Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Making of The Empire Strikes Back

The Making of The Empire Strikes Back by JW Rinzler
Ballantine Books, 2010
351 pages
Non-fiction; Movie
5/5 stars

Source: Library

Like the previous book The Making of Star Wars, this book takes an in-depth look at the making of a film with new pressures.  The success of "Star Wars" had many implications.  Its financial success enabled George Lucas to retain more control as it was a proven commodity but no sequel had ever done as well as its predecessor so the entire operation was dicey. Lucas was drained from directing so he wanted someone else to direct but that also took away some of his control.  Most of the cast and crew returned, eager to attempt to top themselves but also struggling with new technical demands.

I was most eager to find out about the script and the creation of Yoda, which is duly covered.  For me, there was a bit too much of the technical side but that's my own lack of knowledge. I was able to just look at the pictures (so many!) and skim the text when it became too complicated for me.

Overall: This is another fine look at the Star Wars saga; I'm excited for the third book to come out in 2013 (they're being released on the 30th anniversary).

2 comments:

  1. I'm the sort of person who'd love to know the entire background of a movie I love. While I was never a fan of the Star Wars franchise, I'd love to know how the phenomenon was even created, so I think I'd read these books. You gave this one 5 stars - it's a must-read now.:)

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  2. I love the Star Wars movies. Kids and teens at my library never seem to tire of the endless DK editions focusing on one aspect or another of the series. Lots of pictures and non-narrative text in sidebars that they can dip into and out of seems to really add to the appeal.

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