Help: looking for... 'George Lucas: Maker of Films' (1971 documentary)

It’s come to my attention that there exists a 1971 documentary produced by Los Angeles PBS channel KCET, presented by ‘critic and author’ Gene Youngblood called George Lucas: Maker of Films, in which Lucas reflects on THX 1138 and a little on American Grafitti. It’s referenced in The Cinema of George Lucas on page 47. DroidMaker also makes several references to it, which means it’s out there in some format.

I’d love to see it, but I’ve been unable to find any references to any copies floating around. Any ideas?

Now he is fat and rides around skywalker ranch in four weelers and golf carts.

"I wrote the whole saga when I was 5 IN ONE DAY. It actually took me 20 minutes" said Lucas, "Yeah, I was sitting at the table staring into a bowl of cereal and I heard a voice say "george lucas if you film it they will come" so I sat there and wrote it down." I actually wrote the first movie in 75. " The prequels were writtin in 68. I wrote only one draft of the whole saga. "Jar Jar Binks came to me one day while I was climbing mount everast. I think that the greedo scene was wrong the first time out it made sense for him to miss solo at point blank range. I originally wanted greedo to be hans co pilot. I wanted to play luke. Yoda was actually based off of my dad. I think the films will never be perfect that is why i havent released them on blu ray. I will right before I release the SIX film george lucas CUT box set on laserdisc. Then I will release the original films on VHS. and after that burn the masters." I really love my fans so I am always out to please"

I wonder if someone contacted KCET, maybe they'd be willing to air it... live in the area, so it'd be a treat.

SUPER interested. PM me if you want to send it by snail-mail; I'll pay postage and packing and what not.

I watched that clip and i loved it.   I would love to see the whole thing.

Lucas as the brilliant young and talented underground film maker of THX 1138.

Quite rare and interesting what year was this shot in?  I assume before he started the star wars treatment in 1973.

This is probably the most interesting thing i have seen other than Lucas documentary on the making of the rain people someone posted on youtube.

I think this  documentary was shown on pbs as one point.  And it is so interesting based on this little clip i wonder why it has such a low rating on imdb.

I find it nice to see Lucas the genious filmaker once again.  The man responsible for star wars.  This is the lucas i admire and respect before he was consumed by cgi.  Ironic that he talks about money men should not make decisions over art. lol.

I wonder if at that moment had he  seen into the future and the prequels and jar jar.  Maybe he would have stated that a bit differently.  It is almost as ironic as his statement in from star wars to jedi about sets and special effects.

The Lucas who was determined to make films outside of hollywood.  Who fought the big money men and corporations became the corporation.

I'll happily host the file on my site.

It's from 1971, broadcast on KCET.

pufnstuf, you still out there?

Except the words need not be spoken.  Artists in the past and artists in the future will sell their quote "artist soul" to get rich and make a buck.

The example is that the original trilogy was compelling and moving as a human story as well as an exciting piece of popcorn sci fi action/space fantasy entertainment.

The prequels were almost souless.  Full of over the top bad humor, wooden pathetic acting, bad writing and directing.  And almost nothing more than special effects reels to shop to other studios on what ILM can do with CGI.

The guy who hated the entire corporate idea and ideal who refused to take over his fathers business because he didn't want to become like him became the corporation.  The little guy underdog artist who worked for a small personal system of making small films on your own terms outside hollywood became the new hollywood along with Spielberg. He eventually betrayed the very ideals he and Coppola had at Zoetrope in the 60's.

The entire problem is Lucas started out like one of the rebels from the rebel Alliance and became the new galactic empire .  Started out as luke and became more like vader.  The guy fighting the man became the man. 

It is even more ironic if you watch and realize his older films are all about escaping the control of the "machine" and machine men.  To hold onto ones own humanity.

Cgi made lucas films lifeless and sterile.

His success was his own undoing as ironic as that sounds.

He made better films under budgetary constraints.  Once he had the money that he could do anything his films were episodes 1-3 of the prequels.  Also if you no longer have people telling you their honest opinion of a bad idea and replacing writers and artists and producers and directors with sense with corporate yes men.

There is an axiom that exists in all forms of life.  Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.  In Lucas case his sucess has blinded him, and star wars has chained him down to where he cannot do anything remotely new, different or creative.  He is a slave to the franchise.

It will end up ruining him as an evolving artist just as star trek saddled and destroyed Gene Roddenberry's career as a writer.

The prequels imho come out of a postmodern sensibility of darkness and cyniscism and do not reflect the positives of Lucas other films like the original star wars trilogy.  He claimed he learned his lesson in making THX 1138 that no one wanted to see movies about how terrible the world was, so why in the name of heck did he do the prequels at all?

skyjedi2005 said:

Except the words need not be spoken.

