After the Hays Code was finally dropped in the late ’60s, it allowed filmmakers to make films without any restrictions, which led to the rise of some of the greatest names in filmmaking. This included acclaimed filmmaker George Lucas, who rose to prominence following the success of American Graffiti, starring Harrison Ford, which hit the shelves in ’73.
But it was his next collaboration with Ford that would go on to change Hollywood forever, kickstarting one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time. However, making Star Wars: A New Hope was pretty taxing for the filmmaker, as the sci-fi juggernaut almost fumbled after Lucas underwent some medical issues.
George Lucas’s Medical Emergency Almost Halted Star Wars’ Production
George Lucas on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. (Credit: Lucasfilm)
With A New Hope George Lucas not only created one of the most influential sci-fi releases of all time,...
But it was his next collaboration with Ford that would go on to change Hollywood forever, kickstarting one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time. However, making Star Wars: A New Hope was pretty taxing for the filmmaker, as the sci-fi juggernaut almost fumbled after Lucas underwent some medical issues.
George Lucas’s Medical Emergency Almost Halted Star Wars’ Production
George Lucas on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. (Credit: Lucasfilm)
With A New Hope George Lucas not only created one of the most influential sci-fi releases of all time,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom holds a strange place in every Indiana Jones fan’s heart. The awkward middle child, Temple of Doom is a dark, problematic prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, one which takes the series in a weirder, wilder direction—and manages to pull off one of the greatest openings of any action movie ever.
Today there’s often an assumption that contemporary critics weren’t enamored by director Steven Spielberg and writer George Lucas’ second collaboration, but that’s slightly misleading; The New Yorker’s Pauline Kael preferred Temple to Raiders because it fully embraced being “preposterous” and “implausible,” though she also writes that her friends labeled it “heartless” and “overbearing.” Meanwhile Roger Ebert gave the film a perfect four stars while People magazine warned that children may be traumatized by it.
Kael and her friends’ analysis perhaps best sums up why The Temple of Doom...
Today there’s often an assumption that contemporary critics weren’t enamored by director Steven Spielberg and writer George Lucas’ second collaboration, but that’s slightly misleading; The New Yorker’s Pauline Kael preferred Temple to Raiders because it fully embraced being “preposterous” and “implausible,” though she also writes that her friends labeled it “heartless” and “overbearing.” Meanwhile Roger Ebert gave the film a perfect four stars while People magazine warned that children may be traumatized by it.
Kael and her friends’ analysis perhaps best sums up why The Temple of Doom...
- 5/15/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Star Wars is a film that is a very important part of cinematic history. George Lucas’ third film and his greatest success in his cinematic career, Star Wars stands as one of the most influential film series in Western cinema. However, it is no secret that the film took a significant toll on Lucas’s health, something that landed the visionary director in the hospital.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Star Wars: Episode IV put the director in the hospital, which caused everyone to panic because no one was sure what the film was actually about. Lucas’ then-wife, Marcia Lucas, was responsible for cutting the film to size, majorly contributing to the film being recognized as the masterpiece that is. Star Wars ended up being made without any severe harm to Lucas’ health, but it does not mean that the director did not suffer during the film’s production.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Star Wars: Episode IV put the director in the hospital, which caused everyone to panic because no one was sure what the film was actually about. Lucas’ then-wife, Marcia Lucas, was responsible for cutting the film to size, majorly contributing to the film being recognized as the masterpiece that is. Star Wars ended up being made without any severe harm to Lucas’ health, but it does not mean that the director did not suffer during the film’s production.
- 5/14/2024
- by Anuraag Chatterjee
- FandomWire
Episode I – The Phantom Menace marked George Lucas’s return to the director’s chair since A New Hope as he once again introduced new characters and stories in the space opera. While the film was a huge box office hit, it received mixed reviews with many criticizing its storyline, casting choices, performances, and awkward dialogues.
George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Credit: Lucasfilm
And it seems that the filmmaker’s ex-wife Marcia Lucas also did not find the film very pleasing. She even admitted to crying after watching the movie as she echoed many of the same critiques while sharing her thoughts on the movie.
The Phantom Menace Made George Lucas’ Ex-Wife Cry
George Lucas has collaborated with his ex-wife, Marcia Lucas, on movies like American Graffiti and the Original Star Wars trilogy. The film editor also won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing...
George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Credit: Lucasfilm
And it seems that the filmmaker’s ex-wife Marcia Lucas also did not find the film very pleasing. She even admitted to crying after watching the movie as she echoed many of the same critiques while sharing her thoughts on the movie.
The Phantom Menace Made George Lucas’ Ex-Wife Cry
George Lucas has collaborated with his ex-wife, Marcia Lucas, on movies like American Graffiti and the Original Star Wars trilogy. The film editor also won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing...
- 5/7/2024
- by Laxmi Rajput
- FandomWire
For so many reasons, George Lucas' 1977 "Star Wars" is a revolutionary film. Like any game-changer, some of the ways in which "Star Wars" re-shaped the cinematic landscape couldn't have been predicted; its ushering in a huge wave of big budget sci-fi/fantasy films, its one-two punch with "Jaws" establishing the summer blockbuster, its use of Joseph Campbell-inspired myth making shaping the way so many screenplays would be written for the next few decades, and so on.
However, some of the innovations created by "Star Wars" were very visible while it was being made, none more so than by Lucas himself. In addition to gathering together a cadre of visual-effects pioneers and wizards who could make his vision a reality on screen (a coterie later dubbed Industrial Light & Magic), Lucas faced the problem of making sure their work could be seen in its best light, literally. As Paul Hirsch, one of...
However, some of the innovations created by "Star Wars" were very visible while it was being made, none more so than by Lucas himself. In addition to gathering together a cadre of visual-effects pioneers and wizards who could make his vision a reality on screen (a coterie later dubbed Industrial Light & Magic), Lucas faced the problem of making sure their work could be seen in its best light, literally. As Paul Hirsch, one of...
- 2/18/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
"Star Wars" was only the third feature film that George Lucas ever directed and it was easily more ambitious and expensive than "Thx 1138" and "American Graffiti" — the $11 million budget for "Star Wars" is equal to about $65 million today. Handling that kind of money, and spending it on a film whose absurdity invited dozens of ways to fail, strained Lucas' mental wellbeing.
It didn't help that the film suffered from a production that was anything but smooth, with constant effects problems and trailing behind schedule. Not all the actors (Harrison Ford included) had faith in Lucas' vision while they were shooting it. It's a matter of filmmaking legend now how "Star Wars" didn't come together until Marcia Lucas (one of the film's three credited editors and George's then-wife) cut it into shape in her editing bay; before that, Lucas was concerned he'd bitten off more than he could chew.
In...
It didn't help that the film suffered from a production that was anything but smooth, with constant effects problems and trailing behind schedule. Not all the actors (Harrison Ford included) had faith in Lucas' vision while they were shooting it. It's a matter of filmmaking legend now how "Star Wars" didn't come together until Marcia Lucas (one of the film's three credited editors and George's then-wife) cut it into shape in her editing bay; before that, Lucas was concerned he'd bitten off more than he could chew.
In...
