Joseph Campbell was well-known for his exploration of the monomyth, or the hero's journey, which posits that worldwide myths that have survived for thousands of years all share a fundamental structure. Campbell's work inspired George Lucas to create the first Star Wars trilogy.
In the mid-1980s, Bill Moyers spent many hours interviewing Campbell at Skywalker Ranch. The result was a now famous documentary called "
The Power of Myth." The series has been available on
DVD since 2001, but Moyers has just made the
full series available for streaming and download on his site.
posted by ajr
on Mar 16, 2013 -
29 comments
George Lucas sits down with The Hollywood Reporter: "The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn’t. It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that Han shot first, because they wanted to think that he actually just gunned him down."
[more inside]
posted by 2bucksplus
on Feb 10, 2012 -
259 comments
Did 'Star Wars' become a toy story? Producer Gary Kurtz looks back “The toy business began to drive the [Lucasfilm] empire. It’s a shame. They make three times as much on toys as they do on films. It’s natural to make decisions that protect the toy business, but that’s not the best thing for making quality films.” He added: “The first film and ‘Empire’ were about story and character, but I could see that George’s priorities were changing.” (
via)
[more inside]
posted by octothorpe
on Aug 12, 2010 -
131 comments
Lucasfilm Animation is currently developing an all-new animated Star Wars series. Not
that one, a new series. And no relation to
the holiday special (
1978) or
Ewoks, the
animated series (
1985), or even
Droids:
The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO (
1985). The new
new series is set to feature creative involvement from Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, creators and executive producers
Robot Chicken, writing from The Daily Show's Brendan Hay, produced by Jennifer Hill (
The Backyardigans), and directed by Todd Grimes (
Back at the Barnyard). Unlike
the Clone Wars animated series, the latest venture into animation will be
one more humorous in tone and aimed at younger kids. Pre-School to Kindergarten aged kids young, and
the working title is believed to be "Squishies" (
or not).
posted by filthy light thief
on Apr 6, 2010 -
76 comments
“Until the recent Great Rebellion, the Jedi Bendu were the most feared warriors in the universe. For one hundred thousand years, generations of Jedi perfected their art as the personal bodyguards of the emperor. They were the chief architects of the invincible Imperial Space Force which expanded the Empire across the galaxy, from the celestial equator to the farthest reaches of the Great Rift.
Now these legendary warriors are all but extinct. One by one they have been hunted down and destroyed as enemies of the New Empire by a ferocious and sinister rival warrior sect, the Knights of Sith.”
- The first draft of Star Wars...
was awful.
posted by Artw
on May 25, 2009 -
149 comments
Watch The Skies! Directors Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ridley Scott and James Cameron discuss the science fiction movies of the 1950s that influenced them.
1::
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6:: 1 hour.
posted by vronsky
on Apr 4, 2009 -
6 comments
The "Raiders" Story Conference In 1978 George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Lawrence Kasdan spent five consecutive nine-hour days hashing out the characters and plot for
Raiders of the Lost Ark. The 125-page transcript of their meetings, unreleased before now, details their
insane talent and techniques for populist storytelling. (It also makes one wonder what happened to George Lucas, a man who once had a
math formula for exciting cinema.)
via Ain't It Cool News, unfortunately
posted by incomple
on Mar 10, 2009 -
135 comments
A look at the (likely terrible) CGI
Star Wars prequel hitting theaters this autumn.
The "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" movie is expected to run around 100 minutes and pick up between episode II and III. Anakin Skywalker is not yet Darth Vader. The story will then continue in 30-minute smallscreen installments.
posted by incomple
on Feb 11, 2008 -
106 comments
Grand Unification Theory: Salavon's work has been mentioned on MeFi before, but I thought in honor of the trilogy finally being released on DVD this week, I'd post a link to this very awesome piece of art using every single frame from Episode Four.
posted by glenwood
on Sep 20, 2004 -
11 comments
At last, "THX-1138" with green-glowing, computer-generated robot factories! George Lucas's first movie, the namesake of his
sound system, is coming to a theater near you, with a new 3D effects facelift, and a chilly, incomprehensible
Flash site. Will his
"original vision" of this 1971 dystopia be realized at last, or will his additions clash with the
stark San Francisco subway tunnels, like so much Yes music in a "Metropolis"
re-release?
posted by inksyndicate
on May 22, 2004 -
27 comments
DVDs are bad for business? They are, according to the producer of "Attack of the Clones." Although it seems to me that every week I hear about a new box-office record being shattered, Rick McCallum says such things as:
"I don't think there's a single movie that can survive on box office gross alone; it just doesn't exist anymore" and my favorite:
"Literally, our very lives are at stake now. George and I are just praying that we can finish 'Episode III' in time, before it's all over."
What do you think? Legitimate concern, or more ridiculous whining by millionaires lobbying to place restrictions on technogy?
posted by eas98
on Oct 22, 2002 -
56 comments
Digital projection coming to a theater near you. "Lucas says the new format is cheaper and easier on viewers' eyes because it eliminates the pops and scratches from film wear and tear. He accuses the industry of resisting change the same way it snubbed talking pictures until "The Jazz Singer" signaled the end of the silent era."
Any other mefites planning on seeing Episode II at a DLP theater? [
DLP theater list]
posted by skallas
on May 14, 2002 -
29 comments
