Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

The 1970’s were full of hardships and upheaval. The war in Vietnam was just ending and Watergate was still fresh in people’s minds. The world had become a pessimistic place and the economy was inflated. Hollywood and the media reflected this time of turmoil also, providing no escape from the world for audiences. Movies were full of anti-heroes and tragic ends, such as "The Godfather" franchise. Science fiction films such as “The Planet of the Apes” series was apocalyptic in nature and special effects were cheesy, phony and laughable. Audiences were ready for a change and for a shining light in this decade. Oscar-nominated director George Lucas never intended to provide this shining light; he was a storyteller seeking independence from studio control. He set out to create a film based on the kind of entertainment he liked as a kid. He also incorporated elements from history, mythology and classical storytelling archetypes into his third feature film: “Star Wars”. As eluded to, his movie couldn't have come out at a better time. In the mid 90’s, I borrowed the Star Wars videos from my cousins and became a fan of some of the greatest movies ever made. Seeing the first film on the big screen in 1997 was a great memory. On that occasion, I found myself forgetting that I had seen this movie at home many times. “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” has a story that is influenced by so many elements that it feels original. There is intensity and drama. You relate to the characters and the ending is very hopeful. As a side note, I will reference the prequels in my discussions concerning the story.

The phrase “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” is sort of contradictory. It is a futuristic story taking place in the past and that fact alone helps you escape from real life. I wonder if the opening theme's sudden start startled audiences back in 1977. The text and this masterful opening theme introduces a grand sense of adventure. The opening shot (which is influenced by a shot in “2001: A Space Odyssey”) was the largest indication that history was going to be made with this film. Even the filmmakers were astounded at the opening shot on the big screen. It was something audiences hadn’t seen for nearly a decade and I remember its power when I saw the special edition on the big screen. I also saw the recreated shot in the Oscar-nominated film “Special Effects: Anything Can Happen” and that was unforgettable in the IMAX format. The audience is thrown into something exciting from the get-go, like in a James Bond film. Darth Vader’s first shot is noteworthy. Thanks in part to the music, you know that this is a bad guy. There are no 1970’s anti-heroes in “Star Wars”. Even Han Solo by the end of the movie proves himself a true hero. The musical score does so much in this film and a good example is the scene with the twin suns setting. We understand that Luke has great aspirations with no way to achieve them. We all have had moments like this where we stare at the sunset or at the view atop a mountain and ask ourselves eternal questions. John Williams has provided the perfect music for moments like that. The film features great banter between C-3PO and R2-D2 despite the fact that R2 doesn't say a word. Obi-wan is given a noble entrance and he has changed a little after years alone in the desert. He is not as aggressive as he was in the Clone Wars and he is now an old man. Obi-wan knows that something important has brought Luke to him when he hears his name for the first time in many years as opposed to Ben Kenobi. The dialogue in Obi-wan’s home provides great exposition. Luke learns that his father was a hero and did amazing things; a good friend of Obi-wan’s. Luke is also given his father’s lightsaber. Ironically, it was used to murder so many innocent lives but now it is back in the hand of a good person. Obi-wan hesitates when asked by Luke how his father died. Luke learns that Darth Vader was the student of Obi-wan but then went evil by joining the Emperor. The line “He betrayed and murdered your father” becomes important for films in the franchise over the next 28 years. We also learn about “the Force”, which represents magic from mythology but also has a religious subtext. After Princess Leia’s message, Obi-wan knows that the time has come to train Luke and join the rebellion. The time is over for waiting and hiding. Bail Organa’s rebellion forces are strong enough & united, Luke is old enough and the fact that Leia is the one with the message is no coincident. The Force seems to tell him during the pause that the Sith are to be challenged once again. I like the scene of the Imperial meeting. The Senate that was still left over from the days of the Republic is no more thanks to the revelation of the Death Star to the galaxy. Having learned about Darth Vader from Obi-wan, those who are watching this film for the first time see Vader & his actions with new subtext and he becomes even more menacing and powerful. I love the moment when Luke says he wants to follow his father by becoming a Jedi Knight. The movie really starts to get good in that we are off on an adventure to save the galaxy.

