Harrison Ford

American film actor Harrison Ford (1942) specialises in roles of cynical, world-weary heroes in popular film series. He played Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise, archaeologist Indiana Jones in a series of four adventure films, Rick Deckard in the Science Fiction films Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and secret agent Jack Ryan in the spy thrillers Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). These film roles have made him one of the most successful stars in Hollywood. His films have grossed about $5.4 billion in the United States and $9.3 billion worldwide.


French postcard by Editions F. Nugeron in the Signes du zodiaque series, no. 17. Harrison Ford - Cancer. Photo: Harrison Ford in Witness (Peter Weir, 1985).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-527. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977). Caption: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo.


Italian postcard. Photo: Warner Bros. Harrison Ford in Blade Runner - The Final Cut (Ridley Scott, 1981). In 2007, Ridley Scott released Blade Runner: The Final Cut, digitally remastered with improved visual and sound effects, and numerous revisions to the 1992 Director's Cut. Caption: 'Replicants are like any other machine: they can be an advantage or a risk', Deckard.


West-German postcard by G. Barth, Frankfurt, no. GB 69. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984).


French postcard, Ref. 973.


French postcard by Editions Nugeron, no. Star 206. Photo: Lucasfilm. Sean Connery and Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989).

One of the most successful and groundbreaking films of all time

Harrison Ford was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1942. His parents were former radio actress Dorothy (née Nidelman) and advertising executive and former actor John William "Christopher" Ford.

Harrison graduated in 1960 from Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. His voice was the first student voice broadcast on his high school's new radio station, WMTH, and he was its first sportscaster during his senior year. He attended Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, where he was a philosophy major and did some acting.

After dropping out of college, he first wanted to work as a DJ in radio and left for California to work at a large national radio station. He was unable to find work and, to make a living, he accepted a job as a carpenter. Another part-time job was auditioning, where he had to read out lines that the opposing actor would say to an actor auditioning for a particular role. Harrison did this so well that he was advised to take up acting.

He was also briefly a roadie for the rock group The Doors. From 1964, Ford regularly played bit roles in films. He was finally credited as "Harrison J. Ford" in the Western A Time for Killing (Phil Karlson, 1967), starring Glenn Ford, George Hamilton, and Inger Stevens. The "J" did not stand for anything since he has no middle name but was added to avoid confusion with a silent film actor named Harrison Ford, who appeared in more than 80 films between 1915 and 1932 and died in 1957. French filmmaker Jacques Demy chose Ford for the lead role of his first American film, Model Shop (1969). Still, the head of Columbia Pictures thought Ford had "no future" in the film business and told Demy to hire a more experienced actor. The part eventually went to Gary Lockwood.

He had an uncredited, non-speaking role in Michelangelo Antonioni's film Zabriskie Point (1970) as an arrested student protester. His first major role was in the coming-of-age comedy American Graffiti (George Lucas, 1973). Ford became friends with the directors George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola and made several films with them. In 1974, he acted in The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974) starring Gene Hackman, and played an army officer named "G. Lucas" in Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979, co-produced by George Lucas.

Ford made his breakthrough as Han Solo in Lucas's epic space opera Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977). Star Wars became one of the most successful and groundbreaking films ever, bringing widespread recognition for Ford and his co-stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. He reprised the role in four sequels over the next 42 years: Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980), Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983), Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens (J. J. Abrams, 2015), and Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (J.J. Abrams, 2019).


French postcard by Studio Erving, Paris, no. 696. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


West-German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Münder, no. SW 4.082, 1997. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


West-German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Münder, no. SW 4.039, 1995. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


West-German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Münder, no. SW 0.0226, 1997. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


West-German postcard by G. Barth, Frankfurt, no. GB 66. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981).


British postcard by Santoro Graphics, London, no C212. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd., 1984. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984).

A heroic, globe-trotting archaeologist

Harrison Ford also worked with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg on the successful Indiana Jones adventure series playing the heroic, globe-trotting archaeologist Indiana Jones. The series started with the action-adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981). Like Star Wars, the film was massively successful. It became the highest-grossing film of the year. Ford went on to reprise the role throughout the rest of the decade in the prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984), and the sequel Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989), which co-starred Sean Connery as Indy's father, Henry Jones Sr. and River Phoenix as young Indiana.

