"Mythmaking: Behind the Scenes of AOTC" Discussion Thread (mirror)

I picked up the aforementioned book last night at Books-A-Million. For $20.00, it's a rather good bargain. This "Making Of" book is MUCH more in-depth than the previous "Making of TPM", is filled with TONS of pictures, and takes care to capture all sides of the filmmaking process ala "The Beginning" documentary.

A nice treat: Unlike the DVD's mostly technical commentary, this book DOES go some bit into Lucas's thought process in writing/shooting/editing the film. You get a better idea of why he does the things he does.

Has anyone else picked this up yet? If so, I'd love to hear your opinions.

 

Here's an example. Some insights on the Anakin/Padme love story:

George Lucas: "It wasn't that the writing of it was so difficult. I'd done a bit of writing a love story in American Graffiti, so writing wasn't the challenge. The challenge was that I wanted to tell the love story in a style that was extremely old-fashioned, and frankly, I didn't know if I was going to be able to pull it off. In many ways, this was much more like a movie from the 1930's than any of the others had been, with a slightly over-the-top, poetic style -- and they just don't do that in movies anymore. I was very happy with the way it turned out in the script and in the performances, but I knew people might not buy it. A lot of guys were going to see this movie, and most guys think that kind of flowery, poetic talk is stupid -- 'Come on, give me a break.' More sophisticated, cynical types also don't buy that stuff. So I didn't know if people would laugh at it and throw things at the screen, or if they would accept it."

 

Wonderful thread, Nightowl ! Unfortunately, I don't have the AOTC mythmaking book.

Anyway, it really proves that Lucas knows what he is doing ! Everyone should have great faith in GL! Everything is proceeding as he has foreseen!

 

Anakin/Padme Love Story Part #2:

George Lucas: "Let's face it, their dialogue in that (fireplace) scene is pretty corny. It is presented very honestly, it isn't tongue-in-cheek at all, and it's really played to the hilt. But it is consistent not only with the rest of this movie, but with the overall Star Wars style. Most people don't understand the style of Star Wars. They don't get that there is an underlying motif that is very much like a 1930's Western or Saturday matinee serial. It's in that more romantic period of making movies and adventure films. And this film is even more of a melodrama than the others."

Hayden Christensen: "When I first read the script, a lot of the dialogue felt contrived and forced, and I was like, 'Oh, there's no way THAT'S going to work.' But there is a way of speaking in the Star Wars universe, and it is acceptable because it is another galaxy far, far away. Even though the themes are relevant to today, some of the dialogue is not -- it's not supposed to be."

I'll post some more excerpts later today -- I gotta get some sleep.

 

WOW! GL is a genious !

Have a nice night Nightowl, we'll watching your next posts with great interest!

 

I just can't help feeling George is making up excuses more than explaining his choice of style.

 

Nah, he already said before the TPM release that Eps.II would be a love story, which people wouldn't necessary like very much.

I have faith in GL, he really knows what he's doing!

 

Yep. He said it during TPM's promotion. Basically stated EP2 was going to be a LOVE STORY, and he doesn't know what the reception will be like from SW fans. GL also knows what might ruffle feathers in our cynical---MEAN--- society (Jar Jar, Vader as a lil' Annie, old fashioned Love story). But he doesn't care. Because it's HIS STORY. He's earned the freedom to do it HIS WAY. Maybe he loses fans in the process, but I can assure you his guts have gained him quite a few as well.


Yeah, it takes guts to refuse to play the test marketed generic Hollywood game of film. Bland vanilla moviemaking. Cookie-cutter crap. Must not chance offending somebody! Maybe he ends up failing in some of his bold choices, but at least he's trying something different.....following his own frickin' muse.


And how can someone think this man is "out of touch"? He has the the ear of talented people like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, John Milius, Lawrence Kasdan, Frank Darabont, James Cameron, Brian Depalma, Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, Philip Kaufman, Robert Zemekis, Frank Oz, Walter Murch, etc... These are not only his colleagues, but friends he can have intelligent discourse with, pondering life and art. It really cracks me up when people think he is "out of touch", as if he is a recluse at Skywalker ranch, and it took AOTC's release to make him realize what his LOVE STORY's reception would be like.



Give me a break!

GL knows specifically what he is doing in this trilogy. ESPECIALLY the stuff that might ruffle feathers. I think he took great pride that Jar Jar pissed the TOO COOL FOR THIS crowd off.

Pride.

Screw 'em, I say!

But lest us forget, he also knows what our jaded CRAVE as well:


-March 4, 1997: "...and the third one is the dark one - it will probably fit in really well with 21st century!"

 

A love story? Where's the love? I saw a stalker and some crazy senator chick who fell for a murderer. Anyway...

 

Ha!

 

A love story? Where's the love?

