After our trip to the Lucasfilm Licensing archives several weeks ago to check out the expansive poster collection stored there, we thought we'd try making such visits a regular thing at starwars.com. Like a lot of fans, we always wondered what kinds of treasures are stowed away in the Licensing Archives, with items dating back to the days when there were just a dozen action figures and the soundtrack came on vinyl, cassette, or 8-track.
In the spirit of those old analog days, we thought we'd begin our open-ended tour of the archive with a selection of items harking way back to the pre-video days of home entertainment. Yep, we're talking about Star Wars super-8 home movies.
For those not familiar with old-school movie formats, super-8 was the format of choice for affordable home viewing of scenes from popular movies during the decades leading up to the early '80s -- until VHS and Betamax overtook the market (and if you don't remember those, you must be a really new fan).
Lucas Licensing Archive Supervisor Marc Wendt finds the old Star Wars super-8s especially interesting, since they uniquely represent the era and reach of the first Star Wars films.
"When I look back into the history of the licensed products, I am struck by how global it was right from the beginning," says Wendt. "The samples of 1978 super-8 films from Spain and elsewhere are further examples of how Star Wars inspired fans all over the world. Back then, if you wanted to watch Star Wars at home, you turned the crank on your Kenner Star Wars Movie Viewer. Mom and Dad could also set up the super-8 projector and unleash the Force on the family room wall."
We dug through a few boxes looking for the stashes of old Star Wars super-8 movies as well some related items that definitely fall into the "analog" category. Enjoy!