In between the successful film series, Ford played daring roles in more artistic films. He played the role of a lonely depressed detective in the Sci-Fi film Blade Runner, (Ridley Scott, 1981) opposite Rutger Hauer. While not initially a success, Blade Runner became a cult classic and one of Ford's most highly regarded films. Ford received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for the crime drama Witness (Peter Weir, 1985) with Kelly McGillis, and also starred for Weir as a house father in the survival drama The Mosquito Coast (Peter Weir, 1986) with River Phoenix as his son. In 1988, he played a desperate man searching for his kidnapped wife in Roman Polanski's Frantic. Ford received some of the best reviews of his career for his role as a wrongly accused prisoner Dr. Richard Kimble in the action thriller The Fugitive (Andrew Davis, 1993), also starring Tommy Lee Jones.

Ford became the second of five actors to portray Jack Ryan in two films of the film series based on the literary character created by Tom Clancy: the spy thrillers Patriot Games (Phillip Noyce, 1992) and Clear and Present Danger (Phillip Noyce, 1994). He then played the American president in the blockbuster Air Force One (Wolfgang Petersen, 1997) opposite Gary Oldman. Later his success waned somewhat and his films Random Hearts (Sydney Pollack, 1999) and Six Days Seven Nights (Ivan Reitman, 1998) disappointed at the box office. However, he did play a few special roles, such as an assassin in the supernatural horror-thriller What Lies Beneath (Robert Zemeckis, 2000) opposite Michele Pfeiffer, and a Russian submarine captain in K-19: The Widowmaker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2002) with Liam Neeson.

In 2008, he reprised his role as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Steven Spielberg, 2008) with Cate Blanchett. The film received positive reviews and was the second highest-grossing film worldwide in 2008. Later Ford accepted more supporting roles, such as in the sports film 42 (Brian Helgeland, 2013) about baseball player Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), the first black athlete to play in Major League Baseball. Ford reprised the role of Han Solo in the long-awaited Star Wars sequel Star Wars: The Force Awakens (J.J. Abrams, 2015), which became massively successful like its predecessors. He also reprised his role as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve, 2017), co-starring Ryan Gosling.

Harrison Ford has been married three times and has four biological children and one adopted child. From 1964 to 1979, Ford was married to Mary Marquardt. The marriage produced two children. From 1983 to 2003, he was married to Melissa Mathison. Two children were born from this marriage. In 2010, he married actress Calista Flockhart, famous for her role in the TV series Ally McBeal. He owns a ranch in Jackson Hole (Wyoming). Besides being an actor, Ford is also an experienced pilot. Ford survived three plane crashes of planes he piloted himself. The most recent accident occurred in 2015 when he suffered an engine failure with a Ryan PT-22 Recruit and made an emergency landing on a golf course. Among other injuries, Ford sustained a broken pelvis and ankle from this latest accident. In 2003, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


West-German postcard by G. Barth, Frankfurt, no. GB 60. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984).


West-German postcard by G. Barth, Frankfurt, no. GB 64. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984).


West-German postcard by G. Barth, Frankfurt, no. GB 65. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984).


West-German postcard by G. Barth, Frankfurt, no. GB 67. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984).


French postcard by Editions F. Nugeron, no. E 404. Image: film poster for The Mosquito Coast (Peter Weir, 1986) with Harrison Ford.


French postcard by Editions Nugeron, no. Star 194. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989).


French postcard by Editions Nugeron, no. Star 195. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989).


French postcard by Editions Nugeron, no. Star 196. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989).


French postcard by Editions Nugeron, no. 198. Photo: Lucasfilm. Sean Connery and Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989).


French postcard by Editions Nugeron, no. Star 199. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989).


French postcard by Editions Nugeron, no. Star 202. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989).


Vintage photo with autograph. Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Steven Spielberg, 2008).

Sources: Wikipedia (Dutch and English), and IMDb.

This post was last updated on 31 March 2024.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

In Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980), the adventure continues that started in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977). It is the fifth, but second made, instalment in the Star Wars series. The screenplay was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983) is the flawed, epic conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who was also the executive producer. The film grossed $374 million during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1983. Overall, the film was well-received by critics, but Return of the Jedi is widely considered to be the weakest film in the original trilogy.


