Gary Kurtz Interview

[kl241]

Wow. Kurtz really tells it like it was. He could have kept Lucas focused on the heart of the story instead of giving his lame ideas the circle jerk like Rick Kissass McCallum.

 

[Khev]

I think Lucas gets a bum wrap about ROTJ. His first choice was to keep Irvin Kershner, even though him and Kersh clashed on many points throughout production of ESB. But ESB was so phenomenal he asked him to direct ROTJ. Imagine how that might have been. But Kersh wanted a break, so Lucas offered it to STEVEN SPIELBERG. Spielberg was at the top of his game at the time, but since Lucas insisted on the director's name coming at the end of the movie instead of the beginning anyone from the Director's Guild was off limits and out went Steve. Only then did he go overseas to enlist Richard Marquand. Actually if memory serves he tried to get David Lynch onboard before contacting Marquand.

So at least as far as Jedi was concerned George certainly wasn't just trying to find a puppet director to take the easy way out.

 

[FlyAndFight]

What hurt RotJ the most was that Lucas allowed "creativity" to be influenced/affected by "marketability". (Multiply that by 1000000 and you get the Prequels...) That, along with the fact that it appeared to be written towards a significantly younger audience (5-7 yr olds) really disappointed many fans.

The story was strong, for the most part, but the introduction of the infantile ewoks really hurt the film. I still remember walking out of the theater with some friends and discussing how every scene involving ewoks made us wince.

Flash forward to 1999 and there we are, the same group of friends, believe it or not, walking out of the theater after watching "The Phantom Menace" and discussing how every scene involving Jar-Jar made us wince...

 

[Wor-Gar]

There's a reason why the Ewoks are so rarely remembered.

Star Wars was always for the "kid in everyone"... but R2 and then Yoda were a much more creative approach than Wicket. Ewoks just scream of "I didn't even try".

Someone said Lucas was trying to reinvent the Teddy Bear, that he wanted every household in America to have one. I believe that. Watch the movie and it does seem to validate that goal.

I won't even bother with the prequels, as there's not a moment in them that was done for love, just money. They expanded upon nothing, and in fact hurt many enjoyable mysteries (like the Force and Fett and the Jedi's purpose).

 

[pixletwin]

Well you know what? No Star Wars movie had the electrical excitement in the theater that ROTJ had when Vader lunged at the Emperor and tossed him into the chasm. The theater I was at just erupted and there was a sense of joy I never have experienced anywhere else in any other movie, let alone Star Wars movie.

 

[Mighty_Jabba]

What I hated the most about RotJ apart from Ewoks, was how they marginalised Han Solo. He was such a great character in ESB and in RotJ he's almost a caricature of himself. Even Harrison Ford looks bored to death playing the character, which isn't a surprise considering the material he was given.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Well you know what? No Star Wars movie had the electrical excitement in the theater that ROTJ had when Vader lunged at the Emperor and tossed him into the chasm. The theater I was at just erupted and there was a sense of joy I never have experienced anywhere else in any other movie, let alone Star Wars movie.

Then you aren't old enough to remember the destruction of the Death Star in the theater.

And now that the prequels have changed things, why couldn't the Emperor just fly-jump onto a landing and escape his fall?

 

[pixletwin]

I remember seeing ANH. I don't remember anyone getting overly excited.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I remember seeing ANH. I don't remember anyone getting overly excited.

Let me guess: you saw Jedi opening weekend... you saw New Hope weeks or months after it opened?

Not trying to fight a point here, I think history does that just fine, but my experience was completely reversed from yours upon both those endings. In Jedi, I heard many groans... all three times I saw it.

No biggie. Despite its faults, I still love Star Wars. If I didn't, I wouldn't be posting here.

 

[pixletwin]

No. I remember seeing it multiple times when I was wee. (I have a very good memory. Still have many memories all the way to infancy)

Maybe Utah audiences are just different.

Anyroad, my point is that any movie that could elicit the reaction I witnessed can't be all bad.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Anyroad, my point is that any movie that could elicit the reaction I witnessed can't be all bad.

True. But I do recall people jumping out of their seats in applause at the end of ID4.

 

[tylerdurden]

loved rotj then, love it now. never had a problem with the ewoks as a lil kid, still don't. i find them amusing.

and i'll take ewoks over @#$%-ing gungans ANYDAY, ok.







ps: excellent interview, btw. thanks very much for posting it here.

 

[cerealkeller]

and i'll take ewoks over @#$%-ing gungans ANYDAY, ok.

Quoted for truth! Ewoks don't bother me either. Gungans on the other hand....if their is a hell and I end up there, I will be surrounded by them.

 

[abake]

I think the prequels are unfairly maligned.
They have stronger, more intricate stories than any of the OT films. And yes, I did see the OT in their original versions at the cinema.
My favourite SW movie is ROTS by far. Awesome film.
ROTJ failed in too many respects for me.
I did get the whole "let's do this together son" from Vader, and there was this darkness around Luke which was cool, but Han was written as a putz (and he acted it that way as well, he actually wanted the character to be killed off, he didn't want to go back) and there were the damn Ewoks.
Eowks are the single reason ROTJ is my least favourite SW movie. I just can't frigging stand them.

 

[EVILFACE]

Well you know what? No Star Wars movie had the electrical excitement in the theater that ROTJ had when Vader lunged at the Emperor and tossed him into the chasm. The theater I was at just erupted and there was a sense of joy I never have experienced anywhere else in any other movie, let alone Star Wars movie.

I've seen all the movies, rereleased, special editions and what have you in the theater except the original unaltered Star Wars. The biggest reaction I've ever experienced at any of them is when Yoda whippd out his lightsaber and opened a can of woopass on Dooku.

 

[pixletwin]

Ewoks never bugged me. But then again Jar-jar doesn't bug me too bad either.

 

[abake]

I've seen all the movies, rereleased, special editions and what have you in the theater except the original unaltered Star Wars. The biggest reaction I've ever experienced at any of them is when Yoda whippd out his lightsaber and opened a can of woopass on Dooku.

Agreed.
Yoda kicked the whole theater's ass all over the place.

 

[DarkArtist81]

There's a reason why the Ewoks are so rarely remembered.

Star Wars was always for the "kid in everyone"... but R2 and then Yoda were a much more creative approach than Wicket. Ewoks just scream of "I didn't even try".

Someone said Lucas was trying to reinvent the Teddy Bear, that he wanted every household in America to have one. I believe that. Watch the movie and it does seem to validate that goal.

I won't even bother with the prequels, as there's not a moment in them that was done for love, just money. They expanded upon nothing, and in fact hurt many enjoyable mysteries (like the Force and Fett and the Jedi's purpose).

well said man... I totally agree.

While I love ROTJ, it just feels lacking in many respects... the Ewoks, Han reduced to a joke, it wasn't as good as it could have been.

The only parts that felt good and interesting were the Emperor bits.

 

[Khev]

The only parts that felt good and interesting were the Emperor bits.

Don't forget the space battle! Still the best of the entire saga (including the updated DS attack in the 1997 ANH:SE).

 

[pixletwin]

Except for Adawan's version of the Battle of Yavin.