GEORGE LUCAS interview… before STAR WARS
Comments(3)
- By abefroman
George Lucas literally stuck in Star Wars.
Here’s a great KCET interview with George Lucas from all the way back in 1971 that /Film dug up! This hour long interview is significant in that this was before American Graffiti and of course, Star Wars. Ya know? That little film about space.
The then 27 year old Lucas was promoting his first feature film, THX 1138. Which is STILL one of the best sci-fi films out there, akin to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey. Like Venkman reported a couple of weeks ago, Lucas is such an amazing filmmaker, but just got into a rut. If he ever directed something other than Star Wars, he could really amaze people.
If you can get through the gregorian chanting in the background and the long shots of desert, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this vintage clip!
Just for fun, and because I’m a geek.
Here’s a list of THX 1138 references that are made in Star Wars.
In Star Wars Luke Skywalker informs Shann Childsen that Chewbacca is a “prisoner transfer from cellblock 1138″
In Empire Strikes Back Carlist Rieekan orders “Rogues 10 and 11 to Sector 3-8″
In Phantom Menace the number “1138″ is visible on the back of a B1 battle droid knocked over by Jar Jar Binks at the end of the Battle of Grassy Plains.
In Attack of The Clones the number “1138″ is written in the LED lights on the back of every clone trooper helmet.
In Revenge of The Sith clone trooper commander Bacara is designated “Commander 1138″
Love how the pre-Star Wars Lucas says "I like being thought of as a toymaker that makes films." If only he knew how prescient that comment was.
american graffiti was an amazing film as well
While I've yet to see THX and I've only seen bits of American Graffiti, I am under the impression that Lucas is an excellent filmmaker and would have done even more great things if he didn't focus so much on Star Wars. That wasn't meant to be his focus, it was just another film, except it blew up.
He should have called it quits after Jedi. Perhaps stuck with a bit of a break to work on advancing technology and then went back to making inventive films. If he wanted Star Wars to continue, let someone else handle it. But I can see how hard that can be to do, let go of a creation and have someone else run the show.