In Defense Of George Lucas
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Solo4114
Master Member
We Solos stick together.
darth_myeek
Sr Member
Yep and hell-yeah. Hopefully now that George has sold off the business, Marcia will get more recognition. I'd love to read her biography.
yaris
Sr Member
There's no way the prequels we ever going to be like the OT....George had changed by then....look at all great artists, their best work is usually when they're scratching out a living early on, the passion, drive and ideas are all there. Once they get the money and the fame often the talent dries up, the drive has gone.
I don't think GL is a genius, timing plays a huge part in success. Also ROTJ was sucky because Gary Kurtz left because George was all about merchandising...ie Ewoks and it made no sense to Gary not to make a better film.
GL is a massive talent and the OT and AG are special, but at the end of the day I think we misunderstand the importance of SW to GL. To him it's just a story he wanted to tell and the timing was fortunate, we don't understand that to him it's just some films he made, to us they defined our youth.
I don't think GL is a genius, timing plays a huge part in success. Also ROTJ was sucky because Gary Kurtz left because George was all about merchandising...ie Ewoks and it made no sense to Gary not to make a better film.
GL is a massive talent and the OT and AG are special, but at the end of the day I think we misunderstand the importance of SW to GL. To him it's just a story he wanted to tell and the timing was fortunate, we don't understand that to him it's just some films he made, to us they defined our youth.
Jaitea
Master Member
No I think the Star Wars universe is more than just films to George,....no matter if he sold them, he still regards them as his,...& he is disgusted that Disney turned down his ideas on how they should proceed with the story......
He cant let go,....if it was just a business sale, he wouldn't be making the comments he's making
J
He cant let go,....if it was just a business sale, he wouldn't be making the comments he's making
J
Solo4114
Master Member
As I've said before...I really don't care what George has to say about the films anymore. I do not view him as the singular authority on what is/isn't/should/shouldn't be Star Wars. He's shown me that his tastes and mine...aren't exactly aligned, and I think that his storytelling decisions -- at least in the PT -- are not that great. I also think it's kind of lame to talk about how unsatisfied you are with this product you regard as yours, especially after you've sold it, especially after you've also said "I'm done with Star Wars." If you're done, be done. But don't crap on the new stuff.
Gee George, bitter much?
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/star-wars-george-lucas-disney-white-slavers-1201669959/
Solo4114
Master Member
"White slavers"?! Seriously??!!
See, it's stuff like this that makes people write articles like "In Defense of George Lucas." When he comes out with comments like this and complains about how Disney is managing "his" stories, that's why he needs defending: because he's said something stupid and we need to be reminded that, at one time, he made wonderful art.
Honestly, I think the way this kind of thing should be handled is like the unwritten "rule" that ex-presidents generally don't ****** on the sitting president. Make a graceful exit, say "I wish them the best of luck, but it's really nothing to do with me anymore" and leave it at that.
See, it's stuff like this that makes people write articles like "In Defense of George Lucas." When he comes out with comments like this and complains about how Disney is managing "his" stories, that's why he needs defending: because he's said something stupid and we need to be reminded that, at one time, he made wonderful art.
Honestly, I think the way this kind of thing should be handled is like the unwritten "rule" that ex-presidents generally don't ****** on the sitting president. Make a graceful exit, say "I wish them the best of luck, but it's really nothing to do with me anymore" and leave it at that.
Solo4114
Master Member
Seriously. I mean, come on, dude. Consider yourself a horse put out to pasture, and just pleasantly chomp away at the daisies and clover.
Or, to paraphrase one of your characters, "George...let it go."
Wolfsburg
Master Member
Ah, ol' George is keeping it "classy" I see. Not surprising, sadly. The bottom line is nobody forced him to sell to Disney. If he feels so strongly about the new movie, he could've easily made the new trilogy himself. I suspect it would've been the PT 2.0 though. It's laughable that he suggests he tried to make each of his movies so "different". Oh you mean like how the Death Star II was "different"? Whatever other efforts he made in that regard were, imo, done just for the sake of doing and not for the betterment of the movies. He said he was going to advise with these new films, which would've been fine...but I suspect when they didn't go with his treatment, he threw a hissy fit, packed his bags and "divorced" himself from SW, to use his silly analogy. Whatever faults this new trilogy may have, I'm confident it will be better than what we could've gotten from him. Considering how gracious Kathy Kennedy (his personally selected successor and longtime friend, no less), JJ and even Bob Iger have been, at this point he needs to keep his mouth shut if he's doesn't have anything nice to say.
