Star Wars (film)
| Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | George Lucas |
| Written by | George Lucas |
| Produced by | Gary Kurtz George Lucas Rick McCallum (SE) |
| Starring | Mark Hamill Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher Peter Cushing |
| Music by | John Williams |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates | May 25, 1977 (USA) |
Running time | 121 min. (original) 125 min. (SE) |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $11,000,000 |
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally titled Star Wars, is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first film to be released in the Star Wars saga, but it is the fourth part of the series by chronology of events. Among fans, it is commonly referred to as ANH.
Nineteen years after the formation of the Galactic Empire, Luke Skywalker is thrust into the struggles of the Rebel Alliance when he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has lived in seclusion for years on the desert planet of Tatooine. Obi-Wan begins Luke’s Jedi training as Luke joins him on a daring mission to rescue the Rebel leader Princess Leia from the clutches of the evil Empire. Unlike Episodes I-III, this film, along with the two films that follow, are mostly focused on the events of one particular sector of the galaxy, rather than the intergalactic perspective that the first three films take.
The film was released on May 25, 1977, and was re-released, sometimes with significant changes, in 1979, 1981, 1982, 1995 (VHS), 1997 (also VHS later that year) (all with the exception of 1995 cinema), 2000 (VHS), and 2004 (DVD). A 3-D release is planned for 2007. A novelization was written in 1976, and a radio drama was produced by and broadcast on the National Public Radio in 1981.
Plot summary
The opening crawl reveals that the galaxy is in a state of civil war. The Rebel Alliance has stolen secret plans to the Galactic Empire's secret weapon, the Death Star. The Rebel Alliance operated an efficient and widespread intelligence network of Bothan spies. Through this network, the Alliance learned of the construction of the Death Star, an extremely powerful space station capable of annihilating planets with its superlaser.
Rebel prisoners aboard the Death Star managed to riot (Death Star Uprising) and got control of a technical readout while Imperial-turned-Rebel Kyle Katarn retrieved further plans (Battle of Danuta). From there they beamed it to Leia's ship, the Tantive IV, while the 501st Legion, under Darth Vader, tracked Rebels to Polis Massa (Battle of Polis Massa), however this was only a set-up for the Empire. Even so, the Rebels, who fought with the defensive upper hand, were crushed. Imperial forces soon discovered the true plot and the Star Destroyer Devastator, under the command of Darth Vader himself, captured the Tantive IV in a space battle above Tatooine (Attack on Tantive IV), where Leia had been trying to reach. She hoped to enlist the help of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was a fugitive Jedi in hiding on the planet and was watching over the young Luke Skywalker.
Stormtroopers of the 501st take control of the ship, and Darth Vader arrives to assess the damage. Vader is outraged and questions Captain Antilles, whom he eventually strangles and kills. Hiding on the ship, Leia is spotted by part of the 501st, and is shot with a stun blast. Before taking her prisoner, Vader questions her as well. However, before being detained, Princess Leia is able to record a holographic message and give it to R2-D2 to take to Kenobi. Vader orders a command be sent to the Imperial Senate on Coruscant that the ship was destroyed, with everyone on board killed. The droids R2-D2 and C-3PO use an escape pod which brings them to the planet Tatooine.
On Tatooine, the droids are captured by Jawas while wandering the desert. They come into the possession of Owen Lars and his nephew, Luke Skywalker. Luke accidentally triggers part of the holographic message, causing him to suspect that the R2-D2 may have been stolen, and that it really belongs to an "Obi-Wan Kenobi". Returning to his garage before nightfall, Luke discovers that R2-D2 has escaped.
