George Lucas: "I'm Retiring"

[CelticPredator]

The People Vs. George Lucas was pretty good. Not the hatefest I thought it would be. It shows both sides, and ends with a neutral feeling.



But then I saw the "Nooo" again, and that went away.

 

[TheGent]

And they really need to drop the derogatory "fanboy" moniker as a sweeping reference to people who wanted the original films. Spielberg, Jackson, Cameron, film historians, preservationists, etc., have all expressed their dismay at Lucas' treatment of Star Wars in one way or another. Its not just a bunch of ungrateful nerds sitting at their computers.

This is so true. On the other hand, how little self confident is someone that has created such a huge thing people all over the world talk about?

If I were that genius that had the imagination of creating such an individual world of its own out of nothing, if I were that genius that made millions of dollars with this idea by making a movie from that idea, if I were that genius that made millions by licensing toys from that idea and if I were that genius that more than any other has the right to control, change, remain oder reinvent the idea ... If I were that genius:

I WOULD NOT CARE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK!

I WOULD GIVE OUT THIS STATEMENT:
I GAVE YOU STAR WARS ONCE, BUT YOU ARE NEVER FORCED TO FOLLOW ME ON OTHER VARIANTS.
CHOOSE ANY VERSION YOU LIKE AND REMAIN HAPPY WITH IT.
BUT THIS IS STILL MY THING.

And that's what I, TheGent, do:
I check everything that comes up, may it be CloneWars, EU comics, Games, whatever ...
Then I choose what I like and what I dislike, I just avoid. Without any anger!

 

[shocktrooper_au]

35yrs on and people like myself are still fans, got to give him credit... do I like everything he has done no! i'm I a fan of him & most of his work hell yeah! hell with all the money he's got I'm suprised he hasn't locked himself in a room designed a spruce goose & wearing tissue boxes on his feet

 

[KillingYouGuy]

Although it will vex me till the day I die about why he didn't get more fan based feedback with his ideas for the prequels, I have to agree with him in the general sense that these are his imaginings, his world, his movies and his alterations. They really don't bother me all that much and getting the older movies on a non Blu-Ray format is possible so there are options for the "purists". I do think he is kind of a ****** bag, but again - that's his choice too...

 

[Khev]

"On the Internet, all those same guys that are complaining I made a change are completely changing the movie," Lucas says. "I'm saying: 'Fine. But my movie, with my name on it, that says I did it, needs to be the way I want it."

So out of touch. How sad.

I really used to think that at some point he'd have to cave like he always does and release restored versions of the original films on blu-ray or whatever other format that is to follow. But seeing him going out on such a clueless, bitter note makes me think Harmy is all we'll ever have. And I'm okay with that.

 

[Avenger]

"On the Internet, all those same guys that are complaining I made a change are completely changing the movie," Lucas says. "I'm saying: 'Fine. But my movie, with my name on it, that says I did it, needs to be the way I want it."

So out of touch. How sad.

I really used to think that at some point he'd have to cave like he always does and release restored versions of the original films on blu-ray or whatever other format that is to follow. But seeing him going out on such a clueless, bitter note makes me think Harmy is all we'll ever have. And I'm okay with that.

You can tell from the interview, for whatever reasons, this has become about Luca's ego and pride. So, he'll never have the humility to give fans what they want from now on, unless it was his idea first. Probably never see the originals again because that would be caving in to the demands. If this wasn't so emotionally charged on both sides, we'd probably have both available with this last release. It seems there's plenty of blame to go around.

The interview also shows he is well aware of how people feel about his movies and changes. I imagine that affects him more than we know. But, to always be speaking in absolutes, in his own words "only a sith deals in absolutes".

 

[jkno]

When he's gone, the next in line at LFL might release the unaltered OT as the fans asked on blu-ray.

 

[Hamanu]

His company, his films... he might have drafted stipulations preventing the release of the untainted OT

 

[Mad Old Lu]

"On the Internet, all those same guys that are complaining I made a change are completely changing the movie," Lucas says. "I'm saying: 'Fine. But my movie, with my name on it, that says I did it, needs to be the way I want it."

So out of touch. How sad.

I really used to think that at some point he'd have to cave like he always does and release restored versions of the original films on blu-ray or whatever other format that is to follow. But seeing him going out on such a clueless, bitter note makes me think Harmy is all we'll ever have. And I'm okay with that.

Yep. He still doesn't get it. He's too stubborn or out of touch to realize why the fans are making their own edits or why there is such a strong outcry. He's unwilling to listen to real, intelligent criticisms about his work. Any artist or craftsman is open to criticism. Unfortunately he surrounds himself with yes men, including Spielberg who probably doesn't give his friend a strong or impartial enough critique of the work. So to Lucas, the fanboys are all wrong since everyone he knows and asks that is in the business tells him his movies are great.

