Star Wars: Episode IVA New Hope

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Star Wars: Episode IV
A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode IVA New Hope, originally released asStar Wars, is a1977 space opera film written and directed byGeorge Lucas. It is the first part of theStar Warsoriginal trilogy and the firstStar Wars film released.

The film is set 19years after theformation of theGalactic Empire and the events ofRevenge of the Sith; construction has finished on theDeath Star, a weapon capable of destroying aplanet. AfterPrincessLeia Organa, a leader of theRebel Alliance, receives the weapon's plans in the hope of finding a weakness, she is kidnapped and taken to the Death Star. Meanwhile, a youngfarmer namedLuke Skywalker meetsObi-Wan Kenobi, who has lived in seclusion for years on the desert planet ofTatooine. WhenLuke's home is burned and hisaunt anduncle killed, Obi-Wan begins Luke'sJeditraining as they—along withHan Solo,Chewbacca,C-3PO, andR2-D2 attempt to rescue the princess from the Empire.

Inspired by films like theFlash Gordonserials and thesamurai films ofAkira Kurosawa, as well as such critical works asJoseph Campbell'sThe Hero with a Thousand Faces andFrank Herbert'sDune books, Lucas began work onStar Wars in 1974. Ground-breaking in its use ofspecial effects, this is considered to be among the most successful—and most influential—films of all time. Produced with a budget ofUS$11,000,000 and released onMay 25, 1977, the film became one of the most successful of all time, earning $215 million in theUnited States and $337 million overseas during its original theatrical release, as well as winning several film awards, including 10Academy Award nominations. It was re-released several times, sometimes withsignificant changes; the most notable versions were the 1997Special Edition and the 2004DVD, which were modified withCGI effects and recreated scenes. It was re-released in the Blu-ray format inSeptember of2011. The film was selected to be preserved by theLibrary of Congress as part of itsNational Film Registry. The film was selected in 1989, the program's first year in existence.

Opening crawl

It is a period of civil war.Rebel spaceships, strikingfrom a hidden base, have wontheir first victory againstthe evil Galactic Empire.During the battle, Rebelspies managed to steal secretplans to the Empire'sultimate weapon, the DEATHSTAR, an armored spacestation with enough powerto destroy an entire planet.Pursued by the Empire'ssinister agents, PrincessLeia races home aboard herstarship, custodian of thestolen plans that can save herpeople and restorefreedom to the galaxy....

Plot summary

Assault onTantive IV

Nineteenyears after theformation of theGalactic Empire,the galaxy is in a state ofcivil war. TheRebel Alliance has won their first major victory bystealingplans to the Galactic Empire's secret weapon, theDeath Star. Hoping that the stolen plans can save herpeople and restore freedom to the galaxy,PrincessLeia Organa, who is in custody of the plans, attempts to race home aboard theTantive IV. However, her ship is intercepted by theImperialI-classStar DestroyerDevastator over thedesertplanet ofTatooine.

The ship is captured, and several Imperialstormtroopers come aboard. After defeating the small number ofguards defending the ship, theSith LordDarth Vader arrives to assess the damage. Vader is outraged and questionsCaptain Antilles, whom he eventually strangles and kills. Hiding on the ship, Princess Leia is able to record aholographic message with the help ofR2-D2, and gives thedroid the plans for the Death Star and the responsibility of taking the message toObi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi-in-hiding on Tatooine. Leia is spotted by stormtroopers and they shoot her with a stun blast and bring her before Vader. Leia claims she and the ship's crew were on a diplomatic mission toAlderaan, but is disbelieved by Vader, who denounces her as a traitor and has her taken prisoner. Vader orders a message be sent to theImperial Senate, informing them that the ship was destroyed, with everyone on board killed. R2-D2 andC-3PO use an escape pod in order to escape the ship and reach the planet of Tatooine below, narrowly escaping destruction by an Imperial cannon when the operators do not detect the droids in the pod.

Luke's destiny

After arguing and going their separate ways for a while, the droids are individually picked up byJawa traders and brought aboard asandcrawler. They are later bought by moisture farmerOwen Lars and his nephew,Luke Skywalker, a young farmer who lost his parents as a baby and hopes to one day be a starfighter pilot just like his friends. While cleaning R2, Luke discovers a short portion of the hologram. At the mention of Obi Wan, he wonders if she means his neighbor Ben Kenobi.

While eating dinner with Owen and his AuntBeru Whitesun Lars, Owen asks Luke to take R2 toAnchorhead the next day to have his memory wiped, and expresses his hope Luke will stay with them for one more harvest season before applying to theAcademy. R2 escapes from the Lars' homestead in search of Obi-Wan, whom the droid claims to be the property of. Luke and C-3PO search the desert and find R2 the next day, only to be attacked bysand people. Luke and his droids are rescued by Ben Kenobi, who confirms he is Obi-Wan.

At his home, Obi-Wan gives Luke his father'slightsaber, as Obi-Wan recalls his own friendship with Luke's father. He tells Luke that he and his father were a part of theJedi order that once protected the galaxy before the Empire took over and that Darth Vader was once his apprentice before he fell to thedark side of the Force and murdered Luke's father. After viewing Princess Leia's full recording, Obi-Wan attempts to persuade Luke to accompany him to Alderaan. Luke refuses but agrees to take Obi-Wan as far as Anchorhead. On the way, the group discovers the remains of the sandcrawler, the Jawas having been killed by stormtroopers searching for the droids. With dawning horror, Luke hurries home only to find it burning and his aunt and uncle's charred remains, both brutally murdered by the same stormtroopers.

Luke returns upset, but Obi-Wan tells him there was nothing he could do, and that he would have been killed too and the plans would be in possession of the Empire. With nothing keeping him on Tatooine, Luke, Obi Wan, and the two droids travel toMos Eisley to find passage to Alderaan, Princess Leia's home planet.

Aboard the Death Star,Cassio Tagge argues withConan Antonio Motti about the stations vulnerability to the rebels and points out that the rebellion has been gaining support within the imperial senate.Wilhuff Tarkin enters the room with Darth Vader and informs them that theEmperor has dissolved the senate completely, sweeping away the last remnant of the Old Republic. Believing fear will keep the galaxy in line, Motti boasts the power of the Death Star, to which Vader replies that its power is insignificant compared tothe Force. When Motti mocks Vader's belief in the Force, VaderForce chokes him until Tarkin orders him to stop, and expresses his own desire to crush the Rebellion.

Back in Mos Eisley, Luke, Obi-Wan and the droids run into a patrol of stormtroopers, who ask for their identification. Obi-Wan uses aJedi mind trick on the lead trooper, who lets them pass. Arriving atChalmun's Spaceport Cantina, the group hiressmugglerHan Solo and hisFirst Mate, aWookiee namedChewbacca, for 17,000credits, 2,000 in advance and 15,000 upon arrival, to take the four of them to Alderaan aboard their ship, theMillennium Falcon. Han has a brief run-in withGreedo over his debts to crime lordJabba the Hutt, which ends with Han fatallyshooting Greedo. Jabba later confronts Han in theFalcon's docking bay, scolding him for killing Greedo. Han defends the actions that offended Jabba (dumping a load of cargo when confronted by an Imperial patrol) and promises he'll pay the gangster what he owes. Luke, Ben and the droids arrive at theFalcon's hangar. A brief scuffle with stormtroopers ensues, and theFalcon escapes Imperial Star Destroyers over Tatooine and sets a course to Alderaan, unaware that the Death Star has just arrived there as well.

Rescue of the princess

Leia, having resisted being tortured with amind probe for the location of the Rebel Alliance's headquarters, is brought beforeGrand MoffTarkin. Tarkin threatens to use the Death Star'ssuperlaser on Leia'shomeworld of Alderaan if she does not tell them the Rebel base's location. She reluctantly tells them the base is onDantooine, but Tarkin orders Alderaan to be destroyed anyway for its role in supporting the rebels.

Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Obi-Wan feels agreat disturbance in the Force while Luke undergoes Lightsaber training with atraining remote. Upon dropping out ofhyperspace, they find what seems to be anasteroid field in Alderaan's place. TheMillennium Falcon is then pulled aboard the Death Star by its powerfultractor beam.

Tarkin and Vader discover that Leia lied about the Rebel base's location when their forces only discover the ruins of a base on Dantooine. Tarkin orders her to be executed.

Having docked with the Death Star, Solo and the others ambush two stormtroopers and the Imperial scanning crew sent to investigate the Falcon by hiding in hidden smuggling compartments. With Han and Luke now disguised as the two stormtroopers, the group storms a control room to figure out how to escape. Obi-Wan separates from the group to disable the tractor beam, leaving the others alone. While connected to the Imperial Network, R2-D2 discovers Princess Leia is aboard the station and is set for termination. Luke convinces Han and Chewbacca torescue her with the vague promise of a grand reward. Han and Chewbacca reluctantly agree. Luke plans to march intoDetention Block AA-23, claiming that Chewbacca is part of a prisoner transfer. C-3PO and R2-D2 are instructed to remain behind, and the trio sets off on their rescue attempt. Upon being met with suspicion, they are quick to subdue the officers and guards in the princess's cell block. Luke frees Leia from her cell, but the group are pinned down by a squad of stormtroopers. Leia takes charge, blasting a hole in a nearby grate and jumping through while Chewbacca, Luke, and Han all dive after the princess.

