Empire of Dreams
Encyclopedia
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy is a 2004 documentary
film directed by Kevin Burns
and narrated by Robert Clotworthy. It documents the making of the original Star Wars
trilogy: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
(1977
), Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
(1980
), and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
(1983
).
The original cut of the documentary ran at around two hours and forty minutes, but was cut down to around two and a half hours. This final version was released in September 21, 2004 as the main feature on the bonus disc of the DVD release Star Wars Trilogy. A shortened version of the documentary premiered on the A&E
network later that fall. This version ran at around ninety minutes, cutting out nearly an hour of content.
and major cast and crew. The documentary puts Star Wars into a sociological and political perspective by using interviews with spectators like Walter Cronkite
. The film was shot in 1.78:1 aspect ratio
.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
film directed by Kevin Burns
Kevin Burns
Kevin Burns is an American television and film producer, director, and screenwriter. His work can be seen on A&E, National Geographic Channel, E!, Animal Planet, AMC, Bravo, Travel Channel, Lifetime, and The History Channel.-Early life:...
and narrated by Robert Clotworthy. It documents the making of the original Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
trilogy: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
(1977
1977 in film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
), Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
(1980
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
), and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
(1983
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
).
The original cut of the documentary ran at around two hours and forty minutes, but was cut down to around two and a half hours. This final version was released in September 21, 2004 as the main feature on the bonus disc of the DVD release Star Wars Trilogy. A shortened version of the documentary premiered on the A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
network later that fall. This version ran at around ninety minutes, cutting out nearly an hour of content.
Content
The documentary is strictly chronological, divided into five parts, from George Lucas beginning his career as a filmmaker, to the making of the three original Star Wars films, to the impact Star Wars has made on the world today. It features interviews with George LucasGeorge Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
and major cast and crew. The documentary puts Star Wars into a sociological and political perspective by using interviews with spectators like Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
. The film was shot in 1.78:1 aspect ratio
Aspect ratio (image)
The aspect ratio of an image is the ratio of the width of the image to its height, expressed as two numbers separated by a colon. That is, for an x:y aspect ratio, no matter how big or small the image is, if the width is divided into x units of equal length and the height is measured using this...
.