Twenty-two years ago, these words first flashed across movie theater screens around the world, and a modern legend was born. Hundreds of millions of people would be introduced to a saga that would touch their lives in ways then unimaginable. Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and the Special Editions of all three films, became defining events for two generations. The fast-paced action adventures, set in a new and exciting universe, featured grand design and boundless fun. The films inspired countless of viewers with themes that are universal and timeless: the conflict between good and evil and between technology and humanity, the celebration of heroism, and the limitless potential of the individual.
The Star Wars saga is a modern-day fairy tale reflecting the vision of George Lucas. Lucas
imbued this new myth with pieces of American pop culture, including movie westerns,
swashbucklers and - for seasoning - Japanese samurai epics. Star Wars was also a reaction
against Watergate, Vietnam and other periods of domestic turmoil that seemed to undermine
the concept of the hero for disillusioned Americans.
With the Star Wars saga, Lucas decided to bring together these recognizable, modern-day
threads under the umbrella of the basic mythic structure - the journey of the hero - that
has been in place for thousands of years, in hundreds of civilizations. With its mix of
the traditional and the modern, Star Wars' new mythology thrilled young and old alike.
Now, with STAR WARS: EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE, Lucas takes us back to the beginning,
in which Darth Vader is a hopeful nine-year-old boy named Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan
Kenobi is a determined young Jedi knight. This first chapter, which is rich in art,
design, costumes, architecture and technology, follows Anakin's journey as he pursues his
dreams and confronts his fears in the midst of a galaxy in turmoil. The realities of
filmmaking two decades ago, and the limitations of technology at that time, were also
important factors in the decision to go ahead with the STAR WARS TRILOGY SPECIAL EDITION.
Back then, Lucas had to contend with a tight budget, deadline pressures and the
technological constraints of pre-digital visual effects and sound. There were also
numerous effects problems during STAR WARS' grueling shoot in Tunisia and at EMI-Elstree
Studios in England. Two decades later, and with the critical help of today's state-of-the
art technology pioneered by Industrial Light & Magic, Lucas is able to bring the films
much closer to his original vision.
Qui-Gon Jinn ........................... LIAM NEESON Obi-Wan Kenobi.......................... EWAN McGREGOR Queen Amidala........................... NATALIE PORTMAN Anakin Skywalker........................ JAKE LLOYD Senator Palpatine....................... IAN McDIARMID Jar Jar Binks (voice of)................ AHMED BEST Yoda (voice of)......................... FRANK OZ Mace Windu.............................. SAMUEL L. JACKSON Darth Maul.............................. RAY PARK Directed by............................. GEORGE LUCAS