The chute ends up leading to agarbage compactor that is also home to aresidentdianoga. Soon after landing, the creature pulls Luke under the surface, but releases him and is scared away when the Imperials realize where the heroes escaped to and activate the compactor. As the walls close in on the foursome, Luke desperately calls to C-3PO over his comlink asking for the compactor to be shut down. Leia struggles to get to the top and Chewbacca tries to unlock the door. R2-D2 manages to shut down the compactor just in time, although, amidst the muffled cries of joy over the comlink, C-3PO is briefly convinced that his master and friends have been crushed.

After escaping from the trash compactor, the group hurries back to theMillennium Falcon, hoping that Obi-Wan has successfully shut down the tractor beam. Leia and Han bicker about who is in charge of the mission, while Han muses no reward is worth dealing with Leia's scathing criticism. Luke and Leia briefly become separated from Han and Chewie when Han chases after a group of stormtroopers, only to run into a whole battalion and be chased by them instead. Luke and Leia nearly run into a large chasm and are forced to swing across with agrappling hook amongst blaster fire, with Leia giving Luke a brief kiss "for luck". The group soon reunite and make their way back to theFalcon.

Sacrifice and victory

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan, remaining completely undetected, shuts down the tractor beam. Vader, however, had sensed his presence through the Force, and, while Obi-Wan makes his way to theMillennium Falcon, confronts his old master and engages him in a lightsaber duel. Luke and the others make it back to the Falcon, where Luke and several stormtroopers witness the battle. Sparing one last glance at Luke, Obi-Wan allows himself to be struck down by Vader, thus becoming one with the Force and allowing Luke and the others to escape. Horrified and angered at having witnessed Obi-Wan's demise at the hands of Vader, Luke and the others are forced to flee on theMillennium Falcon under a hail of blaster fire from the stormtroopers.

Still mourning Obi-Wan's death, Luke helps Solo fend off a squadron ofTIE fighters. Despite their supposed victory, Leia correctly believes the Empire let them go in order to track them to the rebel base. The crew of theFalcon finally meets the Rebel Alliance on the moon ofYavin 4, and the information in R2-D2 is turned over to them.GeneralDodonna plans the attack on the Death Star, as the plans reveal a weakness in the Death Stars design in the form of a thermal exhaust port leading to the station's reactor. Believing a direct hit withproton torpedos will cause a chain reaction that will destroy the station, Dodanna orders the pilots to man their ships in preparation for the battle. To Luke's dismay, Han leaves after receiving his reward to settle his debts.

The Rebel strike force begins its attack on the Death Star, as the battle station approaches Yavin 4. A group ofX-wing, andY-wing starfighters, Luke among them, assault a trench on the Death Star's surface to hit the station's vulnerable spot before it can destroy the Alliance's base. During this, most of the Rebel craft, including Luke's friendBiggs Darklighter, are picked off by a group of Imperial fighters led by Darth Vader. Tarkin is told by an Imperial officer that the Rebels do pose a danger, but Tarkin refuses to evacuate in their supposed moment of triumph. With the Death Star only minutes from being in range to destroy Yavin 4, Luke makes one last run down the trench toward the exhaust port. Just as Vader opens fire on Luke from his personalTIE Advanced x1, Han returns in theMillennium Falcon and attacks the Imperials, resulting in Vader's TIE getting knocked out of the trench. Luke, aided by the voice of Kenobi and guided by the Force, accurately fires two proton torpedoes into the exhaust port and retreats. Moments later the battle station explodes, killing Tarkin and everyone on board, while Vader escapes into space.

The few remaining ships (those ofWedge Antilles, Luke, Han, and aY-wing Pilot) return to Yavin 4 and avictory ceremony commences, wheremedals are presented to the heroes, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, by Princess Leia, as the rebels give them a standing ovation.

Development

Conception

During post-production on his previous film,American Graffiti, Lucas repeatedly discussed the concept of a "space opera" with producerGary Kurtz. In January 1973 Lucas began work on this, and by May had prepared a14-page story outline for distribution among film studios.^[5] He had originally envisioned the film as being a continuation of bothAmerican Graffiti and ''Apocalypse Now (the latter of which he helped make beforeWarner Bros. Studios shut down his studio ofAmerican Zoetrope and thus forced him to hand over development to his compatriot, Francis Ford Coppola). His note for the basic plotline for the film, which was intended to be a response to the Vietnam War era, was that it involved "atechnological empire going after asmall band of freedom fighters."^[6][7] According to Walter Murch, a former associate of Lucas when the latter was filmingApocalypse Now, the space opera setting was conceived in large part because, due to the Vietnam War still going on, the audiences would not have been receptive to a direct attack on American involvement in Vietnam.^[8][9] Because of itsouter space setting, the story was viewed as science fiction, an unpopular genre at the box office. Lucas later proposed that terms like "space fantasy" or "science fantasy" better fit the story.^[5] He brought the outline toUniversal Studios andUnited Artists; both rejected the project (the former refused directly, while the latter withheld their answer until after the 10 day wait period ended).^[6][10][7] He also turned toWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, though they also turned him down.^[6][7] Lucas disliked the studio system because his previous two films,American Graffiti andTHX 1138, had been re-edited without his consent.^[11] Still, aware that studios were unavoidable, he pursuedAlan Ladd, Jr., the head of20th Century Fox. Although Ladd did not grasp the technical side of the project, he believed that Lucas was talented. Lucas later stated that Ladd "invested in me, [but] he did not invest in the movie."^[5]

Production

Lucas wrote multiple drafts of the script: arough draft in May and afirst draft in July 1974, a second draft titled,Adventures of the Starkiller as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars in January and a third titled,The Star Wars: From The Adventures of Luke Starkiller in August 1975.

As the draft developed, the characters evolved significantly. Early in development, Luke Skywalker's character changed from a 60-year-old general to a member of a family ofdwarfs;^[5][12] theCorellian smuggler,Han Solo, was envisioned as a large, green-skinned monster with gills.^[12]Chewbacca was inspired by Lucas' Alaskan malamute dog, Indiana, who often acted as the director's "co-pilot" by sitting in the passenger seat of his car.^[12] The Force, a mysterious energy field, was initially conceived as theKyber crystal, a "galactic holy grail."^[13][5] The completed script was too long for one movie; however, Lucas refused to condense it. Instead, he expanded the first third of it into one movie and left the rest for two future films, effectively creating theoriginalStar Wars trilogy.^[14][5][15]

Lucas hired conceptual artistRalph McQuarrie to create paintings of certain scenes during screenwriting. When Lucas delivered his screenplay to the studio, he included several of McQuarrie's paintings.^[16] 20th Century Fox approved a budget of $8,250,000;American Graffiti's positive reviews allowed Lucas to renegotiate his deal with Alan Ladd, Jr. and request the sequel rights to the film. For Lucas, this deal protectedStar Wars' unwritten segments and most of the merchandising profits.^[5][17]

In 1975, Lucas founded the visual effects companyIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM) after discovering that 20th Century Fox's visual effects department had been disbanded. ILM began its work onStar Wars in a warehouse inVan Nuys, California. Lucas himself bought old equipment for pennies on the dollar.^[18] traditionally, models were filmed by moving them in front of a stationary camera.^[19] Most of the visual effects usedmotion control photography, which creates the illusion of size by employing small models and slowly moving cameras called theDykstraflex.^[18] all the models would be shot in front of a blue screen, which would allow the placement of other elements into the scene, this process is called optical compositing.^[18] the team the special effects team retooled an optical printer that allowed separate film strips to be photographed and combined onto a single layer of film.^[18] artists created matt paintings to increase the scope and production value of a scene, by extending environments painted on glass, that would be photographed and combined with live-action elements.^[18] Model spaceships were constructed on the basis of drawings byJoe Johnston, input from Lucas, and paintings by McQuarrie. Lucas opted to abandon the traditional sleekness of science fiction by creating a "used universe" in which all devices, ships, and buildings looked aged and dirty.^[5][20][21]

Filming began onMarch 22,1976 in theTunisia.^[22] Lucas fell behind schedule in the first week of shooting due to a rare Tunisian rainstorm, malfunctioning props, and electronic breakdowns.^[23] When actorAnthony Daniels wore the C-3PO outfit for the first time, the left leg piece shattered down through the plastic covering his left foot, stabbing him. After completing filming in Tunisia, production moved into the more controlled environment ofElstree Studios, near London.^[23] However, significant problems, such as acrew that had little interest in the film, still arose.^[5][23] Most of the crew considered the project a "children's film," rarely took their work seriously, and often found it unintentionally humorous.^[24] ActorKenny Baker later confessed that he thought the film would be a failure.^[25]Harrison Ford found the dialogue difficult, saying, "You can type this shit, George, but you sure can't say it."^[26]

Lucas clashed withdirector of photographyGilbert Taylor, whom producer Gary Kurtz called "old-school" and "crotchety."^[5][27] Moreover, with a background in independent filmmaking, Lucas was accustomed to creating most of the elements of the film himself. His camera suggestions were rejected by an offended Taylor, who felt that Lucas was over-stepping his boundaries by giving specific instructions. Lucas eventually became frustrated that the costumes, sets and other elements were not living up to his original vision ofStar Wars. He rarely spoke to the actors, who felt that he expected too much of them while providing little direction. His directions to the actors usually consisted of the words "faster" and "more intense."^[5]

Ladd offered Lucas some of the only support from the studio; he dealt with scrutiny fromboard members over the rising budget and complex screenplay drafts. After production fell two weeks behind schedule, Ladd told Lucas that he had to finish production within a week or he would be forced to shut down production. The crew split into three units, led by Lucas, Kurtz, and production supervisorRobert Watts, respectively. Under the new system, the project met the studio's deadline.^[5][23] ILM concluded shooting onApril 22, 1977 with shot 110P, that of a Star Destroyer.^[28]

