walkingdork said:

I look at George Lucas the way I look at some bands/musicians. If George Lucas died in a plan crash in 1990 (or around then) he would be one of the most loved filming figures of his time, but instead he had to live and ruin everything. It's the same with so many bands as well. U2 is easily one of my favorite bands IF they die in a plane crash in the early 90s and don't get the opportunity to put on dumb sunglasses and create horrible music.

If Lucas dies in 1990 we would talk about him the way people talk about Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, etc. What if George Lucas didn't die in that horrible crash? Just think of all of the great movies he could have come out with. He might have even come out with another trilogy!

I hear ya.

People who die young tend to be idealized because they never had a chance to not be great. Curt Cobain is held up because we never got to see him as an aging somewhat embarrasing reminder of a past time. Marilyn Monroe never got old and fat. We can imagine how great they might have been, even if we know in our heart of hearts that no one stays a groundbreaking genius forever.

But I think most filmmakers only have a few truly great films in them. A band can only record so many genre defining albums before either the genre is defined and they repeat themselves, or they grow in new and perhaps less satisfying directions.

Can we think of any artist in any media that had a long and prolific career that didn't have some ventures into mediocrity?