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Star Wars (film): the story on HearLore | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Genesis And Development —
Star Wars (film).
~11 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
George Lucas conceived a space opera in 1971, shortly after finishing his first feature film THX 1138. He initially planned to adapt the Flash Gordon serials but found the rights already owned by producer Dino De Laurentiis. Lucas then traced the concept back to Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars series and Edwin Arnold's Gulliver on Mars. By January 1973, he began working full-time on what would become Star Wars. He created odd names for characters and places before settling on the final script. A two-page synopsis titled Journal of the Whills chronicled CJ Thorpe, an apprentice Jedi-Bendu trained by Mace Windy. This early draft proved too complex, so Lucas wrote a 13-page treatment called The Star Wars on the 17th of April 1973. The screenplay drew narrative parallels from Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film The Hidden Fortress. United Artists declined to fund the project despite Lucas's success with American Graffiti. Universal Pictures also refused to finance it due to doubts about his ability to execute the vision. Francis Ford Coppola brought the idea to Paramount's Directors Company, but Peter Bogdanovich and William Friedkin turned it down. Walt Disney Productions rejected the pitch as well. Twentieth Century-Fox finally accepted the project in June 1973. Studio president Alan Ladd Jr. invested $150,000 to let Lucas write and direct the film. In August 1973, American Graffiti opened to massive success, giving Lucas leverage to renegotiate terms. He gained control over merchandising rights and sequels. By May 1974, he had expanded the treatment into a 132-page rough draft containing elements like the Sith and Death Star. He changed the general Annikin Starkiller into a supporting role and shifted the hero to an adolescent boy named Luke Starkiller. A second draft dated January 1975 introduced the Force and the concept of a Jedi turning to the dark side. This version was over 200 pages long, leading Lucas to split the story across multiple films. The third draft, completed the 1st of August 1975, presented Luke as an only child whose father was already dead. It included most final plot elements with minor character differences. The fourth and final draft, dated the 1st of January 1976, bore the title The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars. Friends Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck helped revise this script before principal photography began in March 1976.
Production Challenges
Principal photography commenced in Chott el Djerid, Tunisia, during March 1976. Production fell behind schedule within the first week due to malfunctioning props and electronic breakdowns. Radio-controlled R2-D2 models functioned poorly on set. The left leg of Anthony Daniels' C-3PO costume shattered, injuring his foot. By the end of his first day, Daniels was covered in scars and scratches from wearing the suit for an entire day. A rare winter rainstorm struck Southern Tunisia, further disrupting filming after two and a half weeks. The crew moved to Elstree Studios in London for interior scenes. Laws in Britain required filming to finish by 5:30 pm unless Lucas was mid-shot. He could request an extra 15 minutes, but requests were usually denied. Most British crew members considered Star Wars a children's film and did not take it seriously. Kenny Baker later confessed he thought the project would fail. Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor broke open walls, ceilings, and floors to place quartz lamps inside the openings. This lighting system allowed shooting in almost any direction without extensive relighting. Filming in Britain took fourteen and a half weeks. Scenes of the rebel base on Yavin 4 were filmed at Tikal, Guatemala, using local Mayan temples. Computer programmer Larry Cuba created the Death Star plans animation using GRASS programming language. It remains the only digital computer animation used in the original version. The visual simulation of Yacin 4 orbiting its mother planet utilized the Scanimate analog computer. All other monitors featured simulated graphics generated via hand-drawn backlit animation. Obi-Wan Kenobi originally survived the script, but Alec Guinness disliked the dialogue so much he allegedly begged Lucas to kill him off. Lucas added the death because the character served no purpose after his duel with Vader. The screenplay initially featured a human Jabba the Hutt, removed due to budget constraints. At Fox, Alan Ladd faced scrutiny over the rising budget. When the team requested more than the $8 million budget, executives grew worried. Kurtz spent two weeks drafting a new budget. With production behind schedule, Ladd gave Lucas one week to finish or face shutdown. The crew split into three units led by Lucas, Kurtz, and Robert Watts. They met the deadline under this new system. Hamill's face became visibly scarred after a car accident, restricting re-shoots featuring Luke. Lucas was diagnosed with hypertension and exhaustion during filming. He was warned to reduce his stress level. The total budget eventually reached $11 million, exceeding the initial $8 million allocation.