Star Wars was originally slated for release inChristmas 1976; however, delays pushed the film's release to summer 1977. Already anxious about meeting his deadline, Lucas was shocked when his editor's first cut of the film was a "complete disaster." After attempting to persuade the original editor to cut the film his way, Lucas replaced the editor withPaul Hirsch andRichard Chew. He also allowed his then-wifeMarcia Lucas to aid the editing process while she was cutting the filmNew York, New York with Lucas' friendMartin Scorsese. Richard Chew found the film had an non-energetic pace; it had been cut in a by-the-book manner: scenes were played out inmaster shots that flowed intoclose-up coverage. He found that the pace was dictated by the actors instead of the cuts. Hirsch and Chew worked on two reels simultaneously; whoever finished first moved on to the next.^[5]

During production, the cast attempted to make Lucas laugh or smile as he often appeared depressed. At one point, the project became so demanding that Lucas was diagnosed with hypertension and exhaustion and was warned to reduce his stress level.^[5][23]Post-production was equally stressful due to increasing pressure from 20th Century Fox. Moreover,Mark Hamill's face was injured in a car accident, which made reshoots impossible.^[23]

Meanwhile, ILM was struggling to achieve unprecedented special effects. The company had spent half of its budget on four shots that Lucas deemed unacceptable.^[23] Moreover, theories surfaced that the workers at ILM lacked discipline, forcing Lucas to intervene frequently to ensure that they were on schedule.^[5] With hundreds of uncompleted shots remaining, ILM was forced to finish a year's work in six months. Lucas inspired ILM by editing together aerialdogfights from old war films, which enhanced the pacing of the scenes.^[5][19]

During the chaos of production and post-production, the team made decisions about character voicing andsound effects. Sound designerBen Burtt had created a library of sounds that Lucas referred to as an "organic soundtrack." For Chewbacca's growls, Burtt recorded and combined sounds made by dogs, bears, lions, tigers, and walruses to create phrases and sentences. Burtt created the robotic voice of R2-D2 by filtering his voice through an electronic synthesizer. Darth Vader's breathing was achieved by Burtt breathing through the mask of ascuba tank implanted with a microphone.^[29] Lucas never intended to use the voice ofDavid Prowse, who portrayed Darth Vader in costume, because of Prowse's thick EnglishWest Country accent. He originally wantedOrson Welles to speak for Darth Vader. However, he felt that Welles' voice would be too recognizable, so he cast the lesser-knownJames Earl Jones.^[30] Nor did Lucas intend to use Anthony Daniels' voice for C-3PO. Thirty well-established voice actors, such asStan Freberg, read for the voice of the droid. According to Daniels, one of the major voice actors recommended Daniels' voice for the role.^[5][12]

The "Lost Cut" ofStar Wars was edited byJohn Jympson.^[31] When Lucas screened an early cut of the film for his friends, among them directorsBrian De Palma,John Milius andSteven Spielberg, their reactions were disappointing. Spielberg, who claimed to have been the only person in the audience to have enjoyed the film,^[5] believed that the lack of enthusiasm was due to the absence of finished special effects. Lucas later said that the group was honest and seemed bemused by the film. In contrast, Alan Ladd, Jr. and the rest of 20th Century Fox loved the film; one of the executives, Gareth Wigan, told Lucas, "This is the greatest film I've ever seen," and cried during the screening. Lucas found the experience shocking and rewarding, having never gained any approval from studio executives before.^[5] Although the delays increased the budget from $8 million to $11 million, the film was still the least expensive of theStar Wars saga.

Music

From the very beginning, Lucas' intention for "Star Wars" was that it would have very familiar sounding music, that despite the extraordinary visuals and events occurring onscreen, the music would be reminiscent of Earth and of the past. To that end, he originally wanted to fill the film with tracked classical music from various composers, in a similar fashion to2001: A Space Odyssey.^[32] Lucas' friend,Steven Spielberg, recommended composerJohn Williams to Lucas after their recent collaboration onJaws (1975). Spielberg convinced Lucas that he should meet with the composer, who in turn convinced him of the need for original music.^[33] They also decided in this early meeting that the score should have a romantic musical sound, with leitmotifs for different characters and events, similar to the operas ofRichard Wagner.^[34]

Rough cuts of "Star Wars" used something called a "temp score", referring to musical material that was there to find a rhythm while editing but would not be kept in the final cut as it would be replaced by the final score. These temp tracks would help to inspire the direction John Williams was to take with his score as he began writing it.^[35] Most of the temp tracks are not public knowledge, but some information has been revealed over the years. In one interview, editorPaul Hirsch confirmed that a cue fromBernard Herrmann'sPsycho score containing the famous "3-note motif" was used to temp the scene where the heroes exit the smuggling chambers of the Millennium Falcon.^[36] In another interview, Hirsch revealed that the opening to "The Sacrifice" fromIgor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" was used to temp the scene in the desert, the Jawa scenes were temped from other parts of the same piece, and the Main Title crawl was temped with the overture ofIvanhoe byMiklós Rózsa.^[37] Later, in his own book, Hirsch would claim that the Main Title crawl was temped withErich Korngold's theme to 1938'sThe Adventures of Robin Hood. It is unknown which of these claims is correct. Also in his book, Hirsch mentions that the Cantina scene was tracked by Benny Goodman's "Avalon" from his Carnegie Hall performance, some of the early battle footage was tracked with "Dance of the Adolescents" from "The Rite of Spring", and the approach to the Death Star was temped with the music from the approach to Kong Island from Max Steiner's King Kong score.^[38] In an interview, sound editor Ben Burtt said that Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony was temped into the medal ceremony (Hirsch mentioned this in his book too), and parts of Anton Bruckner's Ninth Symphony were temped as Luke's theme.^[37] Homages to many of these known temp tracks appear in the final score. For example, the cue [1m5-2m1] Desert Song fromStar Wars is extremely similar to the opening of the Stravinsky piece it was temped with. Further, the music in [1m2] Main Title that plays when the underbelly of the Star Destroyer flies over the camera is very similar to the ending of "Mars - The Bringer of War" fromHolst's "The Planets". Even the 3-note motif fromPsycho appears in the very opening of the Star Wars cue [7m1-7m2 New] The Hatch Opens, exactly where the temp track would have been.

On January 10, 1977, Williams was invited to the spotting sessions, where he watched a rough cut of the film with Lucas, music supervisorLionel Newman, music editorKen Wannberg, producerGary Kurtz, and film editor Paul Hirsch.^[37][38][39] Over the next several weeks, he would get to work writing the score. The way Williams wrote his score, he began by creating all the various leitmotifs and character themes (such as "Luke's Theme," "Leia's theme," and "Ben's theme," the "Jawa theme," the "Rebel Fanfare," and the "Imperial motif"). He then went on to create theactual score by stringing all the themes he created together in a way that would match up with what was happening on screen.^[40] It was unknown exactly how long John Williams spent writing the score, but it is certain that he would have had at the absolute most no more than 8 weeks, given that they started recording on March 5th. This is unrealistic because there needed to have been time for the orchestrators to write out all the various parts for the players, so it is more likely that the score was completed in 7 weeks or less.

As with any creative process, parts of the score went through multiple revisions. One well-known example is the cue "Lost R2", which scores the famous "binary sunset" scene. This scene was originally scored with a very different sounding piece that contained "Luke's theme". When Lucas heard the cue, he asked if it could be rescored with "Ben's theme" because he felt it fit the scene better.^[35] It can be argued that this opened the door for "Ben's theme" to be recontextualized into what we think of today as the "Force theme". Another interesting example of the score changing was the cue "A Home Destroyed". When this cue was written, it was designed to score the end of Ben's house, Leia's torture, the discovery of the attacked sandcrawler, and Luke returning home to find his guardians dead and his home burned. While Williams was writing the score, the film was re-edited so that the board room scene would occur where the torture scene used to be. This caused the cue to be split in half. The first 14 bars were recorded by themselves with a newly written ending featuring the "Death Star theme" for the transition to the boardroom scene. Then a second cue was recorded, being made up of bars 31-71 (attacked sandcrawler and burned homestead scenes) and bars 17-30 (Leia torture scene), with some new transition material written to join them.^[41] This isn't the only time editing of the film would require changes to the score, but it is one of the only examples where a re-edit resulted in the score being changed before it was recorded. The rest of the edits were done too late, and the remaining score changes were left to be made artificially by Ken Wannberg.^[38] After the writing of the score was completed, the orchestrations were performed by lead orchestrator Herbert Spencer, who was assisted by Arthur Morton, Angela Morley, Al Woodbury, Alexander Courage and Williams himself.^[40]

Complete cue list (as written)

