cinemabon
06-02-2007, 09:55 PM
Star Wars at 30, an appreciative look back – by cinemabon
Even before George Lucas created his breakthrough film, “American Graffiti” he envisioned a throw back to the old serial days of cinema where, over the period of several films, he could use the same formula to tell an epic space adventure. He remembered series like Buck Rogers, and how much fun he had watching them as a child. He first sketched out nine stories and tried to sell the idea to Universal (during the shoot of ‘Graffiti’). No one seemed interested. Then “Graffiti” made 100 million and Lucas gained a bit of clout. Through a miraculous series of circumstances, George eventually sold the idea to Alan Ladd, jr. then production and studio head of 20th Century Fox. Ladd told Lucas to scale back the project to one film and green lighted the project on a very slim budget of 8 million dollars.
In nine years, between 1968’s “2001 – a space odyssey” and the small budget “Silent Running” with Bruce Dern managing plants in space until 1977, no science fiction films were released in Hollywood. The studios had all but given up on the fading genre. The NASA space program cut back. Fans could watch “Star Trek” episodes for the ‘umpteenth’ time on television. However, no new sci-fi stuff floated around except for re-runs of cheap low-budget stuff. During this same period, fanatics flocked to bookstores, enjoying novels like “Dune” or “The left Hand of Darkness” or even "The Dragon riders of Pern’ but that was all the sci-fi community had to get by.
In May 1977, I was living in Hollywood. A very good friend of mine worked on the Hollywood Reporter. He told me about a film that was getting great word of mouth from the previews and invited me to the initial screening on the morning of May 25th. I remember it well as I cut work that day. The doorman let us in free. They moved the main feature, “Car Wash” around the corner to one of the side theaters at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, bought out recently at the time by the Mann Corporation. There was no line outside on the sidewalk that morning, no fanfare, nothing special. The theater wasn’t even full. The lights dimmed and curtain opened part way to show us a preview of “Car Wash” and then closed. All at once, the curtain started to open to the strains of the 20th Century Fox Fanfare with the Cinemascope extension. My learned friend leaned over and whispered in my ear, “They haven’t used that since the film ‘Caprice’ in 1966!” The curtain opened wider and wider until it left a screen as wide as the stage, a huge picture. I suddenly wished I was back further than the twentieth row in which I sat. When the music and picture exploded on the screen, the audience rose to their feet and began applauding. From that moment on, I, along with a vast multitude of fans, have grown to love and admire the “Star Wars” serials, created and brought to fruition by the mind of George Lucas.
No other franchise in Hollywood history has been as successful as “Star Wars.” It seems that every accolade that award shows can heap upon this series (except a best pix Oscar) have been given. Lucas’ face has made the covers of so many magazines, he surly has a superiority complex by now. Along with Lucas, John Williams brilliant, driving, marching score must also receive a large amount of credit in selling this film. Without that familiar march at the beginning, lifting you out of your seat, I doubt I should be seated here writing such a dramatic and congratulatory an essay.
It is unfortunate that Lucas could not bring all nine stories to film. Six completely wore the man out, and what six they are. From Episode one to six we are bombarded with a myriad of complex worlds, characters, machines, and phrases enough to boggle the mind of most people. How he juggled this complex maze of characters is a credit to his individual creativity and genius in bringing such an amazing story to the screen.
Watching episodes one through six over the course of the last three days, I have learned to appreciate what an incredible gift George has, leaving this legacy of science fiction film for posterity. From this moment on, every film about space will be compared to “Star Wars,” as it should be. He set the bar very high in bringing back the dead genre. Wisely, he has also poured much of his fortune back into a supplementary film industry from editing facilities, sound processes, to the jewel of Lucas crown, Industrial Light and Magic, his special effects house that has won more Academy Awards than any other part of the film industry. For good reason, ILM continues to crank out high quality special effects people such as Dennis Muren, John Dykstra, and Phil Tippet, all who gained their first experience on the first “Star Wars” film in 1977.
For the past thirty years, “Star Wars” has become a household name. No doubt the franchise will continue into the future for decades to come, leaving Lucas’ descendants a substantial income and make the name George Lucas synonymous with the greatest science fiction work of all time.