Visual Effects Innovation
Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic in 1975 after discovering Fox's visual effects department had shut down. ILM began work on Star Wars in a warehouse in Van Nuys, California. Most visual effects used pioneering digital motion control photography developed by John Dykstra. This technology created the illusion of size by employing small models and slowly moving cameras. The system is now known as the Dykstraflex camera. Lucas wanted an ethereal fairy tale quality combined with an alien look. His first choice for cinematographer was Geoffrey Unsworth, who withdrew to work on A Matter of Time. Gilbert Taylor replaced him after overseeing Dr. Strangelove and A Hard Day's Night. Lucas admired Taylor's eccentrically photographed pictures with strong documentary flavor. Disputes arose between Lucas and Taylor over lighting suggestions. Taylor rejected Lucas's specific instructions and sometimes moved lights himself. Fox executives complained about the soft-focus style, causing Taylor to change his approach. Kurtz noted that Lucas's inability to delegate stemmed from directing low-budget films. ILM spent half its budget on four shots Lucas deemed unacceptable. With hundreds of shots remaining, the company finished a year's work in six months. To inspire the team, Lucas spliced clips of aerial dogfights from old war films. These kinetic segments helped visualize scenes like space battles. The Death Star explosion was created by Bruce Logan and pyrotechnics expert Joe Viskocil. Logan pointed a high-speed camera upward at miniature bombs composed of black powder, gasoline, titanium chips, and napalm. The camera sat behind plywood with a hole cut for the lens and glass covering it. The Academy granted a Scientific and Engineering Award to John Dykstra, Alvah J. Miller, and Jerry Jeffress for developing the Dykstraflex system.
Sound Design Legacy
Sound designer Ben Burtt created an organic soundtrack library for the film. Blaster sounds were made by modifying noise from a steel cable struck while under tension. Lightsaber effects combined the hum of movie projector motors with interference from a television set on a shieldless microphone. Burtt discovered this interference accidentally while searching for buzzing sparks. Chewbacca speech blended sounds from four bears, a badger, a lion, a seal, and a walrus. Vader's breathing noise came from breathing through a scuba regulator mask. This process inspired the idea that Vader was a burn victim. The film mixed in a new six-track stereo layout called baby boom developed by Dolby Laboratories. Vocals consolidated to the center channel while side channels enhanced deep bass effects. Lucas initially planned to use pre-existing music but hired John Williams as consultant. Williams convinced him an original score would be preferable. The Main Title Theme drew inspiration from Erich Wolfgang Korngold's 1942 Kings Row theme. Dune Sea of Tatooine music reflected Alessandro Cicognini's Bicycle Thieves score from 1948. Over twelve days in March 1977, Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra recorded the Star Wars score. The soundtrack released as a double LP in 1977 via 20th Century Fox Records. In 2005, the American Film Institute chose the Star Wars soundtrack as the best film score of all time. Ben Burtt received a Special Achievement Academy Award for his groundbreaking audio work.
Marketing And Release Strategy
A logo commissioned from Dan Perri featured block-capital letters filled with stars leaning toward a vanishing point. Perri designed it to follow the same perspective as the opening text crawl. Ultimately, this logotype did not appear in the film's opening sequence. It was used widely in pre-release print advertising and on cinema marquees. The selected on-screen logo originated in a promotional brochure distributed by Fox in 1976. Art director Suzy Rice created an outlined Helvetica Black typeface modified per Lucas's request. Kurtz flattened the pointed tips of the letter W before selecting Rice's composition over Perri's design. ILM artist Joe Johnston stacked the two words to create the final graphic. For US release, Fox contracted Smolen, Smith and Connolly to produce a poster. Freelance artist Tom Jung created Style A depicting Luke brandishing a lightsaber above his head. Leia stood slightly below him while Vader's helmet loomed behind them. Some executives found this too dark and commissioned Brothers Hildebrandt to modify it for UK release. Style B appeared on British billboards until replaced by Chantrell's Style C version two months later. Fox gave Star Wars little marketing support beyond licensed T-shirts and posters. Marketing director Charley Lippincott secured deals with Marvel Comics for a comic adaptation and Del Rey Books for a novelization. He promoted the film at San Diego Comic-Con within the science-fiction community. The teaser trailer released in late 1976 featured Malachi Throne as narrator. When submitted to the MPAA rating board, votes split evenly between G and PG. Fox requested the stricter PG rating because they feared teenagers would perceive G as uncool. They also believed the film was too scary for young children. A five-year-old became upset during a preview screening when Darth Vader choked a rebel captain. The board initially chose G but reneged after Fox's request. First public screening occurred the 1st of May 1977, at Northpoint Theatre in San Francisco. Lucas wanted release on Memorial Day weekend to build word-of-mouth among children. Fox set the date for Wednesday, May 25, before the holiday. Very few theaters wanted to show Star Wars. Fox packaged it with The Other Side of Midnight to encourage exhibitors. If a theater showed Midnight, it had to show Star Wars as well. Star Wars debuted in 32 theaters on the 25th of May 1977. Another theater joined Thursday, ten more opened Friday. Lucas forgot the opening day while approving advertising campaigns. His first glimpse of success came that evening when crowds lined up outside Mann's Chinese Theatre.