When it came time to record the score, Williams was given no choice but to record in London, presumably due to budget constraints and the fact that most of the film was shot in England.^[37] He did have the choice of which orchestra he wanted to work with, and he ended up choosing theLondon Symphony Orchestra (LSO) due to its primary conductor being his friend André Previn. This was historically significant, as it was the first time Williams ever got to work with an organized symphony orchestra for a film.^[35] Previous films of his usually recorded with freelance players. The score was recorded over the course of eight days between March 5th and March 16th of 1977 at Anvil Recording Studios in Denham, England.^[34][35] People present at the sessions included John Williams himself, who was conducting, George Lucas, recording engineer Eric Tomlinson, his assistant Alan Snelling, and music editor Ken Wannberg. The orchestra itself was made up of 26 violins, 10 violas, 10 cellos, 6 basses, 11 woodwinds, 8 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 tubas, 2 harps, 3 percussion, 1 timpani, 1 piano, and 1 celeste.^[45] The score was recorded with approximately 23 microphones, placed at strategic positions around the orchestra. The mixing console, a Rupert Neve, had 24 inputs and 16 outputs. Recording engineer Eric Tomlinson used the console to create a live LCR (Left, Center, Right) mix while the orchestra was playing. The live mixes were recorded straight to two 35mm magnetic film recorders (with healthy Dolby A noise reduction applied). The live mix was also routed to tracks 1-3 of a Struder A80 16-track 2 inch recorder, with sections of the orchestra isolated on tracks 4-15 and a 50 hz pilot tone on track 16. The pilot tone could later be used for synchronization with the film during editing.^[46][47] After the recording was completed, the best takes were combined into performance edits by music editor Ken Wannberg. He created performance edits using one of the 35mm mag recordings, as well as with the 16 track tapes. (note: a performance edit is where sections of different takes are combined together to create the best possible recording of a given cue) The 16 track tapes were intended both for backup purposes, and to be sent off to be remixed by John Neal for the eventual soundtrack release on LP. The 35mm edits would of course be further edited by Wannberg into the final stems for use in the film.^[46][35][48]

Complete cue list (as recorded) and recording session log

Total length of score (not including alternates or concert suites): 83:48

Total length of score (including alternates and concert suites): 90:34

Score as it appears in the final film (all releases from 1977-1996)

Total length of music in movie: 80:37

Soundtrack releases

The score toStar Wars has had several releases over the years. While many of these releases have been straight reissues of previous releases, there are currently four releases with unique programs that were independently mastered from the original session tapes:^[49]

• 1977 OST (20th Century Fox Records)
• 1993 Anthology (Arista Records)
• 1997 Special Edition (RCA Victor)
• 2016 Sony Classical Ultimate Vinyl Collection
• 2016 Sony Classical Ultimate Soundtrack Edition
• 2016 Sony Classical Ultimate Digital Collection
• 2018 OST Remaster (Walt Disney Records)

Sound

A New Hope was originally presented in monaural sound in many theaters, though the first-run70mm prints were some of the earliest wide-release examples of surround sound—something not seen in the commercial cinema since theCinerama andCinemascope experiments of the early 1950s.

Sources and inspirations

The film drew inspiration from a number of sources. This was conscious and has been acknowledged by George Lucas in interviews. It is characteristic of much myth-building.

Lucas has stated that Akira Kurosawa's1958 filmThe Hidden Fortress (USA release1962) was a strong influence. The resemblance between the two buffoon farmers inThe Hidden Fortress and the two talkative droids inA New Hope is apparent. Indeed, when the droids find themselves alone on Tatooine, even the music and the style of "wipe" cuts are a clear homage toHidden Fortress. WhenMotti is criticizingDarth Vader, he is about to mention the Rebels' "hidden fortress" before Vader cuts him off in the middle of the last word.

The climactic scene in which the Death Star is assaulted was modeled after (including some of the same dialogue) the 1950s filmThe Dam Busters, in whichRAFLancaster bombers fly along heavily defended reservoirs and aim "bouncing bombs" at German man-made dams in a bid to cripple the heavy industry of theRuhr. (A New Hope cinematographerGilbert Taylor had previously worked on the special-effects sequences for that film.)

Lucas has made mention of the film633 Squadron directed byWalter Grauman when citing movies that inspired themes or elements inA New Hope. The "trench run" inA New Hope wherein Luke flies his X-wing through a "trench" on the Death Star and destroys the ship was inspired, at least in small part, by the finale of 633 Squadron, which involves several Royal Air Force planes flying at low level up a fjord against heavy, ground-based anti-aircraft fire, to attack a factory located at the base of a cliff at the canyon's end.

Release and reception

Star Wars debuted on May 25, 1977 in 32 theaters, and proceeded to break house records, effectively becoming one of the firstblockbuster films.^[50] It remains one of the most financially successful films of all time. Some of the cast and crew noted lines of people stretching around theaters as they drove by. Even technical crew members, such as model makers, were asked for autographs, and cast members became instant household names.^[5] The film's original total U.S. gross came to $307,263,857, and it earned $6,806,951 during its first weekend in wide release. Lucas claimed that he had spent most of the release day in a sound studio in Los Angeles. When he went out for lunch with his then-wife Marcia, they encountered a long queue of people along the sidewalks leading to Mann's Chinese Theater, waiting to seeStar Wars.^[23] The film became the highest-grossing film of 1977 and the highest-grossing film of all time untilE.T. The Extra-Terrestrial broke that record in 1982. (With subsequent re-releases,Star Wars reclaimed the title, but lost it again toJames Cameron's 1997 blockbusterTitanic.) The film earned $797,900,000 worldwide, making it the first film to reach the $300 million mark.^[51] Adjusted for inflation it is the second highest grossing movie of all time in the United States, behindGone with the Wind.^[52]

In 1989, the U.S.National Film Registry of theLibrary of Congress selected the film as a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" film.^[53] In 2006, Lucas' original screenplay was selected by theWriters Guild of America as the 68th greatest of all time.^[54] TheAmerican Film Institute (or AFI) listed it 15th on a list of the top 100 films of the 20th century.^[55] The American Film Institute has namedStar Wars and specific elements of it to several of its "top 100 lists" of American cinema, compiled as a part of the Institute's 100th anniversary celebration. These include the 27th most thrilling American film of all time;^[56] the thirty-ninth most inspirational American film of all-time;^[57] Han Solo as the fourteenth greatest American film hero of all time and Obi-Wan Kenobi thirty-seventh on the same list.^[58] The often repeated line "May the Force be with you" was ranked as the eighth greatest quote in American film history.^[59]John Williams' score was ranked as the greatest American film score of all time.^[60]

Star Wars won multiple awards at the1978 Academy Awards, includingBest Art Direction-Set Decoration, which went toJohn Barry,Norman Reynolds,Leslie Dilley, andRoger Christian.Best Costume Design was awarded toJohn Mollo;Best Film Editing went to Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew;John Stears,John Dykstra,Richard Edlund,Grant McCune, andRobert Blalack all received awards forBest Effects, Visual Effects. John Williams was awarded his third Oscar forBest Music, Original Score; theBest Sound went toDon MacDougall,Ray West,Bob Minkler andDerek Ball; and aSpecial Achievement for sound effects went to Ben Burtt. Additional nominations includedAlec Guinness forBest Actor in a Supporting Role, George Lucas forBest Screenplay andBest Director, and Gary Kurtz was nominated for his producing duties inBest Picture.^[61] At theGolden Globe awards, the film was nominated forBest Motion Picture – Drama,Best Director,Best Supporting Actor (Alec Guinness), andBest Original Score; it only won the award for Best Original Score.^[62] It received sixBAFTA nominations:Best Film,Best Editing,Best Costume Design,Best Production Design,Best Sound, andBest Original Music; the film won in the latter two categories.^[63] John Williams won threeGrammy awards forBest Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special,Best Pop Instrumental Performance, andBest Instrumental Composition.^[64] The film was awarded theHugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.^[65] In 1997, theMTV Movie Awards awarded Chewbacca the lifetime achievement award for his work in theStar Wars trilogy.^[66]

Originally, if the film did poorly at the box office, Lucas planned to turn the novelSplinter of the Mind's Eye into a low-budget sequel to the movie. According to an interview with Alan Dean Foster inEmpire magazine, the book was written to be filmed as a low-budget sequel ifStar Wars was not a huge success. Harrison Ford was not signed for the sequel as of the writing of the book, which is why Han Solo does not appear in the novel. However, with the success ofA New Hope, Lucas was free to makeThe Empire Strikes Back.^[67]

Wary thatStar Wars would be beaten out by other summer films, such asSmokey and the Bandit, 20th Century Fox moved the release date to Wednesday beforeMemorial Day:May 25,1977. However, few theaters ordered the film to be shown. In response, 20th Century Fox demanded that theaters orderStar Wars if they wanted an eagerly anticipated film based on a best-selling novel titledThe Other Side of Midnight.^[5]The New York Times published the first advertisements for the film onMay 15, only ten days before its premiere.^[68]

Star Wars became an instant success upon release; within three weeks, 20th Century Fox's stock price doubled to a record high. Before 1977, 20th Century Fox's greatest annual profits were $37,000,000; in 1977, the company earned $79,000,000. Although the film's cultural neutrality helped it to gain international success, Ladd became anxious during the premiere inJapan. After the screening, the audience was silent, leading Ladd, Jr. to fear that the film would be unsuccessful. He was later told that, in Japan, silence was the greatest honor to a film. Meanwhile, thousands attended a ceremony atGrauman's Chinese Theater, where C-3PO, R2-D2 and Darth Vader placed their footprints in the theater's forecourt.^[5]

During the film's original theatrical run, there were a number of television promotions:

• Darth Vader onThe Wacko Saturday Morning Preview and Other Good Stuff Special (September 8, 1977)
• Darth Vader on The ABC All-Star Saturday preview show (September 9, 1977)^[69]
• A re-creation of the cantina set forThe Richard Pryor Show (September 13, 1977)
• The Making of Star Wars TV special (September 16, 1977)
• AStar Wars–themedDonnie and Marie episode (September 23, 1977)
• Mark Hamill onThe Bob Hope All Star Christmas Comedy Special (December 19, 1977)
• Bill Murray's "Nick The Lounge Singer" singing theStar Wars Main Theme onSaturday Night Live (January 28, 1978)
• The Star Wars Holiday Special (November 17, 1978)^[70]
• Carrie Fisher onSaturday Night Live (November 18, 1978)
• American Graffitti'sWolfman Jack interviews Darth Vader onThe Midnight Special. (unknown date)^[71]

Adaptations and tie-in media

Charles Lippincott was hired by Lucas' production company,Lucasfilm, as marketing director forStar Wars. Because 20th Century Fox gave little support for marketing beyond licensing T-shirts and posters, Lippincott was forced to look elsewhere. He secured deals withStan Lee,Roy Thomas andMarvel Comics for a comic book adaptation and withDel Rey Books for a novelization. AlthoughStar Wars merchandise was available to enthusiastic children upon release, onlyKenner Toys—who believed that the film would be unsuccessful—had accepted Lippincott's licensing offers. Kenner responded to the sudden demand for toys by selling boxed vouchers in its "empty box" Christmas campaign; these vouchers could be redeemed forthe toys in March 1978.^[5]

Thenovelization of the film was published in December 1976, six months before the film was released. The credited author was George Lucas, but the book was revealed to have beenghostwritten byAlan Dean Foster, who later wrote the firstExpanded Universe novel,Splinter of the Mind's Eye. The book was first published asStar Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker; later editions were titled simplyStar Wars and, later,Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, to reflect the retitling of the film. Certain scenes deleted from the film (and later restored or archived in DVD bonus features) were present in the novel, such as Luke at Tosche Station with Biggs and the encounter between Han and Jabba inDocking Bay 94. Other deleted scenes from the movie, such as a close-up of a stormtrooper riding on aDewback, were included in a photo insert added to later printings of the book. Smaller details were also changed; for example, in the Death Star assault, Luke's callsign is Blue Five instead of Red Five as in the film. Lippincott secured the deal with Del Rey Books to publish the novelization in November 1976. By February 1977, a half million copies had been sold.^[5]

Aradio drama adaptation of the film was written byBrian Daley, directed byJohn Madden, and produced for and broadcast on the AmericanNational Public Radio network in 1981. The adaptation received cooperation fromGeorge Lucas, who donated the rights to NPR. John Williams' music and Ben Burtt's sound design were retained for the show; Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) reprised their roles as well. The radio drama featured scenes not seen in the final cut of the film, such as Luke Skywalker's observation of the space battle above Tatooine through binoculars, a skyhopper race, and Darth Vader's interrogation of Princess Leia. In terms ofStar Wars canon, the radio drama is given the highest designation, G-canon.^[72]

Over the years, several comic adaptations of the film have been produced:

• Marvel Comics launched their Star Wars series with a six-part adaptation of the film written byRoy Thomas and illustrated byHoward Chaykin.
• In 1978,Al Williamson worked on an adaptation in comic strip form that was never released.
• Concurrently with the release of the 1997 Special Edition,Dark Horse Comics released a newfour-part adaptation written byBruce Jones and illustrated byEduardo Barreto.
• Amanga adaptation illustrated byHisao Tamaki was released in Japan in 1997 and in the United States in 1998.

Re-releases

The film was originally released as—and consequently often called—Star Wars, withoutEpisode IV or the subtitleA New Hope. The 1980 sequel,Star Wars: Episode VThe Empire Strikes Back, featured the episode number and subtitle in the opening crawl. When the original film was re-released onApril 10, 1981,Episode IV: A New Hope was added above the original opening crawl.^[73] Although Lucas claims that only six films were ever planned, representatives of Lucasfilm discussed plans for nine or 12 possible films in early interviews.^[74] The film was re-released theatrically in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1997.

After ILM usedcomputer generated effects for Steven Spielberg'sJurassic Park, Lucas concluded that digital technology had caught up to his original vision forStar Wars.^[5] As part ofStar Wars' 20th anniversary celebration in 1997,A New Hope was digitally remastered and re-released to theaters, along withThe Empire Strikes Back andReturn of the Jedi, under the campaign titleThe Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition. The Special Edition versions contained visual shots and scenes that were unachievable in the original release due to financial, technological, and time restraints; one such scene involved a meeting between Han Solo andJabba the Hutt.^[5] Although most changes were minor or cosmetic in nature, some fans believe that Lucas degraded the movie with the additions.^[75] For instance, a controversial change in which Greedo shoots first when confronting Han Solo has inspired T-shirts brandishing the phrase "Han shot first."^[76]

Home video

Main article:Star Wars home video releases

Main article:Star Wars Trilogy (DVD)

A New Hope was released onDVD onSeptember 21,2004 in a box set withThe Empire Strikes Back,Return of the Jedi, and a bonus disc of supplemental material. The movies were digitally restored and remastered, andmore changes were made by George Lucas.

The DVD features a commentary track from George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher. The bonus disc contains the documentaryEmpire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, three featurettes, teaser and theatrical trailers, TV spots, still galleries, an exclusive preview ofStar Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith, a playableXbox demo of theLucasArts gameStar Wars: Battlefront, and a "Making Of" documentary on theEpisode III video game. The set was reissued in December 2005 as part of a three-disc "limited edition" boxed set without the bonus disc.

Main article:Original unaltered trilogy

The trilogy was re-released on separate two-disc Limited Edition DVD sets fromSeptember 12, 2006 toDecember 31,2006; the original versions of the films were added as bonus material. Controversy surrounded the release (often referred to as "George'soriginal unaltered trilogy," or "GOUT" for short) because the so-called "unaltered" versions were from the 1993 non-anamorphiclaserdisc masters, and were not re-transferred to modern DVD standards.^[77]

It was re-released in the Blu-ray format onSeptember 16,2011.^[78]

OnApril 7,2015, the Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox, and Lucasfilm jointly announced the digital releases of the six releasedStar Wars films. Fox releasedA New Hope for digital download on April 10, 2015 (while Disney released the other five films).^[79]

Despite The Walt Disney Company's2012 purchase of Lucasfilm and the release rights to all futureStar Wars films, Fox was to retain original distribution rights toA New Hope, which they co-produced and co-financed, in perpetuity in all media worldwide. Fox was also to retain theatrical, nontheatrical, and home video rights worldwide for the franchise's five subsequent films, which Lucasfilm produced and financed independently, throughMay2020, at which time ownership was to transfer to Disney. This complex relationship between Fox and Disney, particularly in regards to Fox's perpetual rights to Episode IV, was to create an obstacle for any future boxed set comprising all nine films.^[80] OnDecember 14,2017, The Walt Disney Company announced that it was acquiring most of Fox's parent company,21st Century Fox, including the film studio and all distribution rights toA New Hope.^[81] OnMarch 20, 2019, thedeal was officially completed.^[82] OnApril 12, 2019, aBlu-ray box set containing the nine main installments of theStar Warssaga remastered in 4K was reportedly announced to be in development for a 2020 release.^[83]

Deleted scenes‡

There are many short alternate takes throughoutStar Wars where Luke appears in his poncho: Luke in the desert, in the Tusken Raiders' canyon, Luke finding the destroyed homestead, and in the hangar onYavin 4. The only poncho scenes that made the final cut were inDocking Bay 94, on theMillennium Falcon flight from the Death Star, and on arrival on Yavin 4.

Aunt Beru's Blue Milk

Beru is in the homestead, pouring ablue liquid into a jug.

Luke in the Desert

Luke Skywalker is in the Tatooine desert repairing amoisture vaporator, assisted by aTreadwell droid, when he notices shining objects in the sky. With his macrobinoculars Luke sees two ships engaged in combat beyond the atmosphere. He jumps into hislandspeeder. The malfunctioning Treadwell blows a fuse and is unable to follow. Luke speeds off into the desert to find his friends. The scene originally occurred after theTantive IV is boarded, just before Darth Vader's first appearance in the film. It is thought that there is no longer any clear footage of this scene available. Existing footage has been degraded by poor film storage conditions over the years. Before the film was cut, this was the audience's first sight of the young Luke Skywalker, much earlier than in the final cut. It was removed along with subsequent scenes of Luke and his friends inAnchorhead. George Lucas had originally written the scenes and shot them at the suggestion of his industry friends who thought that audiences wouldn't understand the story strictly being told from a droid's point of view. Upon realizing that the story was really about the droids' adventures and it was them leading things to Luke and Obi-Wan, etc. Lucas took the footage out.

Tosche Station

Luke's landspeeder races into the town of Anchorhead, nearly running over an old woman. Luke rushes intoTosche Station excitedly telling his friends about the battle above their planet. He is overjoyed to be reunited with his friendBiggs Darklighter who is on planet leave from the Academy.Deak,Windy,Camie,Fixer and Biggs all follow Luke outside to see the battle with Luke's macrobinoculars. The battle appears to have ended and Luke's friends ridicule him for making it all up. This scene was to come just after R2-D2 and C-3PO eject from theTantive IV in an escape pod, and before the scene wherePrincessLeia is led captive before Darth Vader. This scene establishes Luke's difficult relationships with his peers, and gives a picture of life on Tatooine. Storyline pacing may have been the deciding factor, but it should also be borne in mind that after Lucas's first screening of the rough cut ofStar Wars in 1977, a fellow filmmaker jokingly accused him of producing "American Graffiti in space." This jibe probably influenced Lucas to cut the scenes set in Anchorhead. The sequence where Luke nearly runs down an old woman was an effects shot that was never completed.