The next day, Luke and C-3PO set out to find R2-D2. After finding him, they are attacked by Sandpeople, but rescued by the arrival of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke and the droids are brought to Obi-Wan's hut, where Obi-Wan tells of his days as a Jedi Knight and reveals to Luke that his father was a Jedi as well. When Luke asks how his father died, Obi-Wan says he was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader. He then talks about the mysterious energy field called the Force. Finally, Obi-Wan and Luke see the holographic message from Princess Leia, who asks for Obi-Wan's assistance to take the droid and the plans to the planet Alderaan. Obi-Wan invites Luke to come with him to Alderaan, but Luke refuses, citing his responsibilities at home. On Coruscant, the Emperor permanently dissolves the Galactic Senate, giving regional governors direct control of their regions. (The Senate had been slowly becoming just a figurehead in recent years, with regional governors growing in power, but this final step could only come with the completion of the Death Star and the power it represents.)
On Tatooine, Obi-Wan, Luke and the droids discover dead Jawas and scattered Bantha tracks. Obi-Wan suspects that Imperial Stormtroopers ambushed the Jawas in an attempt to find the droids. Realizing that the troopers likely learned who the droids were sold to, Luke races back to the Lars homestead, only to find his family murdered and his home destroyed. He returns to Obi-Wan and decides to come to Alderaan and become a Jedi.
The group goes to Mos Eisley Spaceport, where they encounter a smuggler named Han Solo who agrees to transport them on his ship, the Millennium Falcon. As the old Jedi and his companions make their way to the ship, they are attacked by Stormtroopers. They hastily board the Millennium Falcon and make a speedy launch. After leaving the planet's surface and dodging attacks, the ship and its crew escape.
On the Death Star, Leia remains imprisoned and has resisted interrogation. However, when threatened with the destruction of her home planet of Alderaan, she discloses that the Rebel Base is on Dantooine. Grand Moff Tarkin destroys Alderaan anyway, as a display of the Death Star's power. Later, when it is discovered that the Rebel Base on Dantooine is deserted, Tarkin orders the Princess executed.
En route to Alderaan, Obi-Wan instructs Luke in the ways of the Force. When they arrive at where Alderaan should be, the crew discovers only a hail of debris and a moon-sized space station - the Death Star. A tractor beam takes hold of the Falcon and pulls it into the Death Star. Inside the Death Star, Obi-Wan attempts to disable the tractor beam holding them there. The rest of the group learns that Leia is being held in a nearby cell awaiting execution. They make their way through the station and rescue the Princess.
After switching off the tractor beam, Kenobi encounters Vader, and a lightsaber duel ensues. The duel distracts the guards long enough to allow Luke and his companions to board the Falcon. Once he sees that they are safely near the ship, Obi-Wan allows himself to be struck down by Vader, which causes Kenobi's body to vanish, and allows him to become one with the Force. Luke screams in horror, gaining the attention of the Stormtroopers, who attack Luke and company. Obi-Wan advises Luke through the Force to run into the Falcon.
The Millennium Falcon escapes, fighting off Imperial starfighters along the way. Unknown to them, the Empire allowed the escape in order to track their ship to the Rebel Base. They finally reach the Rebel hideout, where they pass the plans on to the Rebel leadership. The Rebels retrieve the Death Star plans and make preparations to assault it. The tactic involves flying along a canyon-sized groove in the station's surface, then firing a torpedo down a narrow ventilation shaft. The torpedo will travel to the main reactor and start a chain reaction that will destroy the entire station.
Luke and a group of Rebel fighters begin their assault on the approaching Death Star. They make it down to the canyon, with Vader in pursuit. As Luke makes his run down the canyon, he hears the voice of Kenobi, instructing him to use the Force. Vader closes in on Luke. Just as he is about to deliver a fatal blow on Luke's X-Wing, Han Solo and Chewbacca fly in and fire a shot at one of Vader's wingmen, which damages the wingman's ship, and sends it flying out of control. It knocks Vader's ship out of control as well, and out into space, before the wingman's ship crashes into one of the trench walls. Luke lets go of the targeting computer of the Rebel fighter, and successfully launches torpedoes down the shaft, destroying the Death Star and scoring a huge victory for the Rebellion against the Empire.
In a civil ceremony at the Massassi Temple rebel base on Yavin IV, Luke and Han are awarded medals by Leia for destroying the Death Star.