I love the scene where Obi-wan uses a mind trick. The line “You don’t need to see his identification” is quite a fun one. The Cantina scene resembles a Wild West saloon. The band stops playing when trouble happens. Scuffles are normal and allowed as long as someone plays for the mess. Luke is in awe at Obi-wan fighting skills. It is more evidence of the potential he has as a Jedi in training. Han Solo is obviously after money and Obi-wan gives it to him. I like that kind of dealing where the mercenary is countered with a better offer. I also like the pun of the word “handy work” in this scene too. Han’s talk with Greedo is important because we need to understand Han’s reasons for leaving later before the climax. He can’t be depicted as completely selfish. The Special Edition scene with Jabba is important because of what happens to Han in the next movies. The chess game and the line “Let the wookie win” has some fun comedy. Ideals of faith and trust are depicted in Luke’s training en route to Alderaan. The scenes on the Death Star are quite adventurous but Lucas puts in great humor to further entertain us. Luke for example comes up with a humorous way of persuading Han to help save the princess. Saving a rich person is pretty enticing to a mercenary. Another humorous moment comes as Han tries to deter the officer on the intercom. Also, I like Han kicking Chewbacca into the garbage shoot saying, “Get in there. Don’t worry about it.” Cliché dialogue becomes original in this case such as “It could be worse” followed by “It’s worse.” I like how C-3PO's story is bought by the stormtroopers. Then comes the greatest joke in all of Star Wars in my opinion. Our heroes scream for joy after being saved but C-3PO thinks it is screams of death. I also like Han’s line, “No reward is worth this.” Leia’s spunkiness is not something that Han can’t deal with very easily at this time. I love how Han runs into a whole battalion of stormtroopers in the Special Edition. The Errol Flynn-type escape of Luke and Leia is one of my favorite action moments in the whole film. Thanks the prequels, the lightsaber fight between Obi-wan and Vader has a lot of subtext now. I wonder if this is Obi-wan’s first time seeing Vader in his new wardrobe sort of speak. Because Obi-wan is old and Vader is half robot, this fight of theirs is not as ferocious as the one nineteen years earlier. After Vader executes Obi-wan, he doesn’t understand what happened to Obi-wan’s body because Obi-wan has further knowledge of the Force from his training in solitude. Ignoring the prequels for a moment, the lightsaber fight might seem out of place in a world of lazer blasters but it depicts a more civilized time where honor is a big part of combat. Another favorite scene of mine is the fight with the TIE fighters mostly because of the musical score. For this scene, Lucas cut together footage of old war movies to inspire the editors and the special effects team. The footage was followed quite faithfully and this is probably the first use of an “animatic” in filmmaking. The story really milks the idea that Han is going to take his money and go. The conversation between Luke and Han as they approach Yavin however does show that Han’s return doesn’t come out of nowhere. While the rest of the galaxy under the Empire has apostatized from a belief in the Force, it is apparent that the Rebellion by using the phrase “May the Force be with you” has not forgotten the reality of the Force. The Jedi may be all but extinct but the Force is not. The Special Edition also features a new scene with Biggs, Luke’s childhood friend. This new scene justifies why Luke is allowed to fight with the X-wing fighters and makes Biggs a more important character in the battle. Lucas really creates a lot of anxiety in the climax and the music once again really helps. There is a countdown in this climax. The Death Star is about to fire and Luke is about to be shot down but then Han comes out of nowhere to save the day. Luke uses the Force to destroy the Death Star and it is a symbolic act of religion triumphing over evil. I sort of chuckle at how the celebration after Luke lands is suddenly interrupted by the reminder that R2 has been shot. It is almost as if I can hear R2 saying, “What about me? Don’t forget I almost died.” Finally, we get a great concluding scene thanks again to the music. Ironically, Lucas here is mimicking the climax of “Triumph of the Will”. It is a Hitler propaganda film from 1935. In that film, Hitler with Heinrich Himmler and Viktor Lutze walk through an immense group of 150,000 SA and SS troops standing at attention to lay a wreath at a World War I Memorial. I have played the Star Wars victory march with the muted scene from the propaganda film and it is eerie. Lucas with the help of the musical score was able to take something bad and morph it into something good. The final shot is like a curtain call in that we see our favorite characters being applauded. What a wonderful way to end a movie.

