The British Film Institute just screened the first print of the original Star Wars, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy was on hand to make sure fans knew the screening of George Lucas’ sci-fi masterpiece was not, in fact, illegal.
As spotted by GamesRadar, Kennedy joked during her introductory remarks before the iconic movie screened at the BFI Film on Film Festival in London on June 12: “I’m here to… make sure that you don’t think that this is an illegal screening.”
She added about the print: “It’s incredible folklore. I have to say that even when I came into the company, there was endless conversation about where everything was, and what was in fact the first print? And it’s quite remarkable, what you’re going to see is in fact the first print, and I’m not even sure there’s another one quite like it. It’s that rare. There’s so much tinkering that’s gone on over the years, and things that George [Lucas] decided, ‘I’m gonna change this, I’m gonna try that.’ And then, everybody kind of lost track of what it was.”
Star Wars fans, Kathleen Kennedy wants to assure you the BFI screening of the original cut is not illegal pic.twitter.com/0a1Pa6FXDI
— Jacob Stolworthy (@JacobStolworthy) June 12, 2025
This showing was the first time the first print of the 1977 classic was publicly screened since 1978, though this particular cut had been made available on VHS a few times over the years. According to a report from The Telegraph back in April, the reels were stored at 23 degrees Fahrenheit to preserve quality and the viewing experience.
“In these very special screenings, we present the film exactly as experienced by audiences on its original 1977 release,” the BFI explained.
“Screening from one of the precious handful of dye transfer IB Technicolor prints produced uniquely for the first British release, and preserved in the BFI National Archive, this has some of the wear that comes with an archive print, but its colour is gloriously unfaded. Truly unmissable.”
Interestingly enough, Lucas has been vocal in the past about keeping the original cut of the film in the dark, so much so that he made tweaks to that cut shortly after release and those cuts went on to become the Special Edition. That Special Edition, released in 1997, is what has been made readily available to fans over the years.
Photo by PA Images via Getty Images.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