- 2/18/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
The Academy picked the right year to give an Honorary Oscar to film editor Carol Littleton. They’re saluting a female editor at a time when three of the year’s major awards contenders —“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Oppenheimer” and “Maestro” — are edited by Thelma Schoonmaker, Jennifer Lame and Michelle Tesoro, respectively, and when other women in the mix include Hilda Rasula for “American Fiction,” Victoria Boydell for “Saltburn,” Sarah Flack for “Priscilla” and co-editors Claire Simpson (with Sam Restivo) for “Napoleon” and Oona Flaherty (with Nick Moore) for “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
“The Editors Guild has about 2,900 picture editors, and 764 women,” said Littleton, a one-time president of that guild. “That’s about a fourth. So isn’t it interesting that these three big prestigious films, ‘Oppenheimer,’ and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and ‘Maestro,’ are edited by women?”
If all three are nominated for Oscars...
“The Editors Guild has about 2,900 picture editors, and 764 women,” said Littleton, a one-time president of that guild. “That’s about a fourth. So isn’t it interesting that these three big prestigious films, ‘Oppenheimer,’ and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and ‘Maestro,’ are edited by women?”
If all three are nominated for Oscars...
- 12/29/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
It's not unusual for artists to have a complicated relationship with their work. Whether it's a piece that fails to land with viewers or a successful passion project that ultimately gets sucked into the commercial machine, it's an especially tight line for filmmakers to walk. For George Lucas, 1977's "Star Wars" (by 1981 it would be retitled "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope") was the latter: an offbeat, mystical science fiction film that he had spent years developing and for which he had the lowest expectations. After all, the story of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hammill) leaving the comfort of his home planet to learn the ways of the mystical Force and befriend a ragtag rebel group facing off against an evil Empire was no sure thing.
"Star Wars" would go on to cast an awfully long shadow, creating a massive franchise and media phenomenon that would tie Lucas up...
"Star Wars" would go on to cast an awfully long shadow, creating a massive franchise and media phenomenon that would tie Lucas up...
- 8/20/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
After foiling a Nazi plot to unleash the power of the Ark of the Covenant on the world, the intrepid archaeologist, Indiana Jones, is heading beneath the Pankot Palace in India to recover the mystical Sankara Stones from the evil Thuggee cult, led by the deranged priest Mola Ram. This mission is all in a day’s work for Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones Jr., whose heroism is becoming a legend worldwide after his thrilling adventure in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Grab your trusty braided kangaroo leather whip, bury your entomophobia deep, and bring your appetite for chilled monkey brains because we’re looking back on the second chapter of Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!
When executive producer and story writer George Lucas teamed up with Steven Spielberg for the Indiana Jones project, the creator of the Star Wars Universe said he...
When executive producer and story writer George Lucas teamed up with Steven Spielberg for the Indiana Jones project, the creator of the Star Wars Universe said he...
- 7/18/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Though "The Empire Strikes Back" is often regarded now as the best "Star Wars" film, the surprising runner-up in our poll two years ago was "Return of the Jedi," which is celebrating its 40th anniversary today. That "Jedi" should make such a strong showing was surprising if only because the film tends to take a slight critical drubbing in comparison to "Empire" and the first "Star Wars" movie, now known as "A New Hope."
With "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back," directors George Lucas and Irvin Kershner each carved out a distinct tone and vision for what the original "Star Wars" trilogy could be. Still, the contemporary love for "Empire" doesn't necessarily align with the immediate reaction audiences had to it back in the day. Last year, the Vice TV docuseries "Icons Unearthed: Star Wars" spliced in footage of one '80s fan exiting the theater, saying, "It could've been a better ending,...
With "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back," directors George Lucas and Irvin Kershner each carved out a distinct tone and vision for what the original "Star Wars" trilogy could be. Still, the contemporary love for "Empire" doesn't necessarily align with the immediate reaction audiences had to it back in the day. Last year, the Vice TV docuseries "Icons Unearthed: Star Wars" spliced in footage of one '80s fan exiting the theater, saying, "It could've been a better ending,...
- 5/25/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
(Welcome to Best Action Scene Ever, a column dedicated to breaking down the best, most effective action sequences throughout the genre. In this edition, we visit a galaxy far, far away to give the groundbreaking trench run from 1977's "Star Wars" the credit it deserves.)
It was the Force-assisted shot heard 'round the galaxy. In arguably one of the most famous sequences in all of cinema, Mark Hamill's baby-faced Luke Skywalker channels all the lessons he learned from his late mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), shuts out his fears, and takes the million-to-one shot that deals the Empire a debilitating blow and, more importantly, completes his hero's journey. The Rebel attack on the Death Star in the third act of the original 1977 film is important enough in "Star Wars" canon that it defines the actual dating system of the franchise timeline, delineated by the Battle of Yavin. Yet, as...
It was the Force-assisted shot heard 'round the galaxy. In arguably one of the most famous sequences in all of cinema, Mark Hamill's baby-faced Luke Skywalker channels all the lessons he learned from his late mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), shuts out his fears, and takes the million-to-one shot that deals the Empire a debilitating blow and, more importantly, completes his hero's journey. The Rebel attack on the Death Star in the third act of the original 1977 film is important enough in "Star Wars" canon that it defines the actual dating system of the franchise timeline, delineated by the Battle of Yavin. Yet, as...
- 5/1/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for "The Empire Strikes Back."
In 1980, "The Empire Strikes Back" had already screened in about a hundred theaters when executive producer and "Star Wars" creator George Lucas decided that the ending was confusing and needed some last-minute changes. According to StarWars.com, before the movie expanded its theatrical rollout any further, Lucas had the team at Industrial Light & Magic add shots to give clarity to the geography of the Millennium Falcon in relation to the medical frigate where Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and the droids C-3Po (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) stand looking out the window.
It wouldn't be the last time Lucas tinkered with "The Empire Strikes Back," as the version that's now streaming on Disney+ incorporates further changes he made for its 1997 Special Edition re-release. In 2022, Hamill revealed that the medical frigate scene was itself a late...
In 1980, "The Empire Strikes Back" had already screened in about a hundred theaters when executive producer and "Star Wars" creator George Lucas decided that the ending was confusing and needed some last-minute changes. According to StarWars.com, before the movie expanded its theatrical rollout any further, Lucas had the team at Industrial Light & Magic add shots to give clarity to the geography of the Millennium Falcon in relation to the medical frigate where Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and the droids C-3Po (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) stand looking out the window.
It wouldn't be the last time Lucas tinkered with "The Empire Strikes Back," as the version that's now streaming on Disney+ incorporates further changes he made for its 1997 Special Edition re-release. In 2022, Hamill revealed that the medical frigate scene was itself a late...
- 4/29/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Most consider George Lucas one of the all-time great American filmmakers. He’s the creative force behind the Star Wars franchise as well as the Indiana Jones series. And to many fans, he’s a true pioneer behind the genre of blockbuster films. Lucas started making films in the ’60s, going on to produce the cult classic American Graffiti, and in 1977, his life changed forever with the release of his surprise hit Star Wars. While Lucas’ personal life doesn’t make headlines like his professional projects, he met his second wife in a surprising way.
George Lucas and his first wife were married for more than a decade
Episode 2 of Forgotten Women of Genre celebrates film editor Marcia Lucas whose work helped make #StarWars one of the most successful films of all time #WomensHistoryMonth #FWOGhttps://t.co/vFiz05SxwQ pic.twitter.com/uSm2eq6h3C
— Syfy Fangrrls (@Syfyfangrrls) March...
