George Lucas
|
George Lucas
Biographical information
Career
- "The movie's in there—it's in the marble. I'm just the sculptor setting it free."
- ―George Lucas[2]
George Walton Lucas, Jr. (bornMay 14,1944) is anAmericanfilmmaker. The creator ofStar Wars, he executive-produced itsfirst sixfilms. Close friends with fellow filmmakersSteven Spielberg andFrancis Ford Coppola, George Lucas worked on theIndiana Jones franchise with Spielberg after meeting him through his own directorial debut,THX 1138, and the filmsThe Rain People andApocalypse Now, directed by Coppola. With the latter's backing, Lucas madeAmerican Graffiti, and subsequently relied on its success to createStar Wars. Although it suffered significant setbacks and failed to achieve what Lucas wanted, the film was an immense success. George Lucas thus continued to tell his mythology, producing thethirdsaga film in1983.
However, Lucas was then divorced by his wife,Marcia, and was left with athree-year-old daughter. Lucas thus decided to prioritize raising his family, leaving his company,Lucasfilm, to manage the popularStar Wars franchise. In the 1980s, filming technology developed under Lucasfilm'sIndustrial Light & Magic division, whose employeeJohn Knoll co-createdPhotoshop and whose computer division spawnedEditDroid andAvid and developed intoPixar. George Lucas also became close acquaintances with mythologistJoseph Campbell, often speaking with his "Yoda" atSkywalker Ranch up until Campbell's death. In the 1990s, Lucas resumed active participation in the film industry, working onThe Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and joining fellow film directors such asMartin Scorsese,Woody Allen,Clint Eastwood, andStanley Kubrick alongside Spielberg, and Coppola onthe Film Foundation's board of directors.[3] Lucas also foundedEdutopia, an education organization, and continued to push the boundaries of filmmaking technology to create theSpecial Editions. Faced with a decision to either go back to directing films that are more pure cinema and more visually-oriented and possibly never return toStar Wars, or to finishStar Wars by telling the backstory, which was never intended to be done, was not written as a movie, and yet was now a feasible project with new technology. From the late 1990s to2005, Lucas returned with much of the film crew fromThe Young Indiana Jones Chronicles to complete theStar Wars saga with the prequel trilogy, where he would be able to tell the story ofDarth Vader, as intended at first with the original trilogy, without any frustrations with technology.
After working onStar Wars: The Clone Wars television series withDave Filoni, George Lucas desired to return to experimental films, and sold Lucasfilm toThe Walt Disney Company in2012 to prevent risking the company's financial standing and the livelihoods of his employees. Following his remarriage and having another daughter in2013,[4] Lucas spearheaded the development of theLucas Museum of Narrative Art, which is being constructed inLos Angeles, California.[5]
Biography[]
Early life[]
George Walton Lucas Jr. was born inModesto, California to George Walton Lucas, Sr. and Dorothy Bomberger Lucas onMay 14,1944.[1] His father was mainly ofGerman and British heritage, and his mother was a member of a prominent Modesto family (one of her cousins is the mother of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and director of UNICEF Ann Veneman) and was mainly ofScots-Irish and German heritage. He had three sisters, Ann, Kathleen, and Wendy. George went to the University of Southern California with a Fine Arts bachelor's degree.
American Zoetrope andStar Wars[]
- "I thought it was too wacky for the general public."
- ―George Lucas onStar Wars[6]
George Lucas on the set ofA New Hope
Lucas co-founded the studioAmerican Zoetrope withFrancis Ford Coppola—whom he met during his internship at Warner Brothers—hoping to create a liberating environment for filmmakers to direct outside the perceived oppressive control of theHollywoodstudio system. Following the success ofAmerican Graffiti, Lucas proposed a newFlash Gordon film adaptation, but the rights were not available. Under the American Zoetrope banner Lucas developedApocalypse Now to direct following work onStar Wars. As work onStar Wars dragged on, Coppola took over directingApocalypse Now, leading to the breakdown of the American Zoetrope partnership.
In1976, Lucas published a novelization ofA New Hope, which was initially (like the film) titled justStar Wars. Although Lucas was credited as author of the book, it was later revealed that the book was actuallyghostwritten byAlan Dean Foster, who would also writeSplinter of the Mind's Eye, the first originalStar Wars novel and, in many respects, the firstStar Wars sequel.
