Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Review

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope


Release Date: 27th October 1977 – Australia


Production Companies
20th Century Fox
Lucasfilm Ltd.

Distribution

20th Century Fox Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 121 minutes
                125 minutes
                (Special/2004

                Edition)

Budget: $11,000,000

Box Office Gross: $775,398,507 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
After the Jedi are all but extinct, the Galactic Empire now rules the galaxy by tyranny. The only thing standing in their way is the Rebellion. After stealing the technical readouts of the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance had hidden it in one of their droids, R2-D2. Darth Vader, the Empire's deadly chief enforcer, is after the plans while also attempting to locate the Rebels' secret hideout. A young farm

boy, Luke Skywalker, discovers

a hidden message within

R2 sent as a distress call

by the captured Rebel

leader, Princess Leia.

Seeing it as his true destiny, Luke accompanies an old Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi, a cocky smuggler named Han Solo, his faithful Wookie companion Chewbacca, and the droids R2 and C-3PO. Together, they must rescue the princess and stop the Empire from destroying the Rebels.

Cast
Mark Hamill – Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford – Han Solo
Carrie Fisher – Princess Leia Organa
Alec Guinness – Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
Peter Mayhew – Chewbacca
Anthony Daniels – C-3PO
Kenny Baker – R2-D2
David Prowse – Darth Vader
James Earl Jones – Darth Vader (Voice)
Peter Cushing – Grand Moff

Tarkin
Phil Brown – Uncle Owen
Shelagh Fraser – Aunt Beru
Jack Purvis – Chief Jawa

Alex McCrindle – General Dodonna

Eddie Byrne – General Willard

Drewe Henley – Red Leader

Denis Lawson – Wedge Antilles
Garrick Hagon – Biggs Darklighter

Jack Klaff – Red Four (John D.)

William Hootkins – Red Six

(Porkins)

Angus MacInnes – Gold Leader

Jeremy Sinden – Gold Two

Don Henderson – General Taggi

Richard LeParmentier – General Motti
Leslie Schofield – Commander #1
Paul Blake – Greedo (Uncredited)

Maria De Aragon – Greedo (Uncredited)

Larry Ward – Greedo (Voice)

(Uncredited)

Alfie Curtis – Dr. Evazan (Uncredited)

Tommy Ilsley – Pondo Baba

(Uncredited)

David Ankrum – Wedge Antilles

(Voice) (Uncredited)

Malcolm Tierney – Lt. Shann

Childsen (Uncredited)

Peter Geddis – Captain Raymus

Antilles (Uncredited)

Peter Sumner – Lt. Pol Treidum

(Uncredited)

Burnell Tucker – Del Goren

(Uncredited)

Shane Rimmer – Rebel Crew

Chief (Uncredited)

Derek Lyons – Temple Guard/

Medal Bearer (Uncredited)

Phil Tippett – Cantina Alien

(Cameo) (Uncredited)

Jon Berg – Cantina Alien

(Cameo) Uncredited)

Doug Beswick – Cantina Alien (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Joe Johnston – Death Star Trooper (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Steve Gawley – Death Star Trooper (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Grant McCune – Death Star Gunner (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Peter Diamond – Stormtrooper/

Tusken Raider/Death Star

Trooper/Garouf Loube (Uncredited)

Lorne Peterson – Massassi Base

Rebel Scout (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Anthony Forrest – Sandtrooper (Uncredited)

Nick Joseph – Major Arhul Hextrophon

(Uncredited)

Crew
Writer/Executive Producer/Director –

George Lucas

Producers – Gary Kurtz and Rick McCallum

(Special Edition)

Casting Directors – Dianne Crittenden,

Irene Lamb and Vic Ramos

Production Illustrator/Planet and Satellite

Artist: Miniature and Optical Effects Unit –
Ralph McQuarrie

Creature Conceptual Designer – Ron Cobb

(Uncredited)

Additional Spacecraft Design: Miniature and

Optical Effects Unit – Colin Cantwell

Production Designer – John Barry

Art Directors – Norman Reynolds

and Leslie Dilley

Art Directors: Second Unit – Leon Erickson

and Al Locatelli

Assistant to Production Designer –

Alan Roderick-Jones

Set Decorator – Roger Christian

Costume Designer – John Mollo

Creature Design (Uncredited)/
Makeup Supervisor – Stuart Freeborn

Makeup: Second Unit – Rick Baker

and Doug Beswick
Director of Photography – Gilbert Taylor

Second Unit Photography – Carroll Ballard,

Rick Clemente, Robert Dalva and Tak Fujimoto

Camera Operators – Geoff Glover and

Ronnie Taylor

Production Supervisor – Robert Watts

Production Manager – Bruce Sharman

Assistant Directors – Terry Manning,

Anthony Waye and Gerry Gavigan

Special Production and Mechanical Effects

Supervisor – John Stears
Special Photographic Effects Supervisor –

John Dykstra
Visual Effects Supervisors: ILM (Special

Edition) – Dave Carson, John Knoll, Joe Letteri,

Alex Seiden and Steve 'Spaz' Williams

Visual Effects Producers: ILM (Special Edition) –
Ned Gorman and Tom Kennedy
Visual Effects Art Directors: ILM (Special

