The Making of Return of the Jedi
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- Create Date：2021-08-13 09:53:53
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：J.W. Rinzler
- ISBN：0345511468
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Summary
This is the definitive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy。 The author of The Making of Star Wars and The Making of the Empire Strikes Back， J。 W。 Rinzler uses his unprecedented access to the Lucasfilm Archives and its trove of never-before-published photos， design sketches， paintings， production notes， factoids， anecdotes， and script drafts to take the reader from concept art and creature design to on-set photography and ILM's visual effects work。 This third behind-the-scenes adventure is as entertaining and enthralling as his previous two books， and the movie itself。
Reviews
Tim
，
Here's me， hoping that Rinzler will make more books like this。。。 Here's me， hoping that Rinzler will make more books like this。。。 。。。more
Patrick Lum
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Rinzler's final epic on the making of Star Wars begins with an apology for the lack of contemporaneous interviews that powered the making of Empire and A New Hope， but the book nonetheless does an excellent job tracking the tale of the final chapter in the first trilogy beat-by-beat and day by day。 To some extent the subject matter dictates the flow， and in that sense Jedi is a hard slog， with highly technical and confusing SFX talk taking up at least equal time to the easier-to-grasp day-to-day Rinzler's final epic on the making of Star Wars begins with an apology for the lack of contemporaneous interviews that powered the making of Empire and A New Hope， but the book nonetheless does an excellent job tracking the tale of the final chapter in the first trilogy beat-by-beat and day by day。 To some extent the subject matter dictates the flow， and in that sense Jedi is a hard slog， with highly technical and confusing SFX talk taking up at least equal time to the easier-to-grasp day-to-day of principle photography and filming anecdotes。 Certainly the book's interest factor is highest during the early segments （as Lucas gears up to collaboratively discover his definitive ending）， and during filming itself （as the actors deliver the more human side of the great process）。Much like the film it examines， The Making of Jedi serves as a great conclusion to it all， providing that definitive ending that its predecessors had no opportunity to deliver， but simultaneously perhaps lacking quite the same level of wonderment and charm as went before。 。。。more
Sarah
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Finale to an excellent series。 You want to glory over the photos and read it cover to cover， and then start all over again。
Keith
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This was a fitting end to a trilogy of extremely well made and informative books。 There isn't a lot to say other than this book would fascinate Star Wars fans and also fans of cinema。 Don't expect to read it in a weekend though。Random things I remember that interested me:It was sad reading about how flippantly the Boba Fett death was decided。 This was one of the major mistakes of the third film and it didn't seem like they took it too seriously at the time。Lucas continued his extreme dislike of This was a fitting end to a trilogy of extremely well made and informative books。 There isn't a lot to say other than this book would fascinate Star Wars fans and also fans of cinema。 Don't expect to read it in a weekend though。Random things I remember that interested me:It was sad reading about how flippantly the Boba Fett death was decided。 This was one of the major mistakes of the third film and it didn't seem like they took it too seriously at the time。Lucas continued his extreme dislike of Nixon， who was his inspiration for the Emperor。Maybe the most interesting thing for me as an extreme Star Wars fan who reads all the books and play all the games is that， even at this late stage in the original trilogy， Lucas still had an extremely loose grip on what the Force was。 He said that everybody can use the Force。 It is like yoga。 If you practice， you'll get good at it。The fat lady in Jabba's palace was described as the daughter of Jabba。 Ouch。Harrison Ford seemed like a diva in this one and would probably be irritating to work with。Carrie Fisher still sounds like a complete diva and a pain to work with。 She complained about not enough lines， so they gave her more。 She said they were too feminine。 They let her get in on the action scenes， she doesn't like doing action scenes。 It sounds like she was kind of a jerk to people and wouldn't sign autographs for fans。 There were nice comments about everyone but her。 I did laugh at her quote where she called the Sarlacc a sand vagina。C-3PO had a really bad cold while he filmed the scene where he is telling the Star Wars story to the Ewoks。 It will definitely change how I watch that scene knowing that Daniels couldn't wipe his nose so his face was covered with mucus。