Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays (Paperback)

It would have been nice if the book contained, for example, the final written draft of the screenplay, and then annotated with the changes in the dialogue and settings made during filming. All three films had a lot of extra stuff that was filmed but not seen in the final cut, although some of it is referred to in this book. The novelizations of the film do contain many of these "cut scenes" (i.e., Luke hanging out with his friends in Star Wars, more training with Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, etc.). This book should have included all those cut scenes from the actual screenplay and explained why they were cut (i.e., for running time, because the f/x wasn't working, they felt certain scenes weren't needed etc.) Perhaps we will get to see all of that when the classic trilogy makes its way to DVD later in 2004...

Too bad that some of the comments that Lucas said (when he made these comments in 1997) made the prequels sound more promising than what's been delivered so far.

But more than just screenplays, this edition takes you behind the scenes of the movies, giving you lots of information about how the series came to be.

In the beginning of each script, you get a rundown of the drafts and revisions the screenplay moved through. Intercut between the scenes, you get lots of commentary from the creators (George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, Irvin Kershner, Phil Tippet, and more), plus notes about how the story evolved from earlier drafts.

What really adds value to this edition is the exclusive commentary from the creators. Hearing George Lucas talk about mythology and how he came to invent the Star Wars universe; hearing Irvin Kershner talk about the directorial innovations he brought to Empire Strike Back; or hearing about how the story of Return of the Jedi came together--this stuff is priceless.

And the stories--they're as fresh and exciting as ever in screenplay form. A definitive resource for film students, fantasy fanatics, and Jedis-in-training.

Also, material from the Special Edition appears in boxes alongside the original versions of the final scripts. Enjoy! (And have this tome handy to settle trivia disputes that previously could only be settled by a Jedi Knight!)