Long ago in a galaxy far, far away….. That is how the whole thing started, back in the 1970’s before many of its rabid fans were even born. A movie dynasty came at us from outer-space that grabbed the planet like nothing before it and nothing since. Now for the first time in
St. Joseph, you can view all six of these space epics in their proper order, all in one long day at the East Hills Public Library Theater. You will notice that we don’t mention the name of the series, or any of the titles. That is because the rights to them are so tightly controlled by the writer director, that they can only be shown in this venue without publicizing the names. Because of this, the Library has chosen to call this promotion, “Day of the Droids.”We’ll count on our savvy readers being able to figure it out.The big day will be Saturday, January, 19th beginning at 9:15 am, and run through 11:30 pm that night. There will only be short breaks for lunch and dinner, as the program is so lengthy. There is no cost for the event but sign up is required and space is limited. For some reason, not well explained at the time, our initial exposure began back in the day with the fourth episode of a promised series. Episodes 5 and 6 followed, with measured gaps in between, before finally, the first three installments eventually completed the story. The library will show episodes 1-6 in their numbered order.Much has been made over the years about this series of films, and why they so captured the imaginations of those around the world. Some have said the whole good vs. evil theme was simply moved from the setting of the Western to one more inter-galactic. Six guns traded for light sabers. The bad guy in the black hat exchanged for the bad guy in the dark metal helmet.It could also have had something to do with the timing. The American moon landing in 1969 and successive trips in the 1970’s made space travel somewhat less of a fantasy and maybe made the whole concept a little more acceptable to the masses. Than again, maybe the whole franchise owes its success to merchandise marketing. Never before had a movie lent its images to so many seemingly unrelated products. Molded Toy action figures and light sabers were one thing and to be expected. But it was all the other ancillary products that blow the mind.The “Millennium Falcon” tearing across sheets and bedspreads. Jedi Knights doing battle with Empyreal Storm Troopers on your wallpaper. Collector Glasses from McDonalds. For gosh sakes is there a male in the United States between 20 and 40 years old, who didn’t have R2D2 on his underpants?Characters from the series have become regular parts of our culture. I always say if you want to know what’s going on in the minds of the American people, just answer your door on Halloween night. Vaders and Skywalkers, Princess Leahs and C3POs have at times outnumbered the pirates, clowns and hobos ever since the series first hit the big screen.Because Mr. Lucas so tightly controls all things related to the franchise, the video releases and pay channel premiers haven’t always followed typical patterns. While many of our readers may have seen all six movies at various times scattered over the last 30 years, (wow, has it really been 30 years?) I bet you haven’t seen them all in one setting on the big screen, like they will be at the Library.To secure your seat, call them at 816-236-2136. Again, there is no charge for the event, and you can bring your own refreshments. For your convenience, The Mean Bean Coffee and Snack Shop will take advance orders for box lunches consisting of a sandwich, chips, a cookie, and your choice of pop, coffee or tea, for $4.99 each. So why not put a group together and make a day of it? Put on your best Vader mask or braid yourself a Leah bun hairdo, and come join the rest of the gang on January 19th. And ok,… you knew it was coming…. Let the force be with you!
Posted by: admin on Thursday, January 10th, 2008 Filed under:Joe's Screening Room |