Star Wars Saturdays: The original "Star Wars" remains perfect 47 years on
AKA "A New Hope," and great whatever the title
On Saturdays, we’re going through the entire STAR WARS saga in episodic order, a series that will include a number of pieces that have never appeared online before taken from my book 200 Reviews, available now in Paperback or on Kindle (which you should really consider buying, because it’s an awesome collection!).
We continue today with the first film in the original trilogy, the movie known to some as A NEW HOPE, but to snobs like me simply as STAR WARS - and today, May 25th, is in fact the film’s 47th anniversary, as it opened this day in 1977. Enjoy…
Star Wars
1977, Dir. George Lucas
Originally published July 19th, 2012
In the history of cinema, there are few films we may call ‘perfect,’ and the original Star Wars is one of them. It succeeds spectacularly by every critical standard used to judge filmmaking, and back in 1977, it created a few more standards all future sci-fi, adventure, and blockbuster films would be beholden to.
From the moment we enter this galaxy far, far away, it feels like a wholly realized, three-dimensional creation, a world far different from our own yet no less palpable. Within this world, George Lucas tells a story as old as time – a boy leaving home to embark on his journey to manhood – with such energy and flawless execution that the basic hero’s journey is made new again. Each member of the vast cast of characters is just as interesting and endearing as the next, and they all play an essential part in the ongoing conflict. Not a single element is out of line: there are no extraneous scenes, no unnecessary characters or subplots, no poor directorial choices, no misplaced musical cues, etc. This is a wonderful story told to perfection, and it holds up just as well today as it did over forty years ago.
That last bit is one of the most amazing things about the film. The story it tells really is just the basic hero’s journey, and after the film broke all box office records in 1977, the formula was popularized and repeated hundreds of times. Yet few, if any, films tell that story better than Star Wars, and even fewer movies boast such a fascinating, engaging setting. That is why Star Wars stands the test of time, and that is why it remains entertaining no matter how many times it is revisited.
As indicated by the phrase “Episode IV,” appended to the title in subsequent re-releases, George Lucas opens the film by dropping viewers into the middle of a longstanding conflict, and he never once pauses for formal exposition, except perhaps when Ben Kenobi tells Luke about the Jedi Order. The audience is expected to learn the intricacies of this universe through immersion, and that’s what makes things so exciting right off the bat. We want to discover why Princess Leia is so desperate to hide stolen plans inside this strange little droid; we’re desperate to learn about this mysterious empire Darth Vader represents and the opposing rebellion; as soon as Obi-Wan utters the word ‘Jedi,’ we crave more information, and when given glimpses of new locations throughout the universe, from the Mos Eisley Cantina to the Rebel base on the moon of Yavin, we want to spend more time exploring this fantastic universe.
Could there possibly be a better set of characters to take us on this journey? We can all relate to Luke Skywalker, frustrated teenage farm boy desiring more out of life; we would all like the sort of father/mentor figure he finds in old Ben Kenobi; and there are few who would deny a loyal best friend like Chewbacca. There’s Han Solo, the dashing, rebellious rogue who doesn’t care about anything but money, yet clearly has a heart of gold, and Princess Leia, a strong-willed and determined young woman who blasts away every fragment of the typical ‘damsel-in-distress’ archetype. Darth Vader, meanwhile, may be greatest screen villain of all-time, and whose heart isn’t warmed by the antics of R2-D2 and C-3PO? All the performances are fantastic, though none may be quite so memorable as Alec Guinness, who probably does more than any other actor to give this story a sense of weight, mysticism, and significance.
Every character has an arc, and each arc is fulfilled in a spectacularly satisfying way. I have seen Star Wars dozens of times, and I still can’t decide which moment is more fulfilling: Luke putting away his targeting computer to take control of the force and his destiny, or Han coming back to save him at the last minute. There is perhaps no greater indicator of how well Lucas develops these characters than the moment when R2-D2 returns from battle broken and charred, and like C-3PO, we find ourselves hoping against hope that our little robot buddy will be all right.
It is said that music too can be an integral and unforgettable character, but the concept has never held quite as much sway as it does in Star Wars. John Williams gifted Lucas with what may be the single best score in the history of blockbuster cinema, a bold work of art that stands on its own as a powerful symphony. Williams’ mastery and deployment of themes and motifs is at its absolute height here, and the in-between moments, the less iconic bits of score, are just as beautiful and thrilling. Through his music, Williams completes the story of the movie, making many of the emotions and culminating moments possible. And this was all before he even came up with the Imperial March.
When Luke taps into the force, Ben tells him he’s taken his “first step into a larger world.” For many cinephiles, Star Wars was that first step. It opens one’s imagination to the vast possibilities of filmmaking, and my appreciation of the medium would be incomplete without it.
We also devoted an entire episode to STAR WARS on The Weekly Stuff Podcast a few years back, so here is that episode again for posterity’s sake:
All STAR WARS SATURDAYS Pieces:
Read the book 200 Reviews by Jonathan R. Lack in Paperback or on Kindle
Subscribe to The Weekly Stuff Podcast on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts!
Like anime? Listen to the podcast I host with Sean Chapman, JAPANIMATION STATION, where we review all sorts of anime every week. Watch on YouTube or Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.