French postcard by Studio Erving, Paris, no. 696. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-519. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-062. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Kenny Baker as R2-D2 in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Three years have passed since Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977). In Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980), Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) are now officially members of the Rebels, holed up on the ice planet Hoth.

However, Han is wanted en masse by bounty hunters because of his debt to Jabba the Hutt. Moreover, the Galactic Empire is bent on revenge after the destruction of the Death Star and has launched a massive search for the rebels.

On Hoth, Luke is attacked by a wampa. The latter takes the unconscious Luke to an ice cave, where Luke (having woken up again) cuts off the wampa's arm with his lightsaber and flees outside. At the Rebel Alliance on the same planet, Han notices that Luke is not coming back, and goes looking for him.

While Han is on a quest, Luke sees the ghost of his old teacher Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec McGuinness). The latter tells him to go to the planet Dagobah to look for Yoda, the last surviving Jedi master. He can train Luke further. Then Obi-Wan's ghost disappears and Han arrives. Luke and Han are rescued by a snow speeder, which takes them back to the Rebel Alliance.

The Rebels face an attack by the Imperial forces and its AT-AT walkers and they are brutally overpowered by the Empire. While Han Solo, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) escape in the damaged Millennium Falcon. Luke Skywalker travels with R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) to Dagobah in search of Yoda (voice of Frank Oz).

Only with the Jedi Master's help will Luke survive when the Dark Side of the Force beckons him into the ultimate duel with Darth Vader. Luke begins Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader (David Prowse and the voice of James Earl Jones) and bounty hunter Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch).


Spanish postcard by Memory Card, no. 131. Photo: Lucasfilm LTD. Poster for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980).


Vintage postcard, no. 606. Photo: Lucasfilm LTD. Poster for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980).


Belgian postcard by Mobistar no. 131. Photo: Lucasfilm LTD., 2000. Poster for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980).

A risky move which would later pay off several times over

George Lucas had originally planned to only executive produce and finance Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), leaving the directorial duties in the hands of Irvin Kershner and day-to-day producing duties to Gary Kurtz. Directing Star Wars (1977) had left Lucas exhausted and sick, and he had intended to take time off to start to focus on the expansion of the Lucasfilm company and spending more time with his then-wife Marcia Lucas so that they could start a family and finish construction on Skywalker Ranch.

In order to avoid sharing creative rights, George Lucas decided to avoid using a major studio to finance Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980). Instead, he bankrolled the $18 million production himself, using a combination of his profits from Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) and a bank loan.

Although the move was risky, it would later pay off several times over. However, when production on The Empire Strikes Back (1980) ran over budget and behind schedule, Lucas had to step in and take a more hands-on role, going on location to oversee filming and even directing portions of the film. A disastrous rough cut of the film proved to be incoherent during screenings, and facing the possibility of financial ruin, Lucas then re-edited the film himself with even worse results.

Extensive re-shoots and further post-production effects work put enormous strain on his health, his marriage, and his relationships with Kershner and Kurtz. To preserve the dramatic opening of the Star Wars films, George Lucas insisted on moving all the credits to the end of the film. However, although the Writers' Guild and Directors' Guild had begrudgingly allowed this on Star Wars (1977) because that film wasn't expected to be very successful, they resented the trend being continued on the sequel.

First, they tried to pull the film from release but were unsuccessful. They then fined Lucas heavily and tried to fine Irvin Kershner, but Lucas paid all of the fines himself (nearly $250,000). Lucas then bitterly dropped his membership in the Writers' Guild, Directors' Guild, and the Motion Picture Association of America, a move that has hindered his hiring choices for later films.


American collectors card by Topps Widevision, no. 4. Photo: Lucasfilm LTD. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980). Caption: Ext. Plain of Hoth - Pulling off his protective goggles, Luke Skywalker notices something in the sky. He takes a pair of electrobinoculars from his utility belt and through them sees smoke rising from where the probe droid has crashed. The wind whips at Luke's fur-lined cap as he activates a comlink transmitter.


