Star Wars (1977)

Director:

George Lucas

Writer:

George Lucas (written by)

Release Date:

25 May 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It's Back! (re-release)

Plot:

Luke Skywalker leaves his home planet, teams up with other rebels, and tries to save Princess Leia from the evil clutches of Darth Vader.

Plot Keywords:

Death Star | Empire | Planet | Galaxy | Princess

Awards:

Won 6 Oscars. Another 27 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Adventures of the Starkiller: Episode 1 - The Star Wars (USA) (working title)
La guerra de las estrellas (USA: Spanish title)
Star Wars IV: A New Hope (USA) (video box title)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (USA) (reissue title (new title))
The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as Taken from the 'Journal of the Whills': Saga I - Star Wars (USA) (working title)
The Star Wars (USA) (original script title)
The Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Starkiller (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sci-fi violence and brief mild language. (special edition, DVD version)

Runtime:

121 min | 125 min (special edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | DTS 70 mm (special edition) (70 mm prints) (Europe) | DTS (special edition) | Dolby Digital (special edition) | Dolby (35 mm prints) | SDDS (special edition)

Certification:

Iceland:L (special edition) | Iceland:LH (original version) (video re-rating) | Malaysia:U | Canada:G (British Columbia/Quebec) | South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | South Africa:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (special edition) | Chile:TE | Denmark:11 (special edition) | Denmark:12 | Finland:K-12 (original rating) | Finland:K-8 (special edition) | France:U | Germany:6 (special edition) | Hong Kong:I | Iceland:L (original rating) | Ireland:G | Mexico:AA | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:PG | Norway:11 (special edition) | Norway:12 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG (special edition) | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:PG (certificate #24925) | West Germany:12 (original rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Tikal National Park, Guatemala

Company:

Lucasfilm

Trivia:

The terms "X-wing" and "Y-wing" and "TIE fighter" were used by ILM effects guys to distinguish the fighters. These terms are not used in this film, though they were incorporated into the sequels. They also became popular with the public after the toys and the Making of special aired on tv. In addition, ILM's special effects staff nicknamed the Millennium Falcon "The Porkburger" but this never caught on.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Luke prepares to board his fighter prior to the climactic space battle, he brushes his hand along the underside of the wing. The markings on the wing clearly indicate it is "Red One," shown by the one red stripe. However, during the battle it is repeatedly established that Luke is in fact "Red Five," and exterior shots of the spacecraft model have five red stripes. This is corrected in the special edition by adding the scene of Luke talking to Biggs. They start talking under red one and continue to walk to Luke's fighter. This scene was cut from the original.

Quotes:

[first lines]
C-3PO: Did you hear that? They shut down the main reactor. We'll be destroyed for sure. This is madness.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Lost: Orientation (#2.3)" (2005)

An adventure story, replacing six-shooters or swords with laser guns and horses with rockers…

The film turn on the endlessly renewed battle between good and evil, the former represented by the Jedi knights and the mystical Force which they are in touch with, and the latter by the Galactic Empire with its Nazi-like storm-troopers…

Luke Skywalker's simple farming life on a remote planet is dramatically changed when he intercepts a distress call from rebel leader Princess Leia Organa… The message leads him to Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi and with the two droids C3PO and R2D2, and later Chewbacca and Han Solo, their journey to release the princess from the evil Empire begins…

Now a quarter of a century old, Lucas' project has benefited from improvements in special effects technology, but his vision has remained the same: a naive, even childlike belief in absolute good and evil, a preference for action over character and spectacle over everything…