Coming up on Saturday at the Described Movies: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, and The Time Machine.

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From this Saturday at 12am Eastern, that’s 4pm Saturday in NZ, 2pm in Sydney and 5am in the UK, and repeated every four hours throughout the day, it’s the described movies, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope from 1977, and The Time Machine from 1960.
Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas, produced by Lucasfilm, and distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox.
It was the first film released in the Star Wars film series and the fourth chronological chapter of the " Skywalker Saga".
Set "a long time ago" in a fictional galaxy ruled by the tyrannical Galactic Empire, the story follows a group of freedom fighters known as the Rebel Alliance, who aim to destroy the Empire's newest weapon, the Death Star.
When the Rebel leader Princess Leia is abducted by the Empire, Luke Skywalker acquires stolen architectural plans of the Death Star and sets out to rescue her while learning the ways of a metaphysical power known as " the Force" from the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The cast includes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, and James Earl Jones.
Lucas had the idea for a science fiction film in the vein of Flash Gordon around the time he completed his first film, THX 1138 (1971), and he began working on a treatment after the release of American Graffiti (1973).
After numerous rewrites, filming took place throughout 1975 and 1976 in locations including Tunisia and Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England.
Lucas formed the visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic to help create the film's visual effects.
Star Wars suffered production difficulties: the cast and crew believed the film would be a failure, and it went $3 million over budget due to delays.
Few were confident in the film's box office prospects.
It was released in a small number of theatres in the United States on 25 May 1977, and quickly became a surprise blockbuster hit, leading to it being expanded to a much wider release.
Star Wars opened to positive reviews, with praise for its special effects.
It grossed $410 million worldwide during its initial run, surpassing Jaws (1975) to become the highest-grossing film until the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); subsequent releases have brought its total gross to $775 million.
When adjusted for inflation, Star Wars is the second highest-grossing film in North America (behind Gone with the Wind) and the fourth highest-grossing film of all time.
It received Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Saturn Awards, among others.
The film has been reissued many times with Lucas's support—most significantly the 20th-anniversary theatrical "Special Edition"—and the reissues have contained many changes, including new scenes, visual effects, and dialogue.
Often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, the film became a pop-cultural phenomenon, launching an industry of tie-in products, including novels, comics, video games, amusement park attractions and merchandise such as toys, games, and clothing.
It became one of the first 25 films selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1989, and its soundtrack was added to the U.S. National Recording Registry in 2004.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) followed Star Wars, rounding out the original Star Wars trilogy.
A prequel and a sequel trilogy have since been released, in addition to two standalone films and various television series.
Directed by: George Lucas.
Written by: George Lucas.
Produced by: Gary Kurtz.
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, and Alec Guinness.
Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor.
Edited by: Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, and Richard Chew.
Music by: John Williams.
Production company: Lucasfilm Ltd.
Distributed by: Twentieth Century-Fox.
Release date: 25 May 1977.
File Length: 121 minutes.
Country: United States.
Language: English.
Budget: $11 million.
Box office: $775.4 million.
The Time Machine (also marketed as H. G. Wells' The Time Machine) is a 1960 American period post-apocalyptic science fiction film based on the 1895 novella of the same name by H. G. Wells.
It was produced and directed by George Pal, and stars Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, and Alan Young.
The story is set in Victorian England and follows an inventor who constructs a machine that enables him to travel into the distant future.
Once there, he discovers that mankind's descendants have divided into two species, the passive, childlike, and vegetarian Eloi, and the underground dwelling Morlocks, who feed on the Eloi.
The film was originally released on 17 August 1960, and was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
It received the Academy Award for Best Special Effects for its time-lapse photographic effects, which show the world changing rapidly as the time traveller journeys into the future.
Directed by: George Pal.
Screenplay by: David Duncan.
Based on: The Time Machine 1895 novel by H. G. Wells.
Produced by: George Pal.
Starring: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot, and Whit Bissell.
Narrated by: Rod Taylor.
Cinematography: Paul C. Vogel.
Edited by: George Tomasini.
Music by: Russell Garcia.
Production companies: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Galaxy Films.
Distributed by: Loew's.
Release date: 17 August 1960.
File Length: 103 minutes.
Country: United States.
Language: English.
Budget: $829,000, or $827,000.
Box office: $2.61 million.
Any questions, comments, or ideas for future described movies: e-mail me: anthony at mushroomfm dot com (e-mail address written that way to cut down on
spam)
Enjoy the movies.