American collectors card by Topps Widevision, no. 24. Photo: Lucasfilm LTD. The AT-AT walkers in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980). Caption: Ext. Hoth - Ice plain - Battlefield. The battle on Hoth continues to rage. A giant At-At head swivels and figures, striking a snowspeeder and sending it crashing in a ball of flames. Elsewhere, Rebel troops in the snow french fire on the approaching walkers, as snow and ice explode all around them.


American collectors card by Topps Widevision, no. 68. Photo: Lucasfilm LTD. Yoda (with the voice of Frank Oz) in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980). Caption: Ext. Dagobah. Yoda turns to see a huge dead, black tree, its base surrounded by a few feet of water. Giant, twisted roots form a dark and sinister cave on one side. Luke stares at the tree, trembling. "What's in there?" he asks Yoda. "Only what you take with you." Yoda answers.

One of the most expensive films of its day

A new character in Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) was Yoda, originally designed by British make-up artist Stuart Freeborn and voiced by Frank Oz. In the original Star Wars trilogy, he is realised as a puppet, controlled by Oz. The Dagobah set needed to be elevated to give Frank Oz and three other puppeteers room to control the Yoda puppet from below.

For proper interaction, Mark Hamill was given an earpiece so he could hear Oz doing Yoda's voice. On numerous occasions, director Irvin Kershner would give a direction to Yoda by mistake, and Oz would have to remind him who to speak to.

Harrison Ford wanted Han Solo to die at the end of this second film, and he did not want to play the character again. When Star Wars (1977) was made, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill were signed for a three-movie deal, but Ford refused since the character had played his part already in the second film.

Instead of killing off the character, George Lucas had a different idea. He opted for Han to be frozen in carbonite, in case Ford had a change of heart and agreed to return in the third film, the character would be revived. And yes, Han Solo still had a heroic part to play in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983).

Lucas recovered his investment within three months of the release of Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). After the various increases in budget, the film became one of the most expensive of its day and after the bank threatened to pull his loan, George Lucas was forced to approach Twentieth Century Fox. Lucas made a deal with the studio to secure the loan in exchange for paying the studio more money but without the loss of his sequel and merchandising rights.

After the film's box-office success, unhappiness at the studio over the deal's generosity to Lucas caused studio president Alan Ladd, Jr. to quit. Lucas, however, showed gratitude far beyond the Hollywood norm by sharing the profits with his employees (nearly $5 million in bonuses). Though the film proved to be an enormous commercial and critical success, George Lucas would never work with Gary Kurtz again, and his marriage with Marcia Lucas dissolved a couple of years later.


American collectors card by Topps Widevision, no. 78. Photo: Lucasfilm LTD. Yoda (with the voice of Frank Oz) in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980). Caption: Ext. Dagobah - Bog. Luke is unable to raise his ship from the bog with his levitation skills. Quietly, Yoda turns towards the sunken x-wing fighter. With his eyes closed, he raises his arm and points at the ship. Soon the fighter rises above the water and moves forward as Artoo beeps in terror and scoots away.


American collectors card by Topps Widevision, no. 106. Photo: Lucasfilm LTD. Billie Dee Williams as Lando in Star Wars Episode: V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980). Caption: Int. Cloud City - Carbon-freezing chamber. A huge, mechanical tong lifts the steaming, metal-encased Han Solo out of the carbon vat and stands him on the platform. Some Ugnaughts rush over and push the block over onto the platform. They then attach an electric box onto the structure and step away. Lando kneels and adjusts some knobs, measuring the heat. Seeing Han is still alive, Lando shakes his head in relief.


German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Münder, no. SW 5.049. Image: Lucasfilm. Publicity still for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980).

Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..... Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) takes place a year after Han Solo has been frozen in carbonite to be transported to crime lord Jabba the Hutt, a large slug-like alien, for a bounty.

Luke Skywalker heads to Dagobah to finish his training with Yoda; however, the Jedi is dying and he confirms that Darth Vader (David Prowse) is his father. Obi-Wan Kenobi's Force spirit later tells Luke that Leia is his twin sister and that he must face Vader again to finish his training and defeat the Empire.

