Movies

Reflexive Filmmaking: George Lucas on George Lucas

Star Wars Luke on Tatooine
By  · Published on September 27th, 2017

The director analyzes his work in this video essay.

George Lucas comes from (and/or helped create) the New Hollywood era of ambitious film students that set out to change the game in the film industry. They wanted to bring depth and an indie spirit to their films, contrasting with the oppression of the studio system.

That wasn’t always successful and didn’t always have the intended impact. In fact, the blockbuster era ushered in by some of these filmmakers helped create another cyclical change in industry power that was unfavorable to creativity in a different way. However, listening to Lucas discuss his drive and goals, his failures and successes, in tandem with some of his films illuminates a director that’s seen his indie spirit change over the years.

Editor Alejandro Villarreal created a video essay of Lucas’s filmography, documentary footage, and other appearances that helps explain the filmmaker’s shifting career from student to mogul.

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Jacob Oller writes everywhere (Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Playboy, FSR, Paste, etc.) about everything that matters (film, TV, video games, memes, life).