The Art of Star Wars, Episode IV - A New Hope

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Very Helpful For Artists, 2005-05-06
I'm not obsessed with the Star Wars films, although I did enjoy them. But the great thing about this book (and the other "Art of Star Wars" books) is that you don't have to be a huge fan to appreciate the conceptual artwork. As an artist, I consider this book to be one of my favourite reference books. It shows much about what goes into the preparation of a film. This book IS rather fan-oriented, and lacks some critical information such as the sizes of sketches, and other technical information about the paintings and drawings which would have been helpful to aspiring artists designers. However, it is never-the-less an almost daily source of inspiration for me as I do my own futuristic art. br / As for the script, I could take it or leave it. I've never read the whole thing, only bits here and there. What amuses me is how the script is subtly different from the movie. It's clear that although Lucas has a great mind for stories, his writing is only adequate. The script is rather awkward. If you want a good story, see the movies: the script doesn't do them justice. But for great behind-the-scenes production and concept artwork, see the book. br / I would also recommend getting the modern 1995 re-issue of the book, not the 1979 version, if durability is an issue, because mine, like so many others I see here, has fallen apart.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Five stars for content, minus one for durability, 2003-04-15
In 1979, Ballantine Books (then the sole licensed publisher of Star Wars novels and most tie-ins) published two versions of this book. One was a limited edition hardcover, which I have never seen, the other was one of those "trade paperback" editions (coffee table size but in softcover). What made this book a must-get was that it contained the entire fourth revised draft of the screenplay for A New Hope (it was the first time I had seen the Episode IV subtitle...even though I bought this book AFTER seeing The Empire Strikes Back). The screenplay I read included scenes that were later edited out of the final film (mainly scenes on Tatooine focusing a bit on Luke's life there and introducing Biggs Darklighter. Another deleted scene -- later restored for the Special Edition 20 years later -- introduced Jabba the Hutt...he would have been very different in look and demeanor from the final Jabba, but at least he was there. Some of these scenes appear both in the novelization (make that ALL) and in the Radio Drama.pThe other attractive thing of this book was the amazing artwork. It ranges from pre-production paintings, costume concepts, actual photos, storyboards, and poster art. It even has a section devoted to spinoff art and some cute fan art, mostly drawn by small children.pThe one flaw in the book is not content related but the choice of paper and binding. The pages are glossy, like those of a yearbook...but the glue that holds the pages to the binding was not strong enough to hold the pages together. I went through three copies of this book in the time it was in print...I only looked at the last one ONCE and the pages still came loose. Thus, out of 5 stars, I give this book 4.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

The Original and Still the Best!, 2003-04-03
Okay...I have owned several copies of this book. Never the hardcover, since that one is rare ... It is lovely to look at and the screenplay...the fourth draft, which has scenes that were cut in the first version and some adapted in the Special Edition, gives us more of the story as it would be presented in the novel and radio dramatization. It is a wonderful book to look at, ALTHOUGH my other copies had the weakness of falling apart even if one was careful when perusing it. Some problem with the binding, I imagine. It is worth getting, though.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

SIMPLY WONDERFUL, 2002-10-10
I can't even to begin to express how delighted I am with this visit to George Lucas' galaxy, "far, far away". To see designs from the minds of these amazing creators, popular gadgets, gizmos and vehicles as they were conceptionalized, is a real treat and forever an inspiration of how the magic of film making and imagination can transport an audience.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Everything from the beginning..., 2000-08-22
This is a nice book for the addicted fans who are looking for more. Well, there is not much more than in the movie, but is nice to read the original script (expecially for those like me who are not from an anglophone country) and take a look at the pre-production sketches and to the matte paintings. I appreciated it very much, but if you aren't an addicted fans it's sufficient to search in the net to see the same pictures.