| Star Wars | |
|---|---|
 An original 1983 North American theatrical film poster created from 1977 concept art | |
| Directed by | George Seaton |
| Produced by | Gary Kurtz |
| Screenplay | George Lucas George Seaton |
| Cinematography | Gilbert Taylor, BSC |
| Music by | John Williams |
| Studio | Universal Studios |
| Distributor | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | 25 May 1983 |
| Running time | Original: 121 minutes |
| Country | United States Florida |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $25,103,007 |
Star Wars is a film made by Universal Studios. It was directed by George Seaton, who died during production. The film got very mixed reviews and managed to barely break even.
Synopsis[]
A drawing of Darth Vader as he appears in the movie.
The film opens with a Republic Cruiser, carrying First Lady Leia Johnson, being ambushed by unknown forces. Darth Vader, a Nazi-like general dressed in a crisp, grey uniform, boards the cruiser and takes Leia hostage. He makes a broadcast directed to the 'President of the Republic', demanding his full surrender.
It then cuts to Luke Skywalker, a poor boy living on a farm, on his eighteenth birthday. His uncle, Lando, gives him a gift: a rare and valuable laser-sword. He tells Luke a story about his real father, which is interrupted by a Jedi ship landing outside. They come and announce that Luke has been accepted into the Jedi Academy. That comes to a surprise for the young farm boy.
At the Academy, Luke is trained to become a master soldier. He also makes friends with one of his instructors, Captain Wedge. Luke learns about the history of the Republic, guarded by the elite Jedi Warriors. They've been at war for years with the evil, fascist Empire, led by an Emperor hidden away behind a dark, metallic suit and mask. He also learns about the war hero Obi S. Columbus, who won the first war with the Empire singlehandedly before disappearing for almost nineteen years.
At training, Luke proves himself to be an expert laser-swordsman. He's so good the Master Jedi, Goda, investigates personally and makes an extraordinary discovery: Luke Skywalker is Columbus's son.
Meanwhile, Darth has taken Leia aboard the Death Star, a massive space station. She used as forced labor, producing ammunition for the Empire's war machine. After distracting the guards, Leia manages to contact the Republic and ask for help. Goda organizes a task force, led by Captain Han Solo (pronounced like "hand", rhymes with ban) and Chewbacca, a reptilian alien. Han recruits Luke as part of his squad.
Imperial special forces soldier during the assault on the Death Star.
Han and Chewbacca lead a charge into the Death Star to rescue the First Lady, while Luke is part of Captain Wedge's group trying to take down the Death Star from the outside. Inside, Han finds special forces guards under the command of Darth. Darth tells them to kill Han and Chewbacca, before climbing into his own ship.
Wedge finds a weakness in the Death Star's hull and takes Luke along with him. However, Darth chases them in his own ship and shoots down Wedge, killing him. Luke is horrified and immediately rushes to the weakness. He fires a missile into it, causing the Death Star to explode, taking Darth Vader with it. Han manages to take down the special forces and rescue Leia just in the nick of time.
When they return to the Jedi capital, they are greeted by the President and Goda, who gives them a medal for their bravery. Luke is made a Jedi Warrior and the Empire is weakened. It ends with the words, "To be continued..."
Cast[]
- Sylvester Stallone as Luke Skywalker
Concept art for the character of Chewbacca.
- ??? as Leia Johnson
- Samuel L. Jackson as Han Solo
- ??? as Chewbacca
- Sean Connery as Darth Vader
- John Payne as Captain Wedge
- Donald Sutherland as Goda
- Dean Martin as Lando
- Major-General William Thaddeus as Obi S. Columbus (flashback only)
- ??? as the President
Reception[]
The film received mixed reviews. Robert Ebert of Chicago in particular disliked the film, calling its special effects "cheesy" and the story "lackluster at best". The film cost nearly $15 million to produce and just barely broke even.
Planned Sequels[]
Gary Kurtz said in an interview that Universal had plans for sequels, but they were scrapped because of the film's low profit. He wouldn't divulge what was in the script, but he did say that it "would reveal something big about Luke's father". In 1992, a sequel was announced, see below.
Texan Censorship[]
The government of Texas made threats to Universal that the film would not be released in Texas without permission for the government to alter the movie to 'promote Texan values'. Upon release, an edited version was created without the permission of the studio. It removed any moral ambiguity from the republic and making the symbolism with the Texan republic obvious.
However, the original continued to be screened underground by critics of the government. It has become a cult classic.
Japan[]
The Japanese Government had banned the film as there is much Anti-American sentiment within the nation. As such, it is not shown in theatres and selling copies of the film is also banned. Attempting to bring or selling the film into Japan will result in a 25,000 Yen fine and the film being confiscated and being sent back to the United States.
Northern California[]
In 1984, after foiling a coup, and signing the National Security Enabling act into law, President, later Caudillo Louis Pittankel released a heavily-edited version of Star Wars in theaters, with the Empire as the metaphor to the regime and a victorious Darth Vader to himself, in an effort to glorify his cult of personality, and increase morale. However, the original version was released in areas controlled by the rebels. Attempting to bring or selling the original film into the country will be charged with treason against the regime, and punishable by death.
Sequel[]
In 1992, Universal Studios announced a sequel to Star Wars called Star Wars 2: Revenge of the Jedi. The film will be directed by Sam Raimi. Samuel L. Jackson, Sylvester Stallone, and Donald Sutherland will be reprising their roles, and it will be released on the tenth anniversary of the original film. This announcement was met with much surprise and happiness, especially in Dinetah, where several die-hard Star Wars fans live, and have never seen Star Wars in Dinetan theaters.
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