What was Spielberg's involvement with Episode III?

Anyone?

 

not enough

 

Too much.

 

From what I gathered from the Making of book and docs, it was mostly centered around the final duel. He came up with the idea of them dueling out to the collecting arm, and having the arm break away. I think he was also responsible for the lava surfing idea.
Some people have also guessed that some of the more interesting shots (the lightning flying at Yoda for example) were his ideas, but that's not been confirmed.

 

So he came up with the most useless ideas during the duel.....the guy only cares about special effects and contempary ooos and aaahs. The arm falling into the lava was pretty neat but during an emotional duel, it just didin't really make sense to have that whole blown out sense of danger from the enviorment. The danger should have come from the duelers alone but ah, whatever.

 

I hear what you're saying, and I, too, have had similar reservations, but I have also argued this: the environment is as important as the duel itself. It's two men -- two brothers -- fighting to the death. It's gone past the usual gentleman's fight characterised elsewhere, especially in the first duel against Dooku, where Dooku's aristocratic voice intones, "Your swords, please. We wouldn't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor," and has now degenerated into a desperate struggle over hell itself. Think of that line some more, in fact: "we wouldn't want to make a mess of things", and yet, when Anakin and Obi Wan are fighting on Mustafar, there's nothing but primordial sludge around them. The implication in the visual tableaux, especially the one of the arm being pelted with lava and breaking apart, is that Anakin and Obi Wan should really stop fighting now: not for any deep-seated moral reason, per se, but because they're defying the cosmic order in some way (reinforced with the blue-on-blue lightsabre motif). The insanity of the events at hand are underscored by making the treacherous environment play the promiment part it does. Nature threatens to decide this duel for the two combatants itself by devouring them whole.

 

Spielberg also did some of the Obi-Wan/Grievous chase scene. Lucas says on the audio commentary that Steven was bored, so he gave him that sequence to work on.





Spielberg - he gets bored sometimes
/Flames

 

If you watch the bonus features on ROTS he brought in Spielberg to direct the final duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan...the part where the fall into the lava on the big whatever it was that is sinking but they are still fighting on it---that was stevens idea.

 

He just gave Spielberg the script and he turned around & made some story boards and some notes. The enviroment of Mustafar is important as it represents a place of turmoil. Just as it is we see the battle raging in front of us, Mustafar responds with it's own turmoil. It also represents hell. The further the fight goes into Mustafar, the worse it becomes. Dante had a description of hell. Many levels with the worst offenders, the betrayers at the bottom. Though the traitors were encased in ice, here the idea is more universal. Rather than frozen in ice, they're surrounded by...


Dr. Evil: "Hot liquid magma."

I don't know how the 'lava surfing' is useless. They have to get off the catwalk. It takes us right above the lava, which we've known was a factor in the birth of Vader. It also represents a perilous struggle, because they could fall off at any time. They are protected only by the energy shields underneath the droids. We get a few false moments of when the injuries take place, before getting to the actual injury itself.

 

And I don't get what's so bad about the "lava surfing". It made the duel more intense and thrilling.

 

Amen, I couldn't even imagine how much better this movie would have been if he directed it.

 

Definitely. It's good to finally see the two of them say their proper final words to each other at that moment.

 

I too love the lava surfing. I'm always on the edge of my seat as soon as Obi Wan jumps off the Lave collecting arm onto the hovering platform. How the narrow fighting space elevates the intensity to them maximum is incredible.

 

When I'm remembering it, the lava surfing seems lame. When I'm watching it, it's no big deal.

 

He also directed with ILM the duel with Yoda and Sidious. I think this was in the guide to ROTS but I'm not sure.

All I can remember is that Spielberg rang George (who I think was in Sydney at the time) and said he had nothing to do. George sent him to work with the guys at ILM with Yoda and Sidious.

BTW, he should have directed ROTJ but that's another story.

 

the guy only cares about special effects and contempary ooos and aaahs.

Yeah, I mean, just look at Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan

 

On the DVD commentary, Lucas also mentions he used Spielberg as an excuse. When Lucas had an unpopular change to make, he would blame it on the director, ie Spielberg.

 

So, some of you guys are using the possibility of Spielberg being involved in EPS III as an excuse that it was better than EPS I & II? Or that Spielberg should have directed it, instead of Lucas?

It's odd, considering the rumor that Spielberg had abandoned JURASSIC PARK in mid-production to start on SCHINDLER'S LIST and had asked Lucas to finish JP.

 

Speilburg generally has a better idea on HOW to direct better than George does. He actually gives his actors freedom to act and gives them feedback. None of this "faster, more intense" business.

Spielberg definitely directed PARTS of ROTS, but we all know how George likes to dirty his hands with the important scenes.

 

This is George's baby and we all know it. Nothing is in ROTS that he didn't love. Spielberg did help him in the duel (and some of his ideas weren't used) but this film hadn't been better if Lucas had not directed. This is becoming a tiresome topic really. Lucas is Star Wars and no director could direct those films better. Is Lucas a better director than Spielberg or vice-versa? Lucas is better at some things while Spielberg is better at others. They are both brilliant directors. I don't think George would ever direct a Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan because he really isn't interesting in such films (at least not as motion picture. Possible for TV). But hey, I could be wrong about that.
If you really want to know Spielberg's contribution to the film read The Making of ROTS - it's all there but basically his contribution was minimal. This film is brilliant because of Lucas - not Spielberg. Two brilliant directors but I agree it would have been interesting to have seen Spielberg direct ROTJ - although Marquandt did a fine job.

 

Kirshner was the director for ESB, which is possibly the mosy widely loved Star Wars film

 

Yes, Spielberg had to leave Jurassic Park to make Schindler's List. But this was right after principal photography. He left Lucas in charge of the postproduction. Reportedly Lucas also directed some addtional footage that was necessary.

According to several Lucas biographies ROTJ (unlike ESB) was basically directed by Lucas himself with Marquand reduced to more of a co-director or assisstant director.
I guess the best way to say it is that ROTJ was directed by Lucas and Marquand together.