Cast
Overview
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope remains one of the most financially successful films of all time. Adjusted for inflation, the US gross profit is second only to Gone with the Wind, and in terms of cumulative gross is second only to the movie Titanic. Considering the distributor, and to some degree the producers, had little confidence in the potential of the film, it was a word-of-mouth sleeper hit, having opened only on 37 movie screens in theaters that were persuaded to show it. However, there was immediate impressive business upon release that wildly surpassed the highest hopes of the producers. Furthermore, the revenue increased dramatically as 20th Century Fox acted to capitalize on the spectacular popularity and moved to make the film a profitable success. Some theaters showed the film continuously for over a year.
The American Film Institute listed it 15th on a list of the top 100 films of the 20th century; in the UK, a poll created by Channel Four named A New Hope (together with its successor, The Empire Strikes Back) the greatest film of all time. However, the film is not universally admired. Some blame it for accelerating a trend towards special-effects-driven movies targeting teenagers. Others claim that the trend is a natural consequence of economic and technological forces in the film industry.
Due to concerns from 20th Century Fox, when originally released in 1977, the film was released simply as "Star Wars," both on promotional material and during the opening crawl of the film itself. For this reason, this film, more often than its sequels, is often referred to as "Star Wars", instead of by the "Episode IV" number or the subtitle "A New Hope". In 1980, the sequel, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, was released with the episode number and subtitle in the opening crawl. In a re-released version a year later, "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" replaced the original opening title of "Star Wars" above the opening crawl.
The film became the fourth chronologically and first released in the series of six to date. While producer Lucas claims that only six films were ever planned, many fans disagree, asserting that they had heard of plans for three trilogies for a total of nine films.
The music
Sound
A New Hope was originally presented in monaural sound in many theatres, though the first-run 70mm prints were some of the earliest wide-release examples of surround sound--something not seen in the commercial cinema since the Cinerama and Cinemascope experiments of the early 50's.
Score
Lucas wanted a grand musical sound for Star Wars, with leitmotifs where distinction was necessary. This approach was effective in, among others, the operas of Richard Wagner. Lucas therefore compiled a set of classical pieces for composer John Williams's review to convey the styles he desired. The final compositions often bore considerable resemblance to the original pieces -- In particular:
- The music associated to the opening capture of the blockade runner is very similar to Mars, from Holst's The Planets. In the liner notes to the original sound track recording, Williams implicitly acknowledged the connection by explaining why he didn't simply use Holst's The Planets. He said that he felt he could give the music a more unified feel if he wrote it all himself.
- The "Force Theme" (or "Ben's Theme") has been compared to parts of the ballet Swan Lake.
- The music for the awards ceremony at the end of the movie begins with the Force/Ben's Theme, and then transitions into a theme that, in the liner notes, Williams says is reminiscent of "The Coronation", which probably refers to Elgar's, or, more likely, William Walton's Coronation March.
- The opening title (the "theme from Star Wars", or "Luke's Theme") has been said to resemble the theme from Born Free, but has a similar facade to the opening strains of the 1942 film, King's Row, scored by Eric Wolfgang Korngold. Later John Williams themes, such as those from Chariots of Fire and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial have been said to bear a resemblance to it. Listening to them together, one observes that none is identical to any of the others, but they use many of the same musical intervals to achieve similar, or at least related, emotional effects.
- The music for C-3PO's and R2-D2's arrival on Tatooine is very similar to the beginning of the second part titled The Sacrifice of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.
Re-releases
Special Editions
In 1997, the movie was digitally remastered as the so-called Special Edition, or SE, for a 20th anniversary re-release. The controversial (amongst fans) Special Edition contains scenes not in the original release, most notably a conversation between Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt, as well as numerous other small changes and visual additions. Some of the added scenes were intended for the original version of the movie, but were not feasible without newer advances in special effects technology, particularly in the area of computer generated imagery.