On a return-on-investment basis,Star Wars proved to be one of the most successful films of all time. During the filming ofStar Wars, Lucas waived his up-front fee as director and negotiated to own the licensing rights—rights which the studio thought were nearly worthless. This decision earned him hundreds of millions of dollars, as he was able to directly profit from all the licensed derived products created for the franchise. In 2006,Forbes Magazine estimated Lucas's personal wealth at U.S. $3.5 billion. In 2005 Forbes.com estimated the lifetime revenue generated by theStar Wars franchise at nearly $20 billion.
Some consideredStar Wars to be the first "high concept" film, while others feel the first wasSteven Spielberg'sJaws, released two years prior. In fact, Lucas and Spielberg had been acquaintances for some time and eventually worked together on several films, notably the first Indiana Jones,Raiders of the Lost Ark, in1981. Along with Spielberg, Lucas is credited with (and even blamed for) establishing theblockbuster approach to filmmaking.
George Lucas (left) with his dog Indiana, who inspiredChewbacca
TheDirectors Guild of America fined Lucas for refusing to have a standard title sequence in hisStar Wars films. After paying the fine, he quit the guild. This made it hard for him to find a director for some of his later projects. According to some, he wanted his friend Spielberg to direct some of the laterStar Wars movies, but as a member of the guild Spielberg may have been unable to do so. Other directors Lucas pursued to aid him wereDavid Lynch andDavid Cronenberg, both of whom declined. While offered the role of director for what would becomeReturn of the Jedi, Lynch had no interest in directingStar Wars, and urged Lucas to direct his own film.[7]
Return toStar Wars[]
OnOctober 3,1994, Lucas started to write the threeStar Warsprequels, and onNovember 1 that year, he left the day-to-day operations of his filmmaking business and started a sabbatical to finish the prequels.
At some point, he wanted to produce aTV series aboutStar Wars, which would take place between episodes III and IV. Lucas purportedly also announced that he plans on making two additionalStar Wars films that will take place afterReturn of the Jedi, but this rumor was debunked atCelebration IV in Los Angeles, California, in May 2007. WhenStephen J. Sansweet, Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations at Lucasfilm, was asked about the proposed two films post–Return of the Jedi, he stated that it was a misunderstanding of what Lucas was explaining. According to Sansweet, Lucas was referring to the twoStar Wars television projects then in production:Star Wars: Clone Wars, which is a CG animated show that debuted October 3, 2008, and a yet-to-be-titledStar Wars live-action show that was set to premiere in 2009, the development status of which was uncertain.
Semi-retirement[]
Seeing that his personal projects, amongst them the filmRed Tails, which had an all-black cast, costed Lucasfilm significant amounts of money, George Lucas decided to sell the company in order to negate the risk that his thousands of employees would become jobless. Thus, and having a history with The Walt Disney Company and its CEO,Bob Iger, Lucasfilm was sold by Lucas as a Disney subsidiary.[8]
After the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm, the company'sanimation department produced the filmStrange Magic, which was released in early 2015. Based on a story developed by George Lucas for over fifteen years,Strange Magic was Lucas' feminine counterpart toStar Wars.[9]
George Lucas, surrounded by the companies he built.
George Lucas provided story material for the seventhStar Wars saga film, which was released onDecember 18,2015, titledStar Wars: Episode VIIThe Force Awakens. Disney, however, ultimately chose not to use Lucas's story ideas in the final film.[10] In interviews regarding the matter, Lucas stated that Disney wanted to make something for the fans instead. George Lucas further said that most people did not know thatStar Wars is a soap opera—a saga of family problems, not spaceships. Nevertheless, Lucas concluded by saying "fine…I'll go my way and I let them go their way."[8]
George Lucas directed a scene betweenAlden Ehrenreich andEmilia Clarke in the2018 filmSolo: A Star Wars Story, which was directed byRon Howard.[11][12] Lucas also directed a scene between Clarke andKit Harington in the first episode of the television seriesGame of Thrones's Season 8, released in early2019.[13]
Innovations in film[]
- "Well, I would argue that the prequels are — and Lucas in general is — the bedrock that all of this is built on. He is the first person that had digital photography, he was the first person to do completely CG characters. The whole notion of not having even a print [version of the film], of having everything be 0's and 1's, was all George. Not to mention EditDroid, which turned into Avid, Pixar was spawned out of their laboratories at Lucasfilm, so he is arguably the center of the Big Bang for everything that I'm doing. It's building on the shoulders of what he was able to innovate."