Luke and Biggs

This scene is a conversation between Luke and his oldest friend, Biggs Darklighter. Biggs has left Tatooine and is on planet leave from theImperial Academy where he is training to be a space pilot. Luke's envy of Biggs's success conflicts with his duty to his uncle and his reasons for remaining on Tatooine. Biggs quietly tells Luke that he has decided to join the Rebellion against the Empire. In a tense and emotional conversation, the two young men say their final farewells. This scene was to come in between the scene where C-3PO spots a distant Jawa sandcrawler in the desert, and the capture of R2-D2 by the Jawas in the canyon. The Luke and Biggs sequence was part of the whole Anchorhead backstory on Tatooine, and was cut along with the other early scenes on Tatooine, probably for reasons of story pacing.

Vader and Chief Bast

In this short scene, Darth Vader and ChiefBast walk along a corridor on the Death Star. Bast reports that the search for the missing droids has extended to Mos Eisley spaceport. Vader observes that Princess Leia is resisting interrogation, and Bast boldly criticizesTarkin's plan to break her as "foolish." The scene would have appeared between the scene where Han Solo encounters Jabba the Hutt inDocking Bay 94 (also cut), and the scene where Luke and Ben find theMillennium Falcon in Docking Bay 94.

The Search for R2

R2-D2 has absconded from his new master, Luke Skywalker. Early in the morning, Luke and Threepio rush off in the landspeeder to search for R2, with Threepio driving the landspeeder. They talk about Artoo, Ben Kenobi, and how angry Uncle Owen is going to be. The scene belongs at the start of the sequence where Luke and 3PO search for R2, before the attack of theTusken Raiders. The moment was scored with a light version of Luke's theme; the music can be heard at the beginning of the cue "Land of the Sand People" on the original LP and CD configurations, or "Landspeeder Search" in the Special Edition album. Before the days of CGI, scenes like this landspeeder cockpit sequence had to be filmed against a rear-projection screen. The scene was dropped due to poor quality.

Stormtrooper Search

Various alien creatures are seen walking around a narrow street in Mos Eisley, and some Stormtroopers walk past.

Darth Vader widens the Search

This is a scene with Darth Vader and another Imperial officer on theDeath Star.

Media

Cover gallery

Poster gallery

San Diego Comic-Con1976 poster byHoward Chaykin

1976 Teaser poster

1976 Style B Teaser poster

1977 Style A poster byTom Jung

1977 Style C poster byTom Chantrell

1978 poster

1978 Hong Kong poster in Chinese, modified fromChantrell's work

1997Special Edition poster

1989 Widescreen Laserdisc

1992 Widescreen VHS

1995 THX 'Faces' USA Laserdisc

1995 THX Overseas Laserdisc

1997 Special Edition Laserdisc UK

1997 Special Edition Laserdisc Japan

1997 Special Edition UK VHS Widescreen (PAL)

2000 repackage of the 1997 Special Edition on VHS

The2004 DVD Edition (1-Disc)

The2006 Limited Edition DVD (2-Discs)

The2015 Blu-ray disc Steelbook (1-Disc)

The2019 re-release cover

2019 Blu-ray disc (1-Disc)

2020 4K UHD disc release (3-discs)

Credits

By type

Cast

Uncredited cast

Crew

Uncredited crew

Special thanks

Cast

Starring Mark Hamill asLuke Skywalker[1] Harrison Ford asHan Solo[1] Carrie Fisher asPrincess Leia Organa[1] Peter Cushing asGrand Moff Tarkin[1] Alec Guinness asBen (Obi-Wan) Kenobi[1] With Anthony Daniels asSee Threepio (C-3PO)[1] Kenny Baker asArtoo-Detoo (R2-D2)[1] Peter Mayhew asChewbacca[1] David Prowse asDarth Vader[1] Jack Purvis asChiefJawa[1] Eddie Byrne asGeneral Willard[1] James Earl Jones as the voice ofDarth Vader[1] [Other cast] Phil Brown asUncle Owen[1] Shelagh Fraser asAunt Beru[1] Alex McCrindle asGeneral Dodonna[1] Drewe Hemley[sic] asRed Leader[1] Dennis Lawson[sic] asRed Two (Wedge)[1] Garrick Hagon asRed Three (Biggs)[1] Jack Klaff asRed Four (John "D")[1] William Hootkins asRed Six (Porkins)[1] Angus MacInnis[sic] asGold Leader[1] Jeremy Sinden asGold Two[1] Graham Ashley asGold Five[1] Don Henderson asGeneral Taggi[sic][1] Richard Le Parmentier[sic] asGeneral Motti[1] Leslie Schofield asCommander #1[1]

Uncredited cast

Bunny Alsup — Cantina Walla Voice[84] David Ankrum — Voices ofWedge Antilles and"Fake Wedge"[85] Mark Austin —Boba Fett(post-1997 versions)[86] Peter Barbour —"Stiltman"(deleted scene)[37] Francis Batsoni — Moisture Farmer(Mos Eisley Cantina)[87] Stephen Bayley[88] —TK-421,Darth Vader's hands inTIE Fighter[89] Scott Beach — Voice of a Stormtrooper[84] Jay Benedict —Deak(deleted scene)[37] Jon Berg — Green Duros(Chachi De Maal), aBithMusician[90] Paul Blake —Greedo[37] Todd Boekelheide — Cantina Walla Voice[84] Andy Bradford[91] —Tanbris[92] Janice Burchette —"Plutonian"[93] Ted Burnett — Bartender[37](Wuher)[87] Stephen Calcutt —"Fly"[93] Gilda Cohen — Contract artiste for cantina scene,[37] "Little Aunt Beru"[93] Liz Coke — Stand-in for Leia[94] Ron Conrad — Death Star Trooper[95] Barry Copping — "Grasshopper"[93] Jenny Cresswell —Jenny[96] Alfie Curtis —Cornelius Evazan[87] Anthony Daniels —CZ-3[97] Robert Davies — "Local Ugly Man"[93] Maria De Aragon — Greedo(reshoots)[37] Peter Diamond — Main Tusken Raider(A'Koba), Stormtrooper who is shot off the ledge,[37]Garouf Lafoe[87] Sadie Eddon[sic] —"Rodent"[93] Harry Fielder — Death Star Trooper[95] Anthony Forrest —Mind-tricked Stormtrooper(physical performance),[98]Fixer(deleted scene)[37] Barbara Frankland —Saurin[99] Salo Gardner — "Local Ugly Man"[93] Peter Geddis — Rebel Officer(Raymus Antilles)[37] Barry Gnome —"Bat""[93] Rusty Goff[sic] — Contract artiste for cantina scene[37] Laurie Goode —Saurin,[100] Stormtrooper boarding the blockade runner and on Death Star, X-wing Pilot in briefing room[99] Isaac Grand — "Bureaucrat"[93] Nelson Hall — Stormtrooper, Imperial Officers, Rebel Technician(post-1997 versions)[101] Howie Hammerman — Cantina Walla Voice[84] Christine Hewett — Space Girl[37](Shada D'ukal)[87] Colin Higgins —Col Takbright[85] Tommy Ilsley —"Colonel"[93] Annette Jones —"Walrus"[93] Linda Jones — "Plutonian"[93] Patrick Jordan —Imperial Officer[102] Nick Joseph —Medal Bearer[100] Joe Kaye — "Colonel"[93] Michael Kitchens — Cantina Walla Voice[84] Tiffany L. Kurtz —Dathcha[103] Anthony Lang — "Local Ugly Man,"[93] Rebel Technician in briefing room[104] Wendy Leech — Protocol Droid[88] Alf Mangan —"Snaggletooth"[93] Mardji the elephant —Banthas[37] Terry McGovern — Voice of a Stormtrooper("These are not the droids we're looking for.")[84] Bronco McLoughlin — Stormtrooper[105] Geoffrey Moon[sic] —Damono Deomaley[87] Mandy Morton —Swilla Corey[87] Declan Mulholland —Jabba the Hutt(scene deleted, later overlapped with CGI; post-1997 versions)[37] Robert O'Mahoney —Theron Nett[106] George Oliver —Debnoli[87] Lorne Peterson — Rebel in Lookout Tower, Rebel with Tracking Gun(Osleo Prennert)[37] Petula the walrus — sounds for Chewbacca[84] Pooh the bear — sounds for Chewbacca[84] Marcus Powell —Rycar Ryjerd[87] Jack Purvis — "Praying Mantis" operator[93](Kitik Keed'kak),[107]Gonk Droid(deleted scene)[37] Bobby Ramsey — "Will Lose Moustache" Cantina Patron[104] Pam Rose —Leesub Sirln[108] George Roubicek —Nahdonnis Praji[109] Arthur Rowton — "Snaggletooth"[93] Erica Simmons — "Walrus"[93] Sally Sinclair —Brindy Truchong[87] Angela Staines — Space Girl[37](Karoly D'ulin)[87] Roy Staite —Dannik Jerriko[87] Koo Stark —Camie Marstrap(deleted scene)[37] George Stock —Yerka Mig[87] Peter Sumner —Pol Treidum[110] John Sylla — Additional Dialogue Recordings[111] Tom Sylla — Additional Dialogue Recordings[111] Tarik the bear — sounds for Chewbacca[112] Ron Tarr —Corellian Pirate[104] Malcolm Tierney —Shann Childsen[113] Morgan Upton — Voice of a Stormtrooper[84] Jerry Walter — Voice of a Stormtrooper[84] Larry Ward — Voice of Greedo[37] Diana Sadley Way —"Martian" or "Plutonian"[93] John Wayne — Voice ofGarindan ezz Zavor(processed and reconfigured archival audio)[84] Malcolm Weaver —Pol Treidum's Colleague[114] Tommy Weldin —Gela Yeens[87](scene deleted, later restored; post-1997 versions) Ted Western —Merc Sunlet[87] Steve Williams — Mos Eisley Citizen(post-1997 versions)[115] Lucy Wilson — Cantina Walla Voice[84] Fred Wood — "Local Ugly Man"[93] This article or section may containoriginal research or unverified claims. Please help Wookieepedia by adding references. Vass Anderson — Rebel Escort, Rebel in war room Jerry Baker — Scanning Crew Man #1 Paul Bannon —Stormtrooper, Mos Eisley citizen, Rebel Trooper Michael Bell — Voice ofVanden Willard Doug Beswick —Lirin Car'n,Ickabel G'ont John Chapman — Rebel Pilot Kevin Chu — "Leatherman"(post-1997 versions) David Church — Rebel Technician, Stormtrooper Warwick Diamond — Jawa Jim Dowdall — Stormtrooper infiltratingTantive IV Eddie Eddon —Pello Scrambas Jonathan Erland — Death Star Controller David Eynon —Hol Okland Kim Falkinburg —Djas Puhr David Field — Stormtrooper John Forgeham —Bolvan Ted Gagliano — Sandtrooper with binoculars(post-1997 versions) Steve Gawley —Death Star Trooper Charlie Gray —Trech Molock Reg Harding — Stormtrooper, Rebel Trooper, Officer at detention block Alan Harris — Leia's Rebel Escort, Rebel mechanic, Stormtrooper Noel Hawkins — Stormtrooper Bill Hibbert — Stand-in forLuke Skywalker Dave Holland —Grondorn Muse Arthur Howell — Stormtrooper Clay Hunter — Stormtrooper Joe Johnston — anImperial weapons technician John Ketteringham —Ryle Torsyn Mark Kirby — Rebel Trooper Al Lampert —Daine Jir Michael Leader — Stormtrooper Laine Liska —Muftak,Hem Dazon Derek Lyons — aRebel Honor Guard,Voren Na'al Len Mathewman — Stand-in forHan Solo Rick McCallum — Stormtrooper(post-1997 versions) Penny McCarthy —Kardue'sai'Malloc,Leia's arm loading Death Star plans into R2-D2 Grant McCune — an Imperial weapons technician Giles Melville — X-wing Pilot in briefing room Brian Muir — Darth Vader's leg near Obi-Wan Kenobi's cloak(pickup shots) Christopher Muncke —Edmos Khurgee Mike Mungarvan — Stormtrooper Terence Mustoo —A-wing Pilot, Death Star Technician Stuart Myers — Mos Eisley Citizen Mike Randall — Stormtrooper Shane Rimmer —Rebel Crew Chief Bill Risley — Rebel Pilot in briefing room Henry Roberts —Anj Zavor Peter Roy — Rebel Engineer Terry Sach — an X-wing Pilot Ian Selby —Hurst Romodi Larry Sheppard — Stormtrooper Colin Skeaping —Devin Cant, stunt double forLuke Skywalker Tony Smart — Stormtrooper Bob Spiker — Bantha-ridingTusken Raider Barry Summerford — Stormtrooper Keith Swaden — Stormtrooper Phil Tippett —Doikk Na'ts,Myo Basil Tomlin —BoShek, Stormtrooper Ahmed Trabelsi —R1-G4 Burnell Tucker —Del Goren Bob Watson — Cantina Patron, Rebel Technician in briefing room Howie Weed —Ketwol,Melas(post-1997 versions) Andrea Wickman-Miller — Jawa Syd Wragg — Imperial Officer, Rebel Carrier Driver

