The Making of Star Wars (TM): The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film [Paperback]

The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film (Star Wars)

I was four years old when the original "Star Wars" was released, and like so many kids of that generation, that film and its two sequels defined an enormous part of my childhood. Even though I didn't know it at the time, it introduced me to the "best bits" of classical mythology, while being a visual catalyst for my imagination (and years of subsequent role-play, particularly in Upstate New York, where re-enacting ice planet Hoth after "Empire" came out was all too easy...).

As I grew older (I hesitate to use the phrase "grew up," as I'm not sure it's happened yet), I came to appreciate more than just the adventure and dynamic visuals that "Star Wars" represented; it was my "gateway drug" into wanting to learn more about how movies were made. I remember all of the TV specials of that era that pulled back the curtain on the filmmaking process, particularly with regard to the original "Star Wars" trilogy, and I couldn't get enough information. That hunger became the same kind of obsession that's typically associated with "Star Wars" fans, and I absorbed every scrap of detail I could find, from Ralph McQuarrie's concept art, to model photos, to script pages, and even before the Internet made it only a matter of a few clicks to access such information, there was a wealth of it, when it came to "Star Wars."

Fast forward to 2007; "Star Wars" is 30 years old, a whole separate trilogy has come and gone, and my own children are budding "Star Wars" fans for their own reasons. I figured I knew pretty much all there was to know about this film. I darn well should have, for as much time as I had spent (and continue to spend) over the years actively seeking out new details about it. Then came this book; I didn't know anything.

This is dense, dense reading, covering every minute detail about every aspect of production of the original "Star Wars," from drafting the script, to getting it taken seriously by Hollywood, to assembling the team that would revolutionize filmmaking as we came to know it. This is a wonderful thing. I find myself poring over every word, every image, every caption and footnote, just as I did as a child who was learning about film for the first time. It is an amazing tribute, an insanely detailed reference volume, and most incredible of all, a unique representation of a film that has been covered in so many ways by so many authors, that finding anything new to talk about seemed impossible.

The aspect of this book I personally find most exciting is that all of the interviews that comprise it are taken from the period immediately surrounding the production and release of the original film. There is none of the revisionist hindsight pertaining to the film that has come about as a result of the films that came after; every word spoken by the people involved is "of the moment," and as such, is refreshingly candid about what was going on while the film was in the throes of its conception and execution.

The hardcover volume is worth the extra cost, because of its additional supplemental material, not found in the softcover edition. There are 45 pages of storyboard reproductions, as well as Lucas' first-ever references to the larger world beyond what was shown in the original film, in the form of interview excerpts taken in 1977, which involve Lucas describing character and environmental background information. As author J.W. Rinzler explains in the opening to the section, "Many of these ideas...[have since been] modified to a greater or lesser degree. They are presented here...[as] an idea of how he first began [the process of expanding the "Star Wars" universe]." Given the amount of tweaking that the backstory has undergone in the decades following "Star Wars," the inclusion of Lucas' first impressions of it in this volume are incredibly valuable to anyone who, like me, has wondered if the second trilogy of films was truly borne from his original ideas, or was more a product of his later experiences.

This book is exactly what its title promises: the definitive history behind the original film. And for someone who has spent most of his life feeling like there was nothing new under the suns (not a typo) when it came to the story of how "Star Wars" was made, that's saying something.

There are so many books and films about this now-classic film that it's hard to imagine that anything published in 2007 could bring anything new to the table. There was a made-for-TV special with the same title, but believe it or not, no companion book ever came out for the original "Star Wars" movie -- just every other film in the series.

The beauty of this thick volume is the in-depth, candid look at the production *before* anyone knew it was a hit. The interviews and notes are almost entirely from 1975 and 1976, which really gives you a flavor for how crazy/brave/pioneering/enterprising young George Lucas was when he fought to make the film.

Writing and production quality is excellent, but it's the content that really shines here. I have the paperback version, which is an excellent value from Amazon, but apparently the hardcover edition has even more exclusive content.

This book is strongly recommended for any fan of the series, the genre, or filmmaking in general. You'll want to watch the documentary "Star Wars: Empire of Dreams" again after seeing this, too .... set some time aside to geek out with your sideburns out.

I've been a huge Star Wars fan since I was a kid, and have collected a tremendous amount of "making of" material in various forms over the years, so I figured I'd heard it all and seen it all. I've read this volume cover to cover now, and what I have seen and read opens a whole new chapter in my understanding of this milestone film. There are literally hundreds of photos in this book I have never seen, and the process of making the film (all the way from original concept to opening day) is documented with a level of detail far beyond any account that exists. This is not light reading or a "bubble-gum" movie souvenir book, but an extremely detailed account of the struggles, disasters, and eventual successes of a film that changed cinema forever. The research and production of this tome was obviously a massive project, but the results are truly impressive. Rinzler's book will surely be the definitive work on this important subject.

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