Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope is returning to the cinema for one week only

Sick of hearing boomers brag about how they were there when the first Star Wars film premiered in cinemas back in 1977? Well, Sydneysiders will get the chance to re-experience the franchise’s inaugural instalment in all its cinematic glory this August.

Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope is playing at the Orpheum in Sydney’s Cremorne for one week only this August. For causal onlookers, the film’s name will seem highly confusing. It’s the first one, and yet it’s the fourth episode – how does that possibly make sense? It’s a fair question, and the film has actually only taken on this name in the years since its original release.

See, while it’s now officially called Episode IV: A New Hope, at the time it was simply called Star Wars. It’s the first film in what’s typically regarded as the classic Star Wars trilogy. And unlike the critically derided prequels released at the turn of the millennium and the Disney-ified sequels of the 2010s, the films in the original trilogy are more or less universally adored (by Star Wars fans, at least).

A New Hope introduces us to the bulk of the franchise’s most iconic characters. The action focuses on the unlikely trio of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo, as well as Han’s sidekick Chewbacca, an eight foot tall Wookiee. They’re also joined by the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 and come into contact with the elderly Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi and, of course, the Sith lord Darth Vader.

The film was written and directed by Star Wars creator George Lucas, whose screenplay is bolstered by original music from John Williams. Demand for A New Hope has essentially never abated. The film was re-released theatrically in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982, and then again after its remaster in 1997.

See it on the big screen at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace from Thursday, August 13th – Wednesday August 19th.