The midgets that acted as Ewoks were totally crazy。 Apparently they would all have sex with each other and be groping the people doing their costumes。 It was sad that they had to have people watch them in Tunisia because the people there think that being a midget means you are cursed， so they had to make sure nothing happened to them。It was also extremely depressing to read the epilogue describing how Lucas recently sold everything to Disney and Kathleen Kennedy was taking over。 Sadly， that combination has almost completely destroyed the magic of Star Wars （the only thing they've put out that wasn't trash has been Rogue One。 The Mandalorian is ok）。 I would've greatly preferred Lucas let Star Wars die with dignity than let Disney destroy the franchise with some of the worst writing I've ever scene and SJW messaging。 。。。more
Paxton Holley
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Finishing out the Rinzler Star Wars Making of trilogy。Loved all three of these books。 Super in-depth。 Lots of different viewpoints。 Glad I read all three。 I may try to read Rinzler’s Indiana Jones making of book next。
Jay Gabler
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I know how people feel about Jedi， and they've felt that way since 1983， but as a disco baby， I've always held Episode VI in a special place given that it was the first Star Wars movie I was old enough to anticipate before it came out。 In a typically detailed， sensitive history， Rinzler makes clear how George Lucas pushed himself to the end of his rope making the most epic production in the original trilogy， financially and logistically overextended yet again but committed to seeing the story to I know how people feel about Jedi， and they've felt that way since 1983， but as a disco baby， I've always held Episode VI in a special place given that it was the first Star Wars movie I was old enough to anticipate before it came out。 In a typically detailed， sensitive history， Rinzler makes clear how George Lucas pushed himself to the end of his rope making the most epic production in the original trilogy， financially and logistically overextended yet again but committed to seeing the story to its conclusion。 。。。more
Scott MacBurnie
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Like the films that preceded them， this "third chapter" in the "Making of 。。。 " Rinzler trilogy rounds up the usual suspects and attempts to define the （by times） agonized process of bringing the third film to the screen。 Unlike the first two installments， this one depends a great deal more upon later recollections of cast and crew， and as such， it sometimes feels as though there has been a bit of self-censorship in hindsight， at play。 As such， it lacks some of the immediacy of the first two boo Like the films that preceded them， this "third chapter" in the "Making of 。。。 " Rinzler trilogy rounds up the usual suspects and attempts to define the （by times） agonized process of bringing the third film to the screen。 Unlike the first two installments， this one depends a great deal more upon later recollections of cast and crew， and as such， it sometimes feels as though there has been a bit of self-censorship in hindsight， at play。 As such， it lacks some of the immediacy of the first two books， and it definitely is missing the "boots on the ground" sensation that propelled the first two in this series。Nevertheless， and as was the case with the prior volumes， there is not a lot of sugar-coating， here， and the agony （as well as the increasing sense that - by now （in terms of the film-making） everyone involved was coming to the ends of their creative ropes - after having spent （essentially） 6 to 10 years at the crux of a cultural maelstrom。 To a point， it is sometimes alarming to think （or speculate） upon just how fraught with turmoil the production was， and how close to proverbial disaster it sometimes seemed to skirt。 That the trilogy was wrapped up in as effective a manner as it did is absolutely a testament to the skill of the cast and crew which labored on the film。There is a lot to unpack， here， and a smattering of behind the scene particulars that even the most die hard of "Star Wars" enthusiasts may find to be surprising。 As with any massive undertaking， there are good days and bad - pettiness， tempers， laughter， love of the work， and - of course - practical business concerns of keeping the "Star Wars" cottage industry afloat， as well as the increasingly broadening swaths of Lucas' various growing companies。 Nevertheless， there is a sense of loss hovering over the book （and the film） in that endings are always， at best， bittersweet - it is hard to close the cover on a well loved cast of characters， and after 6 years of anticipation， two films， and an endless course of audience speculation， it would have been all but impossible to go out on a note that would speak to everyone's expectations/demands， and the book is oddly honest about the frustration involved in tilting at that particular windmill。 。。。more
Emilie
