The Genius of George Lucas: A Brief Biography (Part 2)

We left off last week just as George Lucas had created his first successful blockbuster, American Graffiti, a movie that was much more accessible than his previous THX 1138. He seemed to have cracked the code for what the average movie goer wanted to see, and that must have buoyed his spirits a bit. But his spirits were about to get a whole lot more buoyant, because just on the horizon, A New Hope was dawning.

The Rise of an Empire

Isn’t this always the way with a massive success: the creator presents the new idea to countless publishers, studios, or patrons, all of whom think the idea is a recipe for failure? They play it safe and turn down the genius of their day, only to become less than a passing thought in these rags-to-riches biographies. This was certainly the case for George Lucas when he began what eventually became Star Wars. 

Now that he’d directed a successful film, Lucas began looking for a studio to back him on his next adventure, a TV series for youth that would mix several old genres including science fiction and westerns. No one was interested in working with him on this seemingly risky idea, but a friend at 20^th Century Fox finally went out on a limb for him. Lucas revised his original TV series idea to make it one film instead, and thus Star Wars was born.

Much to everyone’s shock and amazement, the film was an absolute smash hit. In fact, it made over $500 million more than it cost to make, and that was just during its first release! We’ll spend more time on what made that film so unfathomably successful in next week’s post, but for now, we’ll just agree that—whatever Lucas’s secret—he had struck gold.

A Talent for Technology

With that success under his belt and a hefty profit to show for it, Lucas felt the freedom to change his role for the next two movies; the first Star Wars film had been written and directed by Lucas, but he chose to hire other screenwriters and directors for the sequels. He was, however, the story writer and unofficial co-director of Episodes 5 and 6, not feeling comfortable to relinquish control entirely. In my humble opinion, Lucas does his best work in areas other than writing screenplays and directing actors, so this change was probably for the best.

So what did he do instead? He focused on developing the technical aspects of cinema. To that end, he began several companies including Industrial Light & Magic, Skywalker Sound, and LucasArts. Through the years, he sold small branches of some of these to help pay the bills, although you wouldn’t think the guy in charge of Star Wars would have to worry about that. The fact is that Lucas went through a divorce in 1983, the year that Return of the Jedi was released, and that move took a toll on his savings. Even more significantly, he poured a lot of his profit right back into his companies in hopes of developing better technology with which to tell stories.

And at the end of the day, that’s where his real passion and talents lie: in creating ways to tell good stories better. Regardless of your opinion about his movies, Lucas’s impact on cinematic technology is undeniable. But that’s a statement I’ll have to prove to you in the following weeks as we see how his vision made possible movies like Star Wars.

Steven Spielberg and Dr. Jones

Although he had stepped down from directing for a time, Lucas’s impact on film continued. I think a big part of this is due to his friendship with Steven Spielberg, whom he’d met way back in 1967 and with whom he’d struck up a healthy rivalry and eventual friendship. They were always in competition with each other to see who could create the best film work, each one readily acknowledging when the other had hit the nail on the head. They have plenty of differences (their personalities, for example, come across as polar opposites), but they share a passion for making good movies. One result of this passion is the Indiana Jones series.

During the 1977 release of Star Wars: A New Hope, Lucas was hiding out on vacation with Spielberg in Hawaii. They got to talking about movies they’d like to do in the future when Spielberg mentioned his desire to direct something like the original James Bond films. Lucas replied that he had an even better idea: a 1930’s archaeologist and professor named Indiana Smith. Lucas summarized the idea for Raiders of the Lost Ark to his pal, and Spielberg was sold on everything but the name. Lucas conceded, and the two shook hands, agreeing to make a trilogy of films together with the newly-christened  Indiana Jones.

Thank you, Lucas. Thank you, Spielberg. Thank you, Hawaii.

Retreat

Lucas stayed out of the director’s chair for about 20 years, during which time he kept busy at his craft. His desire to escape Hollywood’s hackneyed, stunting influence culminated in the creation of Skywalker Ranch, a technological mansion on a beautiful expanse of acreage north of San Francisco. He began purchasing and building back in 1978, the year after A New Hope was released. Today, this is where all the audio recording, mixing, and experimenting happens, although it’s now open to the (paying) public for visits as well. I’m sure he would love to have located more of his companies on Skywalker Ranch, but the other inhabitants of his county didn’t want any extra hubbub or fanfare. Sorry, George.

While Lucas must have spent a good deal of time at the Ranch during his hiatus from directing, he also spent as much time as possible with his kids. Lucas and his wife, Marcia, had adopted a daughter about two years before their divorce. Lucas fell in love with being a father and later went on to adopt two more children on his own. Even though his busy work schedule took a toll on his marriage to Marcia, he didn’t want it to jeopardize his role as father, too. He directed less partly so he would have more time to spend with his kids while they were young.

Return

But once they were older, he hopped back into the director’s chair (and screenwriter’s chair) for the creation of The Phantom Menace, which is Episode 1 in the Star Wars saga. What made him come out of hiding for that movie and its two sequels? We’ll discuss it more in depth in a few weeks, but the short answer is that he’d dreamed of expanding the original storyline to display the tragedy of Darth Vader, and he finally felt that he had the time, means, and technology to pull it off. He also contributed the story for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008, but he didn’t direct it. That film was one of his last hurrahs before The Big Sale.

Selling It All to the Mouse

As we all know, Lucas chose to sell Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012. While he’s been reported to have mixed emotions on the subject, a deal’s a deal. But why did he sell? For a number of reasons including his age and his desire to ensure that the stories and characters will be protected for decades to come. He feels that Disney has the financial and creative means to do justice to Star Wars and Indiana Jones, and for all our sakes, I hope he’s right.

While he’s still a creative consultant for the films, it seems that Disney doesn’t want much consultation from him. They’ve got their own ideas for how to make the new movies successful, so Lucas is free to enjoy his retirement in any way he chooses. He probably spends some time and a good bit of money on his charitable organizations, but aside from that, his daily activities are anyone’s guess. Personally, I think he probably has an annual pass to Disneyland and spends a lot time hanging out with the Star Wars character actors. Or maybe he rides the teacup ride. Either way is cool.

The Best Is Yet to Come

Now we’ve seen where Lucas came from and what he’s done. Next, I’m excited to examine a wide scope of his films, from the old to the new. Make plans to tune in next time as we look at Star Wars Episodes 4-6!

Today’s Question: What’s the most interesting fact that you know about George Lucas?

Check out the next post here!

Sources:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GXPixi6fq0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jWtbJxzGpQ
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lucas_filmography
• https://www.biography.com/filmmaker/george-lucas
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Lucas
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lucas 
• http://www.forcematerial.com/home/2017/1/28/the-car-crash-that-changed-the-galaxy  
• https://www.thebeardedtrio.com/2017/10/the-rivalry-respect-and-friendship.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/21/movies/meanwhile-back-at-the-ranch.html
• https://www.lucasfilm.com/what-we-do/
• https://techcrunch.com/2012/10/30/george-lucas-i-sold-lucasfilm-to-disney-to-protect-it/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucasfilm#Subsidiary_of_Disney_(2012%E2%80%93present)
• https://www.businessinsider.com/george-lucas-says-he-sold-star-wars-to-white-slavers-2015-12
• https://techcrunch.com/2012/10/30/george-lucas-i-sold-lucasfilm-to-disney-to-protect-it/