C-3PO and R2-D2 are sent to crime lord Jabba's palace in the desert world of Tatooine in a trade bargain made by Luke Skywalker to rescue Han, who is still frozen. Disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh, Princess Leia sneaks into the palace under the pretence of collecting the bounty on Chewbacca and unfreezes Han but is caught by Jabba and chained to him as his slave.

Luke shows up and after many adventures and fights, Leia strangles Jabba to death with her slave chains and is freed by Luke. Meanwhile, the rebels discover that the Empire is building a new Death Star more powerful than the first one that is protected by an energy shield generated by a generator on planet Endor.

Han Solo and Princess Leia reaffirm their love, and team with Chewbacca, the Ewoks, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 to aid in the disruption of the Dark Side, and the defeat of the evil emperor. The Rebel Fleet led by Lando Calrissian battles with the Imperial Fleet while they wait for the shields to go down. Luke has a final showdown with Darth Vader. He struggles to help dis father back from the dark side without falling into the Emperor's trap.


Vintage postcard. Image: Lucasfilm. Mark Hamill and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980).


Vintage postcard. Image: Lucasfilm. Publicity still for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980).


West-German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Gmünder, no. SW 5.038. Image: Lucasfilm. Publicity still for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980).

Priority on story or spectacle?

Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983) is action-packed with a tremendous triple battle at the end. The final lightsaber battle between Vader and Luke is breathtaking. The beautiful ending of the film brings everything together.

Still, the film was generally seen as a step down from its two predecessors. The comic and romantic elements weren't as developed. The furry Ewoks are a bit too cute. In other scenes, the film seems to take itself too seriously.

Luke A. McGowan at IMDb: "It is full of holes, tonal inconsistencies and plot implausibilities. I'd chalk this up to Richard Marquand not being half as competent as Irvin Kershner, and the departure of Gary Kurtz from the project. Kurtz reportedly left because he and Lucas couldn't agree on whether story or spectacle should take priority."

Derek Armstrong at AllMovie: "Overrun by furry Ewoks, the sixth episode in the planned nine-part story represented George Lucas' turn toward kiddie sensibilities, which he would continue in force with the much-reviled Jar Jar Binks character in Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Still, with C3PO constantly getting himself into slapstick jams that inspired endless doomsday whining, the saga had always included silly bursts of comic relief, and the Ewoks only furthered that trend."

However, the plot of Return of the Jedi is still fast-paced and sophisticated and the film is still enormously entertaining, thanks to the elaborate set pieces and the well-choreographed battles. And John Williams's music remains a brilliant and innovative film score.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-531. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Anthony Daniels as C3-PO, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (George Lucas, 1983).


German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Münder, no. SW 6.029. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Ian McDiarmid as The Emperor in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983).


British autograph card. Photo: Alec Guinness in Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977).

Sources: Luke A. McGowan (IMDb), Derek Armstrong (AllMovie), Wikipedia and IMDb.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

This Christmas period is at EFSP reserved for the Star Wars saga. Like George Lucas did, we start with our posts on this epic space opera somewhere in the middle with Star Wars- Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), the episode George Lucas directed himself. I remember what a sensation the film was at the time: a revolutionary, new kind of entertainment, a serious fantasy epic full of energy, wonderful special effects and new exciting stars. The film gave us some unforgettable characters: the heroes Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, the mysterious Princess Leia, the robots CP-3PO and R2D2 - a kind of Laurel & Hardy in space, and of course the old Jedi Obi-Wan-Kenobi, played by the great Alec Guinness. Star Wars was a gigantic hit and launched its own fictional universe with dozens of books, comics, short stories, video games, sequels, and series, and is deeply rooted in modern pop culture.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-075. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-527. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977). Caption: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-528. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


West-German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Münder, no. SW 4.039, 1995. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-059. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).

A message for a certain Kenobi

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (original title: Star Wars) is chronologically the fourth instalment in the Star Wars series, but it is the first made Star Wars film. The film was produced by Gary Kurtz and directed by George Lucas from his own screenplay. The film is set in a fictional, distant galaxy. For 19 years, the dictatorial Empire has ruled the entire galaxy with an iron hand. A resistance group manages to steal the blueprint for the Death Star, a huge space station capable of destroying entire planets. This group passed data to the Rebel Alliance, which succeeds led by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). The ship carrying Leia is intercepted by Imperial forces led by Darth Vader. She is just able to send droid R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and the humanoid robot C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) to the desert planet Tatooine with a message of help for a Jedi Master and an old friend of Leia's father, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness).

