A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

(C) 1983 Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) Pros:  Good script; stunning effects and dazzling space battles; a classic John Williams score Cons:  A bit talky...to some, the Ewoks and to others, the Special Edition version is sacrilege.... On Wednesday, May 25, 1983, exactly six years after the premiere of George Lucas's  Star Wars  (now known as  Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope ), millions of fans queued up in front of thousands of movie theater box offices to be among those lucky viewers to watch  Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi  on its first day of release. Three years had passed since the theatrical run of  The Empire Strikes Back,  which had surprised critics and fans alike with its  Episode V  subtitle, the introduction of Jedi Master Yoda, the romance between Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), the claim made by Darth Vader (David Prowse, voice of James Earl Jones) that  he  was Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) dad and - frustrati

“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984) Directed by Steven Spielberg Written by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, based on a story by George Lucas Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Ke Huy Quan After the successful theatrical run of 1981’s  “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” executive producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg began developing the second installment of the Indiana Jones film series. They considered various story ideas (a haunted castle in Scotland, a “lost world” scenario with dinosaurs), all of which were discarded in favor of an India-based quest for the sacred Sankara Stones. Lucas intended “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” to be darker in tone than “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” He wanted the second installment in the Indiana Jones series to be the thematic equivalent of  the “Star Wars” trilogy’s “The Empire Strikes Back.”  As it turned out, “Temple of Doom” became too dark: the story feature

“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989) Directed by Steven Spielberg Written by Jeffrey Boam, from a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliott, Julian Glover, Michael Byrne, John Rhys-Davies, River Phoenix Fedora: You've got heart, kid. (indicates cross) Fedora: But that belongs to me. Indy: It belongs to Coronado. Fedora: Coronado is dead. And so are all his grandchildren. Indy: This should be in a museum! As a result of the mixed critical reaction to “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” director Steven Spielberg told his friend (and executive producer)  George Lucas that the next chapter of the trilogy needed to evoke the lighter, more fun spirit of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”   Lucas first suggested a story that featured a haunted castle, but Spielberg rejected that idea because it was too similar to “Poltergeist.”  Lucas then pitched a plot that involved the Holy Grail.