Pardon me, but I think all the words you spoke have been spoken and respoken and regurgitated and rehashed and... ugh...

Artists in the past and artists in the future will sell their quote "artist soul" to get rich and make a buck.

First of all, who is to be the judge of when somebody 'sells out'? You? Has everyone who has gone from not being rich to being rich sold out? What does it even mean to sell your 'artist soul'? What sort of an ideal do we have to live up to, to not disappoint you?

The guy who hated the entire corporate idea and ideal who refused to take over his fathers business because he didn't want to become like him became the corporation.  The little guy underdog artist who worked for a small personal system of making small films on your own terms outside hollywood became the new hollywood along with Spielberg. He eventually betrayed the very ideals he and Coppola had at Zoetrope in the 60's.

You mention that Lucas didn't want to become like his father, but you forget that he vowed to become a millionaire by thirty as well, so where does that leave your theory?

And while he may have 'betrayed' Coppola's ideals of a small independent film unit, those were Coppola's ideals, not Lucas's. And he most certainly hasn't betrayed the idea of the USC-like film making environment that he first pursued with the ranch and now the new project.

Besides, whatever ideas, thoughts and ideals a man has in his early twenties must undergo change as life progresses; holding Lucas to your idea of his ideals in his early twenties is the absurd. It sounds like you're busier feeling cheated out of a good prequel trilogy and mapping Lucas's life onto the structure of Star Wars than you are understanding that things change over time, and that you aren't entitled to anything just because you happened to like the original trilogy.

And, you of course gloss straight over the fact that Lucas is the most successful independent filmmaker in the history of the world, responsible for having rejuvinated the movie industry, the special effects industry, the sound industry and the theater experience in general. Oh, and he has poured who knows how much money into education.

Yeah, he's pure evil alright.

Welcome back :) -- Good to hear that you're back on your feet.

Thanks a lot puf, I'll get a shared version up asap.

Is myspleen down for others as well? I just see ads, as if they forgot to renew their domain.

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Whoa-myspleen/topic/10500/

Thanks Moth3r.

I have put the interview online at Vimeo, from where you can also download a recompressed (250MB) version of the interview (which also contains 6.18.67 in its entirety), and I've written a lenghty entry about it on my blog to boot, enjoy.

Thanks again pufnstuf. 

For those like me in the united states who cannot get cinema 16 because it is in pal land here is an alternative.

http://www.amazon.com/Reel-Talent-First-Legendary-Directors/dp/B000QGEB26/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1245524977&sr=1-6

This has three Lucas student films.

Though i believe the cinema 16 edition has an exlusive lucas audio commentary, or maybe i am thinking of another edition?

I also highly recommend this book which has a couple reprinted articles/interviews on the making of thx and graffiti.

http://www.amazon.com/George-Lucas-Interviews-Conversations-Filmmakers/dp/1578061253/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245525169&sr=8-4

Also the most throughly researched book out there is Pollack Dale's unauthorized biography of Lucas Skywalking.  At least on the Lucas who made the original star wars and not the lucas who made the prequels.  That is a whole seperate chapter.  And as far as i know no one has had the stones to make an unbiased unauthorized look at those years of lucas career.

Cinema of george lucas and creative impulse barely scratch the surface and as they are appoved by Lucas a lot is deliberately left out including criticism of any kind of the post return of the jedi george lucas.

The making of books of the prequels and the prequels star wars chronicle book also cover the making of the films but don't delve into the mind of lucas the man, lucas the filmaker.

I don't hate george.  I just wish they could sometimes write a scathing review of something when it deserves it instead of sparing his fealings.   The criticisms friends and family gave george during the making of the original star wars trilogy ultimately made them better films. 

When honesty was replaced with corporate yes men his films suffered.  They were created outside of any one elses influence.  George is a purely brilliant visual filmaker and even the prequels show that.  But he is not the best writer, and he is not a character director.

I would still like to have diminished and half hearted prequels then none at all, but a lot of people would disagree with me.  Just like i genuinely enjoyed them and the fourth indiana jones film but not without cringing every time the worst parts are on the screen.  I find it hard to sit down and enjoy those four movies when certain parts take you out of the movie.

That is not to say i have not seen the same problems if in a lesser fashion on temple of doom, last crusade, or return of the jedi.  Same in some places on willow.  Or more american graffiti.  Howard the duck however and the star wars holiday special are just an abomination, as is the radioland murders.

To me star wars, empire strikes back and raiders of the lost ark are almost perfect films.

Unlike some people i also love American Graffiti and the non butchered version of THX 1138.  I wish Lucas made more films like that instead of continually doing star wars and indiana jones.