#4
STAR WARS EPISODE IV:
A NEW HOPE (1977)
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Written and Directed by ... George Lucas
Executive Produced by … George Lucas
Produced by … Gary Kurtz
Cinematography by ... Gilbert Taylor
Production Design by … John Barry
Production Illustration by … Ralph McQuarrie
Visual and Optical Effects by … Industrial Light & Magic
Art Direction by … Norman Reynolds and Leslie Dilley
Costume Design by … John Mollo
Editing by ... Paul Hirsch, Richard Chew and George Lucas
Original Motion Picture Score composed by ... John Williams
Mark Hamill ... Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford ... Han Solo
Carrie Fisher ... Princess Leia Organa
Peter Cushing ... Grand Moff Tarkin
Alec Guinness ... Ben ‘Obi-Wan’ Kenobi
Anthony Daniels ... C-3PO
Kenny Baker ... R2-D2
Peter Mayhew ... Chewbacca
David Prowse ... Darth Vader
James Earl Jones ... Darth Vader (voice)
Phil Brown ... Uncle Owen
Shelagh Fraser ... Aunt Beru
Jack Purvis ... Chief Jawa
Alex McCrindle ... General Dodonna
Eddie Byrne ... General Willard
Drewe Hemley ... Red Leader
Dennis Lawson ... Red Two (Wedge Antilles)
Garrick Hagon ... Red Three (Biggs Darklighter)
Jack Klaff ... Red Four (John D)
William Hootkins ... Red Six (Porkins)
Angus Mcinnes ... Gold Leader
Jeremy Sinden ... Gold Two
Graham Ashley ... Gold Five
Don Henderson ... General Taggi
Richard LeParmentier ... General Motti
Leslie Schofield ... Commander #1
Paul Blake … Greedo
It is a period of civil war.
Rebel spaceships, striking
from a hidden base, have won
their first victory against
the evil Galactic Empire.
During the battle, Rebel
spies managed to steal secret
plans to the Empire’s
ultimate weapon, the DEATH
STAR, an armored space
station with enough power to
destroy an entire planet.
Pursued by the Empire’s
sinister agents, Princess
Leia races home aboard her
starship, custodian of the
stolen plans that can save
her people and restore
freedom to the galaxy…
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A Long Time Ago…In A Galaxy Far, Far Away.
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Few films are globally successful…even fewer stand the test of time…
And to date, in my opinion, only one has managed to do both while also setting a trend unto itself…definitively changing the game of making and watching movies forever.
The legacy of 1977’s “Star Wars” is an honored one that continues to amass respect, praise, envy, discussion and fans to this very day.
The story is now one of legend.
With the stolen technical readouts of a massive battle station dubbed the Death Star, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) attempts to escape the evil clutches of Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones)…hiding the plans in a lovable droid named R2-D2 (Kenny Baker).
Along with protocol counterpart C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), the droid escape from the Princess’ cruiser, landing on a desolate desert planet called Tatooine.
Capture by the Jawas…merchant scavengers of the Dune Sea…they are sold off to a Moisture Farm on the outskirts of Mos Eisley owned and operated by Owen Lars (Phil Brown), his wife Beru (Shelagh Fraser) and their earnest young nephew…Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
Stumbling upon a transmittion from the Princess, Luke discovers that the droids have been involved in the rebellion against the Galactic Empire and that R2 is seeking an Obi-Wan Kenobi.
After circumstances lead to vicious attack by the Sandpeople, Luke is rescued by Ben (Alec Guinness) a strange hermit living alone in the mountains. As it turns out, Ben is Obi-Wan…a former Jedi Knight during the age of the Old Republic before the Empire led to the extinction of the Jedi.
After the Imperials kill Owen and Beru in their search for the droids, Luke decides to journey with Obi-Wan to Alderaan and learn to become a Jedi himself.
From there, the journey becomes one of excitement and danger as Luke and Obi-Wan…with the help of a dashing swashbuckler named Han Solo (Harrison Ford) rush to retrieve the Princess and deliver her to the Rebel Alliance to begin preparations for the attack on the Death Star.
The brainchild of Modesto, California native and USC film student George Lucas, “Star Wars” (now dubbed ‘Episode IV: A New Hope’
was a gamble of the most colossal proportions upon its production and release.
At a time when Hollywood was dominated by questionable morality, dystopic ambivalence and brutal anti-heroics the idea of a goofy comic book-ish space adventure seemed ridiculously off based for what the market was apparently dictating.
On paper, the project must’ve read for many people like a bizarre absurdity I’m sure.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the ignorant…in their infinite wisdom…tend to mistake ‘genius’ for ‘bizarre.’
Inspired by the Saturday Matinee movie serials and adventure novels Lucas grew up on, “Star Wars” is very much a cultural, historical and artistic melting pot of just about everything.
The fantastic settings and opening text crawl are right out of 1930s/1940s ‘Flash Gordon’ serials…
The Jedi are a clear metaphor for Japanese samurai…
C-3PO and R2-D2 are inspired by the humorous narrators and commentators found in ancient Greek plays…
The Battle of Yavin is visually inspired by the news reel footage of aerial dogfights during World War II…
The list goes on.
There are bits and pieces of everything from fairy tales and folklore to mythology, history, social and political observation, philosophy, the Bible, Western films and War movies…you name it, it most likely found its way into “Star Wars” and its subsequent episodes.
Essentially a quasi-futuristic fairy tale (despite being set in space with blasters and starships you have to remember that this is all taking place ‘a long time ago’
, “Star Wars” in its inception is basically built on the backbone of a timeless narrative structure dubbed ‘The Heroes Journey,’ taught to George by philosopher and mythological authority Joseph Campbell.