Many people today say that the plot of Star Wars is copied by other film franchises but the truth is that Lucas used story narrative patterns and classic archetype that has been around of centuries. Author and mythologist Joseph Cambell asserted that important myths and stories have a fundamental composition in common with one another. He called this “The Hero’s Journey” and Lucas was highly influenced by this in the creation of the story of “Star Wars”. The Hero starts off wanting adventure but when a quest is presented to him, he rejects it. Then something happens to send the Hero off on his mission. The death of Luke’s aunt and uncle is this tragic event that sends Luke into action. It isn’t that he is now free to go with Obi-wan but is rather given a purpose. He cannot ignore his call to adventure nor the evil of the Empire. Luke cannot just stand aside anymore and watch. The Hero is given an object to assist him in his quest like Excalibur. The lightsaber was so original back in the 70’s. It truly feels like an “elegant” weapon of the future. Campbell also described a moment in the journey called “crossing the threshold”. This is where the hero experiences the outside world for the first time and the cantina scene represents it. Luke is not in Kansas anymore. Another similarity between “Star Wars” and “The Hero’s Journey” is a moment called the “Belly of the Whale”. This is when Luke enters the Death Star and maybe more specifically the garbage disposal. The Hero is presumed dead and has left his known world completely behind. It doesn’t seem possible for Luke and his friends to escape the Death Star and Luke is close to death on multiple occasions in the garbage disposal. Lucas not only uses the story pattern of “The Hero’s Journey” but also applies the “rags-to-riches” motif. We see a kid who wants out of his small town life to see the world. This is quite relatable. Another important source for Lucas was “The Hidden Fortress” and other Akira Kurosawa films. Both “A New Hope” and “Hidden Fortress” follow two supporting characters at the start. The droids/peasants deliberately separate but are reunited shortly after. Then they are caught up in something much bigger than themselves as they help a princess. The films conclude with a reward ceremony. Besides using history, mythology and classical storytelling archetypes, Lucas also looked to childhood favorites such Buck Rodgers and Flash Gordon for inspiration. There are hints of “The Wizard of Oz” also. Some filmmakers borrow story elements from successful films and this leads to an unoriginal script like “Avatar”. Lucas however borrowed from a lot of different things but only if they fit into the arc of “The Hero’s Journey” template. He borrowed a few things from famous movies but also from less known sources. The focus of “Star Wars” is its story but the universe in which the story plays out is important too. Lucas once said that when you are creating a world, part of what you do is whimsy, part is for plot line/story and the other elements are there from your own personal psychological reasons. This is represented well in the characters of “Episode IV” and how they originated in Lucas’ mind.

Luke Skywalker is the everyman or the hero on a journey. He is naïve and young but full of potential. He is also relatable. Princess Leia is both a damsel in distress but a strong female character at the same time. Han Solo fittingly looks out for himself as the cynical, mercenary pirate. It is interesting to think that Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Christopher Walkin and Billy Dee Williams auditioned for the role. I applaud Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford for their performances in this film. They did things pretty straightforward. Obi-wan Kenobi is the old wizard or teacher from “The Hero’s Journey” who recruits the hero and helps him on his path of destiny. He doesn’t stay forever just like our parents and mentors die before we do. Lucas was under pressure from the studio to use famous actors and at the same time, Obi-wan needed to be a trusting character. Hence the casting of Oscar-winner Alec Guinness as Obi-wan and he helped lead the rest of the cast in bringing this script to life. The droids C-3PO and R2-D2 come from the plot that Lucas borrowed from “The Hidden Fortress”. As mentioned, they are like the two insignificant peasants that get caught up in an adventure. They also act as the chorus from a Greek play, commenting on what is happening. Because the main characters do not have “asides” like in Shakespeare, the droids provide those insights. Their contrasting forms also allow for comedy. In addition, they represent the scared sidekicks who accompany the hero. Anthony Daniels was hired to play C-3PO on screen but was not meant to have the speaking role. In the end, he got it and now we can’t imagine any other voice for the classic character. Chewbacca is also considered a fearful, secondary character but also comes from Lucas’ own life. His dog Indiana would ride in the passenger seat of his car and be taller than him as a result. Darth Vader’s design is influenced by German and Japanese elements of WWII. Despite having the best outfit, Vader has become one of the most standard forms of evil in modern society. James Earl Jones provides a sense of power that completes the character.

