Anthem Screen Guides Magazine

On 25 May 2027 it’ll be 50 years since Star Wars hit cinemas – on that date, we’ll be as far from that film as it was from Charles Lindbergh flying from New York to Paris, the release of the first ‘talkie’ and Joseph Stalin taking control in the Soviet Union, incredible as it may seem.
A lot has happened in the half-century since A New Hope was released, and that includes more Star Wars movies than we could have possibly dreamed of in 1977. But our focus here is not on the prequels, the sequels, or any of the various brand-threatening TV shows that have emerged in the past decade. Instead, this special commemorates those original three films, the ones that started it all, and around which every other Star Wars movie and TV series orbits.
Inside, we have comprehensive behind-the-scenes features on Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi; we explore Lucas’ literary inspirations, particularly the work of writer Joseph Cambell, and we put George’s early versions of that first screenplay under the spotlight. We also look at how the films’ fandom sprung up in the 1980s, how the much-reviled Star Wars Holiday Special became the franchise’s most sought-after bootleg and we remember the cult radio adaptations that brought the saga to life in a whole new medium.
There’s all this and much more in this ultimate celebration of the original and the best of the Star Wars trilogies.
May the Force be with you.