- ―Jon Favreau[14]
Promotional poster depicting "how George Lucas and Star Wars changed the world"
Besides his directorial and production work on movies, Lucas is one of the most significant contemporary contributors to modern movie technology. In1975 Lucas establishedIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM) inVan Nuys, California, which was responsible for the invention of the special computer-assisted camera crane "Dykstraflex" that was used for most of the space fight sequences in theStar Wars movies (technology which was later adopted by most other visual effects production units, such as those responsible forBattlestar Galactica andStar Trek: The Next Generation). Through ILM, Lucas spurred the further development of computer graphics,film laser scanners, and the earliest use of3D computer character animation in a film,Young Sherlock Holmes. Lucas sold his early computer development unit toSteve Jobs in1988, which was renamedPixar. Lucas is also responsible for the modernsound systems found in many movie theaters. Though Lucas didn't inventTHX, he is responsible for its development.
Lucas spearheaded digital photography for movies. Though personaldigital photography is now mainstream, most movie studios still use traditional cameras and film for movie production. Lucas departed from this model by filmingStar Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones completely digitally. He showed the result to a select audience of the Hollywood elite, before the movie's general release. For the presentation, Lucas used a special digital projection system. The attendees said the movie had the clearest and sharpest presentation they had ever seen.
Recognition[]
Lucas was nominated for theBest Directing andWriting Academy Awards forStar Wars.
TheAmerican Film Institute awarded Lucas its 2005Life Achievement Award onJune 9,2005.[15] This was shortly after the release ofStar Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith, to which he jokingly made reference in his acceptance speech, stating that, since he views the entireStar Wars series as one movie, he could actually receive the award now that he had finally "gone back and finished the movie."
Today, Lucas is one of the American film industry's most financially successfulindependent directors/producers, with an estimated net worth of more than seven billion dollars.[16]
Personal life[]
In1969, Lucas married film editorMarcia Lou Griffin, who went on to win anOscar for her editing work on theStar Wars: Episode IVA New Hope. They adopted a daughter,Amanda (b.1981), before divorcing in 1983. Lucas subsequently adopted two more children as a single parent: daughterKatie (b.1988) and sonJett (b.1993).
Foundations ofStar Wars[]
Encapsulation of psychological motifs in mythology[]
Inspiration[]
- "Many people feel that in the sort of contemplation of nature and in communication with other living things, they become aware of some kind of… force orsomething behind this apparent mask which we see in front of us, and they call it God or they—you know—depending on their particular disposition to the questioning—"
"You mean feelings or thoughts? Of some aspect of it?"
"Of some aspect of it. To me, it's not the same thing as a world full of human beings. There's something gone, there's something missing."
"And then the people say 'Well this is good, let's have more of it.' Somebody walks up and you say 'Your number's 21-87 isn't it?' Boy does that person really smile." - ―Two men in the film21-87, which inspired Lucas to make his films[17]
George Lucas said that he took social, political, and spiritual issues from the real world and encapsulated all such stories in one single story,Star Wars.[8] Addressing the universal question of "am I a good person" in the fundamental conflict between good and evil,[18] George Lucas'Star Wars encompassed the core of all religions and spiritual beliefs from all time and space in the real world, being an "easy to deal with" metaphor for what humanity's beliefs are. The Force inStar Wars, an energy field that bound all life and reality together,[19] is the essence of all religions in the real world, and originates from the first beliefs of humankind—life force—which flows through rocks and animals and brings humans to worship them. As Lucas explains, the belief in the Force—in a thing that could explain the unknown that "has some kind of power over us[humans] and/or that we have power over it"—stems from the psychological needs of humans that have been put together to in order to form a society.[8]
Drawing from Lucas' interest[20] in the psychological motifs that underlie the beliefs of the old, which is also known as mythology[8] or "psychological archaeology,"[18] as well as his interest in what connects all humans in their interpersonal relationships,[8]Star Wars was constructed mainly fromBuddhism andMethodism, the latter being the religion Lucas was brought up in. George Lucas also saw Methodism to be the same asChristianity,Islam, andJudaism[21]—their differences are simply artificial and ultimately superficial contracts; humans distorted their core belief in the Force into different religions for the sake of preserving the existence of their own society.[8]
