Originally posted by: Obi Jeewhyen
But is George's artistic arc that different from the natural arc of many artists' works, or of many people's accomplishments, or of most human lives?
American Graffiti and Star Wars in the 70's giving way to The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith at the dawn of the next century is, to my mind, a deterioration in talent and skill.
But is it so far off from the natural order of growth and decay that colors most lives, most accomplishment and most art on this planet? I heartily applaud artists who can continue to produce great works for decades, in their old age as well as in their youth. But how much should we chide George Lucas for not rising to that rare and lofty level?
In fact, I personally don't chide him for (imo) losing his talent - but rather for betraying his legacy (or for being fool enough to not know when he is betraying his legacy).
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But is George's artistic arc that different from the natural arc of many artists' works, or of many people's accomplishments, or of most human lives?
American Graffiti and Star Wars in the 70's giving way to The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith at the dawn of the next century is, to my mind, a deterioration in talent and skill.
But is it so far off from the natural order of growth and decay that colors most lives, most accomplishment and most art on this planet? I heartily applaud artists who can continue to produce great works for decades, in their old age as well as in their youth. But how much should we chide George Lucas for not rising to that rare and lofty level?
In fact, I personally don't chide him for (imo) losing his talent - but rather for betraying his legacy (or for being fool enough to not know when he is betraying his legacy).
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This is a very good point. Few artists have the consistent longevity of say Scorsese or Speilberg. Even Copolla could not even touch his achievements of the 1970's (his last film was fucking Jack!) and Kershner, the supposed genius responsible for the majestry of ESB, could only follow that film up with crap like Robocop 2. Lucas simply peaked in 1977, and its not uncommon--in fact, its downright common. The only difference is that, unlike most other directors, he had such a fanbase and following that the dissapointment was magnified many times more than what any other typical director would.