George Lucas and his first wife were married for more than a decade
Episode 2 of Forgotten Women of Genre celebrates film editor Marcia Lucas whose work helped make #StarWars one of the most successful films of all time #WomensHistoryMonth #FWOGhttps://t.co/vFiz05SxwQ pic.twitter.com/uSm2eq6h3C
— Syfy Fangrrls (@Syfyfangrrls) March...
- 4/2/2023
- by Christina Nunn
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Exclusive: Amazon Freevee has picked up Icons Unearthed: Star Wars for the UK, the doc series that features the first tell-all on-camera interview with George Lucas’ former wife Marcia Lucas.
The landmark series aired over the summer in the U.S. on Vice TV and has since been renewed for a second season, which will showcase The Simpsons.
Icons Unearthed takes a deep dive into the Star Wars universe and features the first on-camera interview with the creator’s former wife and the original trilogy’s Oscar-winning editor.
Produced by the Nacelle Company and directed by Brian Volk-Weiss (The Toys That Made Us), Icons Unearthed travels to all 50 U.S. states along with Tunisia, England, Canada and Italy, featuring interviews with others involved with the series including Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Paul Hirsch, Phil Tippett, Rick Baker, Ken Ralston, John Dykstra, Howard Kazanjian, Julian Glover, Ian McDiarmid, Gus Lopez,...
The landmark series aired over the summer in the U.S. on Vice TV and has since been renewed for a second season, which will showcase The Simpsons.
Icons Unearthed takes a deep dive into the Star Wars universe and features the first on-camera interview with the creator’s former wife and the original trilogy’s Oscar-winning editor.
Produced by the Nacelle Company and directed by Brian Volk-Weiss (The Toys That Made Us), Icons Unearthed travels to all 50 U.S. states along with Tunisia, England, Canada and Italy, featuring interviews with others involved with the series including Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Paul Hirsch, Phil Tippett, Rick Baker, Ken Ralston, John Dykstra, Howard Kazanjian, Julian Glover, Ian McDiarmid, Gus Lopez,...
- 9/23/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
One of this summer’s most surprising television events has been Vice TV’s Icons Unearthed: Star Wars. What makes this program — whose latest episode covering the production of Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones, airs Aug. 16at 10 p.m. Et — so compelling is how it somehow manages to be a treasure trove of new information about George Lucas’ space saga.
Even before the internet made information about the original and prequel trilogy easy to come by, Star Wars was the most dissected franchise in motion picture (and pop culture) history. With every bit of minutiae relating to the film’s production having been analyzed to death by this point, what, if anything, is there to learn about Star Wars that we haven’t already heard a million times before?
Enter Brian Volk-Weiss.
The mastermind behind The Toys That Made Us, The Movies That Made Us and At a Toy Store Near You,...
Even before the internet made information about the original and prequel trilogy easy to come by, Star Wars was the most dissected franchise in motion picture (and pop culture) history. With every bit of minutiae relating to the film’s production having been analyzed to death by this point, what, if anything, is there to learn about Star Wars that we haven’t already heard a million times before?
Enter Brian Volk-Weiss.
The mastermind behind The Toys That Made Us, The Movies That Made Us and At a Toy Store Near You,...
- 8/11/2022
- by Chris Cummins
- Den of Geek
The Nacelle Company’s “Icons Unearthed” has been renewed for Season 2 by Vice TV, Variety has learned exclusively.
In Season 2, the six-part documentary series will focus on long-running animated sitcom “The Simpsons.” Directed by Nacelle Company CEO Brian Volk-Weiss, “Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons” will reveal previously unknown and surprising details about the beloved animated series. The second season also features exclusive interviews with several writers, directors, actors and network executives, including Bill Oakley, Rich Moore, Jon Vitti, Mimi Pond, Doug Benson, Todd McFarlane, Garth Ancier, Phil Roman and Jennifer Howell.
“We’re ecstatic to have the second season of our ‘Icons Unearthed’ documentary series officially picked up by Vice TV. It’s an honor to be able to tell the little known history behind one of the most historic franchises in television, ‘The Simpsons,’” Volk-Weiss said in a statement.
In the first season of “Icons Unearthed,” the show explored the...
In Season 2, the six-part documentary series will focus on long-running animated sitcom “The Simpsons.” Directed by Nacelle Company CEO Brian Volk-Weiss, “Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons” will reveal previously unknown and surprising details about the beloved animated series. The second season also features exclusive interviews with several writers, directors, actors and network executives, including Bill Oakley, Rich Moore, Jon Vitti, Mimi Pond, Doug Benson, Todd McFarlane, Garth Ancier, Phil Roman and Jennifer Howell.
“We’re ecstatic to have the second season of our ‘Icons Unearthed’ documentary series officially picked up by Vice TV. It’s an honor to be able to tell the little known history behind one of the most historic franchises in television, ‘The Simpsons,’” Volk-Weiss said in a statement.
In the first season of “Icons Unearthed,” the show explored the...
- 7/23/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Vice TV will world premiere the Nacelle Company’s new Icons Unearthed series July 12, with the first installment of a 6-hour deep dive into the Star Wars Universe.
In Icons Unearthed: Star Wars Marcia Lucas, Oscar-winning film editor and ex-wife of George Lucas, sits down for her first-ever on-camera interview and provides unique insight into the rise of LucasFilm — including her 14-year marriage to and eventual divorce from George Lucas — the editing of the original Star Wars trilogy, the origin of the idea that Darth Vader would be Luke’s father and if there were really originally plans for nine movies.
Icons Unearthed: Star Wars also includes exclusive interviews with Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Paul Hirsch, Phil Tippett, Rick Baker, Ken Ralston, John Dykstra, Howard Kazanjian, Julian Glover, Ian McDiarmid, Gus Lopez, Tom Spina and many more. Icons Unearthed: Star Wars is narrated by Michael Pennington, who portrayed Moff...
In Icons Unearthed: Star Wars Marcia Lucas, Oscar-winning film editor and ex-wife of George Lucas, sits down for her first-ever on-camera interview and provides unique insight into the rise of LucasFilm — including her 14-year marriage to and eventual divorce from George Lucas — the editing of the original Star Wars trilogy, the origin of the idea that Darth Vader would be Luke’s father and if there were really originally plans for nine movies.
Icons Unearthed: Star Wars also includes exclusive interviews with Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Paul Hirsch, Phil Tippett, Rick Baker, Ken Ralston, John Dykstra, Howard Kazanjian, Julian Glover, Ian McDiarmid, Gus Lopez, Tom Spina and many more. Icons Unearthed: Star Wars is narrated by Michael Pennington, who portrayed Moff...
- 6/6/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
In the 94-year history of the Oscars, there is only one category, besides Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, that has never been won by a woman. That would be Best Cinematography, which honors a movie’s lighting, framing and camerawork.
Those are hardly gender-specific achievements, though the Oscars, for better or worse, are a reflection of the opportunities offered in the film industry. And as such, there are deep institutional reasons why this specific category has such a poor track record for women.