I think the picnic scene was the best example. I thought the acting there was great, they both seemed very natural and far from forced. That scene strangly has become one of my favourites from the whole saga, up there with Yoda lifting the X-Wing and the Cantina from ANH. A very very well done scene.

 

If George is making excuses , it isn't something new. He has been explaining the corniness for 25 years.

 

Great GL quotes! I tried telling a girl I know who felt that the love story was corny that GL did that deliberately. I was never able to prove it to her because I couldn't find any direct quotes; now I have them!

I've had this book on pre-order from Amazon for a couple of months, I hope I get it soon. If these quotes are any indication, it's a definite must read!

 

Does anybody know when the book will be out in the UK?

 

So is this book out now at places like Barnes & Noble or Borders? I've never heard a release date for it, and I can't find it on searches on those websites.

 

awesome quote

I have to get it!!!

 

I always bought the love story due to the things that happened in Episode I. Anakin got Padme, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and the rest of the crew off Tatooine. Anakin blew the crap out of the Federation ship. Anakin made Padme that Japor Snippet.

Sure, it's just little things, and the things I listed above aren't exactly GREAT reasons, but they ARE reasons, nonetheless. Padme has always admired Anakin. Then, 10 years later, he's grown up and he's handsome. She remembers the things he done for her in the past, and more importantly, knows that he would give his life for her, as he did in Episode I, be in by accident or not.

I think they've just always had this bond together. Anakin helped her greatly in the past; now, when Anakin's life is getting rough, she feels as if it's her duty to give him what he gave her in the past. Not to mention she's madly in love with him.


And that, my friends, is why I accept the love story, be it corny or not.

 

me need more quotes, me need more quotes, please.

by the way anybody know how much it's selling for???

 

Sounds like an interesting book, I'll have to keep my eye open for it, and yes, evewrfybody should have faith in GL, I know he wuld never let us down.

 

it comes out like the 10/29 from what I saw on bn.com

 

I'm glad you reminded me to pre-order this book, and by those excerpts its worth buying.

And I'm not surprised GL is very frank about the love story's seemingly cornyness. Heknows what he is doing. Well I never doubted he did thank god.

 

Okay folks, here's some more goodies!

Why did George take so long to write the screenplay?

George Lucas: "I sat down to write the screenplay in September 1999. Starting with page one and working my way through a first draft as quickly as possible. As soon as that initial draft was done, I started right away on a second draft. I do a lot of drafts, rather than continually reworking the first twenty or thirty pages. I've found that if you keep trying to fix things, you rewrite the first thirty pages a hundred times, and you never get to the end. I called the first one typed up by my assistant my 'rough draft', but I'd done fourteen or fifteen drafts BEFORE that one, and I did another two or three before I had it typed up again."

On the transition of Padme from Queen to Senator:

George Lucas: "I wanted to emphasize the point that the Republic was a democracy. I thought I'd made it clear in 'The Phantom Menace' that Padme was an elected official, but that point seemed to go right by everybody. Probably because I used the word Queen, which suggested an inheirited position of power. However, I had intended it as a designation of a ruler, like President. I only used the Princess/Queen/Knight terminology because I was harking back to King Arthur and other romantic periods.
"This time, I wanted to reestablish the fact that Padme had been ELECTED as Queen, served her two terms of office, and then stepped down. It's the opposite of what Palpatine does. His term has run out in the intervening ten years, but he has been 'reluctantly' convinced to stay in office; as we go on, he'll be 'reluctantly' convinced to stay in office even longer. I wanted Padme's character to be the example of what leaders SHOULD do, which is serve their term, then leave. The idea on Naboo is that you do your service when you're very young -- 12 to 21 -- then you retire, have a family, and live the rest of your life. Padme is an exception because she's now 24. She did her service, but then she became a Senator because Queen Jamillia asked her to."

 

any quotes about anakin's character and stuff about him???

I need to get this book!!!

 

Hayden Christensen: "Anakin loves Obi-Wan because he is a father figure. But at the same time, there's resistance because Anakin wants to break free, a theme in all of the Star Wars movies. So there is conflict and animosity between the characters when Obi-Wan won't let him make his own choices."

"I picked up some things from Ewan -- the way he carried himself, certain Jedi mannerisms, such as the way the hands are held in the back. Ewan was a great guy and we got along well; and I think that dynamic was evident in the Obi-Wan/Anakin relationship. As an actor, I looked up to him, and that helped create a sense of Anakin looking up to Obi-Wan."

"When your mom is dying in your arms, you want to break down -- just cry and bawl and go crazy. But George wanted me to hold back. I think he wanted a later scene, where Anakin breaks down in front of Padme, to have more impact; and so he had me pull back in this scene."

"He's too late to save his mother. That feeling of defeat tears him apart, and so he goes a bit psycho and murders everyone. That is one of the turning points in his evolution to Darth Vader. I think it is always in the back of his mind that he failed his mother -- and that propels him toward the Dark Side."

 

nice quotes

is the book pretty long or no??