i have seen every one (so far!) in the theater – it’s this kind of group experience that i feel is important about theater viewings. it’s funny to think how changed i was by that first one. if you had told me when i was ten that i would be seeing new star wars movies (and loving them) when i’m fifty, i don’t think i would have believed it. that’s an incredibly long time to be into something.
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My first fear of death was learning about new episodes that were going to be made, “I hope I live long enough to see the next one!”. That thought has stayed with me my entire life (except it is diminished now that we are being force fed by the mouse).
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yeah, me too. i felt the same way about the LOTR movies, something i waited my whole life to see done well. my passion isn’t diminished by disney taking over the franchise – quite the opposite, in fact. i’m STOKED. finally, finally, finally we have the money, the passion, and the technology to PLAY and EXPLORE the star wars universe as much as we want onscreen. bring it on, i say.
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My enthusiasm hasnt dominished, just changed. Instead of looking far into the future for a prized jewel I am hoping to obtain, it is now an annual tradition.
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I’ve never felt compelled to applaud at a movie theater, and when I do see it, I think its weird too.
But from what I’ve been able to piece together talking with people who do clap at the movies it seems to be that for them, clapping is not just about showing appreciation, but also an expression of their enjoyment. That no one is there to be clapped at is beside the point.
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I haven’t seen this movie in over 12 parsecs, but I remember all those lines from the wireframe coin arcade game.
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Did William Forsche… have Forsche-ite?
…badum tish
The Forsche is strong with this one.
I’m here all week.
Yeah, I think things are getting clear now.
Like all subtle cultural differences, it’s just a generalization and not true for everyone. But Americans seem to be slightly more likely to see clapping as a general and direct expression of enjoyment, rather than just as a symbol of appreciation that you might consciously employ after you’ve enjoyed something.
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I also teared up a bit.
One thing this video reminded me of is, why the heck does Vader keep fiddling with the top of the yoke of his TIE fighter? Did one of the storm trooper pilots loosen it? Is it an ongoing prank they pull on him?
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you know, i don’t know! haha. it occurred to me watching these scene that he HAD Luke… he was literally firing on him when the Millennium Falcon showed up. if he had just NOT STOPPED FIRING, Luke would’ve been killed and he probably would’ve missed the exhaust port, too. but i think i’ll just stop right there because i never want to sully the love i have for that movie by dwelling too long on its quibbles.
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Anyone notice the squeaky sound?
While we’re waxing philosophical, what is the sound of one hand clapping?
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This audience reaction to the climax of Star Wars is exactly as I remembered it. I was also in a crowded theater in 1977. I was eight years old.
Keep in that this was a first viewing for nearly everybody in theater. As far as most were concerned, Han took his money and left to pay off his debts. My audience lost its mind when he returns to save Luke and yells, “you’re all clear kid!”
It is hard to imagine having such a large group of people finding any empty seats with no prior knowledge of the characters or any familiarity with the Star Wars universe. Heck, going in we did not even know what a lightsaber was. It really was an amazing experience that I will remember the rest of my life.
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Pretty normal in Canada, too.
Also @zathras? AWESOME name. I’m biased though. I do after all own flarn.com 
To emphasize this, there are movies where the audience opening night is essentially having their own convention. Harry Potter after the first few was a lot like that. Half the audience is in cosplay. We’re all there because we really passionately love the same thing and something we’ve all been waiting for (in some cases, for years) has finally come out. We’ve all held our breath at the same time and gasped at the same moment and been through the emotional ups and downs together.
And then it’s all over and we’ve had a fantastic time and it was really good and if we could do a standing ovation to everyone who brought us to that moment, we would.
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Yes, I think we’re all aware of these things. I think what’s at work is… a really good story, well told, will create a sense of community in the audience. The gasps and laughs we share as the audience confirms we’re together in some sense.
When the good guy finishes off the bad guy, we celebrate with each other, our temporary community.
I’m sure smarter people can explain it better.
I do recall the big reaction when I saw ep IV when I was 12-ish. And Jaws. It wasn’t uncommon. Definitely a dead thing now.
People still clap and cheer at movies, but as someone else pointed out above, it is something that tends to happen more often at opening night or opening weekend when there is a more enthusiastic crowd.
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In my experience people still don’t.
It’s squeaky tape spools turning! Haven’t heard this sound in decades…
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