The trivia stat could change on Sunday night. Ari Wegner, the Australian cinematographer of Jane Campion’s nomination-leader “The Power of the Dog,” is nominated for her thoughtful, intuitive work on the film. TheWrap’s Steve Pond predicts that Wegner will take home the trophy, giving her the edge over “Dune” Dp Greig Fraser (the cinematographer of Campion’s previous movie “Bright Star”), who has scored the BAFTA and ASC precursors.
Those are hardly gender-specific achievements, though the Oscars, for better or worse, are a reflection of the opportunities offered in the film industry. And as such, there are deep institutional reasons why this specific category has such a poor track record for women.
The trivia stat could change on Sunday night. Ari Wegner, the Australian cinematographer of Jane Campion’s nomination-leader “The Power of the Dog,” is nominated for her thoughtful, intuitive work on the film. TheWrap’s Steve Pond predicts that Wegner will take home the trophy, giving her the edge over “Dune” Dp Greig Fraser (the cinematographer of Campion’s previous movie “Bright Star”), who has scored the BAFTA and ASC precursors.
- 3/24/2022
- by Joe McGovern
- The Wrap
Film editors Lillian E. Benson and Richard Chew will receive Career Achievement Awards for their outstanding contributions to film editing at the 72nd Annual Ace Eddie Awards, taking place on March 5 at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.
“Lillian and Richard are rock star editors and represent the very best of our craft and profession,” said Ace president Kevin Tent. “Just look at those credits! Not only have they had incredibly prolific careers, but they’ve given back to our community in many ways, not the least of which by mentoring the next generation of editors. We are thrilled to honor these two special editors and look back at their amazing careers.”
Past recipients of the Ace Career Achievement Award include Alan Heim, Thelma Schoonmaker, Dede Allen, Janet Ashikaga, Craig Mckay, Margaret Booth, Carol Littleton, John Soh, Mark Goldblatt and Leon Ortiz-Gil, among many others.
Benson made history as...
“Lillian and Richard are rock star editors and represent the very best of our craft and profession,” said Ace president Kevin Tent. “Just look at those credits! Not only have they had incredibly prolific careers, but they’ve given back to our community in many ways, not the least of which by mentoring the next generation of editors. We are thrilled to honor these two special editors and look back at their amazing careers.”
Past recipients of the Ace Career Achievement Award include Alan Heim, Thelma Schoonmaker, Dede Allen, Janet Ashikaga, Craig Mckay, Margaret Booth, Carol Littleton, John Soh, Mark Goldblatt and Leon Ortiz-Gil, among many others.
Benson made history as...
- 1/25/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequel trilogy was not beloved by critics, but it does have an admirer in Mark Hamill. As part of an interview for J.W. Rinzler’s just-published book on “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” film producer Howard Kazanjian, Hamill revealed he was “impressed” with Lucas’ controversial entries “The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones,” and “Revenge of the Sith.” Hamill sat the prequel trilogy out, but he did return as Luke in the Disney-backed sequel trilogy years later.
“I was impressed the prequels had their own identity,” Hamill said. “They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably, like he said back in 1976, they weren’t as commercial. It’s a darker story. But in the age of social media, people’s voices are amplified, and I’m shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of ‘Star Wars’ films,...
“I was impressed the prequels had their own identity,” Hamill said. “They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably, like he said back in 1976, they weren’t as commercial. It’s a darker story. But in the age of social media, people’s voices are amplified, and I’m shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of ‘Star Wars’ films,...
- 9/24/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Marcia Lucas is no fan of the direction the “Star Wars” franchise has taken in recent years. Lucas, who won an Oscar for editing her ex-husband George’s original “Star Wars: A New Hope,” made her feelings known in a new interview in a just published book by late author and “Star Wars” historian J.W. Rinzler, “Howard Kazanjian: A Producer’s Life.”
“I like Kathleen,” Lucas begins in a book excerpt making the rounds on Twitter about Kennedy, a longtime producer who became president of Lucasfilm in 2012. “I always liked her. She was really smart and really bright. Really wonderful woman.” But Lucas, who was married to George Lucas from 1969 to 1983, said she is less positive about Kennedy’s stewardship of the “Star Wars” franchise. “Now that she’s running Lucasfilm and making movies, it seems to me that Kathy Kennedy and J.J. Abrams don’t have a clue about ‘Star Wars.
“I like Kathleen,” Lucas begins in a book excerpt making the rounds on Twitter about Kennedy, a longtime producer who became president of Lucasfilm in 2012. “I always liked her. She was really smart and really bright. Really wonderful woman.” But Lucas, who was married to George Lucas from 1969 to 1983, said she is less positive about Kennedy’s stewardship of the “Star Wars” franchise. “Now that she’s running Lucasfilm and making movies, it seems to me that Kathy Kennedy and J.J. Abrams don’t have a clue about ‘Star Wars.
- 9/20/2021
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
When you watch enough movies, the dirty little secret that nobody ever really wants to acknowledge starts to emerge. The vast majority of films aren't terrible or masterpieces -- they're merely okay. Some good stuff, some bad, all combining to make an unspectacular 2.5 out of 5 star film. That's just the way it is! But when it comes to some diehard fans of blockbuster franchises like, say, "Star Wars," suddenly all of that conventional wisdom goes out the window and becomes replaced with charged responses that end up on either extreme of the spectrum.
But when we're talking about those with...
The post Star Wars Editor Marcia Lucas Was Furious With Sequel Series, Cried Over the Prequels appeared first on /Film.
But when we're talking about those with...
The post Star Wars Editor Marcia Lucas Was Furious With Sequel Series, Cried Over the Prequels appeared first on /Film.
- 9/20/2021
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Marcia Lucas, the Oscar-winning editor of the original “Star Wars,” wasn’t very happy with Disney’s sequel trilogy. She said producer Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams “don’t get it” and “the storylines are terrible” in an interview for J.W. Rinzler’s book “Howard Kazanjian: A Producer’s Life,” which examines the prolific producer’s life, including his time on the “Star Wars” franchise.
“I like Kathleen. I always liked her. She was full of beans. She was really smart and really bright. Really wonderful woman. And I liked her husband, Frank. I liked them a lot. Now that she’s running Lucasfilm and making movies, it seems to me that Kathy Kennedy and J.J. Abrams don’t have a clue about ‘Star Wars.’ They don’t get it. And J.J. Abrams is writing these stories — when I saw that movie where they kill Han Solo,...
“I like Kathleen. I always liked her. She was full of beans. She was really smart and really bright. Really wonderful woman. And I liked her husband, Frank. I liked them a lot. Now that she’s running Lucasfilm and making movies, it seems to me that Kathy Kennedy and J.J. Abrams don’t have a clue about ‘Star Wars.’ They don’t get it. And J.J. Abrams is writing these stories — when I saw that movie where they kill Han Solo,...
- 9/20/2021
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
The divisiveness of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy remains powerful nearly two years after its conclusion. Yet, as topically wide-ranging—and, in some cases, strangely political—as debates over the Disney follow-ups to the sacred Original Trilogy became, the cold-hard metric of box office grosses confirms their status as Star Wars’ most lucrative mainline movies (excluding the anemic Solo). Now, the camp of sequel detractors has apparently gained a surprisingly authoritative ally in film editor Marcia Lucas, who, besides being the ex-wife of George Lucas, was a crucially grounding visionary in the franchise’s formation.
