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'Star Wars' hype infects England

THE GUARDIAN, LONDON
Friday, May 06, 2005, Page 16

Ewan McGregor, left, as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, in a scene from Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. PHOTO: AP

Anyone unexcited by toys named Yoda with Firing Cannon or Chewbacca with Wookiee Rage should emigrate now, to a galaxy far, far away.

After nearly 30 years, this planet's fanatical obsession with Star Wars is about to reach a climax with the film saga's sixth and -- probably -- final installment, Revenge of the Sith.

There have been bigger movies -- Titanic's gross is unlikely to be surpassed -- but never a hyped marketing, merchandising, pop-cultural event like this. Coasters and costumes, hats and helmets, jerseys and jewelry, Lego and light sabers, magnets and mugs, posters and iPod covers, toys and trivial pursuit, video games and voice-changers that make you sound like Darth Vader -- these are just a fraction of the spin-offs aimed not just at children but parents (usually dads) filled with nostalgia.

Since 1977 the Star Wars franchise has earned around US$3 billion for its creator, George Lucas. Its cultural influence is undeniable. The Web search engine Google finds 72,900,000 references to Star Wars; the Bible has 27,100,000. On Internet auction site eBay, some 65,000 Star Wars items are for sale.

Revenge of the Sith ends the story of how the once-heroic Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader, one of the best-known villains in cinema. The movie will premiere at the Cannes film festival but receives its first public audiences around the world on May 16, when all cinemas in London's Leicester Square will unite for a single event for the first time.

From 7am, all six episodes will be shown back-to-back at the UCI Empire, culminating in the world's first screening of Revenge of the Sith to be open to the general public. All 1,330 tickets sold within four-and-a-half minutes, the first to fans who queued for around 70 hours.

Other cinemas will show episodes during the day, with the UK premiere to be held that evening at the Odeon Leicester Square.

Along with the usual devotees in random fancy dress, there will be a battalion of "stormtroopers" dressed in white helmets and uniforms. This is the UK branch of a rapidly growing society of fans called the 501st Legion of Imperial Stormtroopers, which has more than 2,500 members in 21 countries.

The pre-release frenzy was palpable over the weekend when Hamleys toy store in central London launched its range of Star Wars toys with Dave Prowse, 69, who played Vader in the original trilogy, on hand to sign autographs.

"I was in Indianapolis last week and it was the biggest Star Wars convention ever: 30,000 people per day for four days," he said. "I was signing from 9am to 7pm and didn't have time to get up to go to the toilet."

Prowse added: "I've had fans cry in front of me and say, `It's the culmination of 20 years coming to see you.'"

"They show me a tattoo and get me to sign it, then go off and get the signature tattooed, then come back the next day and show me. They ask me back to their home, and the whole basement is crammed with everything Star Wars."
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