The creation of this movie is quite an underdog story. While writing and preparing “A New Hope”, Lucas’ second feature film “American Graffiti” became a hit upon release. It received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. We must be thankful for that film because its success allowed Lucas to proceed with making Star Wars and its unwritten sequels. The studio corporate system was something Lucas was against because they controlled so much of how his first two films were made (studio executives continue to meddle with today's movies with negative consequences). Lucas wanted more freedom to tell stories and create. He therefore sacrificed part of his salary for making “Star Wars” in exchange for merchandizing rights, the ability to make sequels to “Star Wars” and the freedom to make the first film the way he wanted. Before “Star Wars”, the only movies that had merchandise were Disney films. “The Planet of the Apes” films also had some memorabilia and "Jaws" had a huge advertising campaign. Before the success of "Jaws" however, Lucas saw potential with the ability to make comics, T-shirts and toys. This foresight paid off literally by the millions. Lucas created Industrial Light and Magic just for this film and they had to do most everything from scratch in warehouses that they would also park their cars in. Even though Lucas was inspired by Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey", he wanted to depart from the science fiction cliché of shining spaceships and pristine planets. While "2001" did away with tacky special effects and phoney science fiction designs, Lucas wanted to create a “used future” as he called it where there was rust, dust and malfunctions. The filming encountered problems in Tunisia and the crew in England were indifferent because of the weirdness of the film. Lucas’ background in independent filmmaking clashed with other members of the crew. The dialogue was difficult to speak for the actors also. If that wasn’t enough, the studio heads were loosing patience and the film had to finish filming at a very fast pace. In post-production, the problems continued. The first editor was replaced and the special effects weren’t working. People who saw rough cuts of the film were very divided in their opinions because they either hated it or really liked it. The negative criticism was most likely due to the absence of various special effects shots and the music. John Williams already had more than one Oscar when he agreed to compose “Episode IV”, as it was called later. The music he came up with was one of the few things to surpass Lucas’ imagination. It has recurring themes such as on “Peter and the Wolf” and was a gamble at a time when disco was high on the charts. I really like one story from the writing of the musical score. Before Williams started his work, the editors used classic music as "temp music" while they pieced the film together. But, for the temporary musical cue when the smuggling compartment is opened to reveal Han and Luke, editor Paul Hirsch used a musical cue from "Psycho". Williams knew Bernard Herrmann, the composer of that horror film, so Williams used the same music notes from Herrmann's cue in the creation of his final musical cue for that scene as a homage. I have already indicated how amazing the music is on this film and it is my favorite musical score of all time (this includes his work on the other Star Wars films). I believe the music is a major part of the show's success. Insiders in the film industry had been predicting that “Star Wars” would be a flop. As the release date approached, things were looking up but no one could have predicted how the world would change after May 25, 1977.

“Star Wars” was a smash back in the late 70’s because people needed something to lift their spirits as mentioned. The Blockbuster era, officially begun by Steven Spielberg with “Jaws” in 1975, became a reality because of "Star Wars". Back in the 70’s and early 80’s, movies like “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Superman” and of course “Star Wars” were a kind of entertainment that no one had really experienced in a long time. Talented filmmakers like Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and of course Lucas were the right people at the right time to captivate audiences. Movies in the 70’s had been pessimistic in nature like “Planet of the Apes” and “The French Connection”. “The Godfather” was a blockbuster itself in many ways but it falls in this pessimistic category. Suddenly with “Star Wars – A New Hope”, movies were fun again and cinematic heroes & villains were clearly identifiable. This movie became bigger than George Lucas could have ever imagined. It wasn’t until a few weeks after the release date when the film was still selling out that he realized that he had done something very big. The movie opened on fewer than 50 screens but that can help drive up success when you have a lot of people lined up to see a movie. "Star Wars" kept selling out with people coming back to see it again and with others trying to see it for the first time. That kind of attention in turn draws in more moviegoers. Mark Hamill was elated at the fact that his face was going to be on a box of cereal to be cut out and used as a mask. He was also amazed at his bubble gum card. “Episode IV” is still one of the biggest grossing films of all time. The franchise it spawned is one of the most sucessful in film history. The only film franchise that has both made more money and preceded "Star Wars" is the James Bond franchise. This “children’s” movie got ten Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Alec Guinness was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I have seen Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” and as good as it is, I feel that “Star Wars” should have won those categories instead. “A New Hope” won six Academy Awards for Visual Effects, Sound, Editing, Costume Design, Art Direction and of course Musical Score. Paul Hirsch wasn’t even thinking about Oscars as he worked on “Star Wars” but was only happy to have a job. Ben Burtt won a special achievement Oscar for his sound editing. In terms of legacy, the American Film Institute has named “Star Wars” as having the greatest musical score in film history and it is on their list of greatest sci-fi films at #2 after “2001”. It is #13 on its list of the best films of all time, #27 for thrilling movies, Han Solo & Obi-wan Kenobi are #14 and #37 respectively on the list of film heroes, #39 for inspirational movies and “May the Force be with you” is #8 in the list of movie quotes. On a personal note, "Star Wars" is obviously my favorite movie from 1977.

“Star Wars” changed how movies are made, how the public perceived movies and it changed the world itself. It became a story that is equal to “The Lord of the Rings” or “Robin Hood” in its legacy. Just as Shakespeare changed the English language, “Star Wars” may become a cemented part of pop culture and an influence for movies far into the future. It obviously influences films right now. Merchandizing is a big part of movie making as is special effects. Kids and teens are an important target audience. Musical scores went back to traditional orchestrations and this has given us many great soundtracks such as “Back to the Future” and “Superman”. Movies began to apply age and second-hand exteriors to their designs. The 1980’s were a time of optimism thanks in part to the Blockbuster era. A real life planet out in space has been named Tatooine and the Strategic Defense Initiative proposed by President Ronald Regan was nicknamed by him the Star Wars Project. As lofty as it was, the USSR may have taken the project seriously enough to indirecly bring an end to the Cold War. “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” is my favorite sci-fi film and I cannot see how anything can replace it.

5 Stars out of 5