One of Star Wars’ early guiding forces, Marcia Lucas (born Marcia Lou Griffin), has offered some scathing criticism of Sequel Trilogy films The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), rife with the kind of adjectives that don’t beat around the bush. The stinging words stem from Howard Kazanjian: A Producer’s Life by J.
One of Star Wars’ early guiding forces, Marcia Lucas (born Marcia Lou Griffin), has offered some scathing criticism of Sequel Trilogy films The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), rife with the kind of adjectives that don’t beat around the bush. The stinging words stem from Howard Kazanjian: A Producer’s Life by J.
- 9/20/2021
- by Joseph Baxter
- Den of Geek
If you’re a fan of the original “Star Wars” trilogy, you are very familiar with the work of editor Marcia Lucas. Having won an Oscar for her work on ‘A New Hope,’ Lucas (who was married to George Lucas until 1983) would go on to contribute to the editing of both sequels, ‘Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Return of the Jedi.’ But since then, she hasn’t worked on a “Star Wars” project, and she certainly is no fan of what Disney has done with the franchise in its most recent entries.
Continue reading ‘Star Wars’ Editor Marcia Lucas Says Kathleen Kennedy “Doesn’t Have A Clue” When It Comes To The Franchise at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Star Wars’ Editor Marcia Lucas Says Kathleen Kennedy “Doesn’t Have A Clue” When It Comes To The Franchise at The Playlist.
- 9/20/2021
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Marcia Lucas is no fan of the Disney-produced “Star Wars” movies. While being interviewed for J.W. Rinzler’s just-published book on “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” film producer Howard Kazanjian, Lucas slammed current Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams for their storyline decisions. The choice to kill off Han Solo and Luke Skywalker particularly made Lucas upset.
Lucas won an Oscar for editing the original “Star Wars” along with Paul Hirsch and Richard Chew. She returned to co-edit “Return of the Jedi” and went uncredited on “The Empire Strikes Back.” Prior to “Star Wars,” Lucas made a name for herself editing Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” and she was also Oscar nominated for “American Graffiti.” Marcia Lucas was married to George Lucas between 1969 and 1983.
“I Like Kathleen. I always liked her,” Marcia Lucas says in Rinzler’s book,...
Lucas won an Oscar for editing the original “Star Wars” along with Paul Hirsch and Richard Chew. She returned to co-edit “Return of the Jedi” and went uncredited on “The Empire Strikes Back.” Prior to “Star Wars,” Lucas made a name for herself editing Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” and she was also Oscar nominated for “American Graffiti.” Marcia Lucas was married to George Lucas between 1969 and 1983.
“I Like Kathleen. I always liked her,” Marcia Lucas says in Rinzler’s book,...
- 9/20/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Many people (rightfully) talk about the opening, tomb-raiding sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which introduces adventurer archaeologist Indiana Jones to the audience as he lifts a golden idol from a booby-trapped Peruvian temple. But it’s not as common to hear about the movie’s ending…
No, I’m not talking about the scene in which the supernatural force inside the Ark of the Covenant melts the Nazis’ faces, or even the long, ominous final shot of the Ark being packaged away in some nondescript government warehouse—we talk about those plenty. I’m referring to the final scene between our hero, Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), and his partner-in-adventure Marion (Karen Allen). In the Raiders denouement, Marion meets a grumpy Indy on the steps of a Washington D.C. building after his fight with government bureaucrats, the latter of whom said they’ll be taking care of...
No, I’m not talking about the scene in which the supernatural force inside the Ark of the Covenant melts the Nazis’ faces, or even the long, ominous final shot of the Ark being packaged away in some nondescript government warehouse—we talk about those plenty. I’m referring to the final scene between our hero, Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), and his partner-in-adventure Marion (Karen Allen). In the Raiders denouement, Marion meets a grumpy Indy on the steps of a Washington D.C. building after his fight with government bureaucrats, the latter of whom said they’ll be taking care of...
- 6/12/2021
- by Kayti Burt
- Den of Geek
Pictured (left to right): Kiri Hart, Richard Edlund, John Dykstra, Marcia Lucas, Dennis Muren and John Knoll.
On Thursday evening The Academy’s Science and Technology Council presented “Galactic Innovations: Star Wars and Rogue One” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Oscar-winning, Oscar-nominated and Scientific and Technical Award-honored panelists included Ben Burtt ,John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Harrison Ellenshaw, Bill George, John Knoll, Marcia Lucas, Dennis Muren, Bruce Nicholson and Rachel Rose. The evening was hosted by “Rogue One” co-producer Kiri Hart.
These VFX pioneers shared the journey of creating the impossible with their breakthrough visual effects. They also shared rare images that compared the technology and visual results from both films.
Pictured (left to right): Rachel Rose, Bill George, John Knoll, Bruce Nicholson, Harrison Ellenshaw, Richard Edlund, Stormtroopers, John Bailey, Marcia Lucas, John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, Ben Burtt and Kiri Hart.
Check out some of the...
On Thursday evening The Academy’s Science and Technology Council presented “Galactic Innovations: Star Wars and Rogue One” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Oscar-winning, Oscar-nominated and Scientific and Technical Award-honored panelists included Ben Burtt ,John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Harrison Ellenshaw, Bill George, John Knoll, Marcia Lucas, Dennis Muren, Bruce Nicholson and Rachel Rose. The evening was hosted by “Rogue One” co-producer Kiri Hart.
These VFX pioneers shared the journey of creating the impossible with their breakthrough visual effects. They also shared rare images that compared the technology and visual results from both films.
Pictured (left to right): Rachel Rose, Bill George, John Knoll, Bruce Nicholson, Harrison Ellenshaw, Richard Edlund, Stormtroopers, John Bailey, Marcia Lucas, John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, Ben Burtt and Kiri Hart.
Check out some of the...
- 6/28/2019
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The “Star Wars” franchise has always been about balancing the past with the future, bolstered by the cutting edge tech at Industrial Light & Magic under the leadership of George Lucas and beyond. To celebrate 40 years of “Star Wars” VFX wizardry, and in anticipation of J.J. Abrams’ climactic Episode 9, “The Rise of Skywalker” (December 20), and the launch of Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian” series on Disney+ (November 12), franchise luminaries gathered Thursday night at the Academy to discuss the analog to digital transformation.
The presenters assembled for “Galactic Innovations: ‘Stars Wars’ and ‘Rogue One'” included VFX supervisors John Dykstra, visual effects director/cameraperson Richard Edlund, Ilm chief creative officer John Knoll, former Ilm creative director Dennis Muren, sound designer/mixer Ben Burtt, matte artist Harrison Ellenshaw, editor Marcia Lucas, compositor Bruce Nicholson, and R&d supervisor Rachel Rose.
“Galactic Innovations” kicked off with the “Star Wars” breakthroughs at Ilm’s initial warehouse facility in Van Nuys.
The presenters assembled for “Galactic Innovations: ‘Stars Wars’ and ‘Rogue One'” included VFX supervisors John Dykstra, visual effects director/cameraperson Richard Edlund, Ilm chief creative officer John Knoll, former Ilm creative director Dennis Muren, sound designer/mixer Ben Burtt, matte artist Harrison Ellenshaw, editor Marcia Lucas, compositor Bruce Nicholson, and R&d supervisor Rachel Rose.
“Galactic Innovations” kicked off with the “Star Wars” breakthroughs at Ilm’s initial warehouse facility in Van Nuys.