The Special Edition also had several scenes in which the events depicted were changed from those depicted in the original version; these changes are controversial as well, with many dedicated fans feeling the changes weaken the movie. One of the more notorious changes involves a scene in which Han Solo defeats a bounty hunter named Greedo. Greedo was holding Solo at gunpoint in the Mos Eisley Cantina. Their conversation reveals that Greedo is after the bounty Jabba the Hutt put on Solo. During the conversation, Solo is discretely removing his blaster from its holster under the table. Toward the end of the conversation, Greedo suggests that Jabba might be content to take only Solo's ship (the Millenium Falcon) to cover Solo's debt. Han then says "Over my dead body," to which Greedo replies, "That's the idea. I've been looking forward to this for a long time." In the original version, Solo says "Yes, I bet you have," and then shoots and kills Greedo, who never takes a shot. In the Special Edition, the scene is altered so that Greedo shoots first, somehow missing Solo at point-blank range as Solo fires. This change has been criticized/ridiculed in popular culture, most notably in the films of Kevin Smith.
2004 DVD Special Edition
Lucas was apparently concerned that having Solo shoot first portrayed him as an aggressor who takes life in cold blood, which is inconsistent with the heroic persona that Solo is supposed to exemplify. For the 2004 DVD release the scene was reworked once again, so that Han and Greedo shoot almost simultaneously (although Greedo still shoots a fraction of a second ahead of Solo). Further changes have been made in 2004 for the film's debut on the DVD format. With a few exceptions, most of these are minor or cosmetic in nature.
Sources and inspirations
See also: Star Wars sources and analogues
The film drew inspiration from a number of sources. This was conscious and has been acknowledged by George Lucas in interviews. It is characteristic of much myth-building.
The Hidden Fortress
Lucas has stated that Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film The Hidden Fortress (USA release 1962) was a strong influence. The resemblance between the two buffoon farmers in The Hidden Fortress and the two talkative droids in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is apparent. Indeed, when the droids find themselves alone on Tatooine, even the music and the style of "wipe" cuts are a clear homage to Hidden Fortress.
The Dam Busters
The climactic scene in which the Death Star is assaulted was modeled after the 1950s movie The Dam Busters, in which RAF Lancaster bombers fly along heavily defended reservoirs and aim "bouncing bombs" at their manmade dams in a bid to cripple the heavy industry of the Ruhr. Some of the dialogue in The Dam Busters is repeated in the Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope climax and in fact Gilbert Taylor, also filmed the Special Effects sequences in The Dam Busters.
Battle of Britain
Scenes from the Death Star assault are also reminiscent of the film Battle of Britain, particularly in showing the face of the pilot in the cockpit, and the radio dialogue between teams named after colours. Another inspiration comes from Battle of Britain's long combat scene near the end of the movie which is presented without dialogue or sound effects, but with a classical movie background. The parallel between the use of classical-style music, rather than popular orchestral or even more recent rock, blues, swing, or jazz soundtracks, is notable.
The real-life battle provided inspiration also, with World War II providing a heavy influence on the look and feel of the films. While the dogfighting between the "Allied" X-wings and "Axis" TIE Fighters, the ships were based more on the Pacific Theatre, with the larger sturdier Rebel fighters based on the United States Navy carrier-borne aircraft, and the smaller but faster and more manoeuvrable enemy TIEs based on the famous Japanese Zero.
The costumes of the pilots reflect this, with the characteristic orange flight suits of the rebels, which are very similar to the flight suits worn by American fighter pilots in the Pacific War. The cockpit design of the Millennium Falcon is also heavily based on the design used in the famous B-29 Superfortress, such as the Enola Gay.
The helmets worn by the TIE Fighter pilots are reminiscent to those of the Japanese during the Pacific campaign, though this is not as blatant as the "Samurai style" helmet of Darth Vader. Lastly, the uniforms of the Imperial officers are quite similar to those worn by the Germans in World War II.
The battles were copied from film of WWII dogfights, replacing the British and German aircraft by Star Wars spacecraft.
