41.It Inspired The Greatest Advert Of All Time
Ok, so that's the Imperial March, which wasn't compose until The Empire Strikes Back, but without A New Hope there would be no Darth and no Force, so the sentiment still stands... http://youtu.be/R55e-uHQna0
42. It Was A Hit Despite Its Director
George Lucas is a terrible director. Or at the very least he is unable to wholly translate his ideas into film while in the director's chair. A cursory glance through his few other films as a director picks out American Graffiti as the only success outside of the Star Wars universe (THX 1138 remains over-rated for me), and the prequel trilogy hardly confirms the film-maker's quality. It is very much despite that that Star Wars is brilliant - it is almost a one-hit wonder for its director, though even during filming, Lucas apparently resisted giving any comprehensive direction to his actors and his subsequent tinkering post-release suggests as much about his poor decision making as it does his commitment to improvement. Lucas hasn't made anything of note other than Star Wars as a director, and it is for good reason. The Prequel Trilogy stands as his opus, the opportunity to make something perfect, safe in the knowledge that he had a captive audience, and despite flashes of brilliance those three films are a mess overall. They are over-indulgent and criminally undisciplined, and suggest even more that A New Hope succeeded so well because of the acting talent, and the incredible work of ILM and John Williams to furnish Lucas' original ideas with iconic, exceptional substance.
43. It Helped Cast Carrie
George Lucas and Brian De Palma cast the sci-fi epic and iconic horror film Carrie together in a joint session, leading to the perfect casting of Sissy Spacek as the telekinetic powered teen who is pushed too far on prom night.
44. The Sound Effects John Williams' score may be the most memorable audio aspect of the Star Wars universe, but the sound effects used in A New Hope were as important and continue to be as affecting as the visuals. There can be no memory of Star Wars without the essential inclusion of the lightsaber hum and crackle, or the Tie fighters' scream, or most iconically of all Darth Vader's raspy breathing. Overall, A New Hope has one of the most complete and immersive sound designs ever committed to film up to and beyond that point. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yArh0VrIjLY
45. The Score: The Throne Room/ End Title
http://youtu.be/248ggPoK158
46. The Costume Design
Arguably the most iconic costume from the franchise would come later, with
that gold slave-girl two piece, but Star Wars was still a rich environment for costume design fans. Darth Vader's little black number stands out massively, and the Storm Troopers are equally as cool-looking (though the addition of a cape makes Darth's garbs the winner), but every character has an intricately designed, and perfectly crafted outfit, which in themselves have become almost as iconic as who wears them. The greatest mark of that quality is that minus their wearers, the costumes are still just as recognisable as part of the character.