Crucially, George Lucas refined his modern fairy tale with the works of[22] comparitive mythologistJoseph Campbell.[18] After nearly dying in a car crash, George Lucas entered a period of self-reflection that led him to the discovery of Campbell.[23] Subsequent to attending an anthropology class by Campbell in college and studying his works, Lucas became interested in mythology because through it, as a form of what he calls "psychological archaeology," he could understand human actions and the psychological underpinnings of what people were thinking—what they feared, what they felt about their parents—their psyche. In studying Campbell, George Lucas made efforts to take the psychological motifs from mythology from across the world and condense them intoStar Wars, with his films taking ideas that resonate through "all societies" and "through all the ages" as a result. With Joseph Campbell's seminal publication,The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Lucas incorporated archetypal characters and themonomyth structure toStar Wars in the aim of bringing the core of humanity to the fore of the modern world using a "modern fairy tale"—his new form of mythology. Joseph Campbell later became a close acquaintance of Lucas' after the release of his firstStar Wars films. and the filmmaker regarded the mythologist as his "Yoda," his mentor figure.[24]
George Lucas was also inspired by the mythology of his childhood, including theWestern genre of films as well asAlex Raymond'sFlash Gordon Saturday night television series.[25]Akira Kurosawa's films, to which Lucas was exposed to infilm school, served as key inspiration for theStar Wars films as well.[26] The short film21-87, a commentary on a machine-dominated society directed byArthur Lipsett,[27] inspiredGeorge Lucas to make the filmTHX-1138.[28]21-87 explores happiness and the relation of humans with reality,[27] and was referenced in the form ofCell 2187 in Lucas' firstStar Wars film,A New Hope.[29]
Teachings of Joseph Campbell[]
Mythology, as defined by Campbell, is humanity's metaphor for the transcendent; for eternity; for God—a greater power ungraspable by humans. Referencing theHindu[30]TrimurtiSadashiva[31] sculpture of theElephanta Caves, Campbell states that one enters a field of opposites whenever one moves out of the transcendent, that all things in the field of time is dual. The mythologist lists the opposites past and future, dead and alive, male and female, good and evil, and light and dark as examples of the dichotomous nature of reality as perceived by humanity. However, Joseph Campbell said that most humans put their minds on the side they saw as good, and that one of the problems of life is to live in the realization of the terms good and evil; for one to know the center and for one to know that the two dichotomous terms are simply temporal apparitions. Campbell saw that man's mythology is based on the inside of duality, leading to religions having a tendency to be ethical—sin and atonement, right and wrong. The Bible draws a distinction between God and nature, pitting nature against man and differentiating man from God. The condemnation of nature, Campbell observed, originates fromZarathustra's time and is shared by Islam, yet it is not shared byShinto, basic Hinduism, or Buddhism.[30] PhilosopherFriedrich Nietzsche records his personal characterization of Zarathustra in his novelThus Spoke Zarathustra, where he posits theÜbermensch as a goal for humanity, theeternal recurrence through space and time[32]—which is echoed by the rhyming, recurring motifs in the course of events inStar Wars[33][29][34]—and criticizes the dichotomous morality of good and evil.[32] The Japanese culture of being in harmony with nature fascinated Campbell,[30] and acting on instinct and being one with one's instincts, with nature, with the present, with theLiving Force, is taught byJar Jar Binks and subsequently theJediQui-Gon Jinn,[33] as well as Jinn's studentsObi-Wan Kenobi[29] andYoda.[19] The protagonists ofStar Wars and their associated locations are dressed in natural colors of green and brown, while the antagonists and their associated locations are dressed in the mechanical black and white, with hints of red that George Lucas associates with evil. Through color, Lucas thus created a rigid world of absolutes for the antagonists as opposed to the natural world the protagonists live in.[35]
Love, life, and letting go[]
- "The core thing to pass on is, you know, in talking about religion, is, you know, all religions say one thing—basically—which is love is the secret to the universe, which is compassion, which is love others, take care of others, help each other."
