A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

(C) 1983 Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) Pros:  Good script; stunning effects and dazzling space battles; a classic John Williams score Cons:  A bit talky...to some, the Ewoks and to others, the Special Edition version is sacrilege.... On Wednesday, May 25, 1983, exactly six years after the premiere of George Lucas's  Star Wars  (now known as  Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope ), millions of fans queued up in front of thousands of movie theater box offices to be among those lucky viewers to watch  Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi  on its first day of release. Three years had passed since the theatrical run of  The Empire Strikes Back,  which had surprised critics and fans alike with its  Episode V  subtitle, the introduction of Jedi Master Yoda, the romance between Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), the claim made by Darth Vader (David Prowse, voice of James Earl Jones) that  he  was Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) dad and - frustrati

Concept art by Ralph McQuarrie for The Empire Strikes Back. (C) 1980 Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) The Clash of Lightsabers Cast: Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) Princess Leia Organa (Ann Sachs) See-Threepio (Anthony Daniels) Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) Artoo-Detoo Chewbacca  Lord Darth Vader (Brock Peters) Too-Onebee (Russell Horton) PA System  Narrator (Ken Hiller) Reviewer's Note: All quoted material is from the 1995 Del Rey book  Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - The National Public Radio Dramatization.  This edition contains Brian Daley's complete radio play, which differs slightly from the version of the Radio Drama which aired on National Public Radio in 1983 and the original 1990s HighBridge Audio cassette and compact disc editions. The version in Daley's script  was  recorded, but as with the original 1981  Star Wars Radio Drama,  edits were made at the request of NPR due to the needs of the radio format. The longer version  is  availabl

(C) 1980 Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) Gambler's Choice Cast:  Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) Princess Leia Organa (Ann Sachs) Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) See-Threepio (Anthony Daniels) Artoo-Detoo Darth Vader (Brock Peters) Chewbacca Lobot Boba Fett Imperial Lieutenant Imperial Commander  First Trooper Second Trooper Supervisor Bespin Guard #1 Bespin Guard #2 Bespin Guard #3 Narrator (Ken Hiller) Reviewer's Note: All quoted material is from the 1995 Del Rey book  Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - The National Public Radio Dramatization.  This edition contains Brian Daley's complete radio play, which differs slightly from the version of the Radio Drama which aired on National Public Radio in 1983 and the original 1990s HighBridge Audio cassette and compact disc editions. The version in Daley's script  was  recorded, but as with the original 1981  Star Wars Radio Drama,  edits were made at the request of NPR due to the needs of the rad