Crew

Written and Directed byGeorge Lucas[1] Produced byGary Kurtz[1] Executive Producer — George Lucas[1] Production Designer —John Barry[1] Director of Photography —Gilbert Taylor,B.S.C.[1] Music byJohn Williams[1] Performed by theLondon Symphony Orchestra; Original Music Copyright 1977 © by Fox Fanfare Music, Inc.[1] Special Photographic Effects Supervisor —John Dykstra[1] Special Production and Mechanical Effects Supervisor —John Stears[1] Film Editors —Paul Hirsch,Marcia Lucas,Richard Chew[1] Production Supervisor —Robert Watts[1] Production Illustration —Ralph McQuarrie[1] Costume Designer —John Mollo[1] Art Directors —Norman Reynolds,Leslie Dilley[1] Make-up Supervisor —Stuart Freeborn[1] Production Sound Mixer —Derek Ball[1] Casting —Irene Lamb,Diane Crittenden[sic],Vic Ramos[1] Supervising Sound Editor —Sam Shaw[1] Special Dialogue and Sound Effects —Ben Burtt[1] Sound Editors —Robert R. Rutledge,Gordon Davidson,Gene Corso[1] Supervising Music Editor —Kenneth Wannberg[1] Re-recording Mixers —Don MacDougall,Bob Minkler,Ray West,Robert Litt,Mike Minkler,Lester Fresholtz,Richard Portman[1] Dolby Sound Consultant —Stephen Katz[1] Orchestrations —Herbert W. Spencer[1] Music Scoring Mixer —Eric Tomlinson[1] Assistant Film Editors —Todd Boekelheide,Jay Miracle,Colin Kitchens,Bonnie Koehler[1] Camera Operations —Ronnie Taylor,Geoff Glover[1] Set Decorator —Roger Christian[1] Production Manager —Bruce Sharman[1] Assistant Directors —Tony Waye,Gerry Gavigan,Terry Madden[1] Location Manager —Arnold Ross[1] Assistant to Producer —Bunny Alsup[1] Assistant to Director —Lucy Autrey Wilson[1] Assistant to Production Designer —Alan Roderick-Jones[1] Production Assistants —Pat Carr,Miki Herman[1] Gaffer —Ron Tabera[1] Property Master —Frank Bruton[1] Wardrobe Supervisor —Ron Beck[1] Stunt Coordinator —Peter Diamond[1] Continuity —Ann Skinner[1] Titles —Dan Perri[1] 2nd Unit Photography —Carroll Ballard,Rick Clemente,Robert Dalva,Tak Fujimoto[1] 2nd Unit Art Direction —Leon Erickson,Al Locatelli[1] 2nd Unit Production Managers —David Lester,Peter Herald,Pepi Lenzi[1] 2nd Unit Make-up —Rick Baker,Douglas Beswick[1] Assistant Sound Editors —Roxanne Jones,Karen Sharp[1] Production Controller —Brian Gibbs[1] Location Auditor —Ralph M. Leo[1] Assistant Auditors —Steve Cullip,Penny McCarthy,Kim Falkinburg[1] Advertising/Publicity Supervisor —Charles Lippincott[1] Unit Publicist —Brian Doyle[1] Still Photographer —John Jay[1] Miniature and Optical Effects Unit 1st Cameraman —Richard Edlund[1] 2nd Cameraman —Dennis Muren[1] Assistant Cameramen —Douglas Smith,Kenneth Ralston,David Robman[1] 2nd Unit Photography —Bruce Logan[1] Composite Optical Photography —Robert Blalack (Praxis)[1] Optical Photography Coordinator —Paul Roth[1] Optical Printer Operators —David Berry,David McCue,Richard Pecorella,Eldon Rickman,James Van Trees, Jr.[1] Optical Camera Assistants —Caleb Aschkynazo,John C. Moulds,Bruce Nicholson,Gary Smith,Bert Terreri,Donna Tracy,Jim Wells,Vicky Witt[1] Production Supervisor —George E. Mather[1] Matte Artist —P.S. Ellenshaw[1] Planet and Satellite Artist —Ralph McQuarrie[1] Effects Illustration and Design —Joseph Johnston[1] Additional Spacecraft Design —Colin Cantwell[1] Chief Model Maker —Grant McCune[1] Model Builders —David Beasley,Jon Erland,Lorne Peterson,Steve Gawley,Paul Huston,David Jones[1] Animation and Rotoscope Design —Adam Beckett[1] Animators —Michael Ross,Peter Kuran,Jonathan Seay,Chris Casady,Lyn Gerry,Diana Wilson[1] Stop Motion Animation —Jon Berg,Philip Tippett[1] Miniature Explosions —Joe Viskocil,Greg Auer[1] Computer Animation and Graphic Displays —Dan O'Bannon,Larry Cuba,John Wash,Jay Teitzell,Image West[1] Film Control Coordinator —Mary M. Lind[1] Film Librarians —Cindy Isman,Connie McCrum,Pamela Malouf[1] Electronics Design —Alvah J. Miller[1] Special Components —James Shourt[1] Assistants —Masaaki Norihoro,Eleanor Porter[1] Camera and Mechanical Design —Don Trumbull,Richard Alexander,William Shourt[1] Special Mechanical Equipment —Jerry Greenwood,Douglas Barnett,Stuart Ziff,David Scott[1] Production Managers —Bob Shepherd,Lon Tinney[1] Production Staff —Patricia Rose Duignan,Mark Kline,Rhonda Peck,Ron Nathan[1] Assistant Editor (Opticals) —Bruce Michael Green[1] Additional Optical Effects —Van Der Veer Photo Effects,Ray Mercer & Company,Modern Film Effects,Master Film Effects,De Patie-Freleng Enterprises[1] Special Edition Producer —Rick McCallum[1] Editor —T. M. Christopher[1] Sound Designer — Ben Burtt[1] Re-recording Mixer —Gary Summers[1] Assistant Editor —Samuel Hinckley[1][1] Sound Editor —Teresa Eckton[1] Assistant Sound Editor —Robert Marty[1] Re-recordist —Ronald G. Roumas[1] Digital Mix Technician —Gary A. Rizzo[1] Archivist —Tim Fox[1] Optical Supervisors —Phillip Feiner,Chris Bushman[1] Film Restoration Supervisor —Pete Comandini[1] Color Timer —Robert J. Raring[1] Negative Continuity —Ray Sabo[1] Negative Cutter —Bob Hart[1] Post Production Executive —Ted Gagliano[1] Special Edition Digital Remastering Provided BySkywalker Sound a Lucas Digital Ltd. Company[1] De-hiss Processing byCEDAR DH-1,HHB Communications[1] Film Restoration Consultant —Leon Briggs[1] Optical Restoration —Pacific Title[1] Film Restoration by —YCM Laboratories[1] Industrial Light and Magic Visual Effects Producers —Tom Kennedy,Ned Gorman[1] Visual Effects Supervisors —Alex Seiden,John Knoll,Dave Carson,Stephen Williams,Dennis Muren,Joseph Letteri,Bruce Nicholson[1] Second Unit Director & Cameraman —Joe Murray[1] Visual Effects Art Directors —Ty Ruben Ellinbson,Mark Moore[1] Computer Graphics Supervisor —John Berton[1] Visual Effects Editor —David Tanaka[1] Digital Color Timing Supervisor —Bruce Vecchitto[1] Sabre Group Supervisor —Daniel McNamara[1] Digital Scanning Supervisor —Joshua Pines[1] Visual Effects Coordinators —Margaret Lynch,Lisa Todd[1] Computer Graphics Artists —Karen Ansel,Mark Austin,Amelia Chenoweth,Terry Chostner,David Deuber,Natasha Devaud,Selwyn Eddy III,Howard Gersh,Paul Giacoppo,Joanne Hafner ,James Hagedorn,Carol Hayden,Matt Hendershot,Guy Hudson,Stewart Lew,Jodie Maier,Greg Maloney,Stuart Maschwitz,Julie Neary,Kerry Nordquist,Scott Pasko,Damian Steel,Danny Taylor,Paul Theren,James R. Tooley,Chris Townsend,Timothy Waddy[1] Digital Matte Artists —Paul Huston,William Mather,Yusei Uesugi[1] Sabre Artists —Rita Zimmerman,Chad Taylor,Grant Guenin[1] Software Development —Christian Rouet,Rod Bogart,Brian Knep[1] Production Engineering —Fred Meyers,Gary Meyer,Marty Miramontez[1] Digital Plate Restoration Artists —Alan Bailey,Scott Bonnenfant,Corey Rosen[1] Negative Supervisor —Doug Jones[1] Assistant Visual Effects Editors —Angela Leaper,Forest Key,Scott Balcerek[1] Digital Production Assistants —Kela Hicks,Ronn Brown[1] Animatics Artist —David Dozoretz[1] CG Resource Managers —Nancy Jill Luckoff,Lam Van To[1] CG Production Manager —Suzie Vissotzky Tooley[1] Prints by — Panavision®, Technicolor®, Deluxe®[1] Making Films Sound Better ®[1] Noise Reduction — High Fidelity[1] Photographed inTunisia,Tikal National Park,Guatemala,Death Valley National Monument,California and atEMI Elstree Studios,Borehamwood,England[1] Music Recorded atAnvil Recording Studios,Denham, England[1] Post Production Completed atAmerican Zoetrope,San Francisco, California[1] Rerecording atSamuel Goldwyn Studios,Los Angeles, California[1]