Cultural Impact And Awards
Star Wars earned over $2.5 million in its first six days including $1.5 million during its first weekend. It ranked number one at the US box office for three weeks. Dethroned by The Deep, it gradually added screens and returned to number one in week seven. It built up to $7-million weekends entering wide release, remaining number one for fifteen weeks. It replaced Jaws as highest-earning film in North America just six months into release. Grossing $221.3 million during initial theatrical run, it became the highest-grossing film worldwide in 1978. Japan grossed $58.4 million making it the biggest international market. Playing in 38 US theaters fourteen months after release, it expanded the 21st of July 1978, to 1,744 theaters setting a new weekend record of $10.2 million. Cumulative domestic gross reached over $265 million. Re-releases in 1979, 1981, and 1982 brought total US and Canada earnings to $323 million. Global earnings extended to $530 million. Star Wars became first film to gross $500 million worldwide until E.T. set new record in 1983. The Special Edition re-release grossed $138.3 million domestically reclaiming all-time number one rank. Total global gross exceeded $775 million. Adjusted for inflation, it ranks second at North American box office behind Gone with the Wind. Critical response varied initially but grew overwhelmingly positive. Roger Ebert called it an out-of-body experience while Vincent Canby described it as most elaborate movie serial ever made. A.D. Murphy claimed Lucas succeeded creating biggest possible adventure fantasy based on childhood serials. Pauline Kael wrote that Star Wars lacked emotional grip yet predicted it would become classic. In UK, Barry Norman called it sublime family entertainment combining romantic adventure themes. Time named Star Wars Movie of Year the 30th of May 1977 calling it grand and glorious film possibly smash hit of 1977. It won six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Alec Guinness, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. Ben Burtt received Special Achievement Award while Dykstra team earned Scientific Engineering Award. Two BAFTA Awards and thirteen Saturn Awards followed. The soundtrack added to National Recording Registry in 2004. United States Library of Congress selected it among first films preserved in National Film Registry 1989.
When did George Lucas conceive the Star Wars film?
George Lucas conceived a space opera in 1971 shortly after finishing his first feature film THX 1138. He began working full-time on what would become Star Wars by January 1973.
Where was principal photography for Star Wars filmed?
Principal photography commenced in Chott el Djerid Tunisia during March 1976 before moving to Elstree Studios in London for interior scenes. Scenes of the rebel base on Yavin 4 were filmed at Tikal Guatemala using local Mayan temples.
Who created the visual effects technology used in Star Wars?
John Dykstra developed pioneering digital motion control photography known as the Dykstraflex camera system. The Academy granted a Scientific and Engineering Award to John Dykstra Alvah J. Miller and Jerry Jeffress for this development.
What date did Star Wars have its first public screening?
The first public screening occurred the 1st of May 1977 at Northpoint Theatre in San Francisco. Fox set the official release date for Wednesday May 25 before the holiday when it debuted in 32 theaters.
How much money did Star Wars earn during its initial theatrical run?
Star Wars grossed $221.3 million during its initial theatrical run becoming the highest-grossing film worldwide in 1978. Cumulative domestic gross reached over $265 million while global earnings extended to $530 million.