Edition) – Mark Moore and TyRuben Ellingson
Computer Graphics Supervisor: ILM (Special

Edition) – John Andrew Berton Jr.
Effects Illustrator and Designer: Miniature and
Optical Effects Unit – Joe Johnston

Chief Model Maker: Miniature and Optical

Effects Unit – Grant McCune

Model Builder: Miniature and Optical Effects

Unit/Digital Matte Artist: ILM (Special Edition) –

Paul Huston

Model Builders: Miniature and Optical Effects

Unit – David Beasley, Jonathan Erland,

Steve Gawley, David Jones and Lorne Peterson

Stop-Motion Animation: Miniature and Optical

Effects Unit – Jon Berg and Phil Tippett

First Cameraman: Miniature and Optical Effects

Unit – Richard Edlund
Second Cameraman: Miniature and Optical

Effects Unit/Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM

(Special Edition) – Dennis Muren

Assistant Cameramen: Miniature and Optical

Effects Unit – Douglas Smith, Ken Ralston

and David Robman

Second Unit Photography: Miniature and Optical

Effects Unit – Bruce Logan

Composite Optical Photography: Miniature and
Optical Effects Unit: (Praxis) – Robert Blalack

Optical Camera Assistant: Miniature and Optical

Effects Unit/Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM

(Special Edition) – Bruce Nicholson

Computer Animation and Graphic Displays:

Miniature and Optical Effects Unit – Larry Cuba,

Dan O'Bannon, Jay Teitzell and John C. Wash

Optical Supervisors (Special Edition) –

Chris Bushman and Philip Feiner

Animator: Lightsaber – Nelson Shin (Uncredited)
Film Editors – Paul Hirsch, Richard Chew,
Marcia Lucas and T.M. Christopher (Special Edition)

Assistant Film Editors – Todd Boekelheide,

Colin Michael Kitchens, Bonnie Koehler and

Jay Miracle
Special Dialogue and Sound Effects/

Sound Designer (Special & 2004 Editions) –

Ben Burtt

Supervising Sound Editor – Sam F. Shaw

Supervising Sound Editor (2004 Edition) –

Matthew Wood (Uncredited)

Supervising Assistant (2004 Edition) –

David Acord (Uncredited)

Sound Editors – Gene Corso,

Gordon Davidson and Robert R. Rutledge

Sound Editor (Special & 2004 Editions) –

Teresa Eckton

Production Sound Mixer – Derek Ball

Digital Mix Technician (Special Edition) –

Gary A. Rizzo

Re-Recording Mixers – Les Fresholtz,

Robert J. Litt, Don MacDougall, Bob &

Michael Minkler, Richard Portman and

Ray West

Re-Recording Mixer (Special Edition) –

Gary Summers

Re-Recording Mixer (2004 Edition) – Tom Myers

(Uncredited)

Film Restoration Supervisor (Special Edition) –

Pete Comandini

Film Restoration Consultant (Special Edition) –

Leon Briggs

Advertising/Publicity Supervisor – Charles Lippincott

Titles – Dan Perri

Music Supervisor – Lionel Newman (Uncredited)

Supervising Music Editor – Kenneth Wannberg

Music – John Williams


Awards

1978 Academy Awards
Best Art Direction – John Barry,

Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley and

Roger Christian (Won)
Best Costume Design – John Mollo (Won)
Best Visual Effects – John Stears, John Dykstra,
Richard Edlund, Grant McCune and Robert Blalack (Won)

Best Film Editing – Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas
and Richard Chew (Won)
Best Original Score – John Williams (Won)
Best Sound – Don MacDougall, Ray West,
Bob Minkler and Derek Ball (Won)
Special Achievement Award – Ben Burtt (Won)
-----------------
Best Supporting Actor – Alec Guinness (Nominated)
Best Director – George Lucas (Nominated)
Best Picture (Nominated)
Best Original Screenplay – George Lucas (Nominated)

Review

Before watching A NEW HOPE (known as STAR WARS in its original release) as a kid, I saw a clip on the interactive movie guide of Cinemania on my dad's computer years before IMDb. A few years later, after I'd only watched its later two entries, I borrowed it on VHS and began seeing the rest of the movie for the first time.

STAR WARS: EPISODE IV – A NEW HOPE was a rousing space adventure and a brilliant movie to start the franchise. It was the first film of the original trilogy and (chronologically) the fourth in the complete series. It's no wonder that it left an impact on audiences when it first came out in 1977. I praise its classic visual effects, the extraordinary acting of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness, and the memorable music score by John Williams. The movie contains famous scenes, such as the opening where the Imperials attack Princess Leia's ship, the shot of Luke seeing the two suns, and the climactic space battle on the first Death Star.

A NEW HOPE was my favourite Star Wars film, second only to The Empire Strikes Back and is one of the greatest science fiction movies. I recommend this movie to anyone, including Star Wars fans, young and old. May the Force be with you.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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