Star Wars opened in 1977 and reset what audiences expected from a space film. In the months and years after, a wave of space operas flooded the global film market. In Rome, the Cinecittà Studios, home of the Spaghetti Western, turned out its own low-budget italian star wars knockoffs.
Evan Puschak of The Nerdwriter traces how the Italian film industry responded to the hit. His video focuses on a group of cheap science fiction films made in the late 1970s, many of them imitations built to look like Hollywood’s new blockbuster.
Starcrash (1978) is one of the more entertaining examples. Its cast includes a young David Hasselhoff, who was then working mainly as a soap opera actor.
The Humanoid (1979) goes further. Puschak calls it perhaps the most flagrant of the copies. Its director, Aldo Lado, received a credit as “George B. Lewis.”
The Humanoid’s knockoff look raises a familiar Star Wars question, and fans still argue over one of the franchise’s most-debated scenes. Newly found footage settles the Han vs. Greedo shooting debate for anyone curious how the original films were shot.
How the italian star wars knockoffs kept costs down
Puschak explains that Cinecittà kept budgets low by sharing sets and even footage between productions. Filmmakers also dubbed dialogue after shooting instead of recording sound live on set.
Those shortcuts made fast genre films possible, including many of the films that followed. They also exposed the gap between a modest Italian production and a Hollywood spectacle with a large budget.
That gap is central to Puschak’s argument. He says Star Wars threatened the Italian approach because its special effects set a standard that a cheap copy could not match. Part of the film’s pull came from how completely it drew viewers into its world, not only from its story and characters.
Cheap sci-fi often leaned on bold visual imagination when budgets fell short, and that spirit still shows up in modern art. Retro-futuristic 1980s airbrush sci-fi art shows how the look of that era keeps inspiring new work.
The Italian studios had built their output on speed and imitation. Star Wars showed that the most important thing audiences wanted, a convincing and immersive universe, cost more than the copies could afford.
Frequently asked questions
How did Italian studios keep costs down on Star Wars knockoffs?
Cinecittà kept budgets low by sharing sets and even footage between productions. Filmmakers also dubbed dialogue after shooting instead of recording sound live on set.
Why couldn’t cheap Star Wars copies match the original’s immersive appeal?
Star Wars’ special effects set a standard that a cheap copy could not match. Part of the film’s pull also came from how completely it drew viewers into its world, not only from its story and characters.
Who directed The Humanoid, and what credit did he use?
Aldo Lado directed The Humanoid (1979), but he received a credit as “George B. Lewis.” The film is described as perhaps the most flagrant of the Star Wars copies.
Which Rome studio produced the low-budget Italian Star Wars knockoffs?
Cinecittà Studios in Rome, known as the home of the Spaghetti Western, turned out its own low-budget Italian Star Wars knockoffs. These films were made in the late 1970s and were built to look like Hollywood’s new blockbuster.
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