Opens Sept 6th! Well... Sept 6th 1978 that is.
Once again the theatre in my home town was slow to cash in on the late 70s sc-fi bandwagon. After missing the boat on Star Wars (which wouldn't show in Nanaimo until the re-release in 1980) it shrewdly passed on the theatrical version of TV's Battlestar Galactica which was shown in Canadian and European cinemas before it's premier on North American television on September 17th, and subsequent release in US theatres in May of 1979. I don't know if it was a personal dislike of the genre or simply the tight licensing that the distribution chains had on films of that time, but they only succeeded in shooting themselves in the feet as movie goers headed out of town (in this case to Duncan B.C., 45 minutes to the south) to see the films they wanted.
I clearly remember lining up for this with my dad and sister during a pleasant late summer evening. Although it was no Star Was (despite their best effort to be!) I did enjoy it, probably more for the special effects and costumes than anything else. The Sensurround system was widely used during this films release, rumbling theatre goers in their seats with low frequency (but still mono!) vibrations, but I'm not sure whether we saw it in that form or not.
Either way it set the stage for the TV series to to become a short lived staple on Sundays nights.
8 comments:
I recall watching this on it's broadcast premiere in 1978 only to have then-President Jimmy Carter break in during a key action sequence (at least here on the East Coast). The same movie was released to theaters later with the hyped sensurround effect. I can't tell you a thing about what that was like since perhaps my theater wasn't equipped with it. So was it shown in Canadian theaters first, then airing on TV later?
Yep, it was released theatrically in Canada in late July 1978. I also watched the TV premiere as the two were different cuts. The 3 hour TV version had Baltar NOT being beheaded by the Cylons amongst other changes! I know the US broadcast was interrupted by the Camp David accord announcement for close to an hour, but it may have been simulcast here in Canada without the break - I can't remember.
I remember watching this in the theatre, and when I saw the movie on TV, I noticed all the changes. I loved this show when I was a kid because it was the closest thing to Star Wars on TV at the time.
I still think the Viper is one of the best Sci-fi ships ever!!
Yeah, missed this at the theater but never missed it on the tube!
Don't forget, you also saw it at a Granville Street Theatre in Vancouver with your grandma and some Milhousian tag-along chump.
David: You are correct sir! Do you you remember if that was the original release? I assume it must have been. Hmmm... this gives me pause for thought...
Yep, I wasn't aware of it playing anywhere else at that point. It was an exciting matinee - I remember vividly sitting in the theatre watching the early scenes, with patrolling Vipers and Colonial-cursing and shirtless dudes showering. It all seemed very adult.
Can you post something new soon so nobody notices the above comment? Or should we just try to settle the age-old debate: Athena or Cassiopeia?
Athena,... definitely!!
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