Our hero (Luek Skywalker) is called upon to take part in a menial task (cleaning the droids) that leads to the discovery of a catalyst (Princess Leia’s message) for an incredible quest, both of duty and self-discovery. Aided by the mentor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) the hero much decide whether or not to get involved in the conflict at hand…the decision is made for him, however, when, instead, the conflict finds him (the deaths of Owen and Beru). The hero thus begins his chosen path (becoming a Jedi) and takes to the mission at hand…encountering allies (Han and Chewie) and enemies (Vader and Tarkin) in his attempt to rescue the damsel in distress (Leia).
In the two subsequent chapters of the trilogy, you can see the progression of Luke’s own ‘Heroes Journey’ quite clearly.
What makes “Star Wars” work so well, most importantly, is its use of the character archetypes, themes, tales and emotions that have been imprinted on all of us very much since the concept of storytelling was birthed.
The plot of the film, in essence, is truthfully nothing new at all…we’ve all heard, read, seen, felt and have been instinctually familiar with it all before, consciously or unconsciously.
But to take those base story telling constants…the hero, the pirate, the damsel, the mentor, the comic relief, the villain…that heroes are good, villains are evil and in their ongoing battle good will always prevail…and release it at a period of social disillusionment and political mistrust within the vernacular of a dazzling adventure story set in the sweeping romance of space is not only a remarkable sense of timing on Lucas’ part…but it’s sheer brilliance.
At its core, along with this entire visual and cultural luster, “Star Wars” is a wonderful morality tale about the importance of good triumphing over evil…of growing up, accepting responsibility and choosing to play an active role in the world around you rather than just remaining a lowly observer.
As he gazes intently at the twin sunsets of Tatooine, we can all identify with Luke Skywalker…with aspirations and dreams that take us into the stars, into the proverbial unknown to find what awaits us…to find our place in the galaxy. We immediately relate to his yearning for identity…purpose…and fulfillment.
As described by Harrison Ford, ‘the themes George (Lucas) is using are so strong.’ Universal, in fact.
And they continue, even today, to be so.
The cast of the film, looking back, seems like an odd one…but now, it’s as classic as any other assembled.
Hinging on the trinity of Luke, Han and Leia, George chose veritable unknowns for his main leads in a wise move to not disrupt the film’s narrative by having big names that would break through the fourth wall.
Mark Hamill brings an earnest quality to Luke Skywalker that works for the character’s initial incarnation as an eager farmboy with hair in his face as he dreams of life adventuring across the galaxy and battling the Empire. Admittedly he’s a tad too whiny for my tastes for most of the film but thankfully he tightens up for the Death Star battle. While he would improve in the sequels (especially “Return of the Jedi”
, its always nice is see a character’s beginning developments.
Lucas alum Harrison Ford (who had previously co-starred for George in “American Graffiti” and would go on to headline as the title character in his and Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster “Indiana Jones” series) is absolutely unforgettable as smuggler Han Solo. Played like an outspoken, opinionated rogue, Han is the kind of guy you want at your side in a fight but never wanna run into at a bar. Sorry Greedo (Oh and FYI: Han shot first. That’s how he rolls…deal with it). Originally brought in only to feed dialog for screen-test purposes, Harrison’s natural charm and cynical bravado adds a dimension of wit to the character that steals every single scene he’s in.
For the role of Princess Leia Organa, an actress was needed that simultaneously had both a youthful energy and a sense of mature, intellectual grace. Carrie Fisher delivers with a performance that makes it believable that she’s royalty…and equally believable that she can bring the fight right back to the Imperials. She has an authoritative quality in both her voice and presence that gives Leia an indescribable power that can more than hold its own equal to both male leads.
My favorite performance, however, comes from the one and only Sir Alec Guinness (“Murder by Death,” “Bridge on the River Kwai”
as Obi-Wan Kenobi. From his first reveal to his honorable forfeit to Vader, Guinness brings a regal charisma both to the picture and to Ben that is undeniable. He plays the role extremely well-spoken, with a sense of honor and grandfatherly warmth. That moment when Luke mentions the name ‘Obi-Wan,’ you can see the weight of history in Alec’s eyes that incredibly enriches the character (and THIS was before said back-story was even fleshed out!). He just NAILS the reaction to that name and his presence (even after death) hangs over the film.
The villains get their own established actor in the form of ‘Hammer Horror’ veteran Peter Cushing as Gran Moff Tarkin. Much like Guinness, Cushing brings an air of poise to the picture (this time in the name of maliciousness rather than virtue) that would go on to inspire other Imperial officer performances such as Julian Glover’s in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Of course “Star Wars” saw the debut of one of Hollywood’s premiere bad guys…Darth Vader.
From his iconic helmet and mask to his long flowing cape, red lightsaber and creepily unforgettable Ben Burtt engineered breathing, Vader stood out instantly with fans and audiences. Physically performed by bodybuilder David Prowse…who’s stance and movement gives the character heaps of intimidating authority…the lynchpin of both Vader’s power and appeal rests with the baritone vocals of James Earl Jones…easily one of the best villainous voices ever!
The remainder of the main cast, despite being robots and aliens, still manage to become favorites. The properly pensive approach to C-3PO by Anthony Daniels makes the character a wonderful figure of fun while Kenny Baker curbs his stature by making R2-D2 larger than life…only with ‘beep’s and ‘boop’s no less. Peter Mayhew rounds out the lead characters with the strong physicality he brings to Chewbacca, Han Solo’s wookie co-pilot (inspired by George Lucas’ malamute dog who would sit in the passenger seat while he drove his car around Modesto).
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