Even before George Lucas created his breakthrough film, “American Graffiti” he envisioned a throw back to the old serial days of cinema where, over the period of several films, he could use the same formula to tell an epic space adventure. He remembered series like Buck Rogers, and how much fun he had watching them as a child. He first sketched out nine stories and tried to sell the idea to Universal (during the shoot of ‘Graffiti’). No one seemed interested. Then “Graffiti” made 100 million and Lucas gained a bit of clout. Through a miraculous series of circumstances, George eventually sold the idea to Alan Ladd, jr. then production and studio head of 20th Century Fox. Ladd told Lucas to scale back the project to one film and green lighted the project on a very slim budget of 8 million dollars.
In nine years, between 1968’s “2001 – a space odyssey” and the small budget “Silent Running” with Bruce Dern managing plants in space until 1977, no science fiction films were released in Hollywood. The studios had all but given up on the fading genre. The NASA space program cut back. Fans could watch “Star Trek” episodes for the ‘umpteenth’ time on television. However, no new sci-fi stuff floated around except for re-runs of cheap low-budget stuff. During this same period, fanatics flocked to bookstores, enjoying novels like “Dune” or “The left Hand of Darkness” or even "The Dragon riders of Pern’ but that was all the sci-fi community had to get by.
In May 1977, I was living in Hollywood. A very good friend of mine worked on the Hollywood Reporter. He told me about a film that was getting great word of mouth from the previews and invited me to the initial screening on the morning of May 25th. I remember it well as I cut work that day. The doorman let us in free. They moved the main feature, “Car Wash” around the corner to one of the side theaters at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, bought out recently at the time by the Mann Corporation. There was no line outside on the sidewalk that morning, no fanfare, nothing special. The theater wasn’t even full. The lights dimmed and curtain opened part way to show us a preview of “Car Wash” and then closed. All at once, the curtain started to open to the strains of the 20th Century Fox Fanfare with the Cinemascope extension. My learned friend leaned over and whispered in my ear, “They haven’t used that since the film ‘Caprice’ in 1966!” The curtain opened wider and wider until it left a screen as wide as the stage, a huge picture. I suddenly wished I was back further than the twentieth row in which I sat. When the music and picture exploded on the screen, the audience rose to their feet and began applauding. From that moment on, I, along with a vast multitude of fans, have grown to love and admire the “Star Wars” serials, created and brought to fruition by the mind of George Lucas.
No other franchise in Hollywood history has been as successful as “Star Wars.” It seems that every accolade that award shows can heap upon this series (except a best pix Oscar) have been given. Lucas’ face has made the covers of so many magazines, he surly has a superiority complex by now. Along with Lucas, John Williams brilliant, driving, marching score must also receive a large amount of credit in selling this film. Without that familiar march at the beginning, lifting you out of your seat, I doubt I should be seated here writing such a dramatic and congratulatory an essay.
It is unfortunate that Lucas could not bring all nine stories to film. Six completely wore the man out, and what six they are. From Episode one to six we are bombarded with a myriad of complex worlds, characters, machines, and phrases enough to boggle the mind of most people. How he juggled this complex maze of characters is a credit to his individual creativity and genius in bringing such an amazing story to the screen.
Watching episodes one through six over the course of the last three days, I have learned to appreciate what an incredible gift George has, leaving this legacy of science fiction film for posterity. From this moment on, every film about space will be compared to “Star Wars,” as it should be. He set the bar very high in bringing back the dead genre. Wisely, he has also poured much of his fortune back into a supplementary film industry from editing facilities, sound processes, to the jewel of Lucas crown, Industrial Light and Magic, his special effects house that has won more Academy Awards than any other part of the film industry. For good reason, ILM continues to crank out high quality special effects people such as Dennis Muren, John Dykstra, and Phil Tippet, all who gained their first experience on the first “Star Wars” film in 1977.
For the past thirty years, “Star Wars” has become a household name. No doubt the franchise will continue into the future for decades to come, leaving Lucas’ descendants a substantial income and make the name George Lucas synonymous with the greatest science fiction work of all time.