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These "making of" books are fascinating reading for both Star Wars diehards and movie nerds。 I did not expect the tome on ROTJ's production to be so stressful though: the behind the scenes stories are infused with a sense of weariness， like everyone just wanted to get it over with and move beyond Star Wars。 Hostility even creeps into meetings， such as the arguments between George Lucas and the other writers over the Ewoks and the second Death Star attest。 Mark Hamill， Harrison Ford， and Carrie F These "making of" books are fascinating reading for both Star Wars diehards and movie nerds。 I did not expect the tome on ROTJ's production to be so stressful though: the behind the scenes stories are infused with a sense of weariness， like everyone just wanted to get it over with and move beyond Star Wars。 Hostility even creeps into meetings， such as the arguments between George Lucas and the other writers over the Ewoks and the second Death Star attest。 Mark Hamill， Harrison Ford， and Carrie Fisher were all displeased with different elements of the final script。 ILM staff were exhausted by the sheer amount of effects and the problems that came with making them as perfect as they could get it。I hadn't read much on Richard Marquand the director before cracking this book open-- he's often described as essentially having been a puppet for George Lucas， someone with inadequate experience on big blockbusters who would do what Lucas wanted without severe questioning and on time。 Reading about his on-set behavior and his words during interviews， I confess I do not have a favorable impression of the man。 He got along with some cast members （especially Harrison Ford）， but others disliked him， feeling he was too cold and distant。 He constantly craps on EMPIRE in interviews， nitpicking it more than anything （all of the costumes in EMPIRE are "A joke" apparently， yet he only cites the outfit Leia wears on Cloud City as evidence of this）。 His insistence that Princess Leia was "a bitch" in EMPIRE and not "feminine enough" really rubbed me the wrong way too: even Carrie Fisher， who initially wanted Leia to have more vulnerable moments compared to the first two movies， felt Marquand and Lucas were softening the character way too much。 And the way she had to deal with cameramen oogling her or Hamill's stunt double hitting on her when in the slave bikini was just。。。 super uncomfortable to read about。 I felt so bad for her。Still， the ending of the book describes the film's triumphant success。 Despite mixed critical reactions， the fans mostly ate it up。 I loved reading about euphoric crowds on opening day。 I wish I could have been there， seeing the movie fresh like that with an enthusiastic crowd。 While ROTJ is my least favorite of the OT， it's still a fun movie and I think the special effects hold up very well。Overall， this was a good read， even if stressful。 My only problem is that， unlike the first two books in this series， the author interjects his personal views of the movie into the text。 I much prefer when making of books or biographies of creative people in general refrain from the author's criticisms of the work in question。 Even though I agree with the author's views on ROTJ， it felt so out of keeping with his usual objective tone。 。。。more
Luke
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<3 <3 <3
Megan Kammeyer
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I've skimmed through this one， but it is a masterpiece and very revealing about the production of Return of the Jedi。 Much of the book makes me wish or long for what could have been put into the final film， but it's clear that the lack of budget and time， as well as a lack of creativity in some areas， caused the film to be altered。 I've skimmed through this one， but it is a masterpiece and very revealing about the production of Return of the Jedi。 Much of the book makes me wish or long for what could have been put into the final film， but it's clear that the lack of budget and time， as well as a lack of creativity in some areas， caused the film to be altered。 。。。more
Trent Hutzenbuhler
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Amazing Star Wars history right here！
Scott Kardel
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For some reason this book has been on my t0-be-read pile for a long time， but I finally got around to it。 If you are a fan of the original Star Wars trilogy and are interested in the behind-the-scenes details of how the movies are made than you should read J。W。 Rinzler's books on the making of the Star Wars movies， including this one on the making of The Return of the Jedi。 I perhaps didn't enjoy it as much as the first two books， but that is likely because I don't love the movie as much as the For some reason this book has been on my t0-be-read pile for a long time， but I finally got around to it。 If you are a fan of the original Star Wars trilogy and are interested in the behind-the-scenes details of how the movies are made than you should read J。W。 Rinzler's books on the making of the Star Wars movies， including this one on the making of The Return of the Jedi。 I perhaps didn't enjoy it as much as the first two books， but that is likely because I don't love the movie as much as the first two。 。。。more
