The Story Behind Star Wars

A long time ago, in a studio far, far away...

By Nathan DitumSep 1st 2011
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Curious George

Star Wars starts with George Lucas, the boy from Modesto (the nearest thing they have to Tatooine in California) who grew up to be the bearded billionaire king of blockbusters.

Born in May 1944 to a stationary store-owning father, George grew up watching Buck Rogers serials and racing cars. He studied anthropology at college (“How society works, how people put themselves together and make things work, has always been a big interest. [It’s] where mythology comes from, where religion comes from”) before heading off to USC to enrol in the university’s new film course.

Here a burgeoning interest in cinema – Lucas would drive to San Francisco to watch avant garde shows – became a full-time obsession. He soaked up the works of masters like Kurosawa and Godard, and began to make his own films – shorts at first, then documentaries which eventually landed him on the set of The Rain People, directed by a young screenwriter/director called Francis Coppola.
 

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    • Hadouken76

      Sep 1st 2011, 16:39

      Thanks to Lucas' misguided insistance on p"issin on his own legacy, its easy to forget how streamline the original Star Wars was. The narrative was classic fairytale: Farmboy meets a wizard and a pirate, rescues the princess from the evil fortress and battles the evil hordes at the end, Medals all round. (Not for wookies apparently). Simple. Then Lucas ruined tthe prequels with boring stuff about taxes and trade embargo's (for the kids yeah? YEAH? Because Kids go crazy for economic reform! Grind those accounting books!), Comparing women to sand and making the iconic and feared Darth Vader sound like he wet himself ..nooooo indeed. Oh and Lucas insults everyones intelligence by assuming no-one will tell the difference in the Special Editions. Sorry but in 100 yrs time, everyone will STILL know Han shot first and Jabba's meeting with him looks less convincing than Pete's Dragon. I'm not a geek, I just hate when things are messed with, even by thier own creators to the point that it cheapens the experience.

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    • ChrisWootton

      Sep 1st 2011, 16:45

      Perfectly put.

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    • Hadouken76

      Sep 1st 2011, 18:27

      Thanks ChrisWooton, some things just cook my noodle. I'll probably feel the same about Total Rehash and The Thing 'prequel'. Lucas and these new directors don't realise that people loved the old effects, models and sets because they were tangible. Watching American Werewolf in London You're thinking, 'He's turning into a werewolf' not 'Thats some bad CGI."

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    • MrScary

      Sep 1st 2011, 18:47

      “I’m not a good writer,” he admits. “This is the story of Mace Windy, a revered Jedi-Bendu of Opuchi, as related to us by C.J. Thorpe, padawaan learner to the famed Jedi.” Obviously. But hey, they guy is a bazillionaire, so he's doing something right.

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