WikipediaExtracts:Star Wars (film)

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\n","href":"./Template:Infobox_film"},"params":{"image":{"wt":"StarWarsMoviePoster1977.jpg"},"alt":{"wt":"Film poster showing Luke Skywalker holding a lightsaber in the air, Princess Leia kneeling beside him, and R2-D2 and C-3PO behind them. A figure of the head of Darth Vader and the Death Star with several starfighters heading towards it are shown in the background. Atop the image is the tagline \"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away{{nbsp}}...\" On the bottom right is the film's logo, and the credits and the production details below that."},"caption":{"wt":"Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung"},"director":{"wt":"George Lucas"},"producer":{"wt":"Gary Kurtz"},"writer":{"wt":"George Lucas"},"starring":{"wt":"<!-- Credits per the poster only. All other additions will be reverted. --> {{Plainlist|\n* Mark Hamill\n* Harrison Ford\n* Carrie Fisher\n* Peter Cushing\n* Alec Guinness\n}}"},"music":{"wt":"John Williams"},"cinematography":{"wt":"Gilbert Taylor"},"editing":{"wt":"{{Plain list|\n* Paul Hirsch\n* Marcia Lucas\n* Richard Chew\n}}"},"studio":{"wt":"Lucasfilm Ltd."},"distributor":{"wt":"Twentieth Century-Fox <!-- Please do not change or add Disney. This article describes the arrangements in 1977. The studio was called Twentieth Century-Fox (not 20th Century-Fox), and the name was hyphenated until 1984 and so is correct for a 1977 release. -->"},"released":{"wt":"{{Film date|1977|5|25}}"},"runtime":{"wt":"121 minutes<!-- Theatrical runtime: 120:50 --><ref>{{cite web|title=Star Wars|url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/star-wars-film%7Cpublisher=British Board of Film Classification |access-date=May 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127084310/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/star-wars-film |archive-date=January 27, 2016 }}</ref>"},"country":{"wt":"United States<ref name=\"BFI\">{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b738e6d%7Ctitle=Star Wars (1977)|work=British Film Institute|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709094937/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b738e6d |archive-date=July 9, 2017}}</ref>"},"language":{"wt":"English"},"budget":{"wt":"$11 million<ref name=\"BOM\" /><ref name=\"Budget\">{{cite web|url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/5875998/behold-the-1977-budget-breakdown-for-star-wars%7Ctitle=Behold, the 1977 budget breakdown for Star Wars|first=Cyriaque|last=Lamar|work=io9|date=January 13, 2012 |access-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306124631/http://io9.gizmodo.com/5875998/behold-the-1977-budget-breakdown-for-star-wars%7Carchive-date=March 6, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>"},"gross":{"wt":"$775.4 million<ref name=\"BOM\" />"}},"i":0}}]}' id="mwDQ">

Star Wars (later retitled as Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. Produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox, it is the first film in the Star Wars franchise and the fourth chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". Set in a fictional galaxy ruled by the tyrannical Galactic Empire, the film follows a resistance movement called the Rebel Alliance that aims to destroy the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star. When the rebel leader Princess Leia is captured by the Galactic Empire, Luke Skywalker acquires stolen architectural plans for the Death Star and sets out to rescue her while learning the ways of a metaphysical power known as "the Force" from the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. The film stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, and James Earl Jones.

Lucas had the idea for a science fiction film in the vein of Flash Gordon around the time he completed his first film, THX 1138 (1971), and he began working on a treatment after completing American Graffiti (1973). After numerous rewrites, principal photography began in March 1976 in locations including Tunisia and Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England. Lucas formed the visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic to help create the film's visual effects. Star Wars suffered production difficulties: the cast and crew believed the film would be a failure, and it went $3 million over budget due to delays.

Few were confident in the film's box office prospects. It was released in a small number of theaters in the United States on May 25, 1977, and quickly became a surprise blockbuster, leading to it being expanded to a much wider release. Star Wars opened to critical acclaim, with particular praise for its special effects. It grossed $410 million worldwide during its initial run, surpassing Jaws (1975) to become the highest-grossing film until the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); subsequent releases have brought its total gross to $775 million. When adjusted for inflation, Star Wars is the second-highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada (behind Gone with the Wind) and the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time. It received six Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and thirteen Saturn Awards, among others. The film has been reissued many times with Lucas' support, including the 1981 reissue giving the film the subtitle Episode IV – A New Hope, and the 1997 "Special Edition". The reissues have contained many changes, including new scenes, visual effects, and dialogue.

Often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films of all time, Star Wars quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, launching an industry of tie-in products, including novels, comics, video games, amusement park attractions and merchandise such as toys, games, and clothing. It became one of the first 25 films selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1989, and its soundtrack was added to the U.S. National Recording Registry in 2004. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) followed Star Wars, rounding out the original Star Wars trilogy. A prequel trilogy and a sequel trilogy have since been released, in addition to various spin-off films and television series.

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