Overview

• Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy introduced the original 1977 cut at the BFI Film on Film Festival in London and confirmed it was officially sanctioned.
• The near-50-year-old print was preserved using Technicolor dye transfer, retaining elements like no “Episode IV” subtitle and Han Solo shooting Greedo first.
• George Lucas has long rejected this initial version, preferring later edits and special editions that reworked key scenes and effects.
• BFI chief executive Ben Roberts called the successful projection of the rare Technicolor print a “miracle” given its condition after decades in archive.
• The event stirred industry talk that Lucasfilm might one day release the untouched original version of A New Hope to the public.