STAR WARS (1977)

Star Wars (1977) Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a wookiee and two droids to save the universe from the Empire's world-destroying battle-station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the evil Darth Vader. (http://www.imdb.com/)




Origin

Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. In the film, a group of freedom fighters known as the Rebel Alliance plot to destroy the Death Star space station. This conflict disrupts the isolated life of Luke Skywalker who must save the galaxy and along the way fall in love with his sister. The film is based on the plot outline of a Japenese action movie named The Hidden Fortress, and the 1930s Flash Gordon series.




Purpose

Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic specifically to create the groundbreaking visual effects needed for the film. Most of the visual effects used motion control photography, which creates the illusion of size by employing small models and slowly moving cameras. (http://en.wikipedia.org/) Which was very new and innovative of the time. The movie was made because of Lucas' long time idea of a space fantasy film. The franchise went on to grow bigger and bigger, producing multiple sequels and prequels and still has a gigantic fanbase. The trailer for the movie is below.






Value

This film is a great example of movies furing the 70's. Films during this decade are very much like movies now in terms of cinematic aspects and technology. Lots of special effects were used in the making of this movie. This movie is the best expression of the time period because of it's relevance in today's society. It's the most iconic film of the decade. The film was the highest grossing of all time until E.T. in 1983.




Limitations

There is nothing that this movie can't tell us about the time period. While most people praised Star Wars, some critics have blamed Star Wars, as well as Jaws, for ruining Hollywood by shifting its focus from "sophisticated" films such as The Godfather, Taxi Driver, and Annie Hall to films about spectacle and juvenile fantasy. These voices are not illustrated by the movie. This movie was unusual to come upon during the time because it introduced a new era of fast paced, sci fi, blockbuster hits.