 

[Wor-Gar]

He still gave us the first STAR WARS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, and ILM and THX, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

 

[RavenEye]

^ Yep, without him ILM wouldn't have had funding and without funding Jurassic Park would have never gotten out of book form.

 

[Khev]

He still gave us the first STAR WARS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, and ILM and THX, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Of course. He's kind of like a dear grandparent that succumbed to Alzheimer's. Who he is now will never take away from what he has already done.

Its just too bad that he had to ever come to where he is now.

 

[Wor-Gar]

My fiance is a talent producer for the Early Show and she put George on tomorrow morning to talk with Charlie Rose; like to see what he says about criticism and retiring.

 

[toomanyfigures]

"On the Internet, all those same guys that are complaining I made a change are completely changing the movie," Lucas says. "I'm saying: 'Fine. But my movie, with my name on it, that says I did it, needs to be the way I want it."

So out of touch. How sad.

I really used to think that at some point he'd have to cave like he always does and release restored versions of the original films on blu-ray or whatever other format that is to follow. But seeing him going out on such a clueless, bitter note makes me think Harmy is all we'll ever have. And I'm okay with that.

in what world besides a weak willed one is that "out of touch"?
if all your family and friends said you should die your hair and use an english accent, would you do it just because a lot of people say you should?

his point is absolutely sound
"all those same guys that are complaining I made a change are completely changing the movie" its downright hypocritical

i think its easier to digest if you are an artist yourself of any kind that creates, even without his measure of success or demand, even if it boils down to the numbers his work is equal of greater to most mediums that dont have any "fan outcry" to change, so even on paper he has a lot of credit due to him
not to mention the ultimate fact that there is not one universal vision of the sw universe that would satisfy 100% of the people who watch it

thats just my thoughts on it

 

[The Mike]

I think it's funny how people still act as if George doesn't care what people think. I would argue he does more than the average person. When you walk around saying you don't care or that you're just doing something for you, it screams overcompensation about how much you truly are looking for validation.

It all over my Facebook/Twitter pages, people screaming in defense of Lucas and almost blaming the fans for him walking away and the whole "How could you!" attitude. The fact of the matter is that ol' Georgie surrounded himself with "yes" men who told him every turd he laid was made of solid gold, so when he found heavy opposition to things he was doing and lower box office receipts he was shocked and is "taking his ball and going home".

I would have been more impressed if he said "You know what, it's time for me to really take a look at where I started with __________ and what made it so great. Time to get in touch with that magic that made people fawn over it. I'm going to step away and then come back for one big hurrah." You could fill in the blank with Star Wars, Indiana Jones... Instead of proving people wrong and showing he still has the juice, he is simply willing to creep slowly into the night. I don't for a minute believe that he will take a good hard look at Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and say "Let's fix it." mainly because he I'm sure can't see the forest for the tree and the people around him still gush about how fantastic it is.

I don't believe for a moment that Lucas has forgotten what made his films so memorable, the original trilogy was steeped in mythologies and references to other masterworks. The prequel trilogy was a "bam bam shoot 'em up" kind of show that even undid many of the mysterious and dogmatic things that he did in the originals.

I like the prequels for what they are and certainly have characters from it that I'm glad we had but it's difficult to say that Lucas wasn't simply pandering to the younger audience instead of making a "fairy tale for adults" that caught on with kids as he has been quoted as attempting back in the 70s. Filmmakers make stories to the masses, they tell their stories on the big screen for others to share and enjoy. If they aren't enjoying it widespread that has to say something. Imagine if an athlete was only performing at about half speed and while they still had their fans and people who would follow them off of a cliff, for the most part they weren't generally liked anymore and that same athlete said "I don't care what people say I think I play great and I'm playing for me." They'd be laughed out of their sport and their arrogance front and center of every ESPN report. This is generally no different.

 

[Avenger]

I think the irony of this all will be, if he retires and goes back to his original thinking in how he makes movies, and what he makes them about while doing them to tell a story instead of make a blockbuster, he'll probably tap back in to what made him a household name, and make some really good movies.

 

[pixletwin]

.... The fact of the matter is that ol' Georgie surrounded himself with "yes" men who told him every turd he laid was made of solid gold...

I have always said, the biggest difference in GL from OT to PT is that no one was scared of him when the OT was made.

 

[Wor-Gar]

The difference between then and now: Gary Kurtz vs. Rick McCallum

 

[toomanyfigures]

the major difference between then and now is our age and understanding lol

 

[The Mike]

I would agree that our ages are major differences. We expected Star Wars to evolve with us, for some it has, for the masses it missed that mark.