The Normal Theater has shown thousands and thousands of films since it opened 88 years ago. But one galactic trilogy has never graced the iconic Uptown marquee.
The Normal Theater will screen the original Star Wars trilogy next weekend, May 2-4. (As in, May the Fourth be with you.) Normal civic arts manager Adam Fox said they’ve done some research and can’t find any evidence that the theater has ever shown the original trilogy in this way.
“This is something of a debut for a public performance, which is pretty exciting,” Fox said.
The first Star Wars film, Episode IV: A New Hope, came out 48 years ago. It has spawned countless sequels, prequels, TV series, novels, games, theme-park rides, spoofs … and the list goes on.
Why does its legacy outshine that of other 48-year-old movies? Fox said it’s Star Wars’ genre-defying storytelling that provides “something for everyone.”
“It’s fascinating the way they do all of these things together and it’s still cohesive. Because it could be an absolute mess. If you were like, ‘We want to have a detective rescue story that features samurai fighting against sort-of robots but not really, in space …’ it’s a mess!” Fox said. “It’s the kind of pitch you come up with as a kid on the playground. But it worked, and it worked so well, and it was something that hadn’t been seen before. The compelling legacy is something you can come back to. You can always find something new in it.”
If you want to see all three original-trilogy movies (the "special edition" versions) in order May 2-4, there are options:
- 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
- Saturday only: 3:30 p.m. A New Hope, 7 p.m. Empire Strikes Back, 10 p.m. Return of the Jedi
- Sunday only: 1 p.m. A New Hope, 4 p.m. Empire Strikes Back, 7 p.m. Return of the Jedi
“There’s three different ways you can access all three films and see them in order, which we thought would be fun,” Fox said.
There will be costume contests at the 7 p.m. screenings, including “most authentic” and “most creative” categories, Fox said.
Graham Crackers Comics in Uptown will provide prizes for all screenings. Saturday, May 3, is also Free Comic Book Day, so be on the lookout for Star Wars characters from the 501st Legion of fully costumed fans wandering around Uptown.