- 6/28/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
From the mind of Emmy Winner Matt Schrader comes Blockbuster, “a six-part docu-narrative podcast dramatizing the friendship of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as they were making their formative films, Star Wars and Jaws, with the help of composer of John Williams.”
The podcast series was created with intensive research by Schrader, who allows fans of the directors and composer to be a fly on the wall in the time that their careers were about to skyrocket and history was being made.
The podcast is available to subscribe to on Apple and Spotify if you are excited by this project.
The following clip follows Lucas (voiced by Ray Chase), showing his friends Star Wars for the first time. The friends and their voices are Spielberg (Max Mittelman), Brian De Palma, and his wife and editor, Marcia Lucas (Julia McIlvaine).
Listen below and let us know what you think of this...
The podcast series was created with intensive research by Schrader, who allows fans of the directors and composer to be a fly on the wall in the time that their careers were about to skyrocket and history was being made.
The podcast is available to subscribe to on Apple and Spotify if you are excited by this project.
The following clip follows Lucas (voiced by Ray Chase), showing his friends Star Wars for the first time. The friends and their voices are Spielberg (Max Mittelman), Brian De Palma, and his wife and editor, Marcia Lucas (Julia McIlvaine).
Listen below and let us know what you think of this...
- 5/17/2019
- by Jessica Fisher
- GeekTyrant
In honor of Women's History Month, this March, Syfy Fangrrls is launching a new limited podcast dedicated to women in genre films whose accomplishments have gone unrecognized or have been forgotten. In today's Highlights, we also have details on the California run of Evil Dead The Musical and Popcornflix's first wave of streaming movies with Terror Films.
Syfy Fangrrls Presents Limited Podcast Series Forgotten Women of Genre: "Syfy Wire Fangrrls present: Forgotten Women of Genre.
March is Women's History Month and while Syfy Fangrrls celebrates women's achievements throughout the year, they’re going above and beyond for the upcoming month with a limited podcast series called Forgotten Women of Genre.
Science fiction, fantasy, and all associated genres have finally evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream staple. But the women who have been instrumental in creating and shaping the nerdverse have largely gone unrecognized. Until today. Forgotten Women...
Syfy Fangrrls Presents Limited Podcast Series Forgotten Women of Genre: "Syfy Wire Fangrrls present: Forgotten Women of Genre.
March is Women's History Month and while Syfy Fangrrls celebrates women's achievements throughout the year, they’re going above and beyond for the upcoming month with a limited podcast series called Forgotten Women of Genre.
Science fiction, fantasy, and all associated genres have finally evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream staple. But the women who have been instrumental in creating and shaping the nerdverse have largely gone unrecognized. Until today. Forgotten Women...
- 3/18/2019
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Will the highest grossing film of the year “Black Panther” score a Best Picture nomination? It’s a fair question as no Marvel film has ever even been in the conversation. And the question has produced so much turmoil the academy temporarily thought of adding a Best Popular Film category. We should look towards another popular origin story that was not your typical Oscar fare — 1977’s “Star Wars: IV A New Hope” — as our guide towards “Black Panther’s” potential Oscar nomination haul.
George Lucas’s original “Star Wars” spawned a franchise that includes seven prequels and sequels and two spinoffs to date. Luke Skywalker’s origin story maybe outside the Oscars comfort zone but that didn’t stop the film from picking up 10 nominations including Best Picture; Best Director (Lucas); Best Original Screenplay (Lucas); and Best Supporting Actor (Alec Guinness).
It won six below-the line races: Best Film Editing...
George Lucas’s original “Star Wars” spawned a franchise that includes seven prequels and sequels and two spinoffs to date. Luke Skywalker’s origin story maybe outside the Oscars comfort zone but that didn’t stop the film from picking up 10 nominations including Best Picture; Best Director (Lucas); Best Original Screenplay (Lucas); and Best Supporting Actor (Alec Guinness).
It won six below-the line races: Best Film Editing...
- 1/19/2019
- by Amanda Spears
- Gold Derby
It’s almost that time of year when hordes of TV fans storm San Diego to get a sneak peek at their favorite returning shows and a glimpse of the upcoming season’s best new offerings at Comic-Con 2018. Below, we’ve compiled the dates, times and locations of all the major TV-related events.*
We’ll be updating this page as more panels are announced, so make sure to bookmark it and check back often!
More from TVLineThe Wheel of Time Season 3: Here's Everything That Was Revealed at NYCCScott Pilgrim Takes Off: Live-Action Movie Cast Returns in Anime-Style Netflix Series - Watch TrailerArcher Lives On!
We’ll be updating this page as more panels are announced, so make sure to bookmark it and check back often!
More from TVLineThe Wheel of Time Season 3: Here's Everything That Was Revealed at NYCCScott Pilgrim Takes Off: Live-Action Movie Cast Returns in Anime-Style Netflix Series - Watch TrailerArcher Lives On!
- 6/25/2018
- by Vlada Gelman
- TVLine.com
Ryan Lambie Jan 12, 2018
Great photography, sound and editing turned Star Wars: Rogue One's Death Star into a true force of nature, Ryan writes...
The behind-the-scenes story of 1977’s Star Wars is one of the most written-about in cinema history. It takes in a young director with a space fantasy concept in his head that some of his collaborators couldn’t quite grasp; a difficult shoot and a studio uncertain about the film’s prospects. And then there was its fraught editing process, in which the film was stripped back down and built back up again following a lukewarm reception to its pedestrian rough cut.
See related The Handmaid's Tale episodes 1-3 spoiler-free review The Handmaid's Tale: watch the first full-length trailer
This latter stage in Star Wars’ making was recently covered in this superb YouTube video, which explores how George Lucas’ then-wife, Marcia - already an Oscar-winning editor -...
Great photography, sound and editing turned Star Wars: Rogue One's Death Star into a true force of nature, Ryan writes...
The behind-the-scenes story of 1977’s Star Wars is one of the most written-about in cinema history. It takes in a young director with a space fantasy concept in his head that some of his collaborators couldn’t quite grasp; a difficult shoot and a studio uncertain about the film’s prospects. And then there was its fraught editing process, in which the film was stripped back down and built back up again following a lukewarm reception to its pedestrian rough cut.
See related The Handmaid's Tale episodes 1-3 spoiler-free review The Handmaid's Tale: watch the first full-length trailer
This latter stage in Star Wars’ making was recently covered in this superb YouTube video, which explores how George Lucas’ then-wife, Marcia - already an Oscar-winning editor -...
- 1/10/2018
- Den of Geek
Richard Chew — an Oscar winner for editing 1977’s Star Wars with Paul Hirsch and Marcia Lucas — believes Hollywood still has “a long way to go” in telling more diverse stories.
Speaking in a featured conversation Saturday at American Cinema Editors' EditFest L.A., the veteran editor, who was born in Los Angeles to Chinese immigrant parents and studied Law at Harvard, said an inspiration for getting into film was “to be able to tell the story of people that the majority might feel are ‘the others.’ I always hated the notion of the ‘they.’ I wanted to work in...
Speaking in a featured conversation Saturday at American Cinema Editors' EditFest L.A., the veteran editor, who was born in Los Angeles to Chinese immigrant parents and studied Law at Harvard, said an inspiration for getting into film was “to be able to tell the story of people that the majority might feel are ‘the others.’ I always hated the notion of the ‘they.’ I wanted to work in...