But on Tatooine, C-3PO and R2-D2 are captured by the Jawas, a gang of junk dealers. The Jawas sell the two droids to moisture farmer Owen Lars (Phil Brown) and his nephew Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). R2-D2, following Princess Leia's instructions, sets out to find Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke does know a certain 'Kenobi' who lives as a hermit close to the mountains. Following R2D2, Luke is ambushed by Sand People, the local desert dwellers, and is eventually rescued by Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom he has only known as Ben Kenobi. In his dwelling, Obi-Wan tells Luke that he was once a Jedi but went into exile when the Sith seized power. He knows the Imperial forces will soon come looking for the droids. Luke fears for his uncle and aunt's safety, but when he gets to his house, it is already too late: the Stormtroopers have already been there and destroyed everything. His uncle and his wife, Luke's aunt Beru (Shelagh Fraser), have perished.

When Luke learns that his father was also a Jedi, he decides to go with Obi-Wan. Kenobi gives Luke the lightsaber that once belonged to his father. The two will go to Alderaan, Leia's home planet, to show the construction plans to Leia's adoptive father, hoping that the latter can discover a weakness of the Death Star. In a bar, Obi-Wan enlists the help of smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his first mate Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), a Wookiee. Han, who urgently needs money to pay off a debt, agrees to take Luke, Obi-Wan and the droids to Alderaan on his ship, the Millennium Falcon, which he claims is the fastest spaceship in the galaxy.

Meanwhile, Leia is trapped in the Death Star. Leia is interrogated by Darth Vader with the help of a torture droid to learn the location of the rebel base, but she does not reveal it. Grandmoff Tarkin (Peter Cushing), the commander of the Death Star, decides to force her to tell where the Rebels are by blowing up Alderaan with the Death Star. She gives a base, but Grand Moff Tarkin has her home planet destroyed anyway to demonstrate its firepower to the galaxy. But the specified base has long been abandoned, so the Grand Moff orders her death. On the way to Alderaan, Obi-Wan teaches Luke how to wield a lightsaber. Once the group arrives at Alderaan, they find only the debris left from the newly destroyed planet. The Death Star is also still there, and the Millennium Falcon is brought aboard via a tractor beam.

The Falcon's occupants use the secret hatches where Han hides his contraband to hide, and then disguise themselves as Stormtroopers to explore the Death Star unseen. Obi-Wan goes in search of the tractor-beam generator. Han, Luke and the droids discover that Leia is trapped in the Death Star. Luke and Han disguise themselves as Imperial stormtroopers, Chewbacca plays a prisoner to get into the detention block and free the princess. When the group wants to escape, Darth Vader (David Prowse, with the voice of James Earl Jones) intervenes. He and Obi-Wan fight each other in a lightsaber duel. When Obi-Wan sees Luke, he deliberately allows Darth Vader to kill him. As Luke, shocked by the old master's death, fires furiously at the stormtroopers present, he suddenly hears Obi-Wan's voice ordering him to flee.

The others manage to escape safely in the Falcon and rush back to Rebel headquarters. There the Rebels discover a weakness in the Death Star. Han Solo, not wanting to get further involved in this conflict, collects his earned money and leaves, while Luke attacks the Death Star with the other Rebels. For a moment, Darth Vader threatens to destroy Luke with his ship, but then Han (who apparently regretted his decision) intervenes with the Falcon. This allows Luke to successfully fire two torpedoes at a small ventilation hatch. The torpedoes cause a chain reaction in the Death Star, and the huge space station explodes. Han, Luke and Darth Vader escape the explosion with their ships, but Tarkin and the others, who were still inside the space station, die. In the final scene, Luke and Han are decorated by Princess Leia and the rest of the Rebel Alliance.


West-German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Münder, no. SW 4.082, 1997. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-521. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd, 1997. Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-530. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-519. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-062. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Kenny Baker as R2-D2 in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).

