Star Wars, VHS, Fullscreen, CBS/Fox video, USA 1987 (Labelled 1984 on the sleeve), UPC sleeve version
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This is the North-American sell-through release, 1987 version. It comes in the US-standard cardboard sleeve, identical to the 1986 version.
For the Star Wars 10th anniversary in 1987, the current sell-through tape was issued with a small update, setting it apart from the 1986 version. It starts with a "Star Wars - The First 10 Years" intro, followed by a trailer for the original trilogy films on video cassette. The copyright notice comes after the film is finished. The tape label and box are identical to the 1986 issue. The 1986 and 1987 versions are easily mistaken for the 1984 release, as the sleeve still carries the 1984 copyright date. What's different with the 1986/1987 release is that the front red triangle says "Digitally Mastered" below the Hi-Fi Stereo logo. These releases uses the 1985 soundmix which includes C-3PO's tractor beam line. When this was released, the shrinkwrap would often have a "First 10 Years" sticker on it, but mine didn't. If the sticker isn't there, or once the shrinkwrap is discarded, it is much harder to tell if you have a 1987 or a 1986 copy. The only way to tell them apart is to play them; On the 1986 release, the "trilogy on video" trailer comes after the film, on the 1987 release the trailer comes before the film. This copy seems to be a later pressing, as it includes a UPC barcode on the bottom of one of the sides. This was a later addition but they come with either the 1986 or 1987 tapes. It is debatable whether this constitutes a proper variant, or just a running packaging change. My copy comes in the remains of the original shrinkwrap, bearing the CBS/Fox watermark, though the tape IS opened at the bottom. (Source: "A Saga on Home Video" - Nathan P. Butler 2021) |
First Ten Years trailer
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First Ten Years trailer
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First Ten Years trailer
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Trilogy on Video trailer
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And now for our feature presentation...
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Title card
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Cropped opening crawl
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Star Destroyer
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Cropped binoculars
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Greedo subtitles
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End credits
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Copyright notice
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