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He has a right to review the film like anyone now doesn't he? LOL
Mola Rob
Sr Member
Here's a quote from the interview I find interesting:
“They wanted to do a retro movie,” Lucas said. “I don’t like that. Every movie I work very hard to make them completely different, with different planets, with different spaceships, make it new.”
That's just so funny to me seeing as he went back to the same planets over and over in the stories and we got to see round spaceships getting blown up over and over. Even if we had seen new planets and ships it's odd that he picked out those aspects to criticize. I would think that likable, believable characters and suspenseful story lines would be forefront on the mind of a writer and not whether the setting should be a water planet or a snow planet or introducing a new spaceship design.
“They wanted to do a retro movie,” Lucas said. “I don’t like that. Every movie I work very hard to make them completely different, with different planets, with different spaceships, make it new.”
That's just so funny to me seeing as he went back to the same planets over and over in the stories and we got to see round spaceships getting blown up over and over. Even if we had seen new planets and ships it's odd that he picked out those aspects to criticize. I would think that likable, believable characters and suspenseful story lines would be forefront on the mind of a writer and not whether the setting should be a water planet or a snow planet or introducing a new spaceship design.
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My main complaint is Lucas could have easily doubled his money but releasing the original non special editions along side the special editions, you know folks would buy them both or make them into a giant set. Well that and he didn't know enough was enough when tinkering with the movies, you can only make things so good before you just mess it up.
third3ye
Sr Member
After that interview, good ol' George really should just go back to swimming in his cash. Preferably with a snorkel, so he can't speak.
I appreciate what he's done right, namely creating Star Wars and its incredible universe. But as a filmmaker and director, it's clear he has no business being in that chair. Disney, Kennedy, and JJ clearly played the right hands when it came to TFA, and I firmly believe GL would've created another PT travesty if he were in creative control of the ST, based on his comments all throughout the TFA press tour. As much as I hate the PT, I do believe the vision was there, but just incredibly poorly executed. The fact that Filoni was able to produce a quality series in CW based on the PT is all the proof I need.
I appreciate what he's done right, namely creating Star Wars and its incredible universe. But as a filmmaker and director, it's clear he has no business being in that chair. Disney, Kennedy, and JJ clearly played the right hands when it came to TFA, and I firmly believe GL would've created another PT travesty if he were in creative control of the ST, based on his comments all throughout the TFA press tour. As much as I hate the PT, I do believe the vision was there, but just incredibly poorly executed. The fact that Filoni was able to produce a quality series in CW based on the PT is all the proof I need.
I still think the best direction would have been hundreds of years into the future and get away from the entire fate of a galaxy populated by untold gabillions of aliens and worlds is tied to a single family lineage of humans. I might just get that someday.
Though I am curious what Lucas's ideas were. In another reality that is what would have been made.
Though I am curious what Lucas's ideas were. In another reality that is what would have been made.
We'll find out in the Making of Book.
Georgie needed Marsha. She saved ANH and she made sure he didn't screw up the pace that Kershner shot Empire at. When she left, he lost an awful lot, and not just money.
George filmed the PT as quickly as he could since he just wanted to get into the editing room and THEN tried to find a pace for each film, struggling to keep up the rapid pacing he so loves and keep the films comprehensible. Then, when he realized some of his actors and a fair amount of his dialogue sucked he kept tweaking the films in an attempt to make them the best he could under the circumstances. If he had surrounded himself with people who challenged him right from the start we would have had different films.
He also overreached when he cast his prequels and when those at LFL questioned his choices, he stated he made stars, he didn't need them. That's why we got horrible Anakins.
George filmed the PT as quickly as he could since he just wanted to get into the editing room and THEN tried to find a pace for each film, struggling to keep up the rapid pacing he so loves and keep the films comprehensible. Then, when he realized some of his actors and a fair amount of his dialogue sucked he kept tweaking the films in an attempt to make them the best he could under the circumstances. If he had surrounded himself with people who challenged him right from the start we would have had different films.
He also overreached when he cast his prequels and when those at LFL questioned his choices, he stated he made stars, he didn't need them. That's why we got horrible Anakins.
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