New faces

The first concrete thoughts about a fantasy space film were developed by director and screenwriter George Lucas after the completion of his debut film THX 1138 (1971). Originally, he planned to secure the rights for a film adaptation of the comic book series 'Flash Gordon', which had fascinated him since childhood. Lucas entered into a partnership with United Artists that would guarantee him the production of two films. One was American Graffiti (1973), and the other was a space film based on 'Flash Gordon'. When Lucas was unable to obtain the rights for it, he decided to develop his own 'space opera'. In May 1973, he wrote a 14-page story for a total of six films. Because the story was set in space, it was mainly seen as a Science Fiction story. This genre was not very popular at the time, so United Artists and other studios rejected Lucas's idea. It was Alan Ladd Jr., the president of 20th Century Fox, who finally agreed.

In collaboration with Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck, Lucas wrote a full screenplay for the film in May 1974. While writing the screenplay, the initially conceived scenarios and characters changed drastically. Luke Skywalker was originally supposed to be a middle-aged general, and Han Solo was not a human but a green humanoid alien in the original screenplay. 20th Century Fox agreed to a budget of $8.25 million, while Lucas also secured the rights to any sequels, as well as control over possible merchandising. In 1975, Lucas founded the company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) for special effects.

The cast was not known yet, except for Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin. For the lead roles, Lucas chose new faces. Mark Hamill had previously only appeared in a few episodes of US television series. Equally unknown was the then 19-year-old Carrie Fisher, who had shortly before made a convincing cameo appearance as Loma in Shampoo. Actually not part of the actual audition was Harrison Ford, whose task was merely to serve as a dialogue partner for the auditioning actors and explain the respective dialogue passages to them. Lucas, however, was so convinced by Ford's sometimes arrogant and listless performance that he chose him for the role of the swashbuckling and self-confident Han Solo. Ford had already worked successfully with Lucas for American Graffiti (1973). Star Wars was in many ways Ford's stepping stone to becoming one of the most successful film actors in the world, having previously appeared mostly in supporting roles.

Filming began on 22 March 1976 in the Tunisian desert for the scenes on Tatooine. For the scenes for the moisture farm where Luke lives, filming took place in Matmata. The project faced several problems, with Lucas falling behind schedule after only a week. Props in particular often refused service. After filming in Tunisia was finished, they left for Elstree Studios in England for the rest of the film. Filming also took place at the Mayan ruin Tikal in Guatemala for the scenes of Yavin IV. Due to the many problems during filming, there was a lot of pressure on Lucas' shoulders to get the film finished on time. This eventually went so far that doctors had to advise him to reduce his stress. The film was scheduled for Christmas 1976, but due to delays, it did not materialise until the summer of 1977. When Lucas showed a trial version of the film to some friends, including directors Brian De Palma, John Milius and Steven Spielberg, their reactions were disappointing. In contrast, 20th Century Fox's crew was enthusiastic about the result. Although the film went over its $8 million budget due to numerous delays, it was the cheapest of the Star Wars films at $11 million.

Star Wars premiered on 25 May 1977 in 32 cinemas. Contrary to expectations, it broke all records. It grossed over $550 million during its initial run and was nominated for dozens of awards, eventually winning 54 of which 5 Oscars (Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, Best film editing, Best Music and Best Sound). Today, the film is often regarded as one of the first true blockbusters and is still known as one of the most financially successful films ever. Even crew members like the model makers were asked for autographs by people who had seen the film. In terms of revenue, the film was the most successful film of 1977 and replaced Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) as the most financially successful film in history at the time. It remained the most successful film ever until E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982) broke this record.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-074. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


French postcard by Studio Erving, Paris, no. 696. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).



American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-507. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd, 1997. Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Münder, no SW 4.081. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Peter Cushing in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


Belgian postcard by Joepie / Raider Bounty. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Kenny Baker as R2-D2 in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


Small West-German collectors card by Topps, no. 31. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977). Caption: Luke shatters the door opener.


Small West-German collectors card by Topps, no. 87. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977). Caption: Luke and R2-D2 arrive.


West-German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Münder, no. SW 0.0226, 1997. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Harrison Ford in Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).


German postcard by Filmwelt Berlin, Bad Münder, no. SW 4.078. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977).

Sources: Wikipedia (Dutch, German and English) and IMDb.