633 Squadron
Lucas has made mention of the film "633 Squadron" directed by Walter Grauman when citing movies that inspired themes or elements in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The "trench run" in A New Hope wherein Luke flies his X-wing through a "trench" on the Death Star and destroys the ship was inspired, at least in small part, by the finale of 633 Squadron, which involves several Royal Air Force planes flying at low level up a fjord against heavy, ground-based anti-aircraft fire, to attack a factory located at the base of a cliff at the canyon's end.
Dune
The planet Tatooine is similar to Arrakis from Frank Herbert's book Dune, although desert worlds were not original to Herbert. The planet Mongo from the Flash Gordon comics was also a desert world. In general, the Star Wars movies have followed the convention, common in space opera, in which planets stand in for regions of the Earth, so that there would be a desert planet, a jungle planet, and so on.
In addition, the planet Arrakis is the only known source of a hallucinatory drug called the Spice Melange. In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Han Solo is a spice smuggler.
Also, the original treatment submitted by Lucas early on dealt heavily with the transport of spice, though the nature of the material remained unexplored.
Triumph of the Will
The scene where Princess Leia gives Han and Luke medals is very reminiscent of a long scene in Leni Riefenstahl's 1934 film Triumph of the Will. Both scenes have large and enthusiastic crowds seated in a shallow amphitheatre bounded by columns, with a low dais where the leader stands. (Of course, in Triumph Of The Will, Adolf Hitler was the leader in question.)
Errors
- Even though R5-D4 blows his motivator, he is still shown in the droid line-up a few seconds later.
- While Uncle Owen is saying "He died about the same time as your father," Luke is taking a sip of blue milk and lowers his cup. In the very next shot, he is still taking a sip when he says "He knew my father?".
- As Princess Leia is shown the interrogation droid, the needle used to inject drugs bears the words "Made in England".
- In the first cockpit view of the Millennium Falcon, a pair of gold dice can be seen hanging from the ceiling. After the jump to hyperspace, the dice are missing.
- Stormtroopers invade the room where Luke and Han were when they first came to the Death Star. The door doesn't open all the way, and the Stormtrooper on the right hits his head on the door. A few scenes later, the trooper shrinks and his head is no longer in the way of the door.
- In the original and special edition of the film, just before the blast door closes on Vader as the Falcon escapes the Death Star near the end of the film, he is seen holding a white stick which is his un-rotoscoped lightsaber. This error was corrected, however, for the 2004 DVD release.
- When leaving Yavin base, many of the Rebel pilots are wearing brand-new helmets. However, in later scenes, the helmets are old and battered.
- Red Leader's helmet microphone switches sides several times before he is shot down.
- Red 6 (Porkins) is the first Rebel pilot killed in the Battle of Yavin. Yet when Red Leader asks, "Red 6, can you see Red 5?" a voice answers, leading to the impression that he (Red 6) "returned from the dead."
- Luke sounds like he accidentally yells out "Carrie!" (Carrie Fisher is the actress that plays Princess Leia in the films) instead of "Leia!" after he gets out of his X-wing on Yavin after destroying the Death Star. Other sources report he's just yelling "Hey!", but the scene is noisy and the sound can be interpreted either way.
- In the ending credits, Denis Lawson's first name is misspelled "Dennis." The same mistake is made in the credits of The Empire Strikes Back.
Trivia
- Shooting began on March 22, 1976 and ended on July 16, 1976.
- James Earl Jones's name did not originally appear in the ending credits. At the time, Jones felt he hadn't done enough for the film to deserve one. His name was added for the film's 1997 re-release.
- Darth Vader's breathing is a recording of sound designer Ben Burtt breathing from a scuba tank.
- A New Hope has the most profanity of any type uttered in the Star Wars movies. Obi-Wan and Han Solo both used the term "damn fool" once, and Han in response to Leia's shooting an escape route in the detention block floor, "What the hell are you doing?". Only two other installments featured use of profanity in the series, with Han's "Then I'll see you in Hell!" in The Empire Strikes Back, and Dexter Jettster referring to the cloners of Kamino as "damn good ones" in Attack of the Clones.