- 8/13/2017
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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In 1980, the idea of having a puppet as a supporting actor was still untested. Ryan looks back at The Empire Strikes Back's big gamble...
"You will go to the Dagobah system. There you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi master who instructed me..."
George Lucas may have had a wider saga planned out in his head, but he couldn't have predicted just how much hunger there would be for more space adventures in the wake of Star Wars. But as audiences flocked to watch and rewatch the film through the summer of 1977, Lucas was already putting the groundwork in place for a sequel, with its title, The Empire Strikes Back, firmly in place by November that year.
Exhausted by the process of making Star Wars, Lucas decided to step back from the role of writer and director for its follow-up, assigning his old mentor Irvin Kershner...
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In 1980, the idea of having a puppet as a supporting actor was still untested. Ryan looks back at The Empire Strikes Back's big gamble...
"You will go to the Dagobah system. There you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi master who instructed me..."
George Lucas may have had a wider saga planned out in his head, but he couldn't have predicted just how much hunger there would be for more space adventures in the wake of Star Wars. But as audiences flocked to watch and rewatch the film through the summer of 1977, Lucas was already putting the groundwork in place for a sequel, with its title, The Empire Strikes Back, firmly in place by November that year.
Exhausted by the process of making Star Wars, Lucas decided to step back from the role of writer and director for its follow-up, assigning his old mentor Irvin Kershner...
- 11/24/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
George Lucas didn't just create the "Star Wars" universe. The filmmaker, who turns 71 on May 14, pretty much created the cinematic universe we live in now, the ones whose cornerstones include the Thx sound system at your multiplex, the Pixar movies that have dominated animation for the past 20 years, and the Industrial Light & Magic special-effects house, whose aesthetic has ruled the Hollywood blockbuster for nearly four decades. He's the pioneer of the effects-driven action spectacle and the conversion from celluloid to digital, the two trends that, for better and worse, have defined Hollywood's output for nearly 20 years.
As ubiquitous as Lucas and his creations loom in our cinematic dreamscapes, there's still a lot that most people don't know about him, from how he got his start to the famous folks who mentored him or were mentored by him, from the size of his fortune to what he plans to do now...
As ubiquitous as Lucas and his creations loom in our cinematic dreamscapes, there's still a lot that most people don't know about him, from how he got his start to the famous folks who mentored him or were mentored by him, from the size of his fortune to what he plans to do now...
- 5/14/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
The Star Wars franchise is going strong 38 years later. But what about the artists and filmmakers who helped make the 1977 original a hit?
In theatres all over the world in 1977, audiences thrilled at the sights and sounds of Star Wars. Harking back to a bygone age of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, it also pointed forward to the coming age of ubiquitous computers and special effects-led blockbusters.
But while the triumphant fanfare of John Williams' score gave Star Wars a confident swagger, its success was far from preordained. George Lucas reworked his script time and again; studios turned his concept down; even the production was rushed and torturous.
By now, the contribution George Lucas, John Williams and Star Wars' cast made to cinema is well documented. But what about some of the other artists, technicians and fellow filmmakers who helped to make the movie such a success? Here's...
In theatres all over the world in 1977, audiences thrilled at the sights and sounds of Star Wars. Harking back to a bygone age of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, it also pointed forward to the coming age of ubiquitous computers and special effects-led blockbusters.
But while the triumphant fanfare of John Williams' score gave Star Wars a confident swagger, its success was far from preordained. George Lucas reworked his script time and again; studios turned his concept down; even the production was rushed and torturous.
By now, the contribution George Lucas, John Williams and Star Wars' cast made to cinema is well documented. But what about some of the other artists, technicians and fellow filmmakers who helped to make the movie such a success? Here's...
- 4/22/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Now this is a list that could result in a lot of fascinating dissection and thanks to HitFix it comes to our attention almost three years after it was originally released back in 2012, celebrating the Motion Picture Editors Guild's 75th anniversary. Over at HitFix, Kris Tapley asks, "Is this news to anyone elsec" Um, yes, I find it immensely interesting and a perfect starting point for anyone looking to further explore the art of film editing. In an accompanying article we get the particulars concerning what films were eligible and how films were to be considered: In our Jan-feb 12 issue, we asked Guild members to vote on what they consider to be the Best Edited Films of all time. Any feature-length film from any country in the world was eligible. And by "Best Edited," we explained, we didn't just mean picture; sound, music and mixing were to be considered as well.
- 2/4/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
A random bit of researching on a Tuesday night led me to something I didn't know existed: The Motion Picture Editors Guild's list of the 75 best-edited films of all time. It was a feature in part celebrating the Guild's 75th anniversary in 2012. Is this news to anyone else? I confess to having missed it entirely. Naturally, I had to dig in. What was immediately striking to me about the list — which was decided upon by the Guild membership and, per instruction, was considered in terms of picture and sound editorial as opposed to just the former — was the most popular decade ranking. Naturally, the 1970s led with 17 mentions, but right on its heels was the 1990s. I wouldn't have expected that but I happen to agree with the assessment. Thelma Schoonmaker's work on "Raging Bull" came out on top, an objectively difficult choice to dispute, really. It was so transformative,...
- 2/4/2015
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
For years, the Oscars and Martin Scorsese just didn't seem to jibe. His films didn't resonate with that crowd. Maybe it was because he was an outsider. Maybe it was because he didn't trade in the breed of films that typically found footing with the Academy. Whatever the case, it became, for decades, a consistent note: How does Martin Scorsese not have an Oscar? Things began to change nearly three decades into his career. Until 2002, a Scorsese film registering with the group was not nearly the consistent occurrence it is today. Yet since "Gangs of New York," four of his last five films Have received Best Picture nominations and he finds himself a perennial fixture on the Oscar circuit, a circuit he has seen change drastically over the course of his career. With Oscar voting drawing to a close, I spoke with Scorsese recently about that very phenomenon, how zealous...
- 2/26/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Surprise! George Lucas is a dad for the fourth time! The Star Wars creator and his wife, Ariel Investments president Mellody Hobson, welcomed a daughter via surrogate on Friday, Aug. 9, Huffington Post confirms. The new addition will join Lucas' three adopted children, Amanda, 32; Katie, 25; and Jett, 20, whom he shares Amanda with ex-wife Marcia Griffin. A name for their new daughter -- the first biological child for both parents -- has yet to be revealed. The happy news comes just two months after Lucas, 69, [...]...
- 8/12/2013
- Us Weekly
Out of all the great little moments in this video, there's one that stands out most and it comes about four minutes in. Francis Ford Coppola is sitting around a table and telling a group of people how Al Pacino wound up with the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather. Coppola wanted an up-and-coming Pacino to play Michael so badly that he continually brought the actor in to test for it, all while the studio kept pushing back in hopes of landing a bigger actor. But Coppola was addicted to Pacino, and in this aforementioned moment he admits that editor Marcia Lucas -- George Lucas' then wife and Star Wars editor -- was the one who cut Pacino's test reels together before telling Coppola that he had to hire Pacino for the role because "he undresses you with his...
