Word: starring
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Lucas had little going for him. When he started looking for a studio to back his Star Wars project, he was a fledgling director with only two other movies under his belt--a dismal and poorly received artsy sci-fi film called THX 1138 and American Graffiti, a well-made but less than awe-inspiring look at teenage life. Plus, the cast he was assembling for his latest project was made up largely of actors (mostly from TV) who had yet to make it big. And many more who never would. And then there was the story--a heroic epic...
...often said that Star Wars revolutionized the way that movies are made, usually referring to the technical special-effects side of the business. That's really only half the story. Less than half. Anyone whos seen 2001: A Space Odyssey will know that Star Wars was not the first, or even the best, science fiction special effects extravaganza seen in Hollywood. While Lucas was still in film school, Stanley Kubrick was sending space stations spinning to classical waltz music and showing us humans suspended in space (a feat not attempted in any of the Star Wars movies...
...real Star Wars revolution was not technical. It was emotional. The executives who turned down Lucas extravagant ideas were right: Star Wars is a kids movie. This is not supposed to be an insult. It is not childish or poorly made, terms which could easily be leveled at hundreds of adults' movies. In fact, it's rather mature given its subject matter, and the craftsmanship is impeccable. But the elements of the story itself--a princess in distress, evil villains bent on galactic domination, space bandits and virtuous knights--these are the elements of legends and fairy tales. They...
...into in the '60s and '70s--quirky art movies like Robert Altmans Nashville or dark dramas like Martin Scorceses Mean Streets. Even the shoot-em-ups were intellectual. If you don't believe me, check out Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde. Sure, there had been spectacle movies before Star Wars, but never one so openly connected to the world of childhood. From The Ten Commandments to Spartacus, there was an earnestness--a high mindedness, you might say--to the pre-Star Wars epics. Star Wars did away with all that, or at least stole center stage from it. Lucas...
...does it ever. Fun sells lunch boxes, clothing, records heck, even toothbrushes (I still have a set at home). And, oh yes, fun sells toys. Lots of them. Originally, the Star Wars line of toys consisted of only seven figures inexpensively manufactured by Sears along with a handful of cardboard (yes, cardboard) playsets. The entire stock of toys sold out in a matter of weeks. Enter Kenner Toys and a line of 93 figures, countless vehicles and elaborate playsets. Sum total: over $350 million in box-office and related sales. (And that's in '70s dollars.) Star Wars...