- Originally, if the film did poorly at the box office, Lucas planned to turn the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye into a low-budget sequel to the movie. According to an interview with Alan Dean Foster in Empire magazine, the book was written to be filmed as a low budget sequel if Star Wars was not a huge success. That's why it takes place almost entirely on a fog shrouded planet. Additionally, Harrison Ford was not signed for the sequel as of the writing of the book, which is why Han Solo does not appear in it.
- The Tusken Raider (played by stuntman Peter Diamond) who attacks Luke was filmed raising his weapon over his head once. Editors Paul Hirsch and Richard Chew moved the reel back and forth so the Raider raised his weapon several times.
- Murphy's Law frequently plagued the production. One day into filming in Tunisia, the country had its first major rainstorm in fifty years. The storm ruined the salt flats where the Lars Farm was filmed.
- Kenner Toys was the only company that bought license to sell merchandise for the film; however, the company believed the film would flop and produced only a few toys. When Star Wars became a hit, they were unprepared and were unable to produce more toys for Christmas.
- The two gunners in the Death Star superlaser shaft are ILM modelmakers Grant McCune and Joe Johnston.
- Some early promotional material for the film emphasized a romance between Luke and Leia, highlighted by their brief good luck kiss before jumping the chasm on the Death Star. This theme continued on into the comic book spinoff as well as Foster's Splinter of the Mind's Eye sequel. Save for a faux-passionate kiss between Luke and Leia early in The Empire Strikes Back, the romantic angle was downplayed when Lucas began developing the relationship between Leia and Han Solo, and was dropped entirely after it was revealed in Return of the Jedi that Luke and Leia were siblings.
- Peter Sumner, who played an uncredited role as Lieutenant Pol Treidum (the character who said "TK421, why aren't you at your post?") in A New Hope, reprised his role as the same character for the 1999 Star Wars fan film The Dark Redemption. To date, this has been the only case were an actor from one of the official Star Wars films reprises their role for an unofficial film.
- This is the only Star Wars film to not feature Yoda or Palpatine
- When the film was released in 1977, a very young Ewan McGregor went to see the film with his siblings to see their uncle, Denis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles.
- According to interviews with George Lucas on the Revenge of the Sith DVD, the Star Wars Saga was originally written as one long serial titled The Tragedy of Darth Vader.
- George Lucas never intended to use the voice of David Prowse, who portrayed Darth Vader in costume, because of Prowse's west country British accent. He originally wanted Orson Welles to provide Darth Vader's voice. However, he felt that Welles' voice would be too recognizable, so he cast James Earl Jones.
- The moon Yavin IV, which is seen in the film, made its first chronological appearance in the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series.
- Before signing on as the film's sound designer, Ben Burtt auditioned for the role of Luke Skywalker.
Novelization
A book version of the movie was credited to have been written by George Lucas himself, but in reality was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster.
Radio drama
A radio drama adaptation of the film was written by Brian Daley and was produced for and broadcast on the National Public Radio in 1981.
DVD release
A New Hope was released on DVD in September 2004. It was bundled with The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi along with a bonus disc in a boxed set. It was digitally restored and remastered, with more changes made by George Lucas, detailed in List of changes in Star Wars re-releases. The bonus disc included, according to the official site, "all-new bonus features, including the most comprehensive feature-length documentary ever produced on the Star Wars saga, and never-before-seen footage from the making of all three films."
Features
- Available Subtitles: English
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- Commentary by George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher
Bonus disc features
- Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
- Featurettes: The Legendary Creatures of Star Wars, The Birth of the Lightsaber, The Legacy of Star Wars
- Teasers, trailers, TV spots, still galleries
- Playable Xbox demo of the new Lucasarts game Star Wars Battlefront
- The making of the Episode III videogame
- Exclusive preview of Star Wars: Episode III
See also
External links
- The official Episode IV site
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope at IMDb
- The Star Wars Genesis A look at how the A New Hope script evolved
- Film and Sound in the 50's and 70's
- Star Wars ASCIImation The film in ASCII art.
- List of A New Hope Changes
- Episode IV Script
