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Conceived
by George Lucas, Star Wars is a culmination of science fiction and fantasy mixed together to
form three parts: "Star Wars--A New Hope" (1977), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), and "Return
of the Jedi" (1983)." All of which debuted with tremendous popularity and wide known success
for their excellent cast of characters, special effects, and plot settings. The trilogy was
also nominated for numerous Oscars.
Through the years, Star Wars has grown to a new level of film entertainment and creativity, and recently, in 1997,
George Lucas produced a "Special Edition trilogy" in which he and his team added new scenes,
sound, and lighting to the originals.
From the classic tale of the Hero's Journey, (As created by Joseph Cambell), Star Wars is a
prime example of a mythological quest created for a new level of setting, known as space. With
the opening scene, it immediately tells us of galactic civil war and upheaval. The Empire (The
central force of the galaxy) rules with tyranny and dictates all facets of life which young
Skywalker and his band of Rebels fight against. As the main hero, Luke must venture into this
quest, and restore freedom and prosperity to the galaxy. And in the midst of his adventure,
he meets up with a powerful leader of the Empire, (Darth Vader) and learns a dreadful truth...
A truth that he can't yet imagine... Not only is Luke fighting for the defeat of the Empire,
but also complete his Jedi training and save his his father from the clutches of the Dark Side.
1977's Star Wars, one of the most important and successful films in Hollywood history,
was made for just under $10 million, Star Wars grossed over $400 million globally on just its
initial run alone, creating a cottage industry of toys, comic books and other collectibles
and establishing science fiction as Hollywood's dominant genre.
Spectacular in intrigue, Star Wars remains of the world's most watched films ever!
George Lucas:
Born May 14, 1944 in Modesto, California, George Walton Lucas, Jr.'s first love was not
filmmaking, but auto racing. Only a serious wreck forced him out of the sport, and he
eventually enrolled in the University of Southern California's famed film school program.
There his experimental short subject THX 1138 won a number of awards and helped earn him
an internship at Warner Bros. studios, where he worked as a production assistant on fellow
USC alum Francis Ford Coppola's 1969 effort The Rain People. After working on the Al and
David Maysles Brothers' 1970 Rolling Stones documentary Gimme Shelter Lucas (with Coppola's
financial assistance) mounted a feature-length remake of THX 1138. The end result, starring
Robert Duvall, won rave reviews, and swiftly established itself as a major cult favourite.
The success of THX 1138 brought Lucas to the attention of Universal Studios, which agreed
to finance 1973's nostalgic American Graffiti, a superb reminiscence on early-1960s America
which launched the motion-picture careers of talents including Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard
and Harrison Ford. Even more important was the film's soundtrack, a collection of vintage
rock 'n' roll hits which became an immediate best seller and established the formula for
movie soundtracks for decades to come. Shot on a miniscule budget, American Graffiti
grossed over $145 million, and earned a number of Academy Award nominations including
nods for "Best Picture" and "Best Original Screenplay." Suddenly, Lucas was a major
Hollywood player, and he was given much greater latitude and support in developing
his next project.
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