When the Plaza Classic Film Festival's Eric Pearson greeted me with "May the force be with you" over the phone, I knew something very cool was up.
It is.
The festival's artistic director tipped me today that an original print of "Star Wars," the 1977 sci-fi classic that changed the movie universe forever, has been secured for the second annual film festival at the Plaza Theatre.
It'll show Aug. 12, a Wednesday night, and probably at least one more time, possibly more depending on audience turnout.
It's a real coup, especially since Pearson, the festival's executive director, and Charles Horak, its artistic director whose Film Salon series celebrates its seventh anniversary May 2, couldn't quite pull it off last year.
"We know it's as iconic as they come, the way it changed the motion picture industry," he said.
The print that will be showing in the historic theater is only "one or two" "Star Wars" prints that will be shown at festivals this year, Pearson said.
"It's an original print. There's a person whose sole purpose is protecting the 'Star Wars' prints. He keeps them in his office," Pearson said.
Other festival bookings announced so far are "Gone With the Wind," which marks its 70th anniversary this year; "Mary Poppins," "The Nutty Professor" (original with Jerry Lewis), "Lawrence of Arabia," "Chinatown," "The French Connection," "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "Help!" Akira Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress" (which influenced Lucas' "Star Wars"), "The Lady Eve," "Roman Holiday" and "The Terminator."
The festival will run Aug. 6-16.
Tickets will range from free to $6, depending on the event. Tickets are not on sale yet.
Films will be screened at the Plaza (which has conventional and digital capability), the adjacent Philanthropy Theatre and outside the Festival Plaza area.
Nearly 32,000 people watched movies at last year's inaugural event, then called The Movies Return.
Details: plazaclassicfilmfestival.com; 915.533.4020.
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