

[A24 4,331]

Boy, I can hardly wait for the thread: "Has anyone saw Return of the Jedi when it originally came out?" :spiny:

Oh, it will be an Ewok massacre. Oh, oh, oh.

---------------

Alex Cremers

[Eplicon 53]

I saw Empire in 1980 at the RKO 4 Warner Theatre in Paramus NJ. This was also one of the original 32 theatres that showed Star Wars in its initial release (saw it there, too, a few days after it came out!). The theatre has subsquently become a Cineplex Odeon with a ton of screens, but back then, that theatre was really special--very old-fashioned, plush seating, huge upper balcony, and a really kick-ass 70mm screen with Dolby Stereo (which was a rarity at the time).

As for the movie, I remembering being unnerved by the darker edge and tone in comparison to the high-spirited and fun ride of SW. I couldn't believe how sadistic Vader had become (i.e., choking his officers, putting Han in a lot of pain and then freezing him on top of that, etc.). And I actually was a bit annoyed by Luke, who seemed nothing like the ideal Jedi-to-be from SW. I also was not too happy with the way Luke treated Yoda. And I also got pissed at Lando for turning Han over to Vader.

When Vader made his revelation to Luke, of course, the audience was dead silent. That was easily the most profound moment of the entire film for me, and for three years, had interesting debates on whether or not he spoke the truth. At the time, I felt Vader was lying and trying to take advantage of Luke when he was at his lowest point.

[Melange 446]

I saw it in the cinema as a kid.

But Homer Simpson ruined the suprise for me, as he left the cinema and revealed it.

Melange - Remembers my grannie buying me the latest SW figures right after watching ESB.

[Trumpeteer 302]

My brother was 17 when he saw it, and he said it was the most shocking moment he had ever experienced in the movies.

I asked him last night about what the theater was like, and he couldn't remember because he said he lost all of his senses for about a minute (so, thankfully, he didn't hear or see the cheesy, but cool "Nooooooooooooooo! Noooooo!").

Nonetheless, I get the impression it was kind of like what I experienced with "The Crying Game" and "The Sixth Sense." You want to tell everyone about the big secret, but you want them to experience it firsthand.

Jeff -- who was six in 1980, and doesn't remember seeing it then

[charlesk 0]

I saw it in the cinema as a kid.  

But Homer Simpson ruined the suprise for me, as he left the cinema and revealed it.

Melange - Remembers my grannie buying me the latest SW  figures right after watching ESB.

A kid? I wouldn't say a person in his twenties is 'a kid'. :spiny:

[UCFKevin 0]

Damn.....these are all great.

Anyone else?

[David Coscina 3]

I was 12 years old and I think I'd read the novelization prior to seeing the film. But it was still an amazing experience. There was this one HUGE theatre in Toronto that had it playing and the Battle on the Ice was so spectacular. Up until that point, I'd never seen anything so exciting- and Williams' music was AWESOME. I remember saving for weeks and weeks to buy that big double album soundtrack. Sigh. Times were so much simpler back then.

[ST-321 4]

Ah, Empire. I saw Empire in Tucson, AZ with my future wife near the end of my senior year in high school.

It was opening night and the place was sold out. It was playing in the biggest theater in town, the same place where I saw Star Wars 13 times.

I was always a big Darth Vader fan and even had a Darth Vader Lives button (I didn't wear it for the date though). I already had the double LP Williams soundtrack and knew of Vader's expanded role. BTW, I have listened to every SW soundtrack before I saw the film - it is the only way to go.

When the Imperial March played and we got our first glimpse of the Imperial fleet and Darth Vader I burst into applause. I was the only one in the theater to do so. :?

The whole film was fantastic to catch on the first watch. The energy of the Imperials lead by Vader pursuing Han and Leia through the icy tunnels on Hoth, the betrayal by Lando, Carbon Freeze and the fantastic conclusion of Luke vs. Vader. The "I am your father" was stunning. Was Vader lying? I wasn't sure what was true until Vader called out to him from his star destroyer. Luke's answer of "father" clinched it for me. It was very powerful. I am sure that Episode III could be even better. I am afraid that it wont come even close.

[Melange 446]

A kid? I wouldn't say a person in his twenties is 'a kid'.  

Melange - Confused. What does Charlesk mean??

I was'nt 20 something when i saw it in the cinema.

Btw, coming up to the big "30" next year. Impermenance indeed.

[Rogue_Leader 2]

A kid? I wouldn't say a person in his twenties is 'a kid'.  

Melange - Confused. What does Charlesk mean??

I was'nt 20 something when i saw it in the cinema.

Btw, coming up to the big "30" next year. Impermenance indeed.

Maybe he thinks you are lying about your age! 8O