"May the Force be with you... always."

The ingredients were hardly unfamiliar: the farm boy who dreams of adventure, the old sage who takes a pupil, the fair damsel in distress, the charming rogue, and, of course, the black-clad villain and his militaristic minions.  Yet, Star Wars wasn't like anything we'd ever seen before.  George Lucas combined myth and special effects to tell the oldest of stories in a fantastic new world. 

Lucas' revolution in special effects allowed him to paint on a palette that seemed as broad as the imagination.  Never before had we seen vessels dance through space as they did in Star Wars.  Never had we seen vistas and creatures so fantastic, and yet so real.  Studios have been using his tricks to sell summer blockbusters ever since.  But few, if any, capture the humanity, the yearning for adventure, or the thrill of discovery of Star Wars. 

essay by Sean Domachow
panel discussion following the screening: Thom Parham