Lucas on PBS
Well here’s something I wasn’t expecting. Brand new footage of a young Lucas. I’m traveling currently so I’ll just leave this here, and come back to comment on it later.
Kitbashed - The Origins of Star Wars
A collection of essays, observations and videos on the inspirational ancestry of Star Wars.
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George Lucas on Comics (1975)
A very rare interview snippet with George Lucas recorded in 1975 in which he talks about his relationship with comics.
The Millennium Falcon
It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.
Views From a Ridge
Far from a hive of scum and villany, 2001: A Space Odyssey's Clavius Base might well have been the first visual reference for Mos Eisley
The Mœbius Probe
One of art legend Mœbius’s smallest comic book doodles grew to a starring role in Star Wars II.
The Birth of R2-D2
How Douglas Trumbull's 1972 low-budget, bleeding heart science fiction classic yielded not just the basic look of, but the humanity of R2-D2 and robots everywhere.
The New Cinema (1968)
A 30-minute unaired TV special on late-60s student films, with early Coppola and Lucas interviews.
Filmmaker: A Diary by George Lucas (1968)
Lucas's cinema verité documentary for Coppola's The Rain People (1969).
Cantwell's Concept Art
Colin Cantwell opens up about his work on Star Wars, and shares never before seen concept art.
Edward Summer
Ed was best known for his comic book store and its association with George Lucas. He passed away in 2014.
The Origins and Inspirations of John William's Star Wars Score
John Williams' throwback to romantic adventure films, the most financially successful score of all time, also borrowed from the past.
Openings
Short, but sweet mashup video that looks at the opening of Star Wars and its bevy of influences.
Tintin and the Hidden Fortress
Igor Stravinsky, Tintin and the Hidden Fortress. A simple walk through the Jundland Wastes proves itself to be quite layered.
The Searchers
When it was first released in 1956, John Ford's latest western The Searchers didn't set the world on fire. But it wasn't long before it started its long crawl back into the limelight. And by the late 60s a new generation of film makers, including George Lucas, found renewed inspiration in it.
Valérian and Laureline
Following the adventures of spatio-temporal agents Valérian and Laureline as they hurdle through time and space, righting wrongs and getting out of tight jams, Mézières and Christin's trend-setting comic series was lightyears ahead of its time.
Kurosawa
With a career stretching almost 60 years, Akira Kurosawa remains one of the most influential directors in the history of the medium. The pinnacle of his popularity however was perfectly timed with a batch of impressionable USC students ready to take on the world, and his impact on George Lucas in particular is the stuff of legends.
Scum and Villainy
A hive of scum and villainy, and nexus of western, middle-eastern and eastern influences.
Casablanca
One of the greatest stories of tragic love ever cast onto the silver screen, Casablanca stood model for Mos Eisley and its scum and villany.
Dark Star
John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon’s USC short turned feature was a predecessor to Alien and an inspiration to both Star Wars and Star Trek.
B for Berkey
We know that one of John Berkey's paintings became the foundation for The Deathstar, but his influence might have gone beyond that, into the aptly named B-Wing.