- ―George Lucas[21]
George Lucas explained one of the the core values ofStar Wars, one of the problems of the struggle inStar Wars, is about passion against compassion; which is greed against giving and letting go.[21] Compassion is defined by Lucas as joy, an everlasting emotion attained from being selfless[36]—thelight side of the Force[37]—and is one of two components of happiness.[36] Compassion is love, the core of all religions and spiritual traditions, and the Force is the amalgamation of the essence of all such beliefs. All humans have a compassionate side and a selfish side, asserts Lucas, and the main idea is to keep the two in balance by recognizing their coexistance, reject the dominance of selfishness, and be compassionate in order for a person to do good things.[18] In the legal, financial, and political systems of the American society, Lucas sees that they are based on a flawed, "winner-take-all" culture that arose from a "cave-man" mentality. Instead, Lucas wants a society based on compassion, where every person in society is cared for and everything is done for the best of all of society.[38]Anakin Skywalker lusted for power over all life and thus became evil in his greed—inability to let go of the inevitabledeath ofhis lover.[2] As said through Lucas' works, death is a natural part of life,[39] and that which maintains the harmonious, symbiotic relationship between all life andreality—the Force.[40] Skywalker violates the natural order of the Force in choosing to pursueimmortality, becoming consumed by his own hatred and selfishness, the dark side.[39] The son,Luke Skywalker, laterconfronts the father, who pities the self-sacrifice of Luke in affirming his stance as aJedi in service to the Force andthe galaxy and atones for his sins by letting go of himself[34] to fulfill the will of the Force and bring balance to it.[33]
Works[]
Bibliography[]
| Title | Released | Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization | 1976 | credited writer |
| Splinter of the Mind's Eye | 1978 | foreword to 1996 reprint |
| Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series | 1999–2003 | approved story |
| Shatterpoint | 2003 | prologue to paperback edition |
Filmography[]
Feature films[]
| Year | Title | Contribution(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Star Wars: Episode IVA New Hope | Director, Story By; Writer, Executive Producer |
| 1978 | The Star Wars Holiday Special | Story By |
| 1980 | Star Wars: Episode VThe Empire Strikes Back | Story By; Co-writer(uncredited),[41] Executive Producer, Uncredited Co-director |
| 1983 | Star Wars: Episode VIReturn of the Jedi | Executive Producer, Story By; Co-writer, Co-director(uncredited) |
| 1984 | Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure | Story By; Executive Producer |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode IThe Phantom Menace | Director, Story By; Writer, Executive Producer |
| 2002 | Star Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones | Director, Story By; Co-writer, Executive Producer |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith | Director, Story By, Writer, Executive Producer,BaronPapanoida |
| 2008 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Executive Producer |
Television[]
| Title | Released | Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Star Wars: Droids | 1985–1986 | characters, exec. producer |
| Ewoks | 1985–1987 | characters, exec. producer |
| Ewoks: The Battle for Endor | 1985 | characters, story, exec. producer |
| Star Wars: Clone Wars | 2003–2005 | characters, executive producer |
| Robot Chicken: Star Wars | 2007 | voice of himself |
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | 2008–2020 | executive producer (Season 1-6) |
| Star Wars: Underworld | TBA | characters, exec. producer |
| Star Wars Detours | TBA | characters |
Appearances inStar Wars[]
Lucas on the back ofTag & Bink Were Here
In addition to his cameo role asBaronPapanoida, Lucas has made twoExpanded Universe appearances. His name was modified forEgroeg Sacul, a character paged on theStar Tours ride, and his likeness was used for a 2002 limited-edition action figure of a character calledJorg Sacul; Sacul was the first of several Lucas action figures, including two 2006 figures (a stormtrooper from The Saga Collections and Papanoida as part of The Lucas Collection), and a 2021 figure.[42]
Lucas also appears twice in theTag & Bink comics. He appears inTag & Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace inDex's Diner and is depicted among the many characters chasingTag Greenley andBink Otauna on the back of theTag & Bink Were Here trade paperback. Lucas also appears in thethird part of theStar Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron: The Phantom Affair comic.
On June 5, 2005, Lucas was named the 100th "Greatest American" by theDiscovery Channel.
InStar Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones, a bust of George Lucas is in theJedi Archives.
In the non-canon specialLEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace, George Lucas makes an appearance, where he has to herd Darth Vader off screen after Vader interrupts scenes by inserting himself into them. He eventually tells Vader to get off of the set.
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
|
