# My Re-Evaluation of Original Star Wars (New Hope) from a film-craft standpoint, scene by scene **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 29, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534 "2017-12-29T18:42:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/21 "2018-01-04T15:46:16Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > All I have to say is this: The movie being reviewed is NOT “Star Wars: A New Hope”. It is simply “Star Wars”. If you admit the “New Hope Heresy”, you end up with Greedo shooting first, God forbid. And on that path lies only dancing baloney and disappointment. I do have a copy of the Original Release on DVD. Unfortunately, it’s a direct copy from the Laser Disc, so picture quality is… not terrible. But Han shoots first, and that’s the important part. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/22 "2018-01-04T15:50:34Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > There’s a early trailer for star wars on one of the home video versions, and it uses generic music instead of John Williams, and the editing is clearly not final either. I honestly believe the movie was made what it is in the editing room, and with the addition of the great soundtrack. Very true. Star Wars was better paced and flowed better than A New Hope: Special Edition. I firmly believe that directors, like authors, should not edit their own work. ---
**Author:** ![Mavic\_Chen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mavic\_Chen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavic_Chen)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/23 "2018-01-04T16:48:40Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Truth be told, I get goose bumps watching this scene. I’d love to be standing on a remote planet watching twin suns set while the London Symphony Orchestra plays that ethereal music in the background. :o There’s a great riff on this scene in the [Family Guy Star Wars](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxXS5kVa45o) thing. Luke looks behind him to see the whole orchestra who then play The People’s Court theme. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/24 "2018-01-04T18:41:40Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Very true. Star Wars was better paced and flowed better than A New Hope: Special Edition. I firmly believe that directors, like authors, should not edit their own work. “Know when to stop painting.” ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/25 "2018-01-04T18:56:00Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > IMHO The twin sunset scene is not only one of the best in Star Wars, it is one of the best in SF overall. > > Brian (Spoiler for _The Last Jedi_) Luke gazing upon twin suns (or maybe moons) while he entered The Force at the end of \*The Last Jedi \*was a perfect nod to the widespread appreciation of the original scene from _Star Wars_. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/26 "2018-01-06T21:07:29Z")
The OP hasn’t gotten to Han Solo yet, but I don’t know when I’ll be in the neighborhood again. Watching the movies with my daughter, a decade or more after the last time I’d seen them, I was amazed at how bad Harrison Ford’s acting was. Hamill wasn’t great, but he was OK. Ditto Fisher. But Ford’s lack of chops was embarrassing. A short time later, I saw a long-form interview (_60 Minutes_ or _Sunday Morning_ or something) with Harrison Ford. He talked about improving as an actor. Paraphrasing follows: Interviewer: Are you a better actor now than you were before? Ford: I hope so. Interviewer: Were you a bad actor earlier? Ford. Hell yeah. Interviewer: Name a movie in which you turned in a bad performance. Ford: Have you seen _Star Wars_? ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/27 "2018-01-06T23:01:54Z")
I do plan on picking this back up soon, just FYI. But I don’t agree with your assessment of Harrison Ford (or his.) I think his performance was pretty good. He would not have become such a wildly popular character and cultural icon if it wasn’t. It’s unthinkable for me to imagine anyone else playing that role. According to Wikipedia, a whole menagerie of other actors were considered: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Robert Englund, Nick Nolte, and Burt Reynolds. While it’s obviously impossible to speculate what Han Solo would have been like if he were portrayed by some of those actors - and some of them are truly ridiculous choices (Christopher Walken? Bill Murray?) - I just can’t conceive of any of them giving the role the same kind of swaggering charisma that Ford did. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/28 "2018-01-06T23:50:15Z")
Anyone who can perform cheesy stilted dialogue and craft a compelling character is a good actor. Harrison Ford is too hard on himself, his performance helps ground _Star Wars_ as a believable lived-in universe. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/29 "2018-01-07T03:05:28Z")
Ford has always had a weird hate for Star Wars, which I really don’t get. He was perfectly good in the film. ETA: Actually, Ford developed his disdain for “Star Wars” at some point after “Empire Strikes Back.” It’s been theorized that after he became a star in his own right due to “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Blade Runner” he saw “Star Wars” as being boring, or perhaps beneath him. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/30 "2018-01-07T04:29:43Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > It’s unthinkable for me to imagine anyone else playing that role. According to Wikipedia, a whole menagerie of other actors were considered: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Robert Englund, Nick Nolte, and Burt Reynolds. While it’s obviously impossible to speculate what Han Solo would have been like if he were portrayed by some of those actors - and some of them are truly ridiculous choices (Christopher Walken? Bill Murray?) - I just can’t conceive of any of them giving the role the same kind of swaggering charisma that Ford did. Of all of them I could see Kurt Russel pulling it off without much trouble. He’s played those kind of roles all his life. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/31 "2018-01-07T05:09:33Z")
There was an [SNL skit](http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/star-wars-20th-anniversary-dvd-screen-tests-part-1/2845597?snl=1) that parodied other actors’ screen tests for Star Wars, including Christopher Walken (played by Kevin Spacey) testing for the role of Han Solo. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534/32 "2018-01-07T08:54:01Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > There’s a early trailer for star wars on one of the home video versions, and it uses generic music instead of John Williams, and the editing is clearly not final either. I honestly believe the movie was made what it is in the editing room, and with the addition of the great soundtrack. Very true. Williams’ score is exceptional and gave the movie a gravitas which I’m not sure it really deserved to be honest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-re-evaluation-of-original-star-wars-new-hope-from-a-film-craft-standpoint-scene-by-scene/805534.md?page=1)