Uncredited crew

Costumes, Creatures, and Makeup Wardrobe Assistants —Colin Wilson,Gloria Barnes,John Birkinshaw[116] Additional Dressers (Prop Men) —Maxie McDonald,Brian Lofthouse[116] Additional Costume Department —Nick Pemberton,Arnold Jackson[116] Concept Artists —Alex Tavoularis[116] Additional Art Department —Brian Archer[116] Modelers —Liz Moore,Brian Muir,Arthur Healey[116] Plasterers —Tashy Baines,George Block,Jack Armor,George Gillard,Tommy Wallace,Alex Isard,Gordon Isard,Steve Brown,Ray Staples[116] Bermans and Nathans(costumier) —Monty Berman,Fred Brazier,Noel Howard,Philip Linke,Dennis Fitzgerald,Roy Smith,Gerald Moulin,Stephen Miles[116] Creature Makeup Supervisor —Stuart Freeborn[37] Additional Makeup —Kay Freeborn,[37]Graham Freeborn,Christopher Tucker,Nick Maley,Sylvia Croft,Robin Grantham[116] Second-Unit Makeup —Phil Tippett,Laine Liska,Jon Berg,[37][116]Rob Bottin[116] R2 Units Manufactured By —Peteric Engineering[116] Wardrobe Day Player —Helen Gill[116] Conceptual Creature Designer —Ron Cobb[37] Music Music Supervisor —Lionel Newman[37] Music Editor —Ken Wannberg[37] Additional Orchestrations —Alexander Courage, John Williams,Albert Woodbury,Arthur Morton,Angela Morley[40] Assistant Scoring Mixer —Alan Snelling[47] Other uncredited crew Assistant Cameraman —David Robman[37] Carpenters —Bill Harman,Jim Kerr[116] Casting —Fred Roos[37] Construction Supervisor —Bill Welch[37] Executive in Charge of Production —Alan Ladd, Jr.[37] Hair Stylist —Patricia McDermott[37] Mechanical Effects Supervisor —John Stears[37] Rough Cut Editing —John Jympson[37] Script Doctors —Gloria Katz,Willard Huyck[37] Stunt Performers —Reg Harding,Colin Skeaping[37] Harness Expert —Eric Dunning[37] Opening Crawl Text Revision —Jay Cocks,Brian De Palma[7] This article or section may containoriginal research or unverified claims. Please help Wookieepedia by adding references. Special Effects Engineer — Petro Vlahos Special Effects Technician — Robert Nugent Special Make-up Effects Crew — Charles E. Parker Boom Operator —Ken Nightingall Assistant Sound Editors — Samuel C. Crutcher, Cathy McKelvey Sound Effects Editor — Richard L. Anderson Sound Engineer — Jack Snyder Foley Artist — Kitty Malone Sound Recordist — Michael Galloway Re-recording Mixers — James A. Corbett Orchestral Contractor — Sandy DeCrescent First Assistant Camera — Peter Taylor Second Assistant Camera — Madelyn Most Scenic Artist — Dixie Dean Production Assistants — Peter Kohn Gaffer — Maurice Gillett Best Boy — Terry Lewis Grip — Michael E. Matteson Supervising Electrician — Steve Birtles Electrician — Peter Bloor Clapper Loader — Jamie Harcourt Set Designer —Steve Cooper Set Rigger — Ronald Lenoir Prop Men —Jim Marlow, John Chisholm Props — Gerry Bourke, Kieron McNamara Art Department Production Assistant — Aaron L. Lucas Scenic Plasterer/Mold Maker — Allan Croucher Draughtsman — Peter Childs Chargehand Carpenter — Alan Booth Carpenters — Richard Brown, Laurie Kerr, Tony Musk Stormtrooper Costumes by — Dominic Jack Pizzo Sr. Wardrobe — Babs Gray 2nd Unit First Assistant Director — Gary White Advertising and Publicity Consultant — Stanley Bielecki Marketing Consultants —Craig Miller, Edward Summer Production Driver — Keenan Haight Animal Supervisor (Gentle Jungle) — Ralph Helfer Miscellaneous Crew — James Harris Ultra High Speed Photography — Bruce Hill Matte Painter — Chris Silagyi Model Builders — Aaron Haye Modeler — Amy Young Lightsaber Animation by —Nelson Shin Effects Animation — Kathi Castillo, Allen Gonzales, Barry Nolan, Nina Saxon Visual Effects — Les Bowie Visual Effects Production Assistant — Denise Shurtleff Damage Artist/Supervisor — Rejyna Douglass-Whitman Optical Effects Lineup and Plotting (Ray Mercer & Co.) — Dave Gregory Special Edition Digital Mix Technician — Steve Kinsey Production Controller —Kathryn Farrar Scanning Operator (ILM) — Todd Mitchell Color Timer — Jim Passon Machine Room Operators — Fred Clemons, David E. Turner DTS Sound Consultant — Brian Slack Industrial Light and Magic Additional Footage Photographer and Additional Material Editing — Brian Q. Kelley Digital Compositor — Olivier Sarda Digital Matte Artists —Ronn Brown Senior Digital Effects Artist (ILM) — Tom Martinek Digital Effects Artists (Pacific Title Digital) — Jennifer Law-Stump, Jeff Wells Digital Paint and Roto Lead (ILM) — Beth D'Amato Inferno Artist (ILM) — Sheena Duggal Digital Effects Resource Assistant (ILM) — Daniel Brimer Senior Staff (ILM) —Jim Morris

Special thanks

The producers wish to thank the government ofTunisia, theInstitute of Anthropology and History of Guatemala, and theNational Park Service,U.S. Department of the Interior for their cooperation.

Appearances