Originally posted by: Tiptup
Very true.
Originally posted by: Vigo
The only thing which all sources claim, is that Lucas really suffered making the first Star Wars. A lot of pressure was put on him during the whole production. He could indeed have done things differently than he really would like to have. On the other hand though, this IS what created the film in the first place. This whole atmosphere influenced the creative process, apparently positively. Otherwise, the original movies wouldn´t have had this succes. Lucas and lot of his supporters fail to realize this important point.
The only thing which all sources claim, is that Lucas really suffered making the first Star Wars. A lot of pressure was put on him during the whole production. He could indeed have done things differently than he really would like to have. On the other hand though, this IS what created the film in the first place. This whole atmosphere influenced the creative process, apparently positively. Otherwise, the original movies wouldn´t have had this succes. Lucas and lot of his supporters fail to realize this important point.
Very true.
Making films is about capturing the "magic moment". That is the moment when you feel that eveything is "right" and fits perfectly together.
Sometimes, this can be achieved by taking lots of time and endless of takes and wait until the "magic" appears. Stanley Kubrick used this kind of work method. He would make actors take 30,40,50(!!!) takes one ONE SCENE(!!!) until he felt that the magic was happening. And he was right.
Sometimes though, these magic moments can happen by accident. Even unnoticed by the director. Let´s be honest with ourselves: Star Wars is a great movie. But its success was completely unexpected. For the studio and for the director. It became a culture "phenomenom". It achieved what other movies didn´t achieve where the production went smooth and uncomplicated. I personally am convinced that Star Wars is one of these movies which were great by "accident", and came at the right time at the right place. Again: this is not bad, it´s good! This is exciting.
Unfortunately, Lucas did not realize this. If we believe him that he actually made the SE in order to correct everything that was wrong, he does not seem to realize that at this moment, he also corrected things which were absolutely right. Not anticipated or planned by him, but THEY WERE right for the movie. Great directors know this. You can hear this in a lots of audio commentaries on DVD, that the success of a movie heavily depends on lucky things happening during the production. George on the other hand, does not seem to know this.
Look at the prequel trilogy. Everything was perfectly planned. The special effects are state of the art, a lot of money has been spent, the actors did their work in front of a green screen or in their motion capture suits. Yet, personally, for my own taste, I don´t see the magic happening on screen. Nevertheless, they were commercially succesful. But on the other hand, there are so much REALLY GREAT films multitudes better than Star Wars that had not nearly this kind of commercial success. So commercial success is not neccessarily an indication of great movies. Other factors like marketing are playing the important roles.
Bottom line: the industry is stupid. Everyone wants to remake or tinker with great movies, those movies which have "their magic", and do not realize it can not be recaptured again, doomed to disappoint the audience who LOVE the original movies. The only movies which should be remade, or tinkered with are the BAD ones!