|
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Alec Guinness. Cinematography by Gilbert Taylor. Edited by Richard Chew, Paul Hirsch, and Marcia Lucas. Produced by Gary Kurtz. Written and Directed by George Lucas.
Luke Skywalker lives on the desert planet Tatoonie with his aunt and uncle. His uncle buys two droids from the local Jawas to help with the workload on the moisture farm, but the next morning he finds that one of them has fled. With the aid of C3PO, the remaining droid, Luke searches for R2D2, the missing counterpart. He runs into Ben Kenobi, an old hermit living on the outside of civilization, who tells him stories of his deceased father and presents him with his old lightsaber, the weapon of a Jedi. When Luke returns to the family farm he finds that his aunt and uncle have been killed by Stormtroopers that are apparently searching for Luke’s two new droids. He leaves Tatooine with Ben, who has now taken on the role of Luke’s Jedi Master, to join the rebellion against the evil Empire.
When George Lucas went to pitch American Graffiti to Universal Studios, he wanted to have a backup plan just in case they didn’t like it. So he reached back to the “Buck Rogers” and “Flash Gordon” programs that he loved so much as a child for inspiration. He tried to purchase the rights to the Flash Gordon books, but found that Federico Fellini had already optioned them so he was going to have to develop his own tale. He wanted to make a science fiction film, but didn’t want to rely on futuristic technology to drive the story. So he spent months researching the history of story telling; studying mythology, fairy tales, and religion at length. He also explored the records of past civilizations and saw correlations in their collective cycles. The story went through many evolutions, but finally developed into a long, serial like tale that spanned fifty five years. It was the story of two Jedi Knights; Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. The two grow up together as friends until Skywalker turns to the dark side of the Force. When Anakin takes a powerful role in the new Galactic Empire, Obi-Wan steals Skywalker’s son away from him and hides him on a remote planet. Anakin’s son, Luke, grows up to confront and eventually provide salvation for his father. After a fantastic war, the evil Empire collapses and the order of the Jedi is restored. Universal ended up passing on his idea, citing it, as many others did, long and confusing. When Lucas reworked the plot, he decided to focus on the middle of the story where the action was more intense. The fourth episode in his Star Wars saga, later referred to as A New Hope after the release of The Empire Strikes Back, was finally picked up by Twentieth Century Fox.
Star Wars was fueled by amazing story telling, but it was still a science fiction movie and so special effects would be required. After a fruitless search for the right special effects company, Lucas commissioned John Dykstra to assemble a team of effects masters. Together they created Industrial Light & Magic; a company that would soon become the leader in special effects technology. The combination of flawless story telling and the breathtaking onscreen effects turned Star Wars into one of the biggest hits in the history of film. Star Wars has become almost a religion to many of its fans and, along with its sequels, prequels, and merchandise, has grossed in the billions of dollars in revenue. It also quickly turned George Lucas into one of the most powerful men in the movie business.
Budget: $11,000,000
Total US Gross: $460,998,007
Genre: Science Fiction
Runtime: 121 Minutes
US Release Date: 5/25/77
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Awards: Academy Awards: Won for best art direction/set decoration, best costume design, best visual effects, best editing, best sound, and best original score. Nominated for bestoriginal screenplay, best director, best supporting actor, and best picture. Golden Globes: Won for best original score. Nominated for best director, best supporting actor, and best dramatic picture. Directors Guild of America: Nominated for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures. Writers Guild of America: Nominated for Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen. Winner of the American Film Institute's top one hundred movies of all time: number fifteen.
Tagline: A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away…
Quote: “The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.”
|
