Cinema at home: Return of the Jedi (recreating Odeon cinema 1983 intro reel)

[@THXUK]

Amazing! I vividly remember seeing "Dilemma" every time I saw "Return of the Jedi" at my local independent cinema in 1983. They had Jedi for a week and I went EVERY night to see it 🙂. I don't recall seeing "Dilemma" with screenings at the large city centre cinemas (It would have been ABC and Cannon back then). But it was 41 years ago, so I may just have forgotten.

[@williamk3702]

I saw it at the ABC Manchester, on Oxford Road - and I don't remember 'Dilemma' being shown.

[@JohnnyBeane]

This is wild!

[@simonwells247]

Oooh this is fresh and new, loving it

[@danielwilliamson6180]

Return of the Jedi is a classic.

[@joshuah9109]

HELL YEAH IT IS!!!

[@williamk3702]

I love what you're doing with these. Sorry for being pedantic, but the BBFC cert in 1983 just said Return Of The Jedi, not Star Wars episode VI. I think the music over the Dolby bit is Telex by Derek Scott? Just wondering ... did the projectionists get instructed which cuts off the soundtrack LP to play during curtain intervals? I've heard of that happening in some cases. The old cinema was magic, saw Godzilla Minus One recently in an auditorium with all the atmosphere of a broken refrigerator, red velvet nowhere, and half a hour of adverts - the same ones I detest on the TV and hoped to escape briefly. Thanks for your fab efforts.

[@jonnof77]

Glad you enjoyed it! I know exactly what you mean about modern cinema atmosphere - there's not much joy left in the theatrical experience. Still a few places keeping the flag flying, like the Duke of Yorks here in Brighton, but they're few and far between. Not entirely sure about soundtrack choices - the LPs were often supplied with the publicity material for in-theatre use, sometimes as specifically promotional versions. I imagine projectionists would just start playing from side A each time, but I've gone for cues which I think fit the tone a bit better. As for the BBFC, well, I have a frame grab from a contemporary bootleg which indicates the formatting I've used: imgur.com/QGggMsK

[@antonybrown8667]

These are great. I came for the big taste of Westlers and, although you kept me hanging on in there til the very end, you didn't disappoint! Bite after bite after bite!

[@jonnof77]

Lol. Always happy to bring the big taste!

[@StephenGarnett]

My Odeon in Bradford would definitely drop the travellers (curtains) during the 'See you soon' outro. We'd have adverts, then a break, then trailers, followed by a 2nd curtain drop, and a little silence (sit close enough to the front and you could hear the screen changing shape for 'Scope presentations), then the intro to the film. BTW, good job on NEVER showing a blank screen! Now there's a lost art...

[@jonnof77]

Thanks for the detailed rundown! My exact sequencing might leave room for further refinement, but above all I wanted to preserve that sense of showmanship I remember from the old days (and, as you say, is largely a lost art today - with a few rare exceptions).

[@StephenGarnett]

@jonnof77 I urge you to seek out the Wide-screen Weekend here in Bradford sometime. Screenings of films in their original format, especially the classics, with overtures, intermission, exit music etc. The Hateful Eight was shown last year in Ultra Panavision 70, the full roadshow version. It was terrific!

[@jonnof77]

@@StephenGarnett I certainly hope to one day!

[@stephenmundane]

Brilliant! Marston Green Garage too --remember it well.

[@SirEdgarLovegarden]

Thank you very much, so many memories from when I used to visit the now long gone Dudley Plaza but just imagine them trying to make a Bond film called Octopussy today!!

[@jamiemckay5000]

Wow - these are truly great! Would love to see an intro reel to The Thing (1982)....Would certainly buy you a coffee for that!

[@edcampion3998]

Great stuff thanks a lot

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Very interesting 👌 👍

[@BrendanPramjee]

The trailers are excellent...

[@jonnof77]

It was a great summer for sci fi and action!

[@gavinives4705]

I saw ROTJ at the Odeon Marble Arch on opening day. Quite a rush. And to think Wargames was just around the corner.

[@jimmyviaductophilelawley5587]

Hi I went to see ROTJ five days in a row in 1983 at Warrington Odeon and have been looking for "Dilemma" for years! I always thought it was called "Time" though? In fact I just checked and there is no IMDB entry for it at all!

[@jonnof77]

It's on there - www.imdb.com/title/tt0231461

[@plushblueep]

Thus now rounds out the “Star Wars at Odeon” trilogy.

[@jonnof77]

Indeed. Hope it's worth the wait!

[@danielwilliamson6180]

​@@jonnof77I suggest Masters of the Universe (1987). Wizards (1977). Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985) and Blue Velvet (1986).

[@Silvio67]

Ill wait for the director's cut.

[@jonnof77]

Fair enough! It'll be out in another 14 years or so...

[@markcraig5974]

thanks been looking for this forever

[@darkvader7231]

Gawd that local hero trailer put me to sleep!!😂😂

[@reeldub]

I adore your videos. So nostalgic.

[@jonnof77]

Thank you! That's absolutely the intention.

[@alfredthegreat9543]

"......in Octopussy....I'm Octopussy". 😂

[@williamk3702]

Fabulous. Bring back Buzby!

[@TeapeeTales2.05-rf6sf]

The first ever THX certified movie.

[@jonnof77]

Indeed. Though while THX eventually found a foothold in the UK, it certainly wasn't a thing in 1983, otherwise I would have included that logo too.

[@markbrown2622]

looks like thee outside of Bromley Odeon

[@jonnof77]

Good spot! The opening is built on a photo from (I think) around 1984.

[@markbrown2622]

@@jonnof77 Bromley was my local Cinema I remember around the mid 80's I watched Ghostbusters,Back To the Future,Flight Of The Navigator,Star Trek 3, Indiana Jones 2 and Young Sherlock Holmes.

[@jonnof77]

@@markbrown2622 Nice. I went there once with my dad to see Indy 3 (the trailer for Batman beforehand was almost as exciting). The building had just the vibe I was looking for in these reels!

[@TeapeeTales2.05-rf6sf]

Please can you do Titanic?

[@jonnof77]

It's a possibility - got a few more in the pipeline to do first!

[@bingobaz6402]

Just imagine going to see return of the jedi and end up seeing this sht 😂 or am I missing something?

[@jonnof77]

It's hard to say. Like it or not, this is pretty much the way it was in 1983. If you're not interested in experiencing old-school cinema programming, not watching presumably remains an option.

[@bingobaz6402]

@jonnof77 you say I had choice not to watch. I only clicked on it as it shown return of the jedi in time stamp. Instead of return of the jedi it turned out to be an awful cartoon 😄..I clicked on it and watched expecting it to be at least related to the return of the jedi.

[@jonnof77]

@@bingobaz6402 Fair enough - I guess the historical context I give in my videos isn't for you. I'd argue that Dilemma is far from awful, though - it was fairly groundbreaking for its time.

[@bingobaz6402]

@jonnof77 hey i am sorry it's simple it's not what I thought it was that's all but now understand what you did. I was just expecting something different when I clicked. But it's pretty good my apologies!

[@leonettejean-baptiste1536]

H