Watch: Full, Restored 1980 Short 'Black Angel' Which Screened In Front Of 'Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back'

A week from tomorrow marks the 35th anniversary of not only “Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back,” but also of the much-discussed and long-lost short film “Black Angel,” which screened in front of the blockbuster back in 1980. After spending some time on iTunes, the short has finally arrived in full for free on YouTube until the end of the month.

Two years ago, director Roger Christian revealed that an original negative of his influential short (John Boorman is said to have screened the short for the cast & crew of “Excalibur”) had been located, which allowed for a full restoration. After playing festivals in 2013, the restored film hit iTunes sometime last year and Christian has seen fit to post his film along with an introduction online.

Beautiful, haunting, and with a running time just shy of half an hour, the short follows a newly-returned warrior who seeks revenge and justice after his family was slaughtered during his long...