Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (TCF, 1977), Fourth Draft Production Script. ...

Description

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (TCF, 1977), Fourth Draft Production Script. Vintage original revised fourth draft The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as Taken from the "Journal of the Whills," (Saga I): Star Wars script, written by George Lucas and dated March 15, 1976. The script comes in an orange three-ring binder with a triangular "The Star Wars" sticker on the front pocket, designed by Ralph McQuarrie. The script is 156 pages long and has blue revision inserts dated April 19, 1976, and one yellow page insert dated March 15, 1976. In the transition from the third to the fourth draft of his screenplay, George Lucas made significant changes that profoundly shaped the narrative. He changed the desert planet's name from "Utapau" to "Tatooine," added the now-famous opening "A long time ago," and included a new scene where R2-D2 displays a hologram of Princess Leia for General Ben Kenobi. Influenced by Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey," Lucas adjusted the script to emphasize fate's role in propelling Luke Skywalker towards his destiny. This revision added pivotal events like the Empire's slaughter of the Jawas, the deaths of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, and key scenes involving the Millennium Falcon, Luke and Leia's daring escape, and the destruction of Alderaan. Lucas refined Ben Kenobi's character, moving away from the concept of a half-mechanical Jedi and highlighting his mission. Another significant addition was Luke's decision to disable his targeting computer, enhancing the narrative's clarity and focus as an adventure story. This draft also expanded the scene where Luke meets Biggs Darklighter and introduced Deak and Windy, characters initially considered for Luke and Leia's names, though their roles were minimized. The script, which was once in the possession of Bunny Alsup, assistant to Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz, shows signs of production use, including blue ink corrections and a misspelled "Senator Leia Organa." Binder measures approx. 9" x 12" with 8.5" x 11" hole-punched pages within. The binder has rubbing, ink marks, and wear from age, and the script exhibits some production wear, loose pages and slight fraying along the right edges of some pages.

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