Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope DVD

STAR WARS, George Lucas's stunning sci-fi masterpiece, is arguably one of the most inventive and entertaining films ever made, garnering generations of loyal fans who are forever imprinted with the memory of its characters and dialogue. As the adventure begins, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), an impulsive but goodhearted young man who lives on the dusty planet of Tatooine with his aunt and uncle, longs for the exciting life of a Rebel soldier. The Rebels, led by the headstrong Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), are fighting against the evil Empire, which has set about destroying planets inhabited by innocent citizens with the Death Star, a fearsome planetlike craft commanded by Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) and the eternally frightful Darth Vader (David Prowse, with the voice of James Earl Jones). When Luke's aunt and uncle are murdered by the Empire's imperial stormtroopers and he mysteriously finds a distress message from Princess Leia in one of his androids, R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), he must set out to find Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), a mysterious old hermit with incredible powers. On his journey, Luke is aided by the roguish, sarcastic mercenary Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his towering furry sidekick Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) as they run into a host of perilous situations while trying to rescue the princess--and the entire galaxy. Magnificently referencing everything from Akira Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI and THE HIDDEN FORTRESS to THE WIZARD OF OZ to John Ford Westerns and Joseph Campbell philosophies, STAR WARS revolutionized the cinematic world with its epic storytelling and amazing special effects. In addition to film veterans Guinness and Cushing, the movie also features an unforgettable performance from the young Ford, who would, of course, go on to become one of the biggest stars of the silver screen. Even today, Lucas's astonishing film leaves viewers wanting to see it again and again.

Theatrical release: May 25, 1977. Estimated budget: $8.5 million. STAR WARS was passed up by a number of studios before 20th Century Fox finally providing a $10 million budget for the film. The subtitle EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE didn't appear in the original title sequence for STAR WARS. It first appeared in the remastered version which Lucas produced in 1997. David Prowse, who plays Darth Vader, allegedly had no idea during filming that his vocal parts would be replaced in post-production by the voice of James Earl Jones. Jabba The Hutt was portrayed by a human actor whose dialogue was in English in the original version of STAR WARS, but the scene was cut from the final print of the film. George Lucas restored it, and replaced the actor with a CGI version of Jabba in the 1997 remastered edition of the film. STAR WARS was an original selection to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1989.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Quotes/Excerpts:

"But I was going into Tashee station today to pick up some power convertors!"--Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to his uncle Owen "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."--Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) in a recorded message "It's not wise to upset a wookie."--Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) "Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person--me!"--Han Solo to Princess Leia "May the force be with you."--Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) to Luke Skywalker "Your powers are weak, old man."--Darth Vader (the voice of James Earl Jones) "You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."--Obi-Wan Kenobi

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Reviews:

Rating: A -- Steve Daly, Entertainment Weekly

"...The most elaborate, most expensive, most beautiful movie serial ever made....STAR WARS is good enough to convince the most skeptical 8-year-old sci-fi buff, who is the toughest critic." -- Vincent Canby, New York Times

Included in the New York Times "10 BEST FILMS OF 1977" -- Vincent Canby, New York Times

"...Revolutionary....A miracle of editing and special effects, it remains an elating action spectacle..." -- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"...It's a good-hearted film in every single frame, and shining through is the gift of a man who knew how to link state of the art technology with a deceptively simple, really very powerful, story..." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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