Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker

Directed by: George Lucas

Screenplay by: George Lucas, Jonathan Hales

Release Date: May 25th, 1977.

Duration: 1 hrs. 45 min.

MPAA Rating: PG (for -fi violence, brief mild language)

Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox

Episodes: Episode I Episode II Episode III Episode IV Episode V Episode VI

Full Synopsis

Luke Skywalker stays with his foster aunt and uncle on a farm on Tatooine. He is desperate to get off this planet and get to the Academy like his friends, but his uncle needs him for the next harvest. Meanwhile, an evil emperor has taken over the galaxy, and has constructed a formidable "Death Star" capable of destroying whole planets.

Princess Leia, a leader in the resistance movement, acquires plans of the Death Star, places them in R2D2, a droid, and sends him off to find Obi-Wan Kenobi. Before he finds him, R2D2 ends up on Skywalkers' farm with his friend C3PO. R2 then wanders into the desert, and when Luke follows, they eventually come across Obi-Wan. Will Luke, Obi-Wan, and the two droids be able to destroy the Death Star, or will the Emperor rule forever?

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.