Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16938 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-24
• Binding: Hardcover
• 372 pages

Film Review
A book like this simply blows everything else out of the
water....For Star Wars fans, this truly will be the Holy Grail, and even
obsessives who think they know everything about the movie should prepare to
be astounded. As a 30th anniversary tribute, this could not be bettered

Synopsis
"Star Wars" was released in 1977 and went on to earn almost $775 million at the worldwide box office. It would change film making forever. Published for the 30th anniversary of the original "Star Wars" movie, this is a must-have book for all "Star Wars" fans and movie lovers. Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of images spanning the creation of the film, and including previously unpublished interviews and stories, "The Making of Star Wars" is a piece of cinema history; and the story behind the making of this book is almost as intriguing. When author J.W. Rinzler heard that a similar book had been started back in the 1970s - around the time of filming - curiosity got the better of him. He was directed to four boxes within the vast Lucasfilm archive. He discovered that over fifty interviews had been conducted between 1975 and 1978 with key members of the cast and crew. These boxes had sat undisturbed for three decades. Until now. The interviews were fresh, candid and - above all - more accurate than many other reported accounts. Interviewees included director George Lucas; producer Gary Kurtz; actors Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher; and production designer John Barry (who died in 1979). Conducted long before the film was released in 1977, those interviewed are completely unaware of the future impact of the film and the direction that their careers would take. Since 1977, "Star Wars" has spawned two sequel films, three prequels, countless books, comic books and video games, television shows, and innumerable interviews. But the original story in its original words has remained hidden, until now. With unrestricted access to the archive, Rinzler has created a unique document that is set to become a seminal piece of film history. It reveals how a small group of gifted artists and craftspeople led by one inspired writer-director overcame obstacles - storms, crises, technical limitations, high stress and bitter disappointment - while enlisting ingenuity, heroism, but most of all dogged determination, to get to the end of their adventure. Lavishly illustrated throughout, this is the true story of human endeavour and creativity that led to the production of one of the most outstanding and innovative films of all time.

From the Publisher
A treasure trove for any fan of Star Wars, featuring previously unpublished interviews, behind-the-scenes photographs and inside stories from the making of the original film

Customer Reviews

Simply a stunning book
For 25 quid your getting the deal of the century, the wealth of information, photo's and insight in this book is simply stunning.

Rare photo's, interviews, and above all how it all came together to be the Star Wars we know and love. Thers so much to read and take in its gonna take me months if not a year to read it all properly.

Even at the RRP of £40.00 its a steal, and £25 no one who calls themselves a true fan would be with out it.

The best "Making of"
Over the years Lucasfilm have regularly put out "Making of" books in various guises and to be honest they've all been a bit weak. This book is truly an in-depth look at how "A New Hope" was made and the story is much more interesting than you'd ever imagine; the scale of getting Star Wars made is almost a screenplay in itself. The book feels like a work of real research and meticulous fact checking, this isn't another cut and paste job of raiding the Lucasfilm Archives and just producing images of props or quoting verbatim promotional pieces that lack depth. This book is the best account of how Star Wars made that I've ever read, much better than the "Chronicles" books which are really just overpriced museum catalogues.

THE best Star Wars book
My fascination with the Star Wars series has always been with the craft and skill with which it was made, so I have devoured the various "making of", ""Art of" and "Chronicles" books that have been published over the last 30 years or so. None of these prepare you for this mighty volume. It really is an awesome achievement and offers so much for it's relatively tiny price (at least compared to those Chronicles" books). There are tons of previously unseen photos, fascinating insights from people who were barely mentioned in other books and wonderful storyboard illustrations from a variety of artists who helped out Lucas at various stages of the story's development. What really sets it apart is the heavy use of interview material carried out at the time, you really do feel that this film has only just been released, so fresh and unsullied by its subsequent success are the thoughts and insights of those interviewed.

I really cannot think of anything that should make you think twice about purchasing this excellent book. One thought that does stick with me however - if Star Wars was never expected to be such a success how come its making was so heavily documented at the time?