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- 6/27/2013
- by Erik Davis
- Movies.com
George Lucas married for the second time on Saturday to his longtime girlfriend, Mellody Hobson. Hobson is the president of Ariel Investments and chairman of Dreamworks Animation. Lucas' marriage to Hobson is his second, after his first, to Marcia Griffin, ended in 1983. This is Hobson's first marriage. In 2012 Lucas announced his retirement from producing films, and the Walt Disney Company acquired his Lucasfilm company for a reported $4.05 billion. Lucas appointed Kathleen Kennedy president of the company and brand manager for upcoming "Star Wars"-related projects. People magazine reports that friends such as Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola were present. Musical artists Van Morrison and Janelle Monae performed at the wedding reception.
- 6/24/2013
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
Here's an exclusive photo of newlyweds George Lucas and Mellody Hobson!
The visionary "Star Wars" filmmaker wed the Ariel Investments president before an intimate gathering at Skywalker Ranch, in Marin County, California, at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 22.
The ceremony was officiated by journalist Bill Moyers, who famously interviewed the writer Joseph Campbell at Skywalker Ranch for a landmark documentary series in 1988, and Lucas' daughters, Katie and Amanda, served as bridesmaids. According to Arianna Huffington, who was in attendance, Moyers spoke so movingly that several married couples said afterward that they felt they'd renewed their own vows.
"It only takes one person to have met the love of your life," Moyers, who was a Baptist minister before launching his illustrious career in journalism, told the bride and groom. Moyers went on to quote the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi: "When I heard my first love story, I was thinking of you.
The visionary "Star Wars" filmmaker wed the Ariel Investments president before an intimate gathering at Skywalker Ranch, in Marin County, California, at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 22.
The ceremony was officiated by journalist Bill Moyers, who famously interviewed the writer Joseph Campbell at Skywalker Ranch for a landmark documentary series in 1988, and Lucas' daughters, Katie and Amanda, served as bridesmaids. According to Arianna Huffington, who was in attendance, Moyers spoke so movingly that several married couples said afterward that they felt they'd renewed their own vows.
"It only takes one person to have met the love of your life," Moyers, who was a Baptist minister before launching his illustrious career in journalism, told the bride and groom. Moyers went on to quote the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi: "When I heard my first love story, I was thinking of you.
- 6/24/2013
- by Mike Hogan
- Huffington Post
It wasn't in a galaxy far, far away, but Star Wars creator George Lucas did say his Earthly "I do's" to his longtime love Mellody Hobson this weekend.
The two were married on Saturday night at the filmmaker's Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, Calif., People confirms, and his famous friends were eager to share the news via Twitter.
Director Ron Howard tweeted:
Actor Samuel L. Jackson, who played Mace Windu in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, also wrote via Twitter:
Lucas, 69, and Hobson, 44, got engaged this past January after dating since 2006. This is the second marriage for Lucas, who was with film editor Marcia Lucas from 1969 until 1983.
The two were married on Saturday night at the filmmaker's Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, Calif., People confirms, and his famous friends were eager to share the news via Twitter.
Director Ron Howard tweeted:
Actor Samuel L. Jackson, who played Mace Windu in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, also wrote via Twitter:
Lucas, 69, and Hobson, 44, got engaged this past January after dating since 2006. This is the second marriage for Lucas, who was with film editor Marcia Lucas from 1969 until 1983.
- 6/24/2013
- Entertainment Tonight
The man who invented ‘Star Wars’ had an epic romance of his own on June 22, tying the knot with his girlfriend of over six years.
We’re sure there are some amazing jokes about the Force to make here, but let’s stick to real life — on June 22, Star Wars creator George Lucas married his longtime girlfriend, Mellody Hobson at his Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, Calif.
George Lucas Weds Mellody Hobson
The sci-fi icon’s nuptials brought out a bunch of stars, mostly ones who have worked with George in the past, according to People. Samuel L. Jackson, who played Mace Windu in the Star Wars series, tweeted, “Let’s give a Galactic shout out to Master George Lucas & his bride Melodie on this, their wedding day.” And Ron Howard, who starred in George’s classic American Graffiti wrote on Twitter that the ceremony was “a joy to behold.
We’re sure there are some amazing jokes about the Force to make here, but let’s stick to real life — on June 22, Star Wars creator George Lucas married his longtime girlfriend, Mellody Hobson at his Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, Calif.
George Lucas Weds Mellody Hobson
The sci-fi icon’s nuptials brought out a bunch of stars, mostly ones who have worked with George in the past, according to People. Samuel L. Jackson, who played Mace Windu in the Star Wars series, tweeted, “Let’s give a Galactic shout out to Master George Lucas & his bride Melodie on this, their wedding day.” And Ron Howard, who starred in George’s classic American Graffiti wrote on Twitter that the ceremony was “a joy to behold.
- 6/24/2013
- by Andrew Gruttadaro
- HollywoodLife
May the Force of wedded bliss be with them. Star Wars creator George Lucas received some earthly love from his Hollywood pals this weekend after tying the knot with fiancée Mellody Hobson on Saturday night, a source confirms to People. Friends at the wedding - which took place in Marin County, Calif., where Lucas's Skywalker Ranch is located - also shared the happy news via Twitter. "Let's give a Galactic shout out to Master George Lucas & his bride Melodie on this, their wedding day," Tweeted Samuel L. Jackson, while Ron Howard Tweeted that their ceremony "was a joy to behold.
- 6/24/2013
- by Andrea Billups
- PEOPLE.com
Los Angeles, Jan 4: "Star Wars" director George Lucas is engaged to DreamWorks animation chairman Mellody Hobso, said his representative.
Hobson, 43, has been dating Lucas, 68, since 2006. This will be her first marriage and Lucas's second. He was earlier married to film editor Marcia Lou Griffin, reports hollywoodreporter.com.
Lucas's fiancee is also a contributor to Good Morning America's financial segments and has received many honours, including a 2002 listing as one of Esquire's "Best and Brightest" in America.
Ians...
Hobson, 43, has been dating Lucas, 68, since 2006. This will be her first marriage and Lucas's second. He was earlier married to film editor Marcia Lou Griffin, reports hollywoodreporter.com.
Lucas's fiancee is also a contributor to Good Morning America's financial segments and has received many honours, including a 2002 listing as one of Esquire's "Best and Brightest" in America.
Ians...
- 1/4/2013
- by Meeta Kabra
- RealBollywood.com
Washington, Jan ary 4: Star Wars creator George Lucas has just got engaged to his longterm girlfriend Mellody Hobson, the director's production company Lucasfilm Ltd has confirmed.
Hobson, 43, has been dating Lucas, 68, since 2006. This will be her first marriage and Lucas's second; he previously was married to film editor Marcia Lou Griffin. The exes adopted a daughter Amanda before their 1983 divorce. Lucas went on to adopt two more children.
Lucas's fiancee s the president of Chicago-based investment management firm and is also a contributor to Good Morning America's financial segments.
Shas received many honors,.
Hobson, 43, has been dating Lucas, 68, since 2006. This will be her first marriage and Lucas's second; he previously was married to film editor Marcia Lou Griffin. The exes adopted a daughter Amanda before their 1983 divorce. Lucas went on to adopt two more children.
Lucas's fiancee s the president of Chicago-based investment management firm and is also a contributor to Good Morning America's financial segments.
Shas received many honors,.
- 1/4/2013
- by Smith Cox
- RealBollywood.com
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