Mati
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Very comprehensive book about the last movie of the original trilogy。 The book is not only focused on the filming but also about characters development and plot changes。
Chris
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Excellent behind the scenes account of the making of the film， with additional footage and interviews on this enhanced kindle edition。
Jack Herbert Christal Gattanella
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"There is no difference between doing this kind of film and playing King Lear。 The actor's job is exactly the same: Dress up and pretend。"- Harrison Ford on working with Ewoks for RETURN OF THE JEDI （though he said this later on） also Ford: "I'm glad I did all three。 I'm glad it brought itself to a natural conclusion。 But three is enough for me。 I was glad to see that costume for the last time。 I dont think it had a very successful ending， with that Teddy Bear picnic。" （someone on the crew， I fo "There is no difference between doing this kind of film and playing King Lear。 The actor's job is exactly the same: Dress up and pretend。"- Harrison Ford on working with Ewoks for RETURN OF THE JEDI （though he said this later on） also Ford: "I'm glad I did all three。 I'm glad it brought itself to a natural conclusion。 But three is enough for me。 I was glad to see that costume for the last time。 I dont think it had a very successful ending， with that Teddy Bear picnic。" （someone on the crew， I forget now who）: "Nobody liked the Ewoks， except George。"I dont normally do this， but here are some notes/hot-takes if you will that I took as I was reading this and thought I'd mention here （full copy/paste really）:- Alan Rickman auditioned for Jerjerrod- Ben Kingsley read for the Emperor - Endor is in the Bible （Saul goes to meet the "Endor woman"）- Lucas in a story meeting commented to Kasdan the reason why Ben didn't tell Luke about Leia is because he's a "male chauvinist pig" LOL- Salacious Crumb is a combo of Puppet man Phil Tippet after several beers at lunch trying to tie his "soolaces" and Robert Crumb。- Lucas nixed an idea to show various planets celebrating at the end of the movie because he thought it would be "too boring。。。 It needs to be small scale。" He changed his tune 15 years later。 Originally we'd also see the destruction of Emperors city on Had Abbadon。- the real reason for 'Blue Harvest' was that with a non-SW title they'd pay less for using locations in California。 that's it。- eyelids for Ewoks were tried but nixed- "Optical Dogs"- David Fincher， who did get hired as his first professional job at 18， espoused Kurosawa as the only director he liked when interviewed as assistant matte paintee （which the guy interviewing him found "arrogant" hmm）- "Dead on Arrival Mary" or "DOA Mary" was some technical thing。- any time George Lucas talks about story and characters overriding the special effects maybe should have looked at a couple of his later films and is automatically funny every time I read or hear it from this period。- there must have been some reeeealllly awkward moments editing with Marcia Lucas （who won an Oscar for the first movie） as she and George were divorcing at the time and no one else knew。 one line from him to her sticks out: "Just because you can do it differently doesnt mean it's better。" fuck。 - everything involving Marquand's （very early death is really sad。 If you have read the other Rinzler books， why stop now？ Finish it and get the rest of the in almost to-the-day detailing of the production of the biggest hit of 1983， with all the odd ins and outs and further transmogrification of Lucas into what he became: the mogul。 And if for some reason you're skipping over the first two making ofs and going to this。。。 why？ 。。。more
Kate
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I've been a massive Star Wars fan most of my life， and when I was a kid， Return of the Jedi was my favorite movie。 I thought it was such an exciting， satisfying ending to Luke's journey。 As I grew older， The Empire Strikes Back （a movie that scared the crap out of me at 7 years old） eventually moved into the spot of #1 favorite （and I believe many other fans share the same preference）。 However， I still have a huge amount of nostalgia and love for RotJ。 Ordinarily， learning about the making of a I've been a massive Star Wars fan most of my life， and when I was a kid， Return of the Jedi was my favorite movie。 I thought it was such an exciting， satisfying ending to Luke's journey。 As I grew older， The Empire Strikes Back （a movie that scared the crap out of me at 7 years old） eventually moved into the spot of #1 favorite （and I believe many other fans share the same preference）。 However， I still have a huge amount of nostalgia and love for RotJ。 Ordinarily， learning about the making of a beloved film just enhances the fun of the experience for me。 However， in this case， it was a bittersweet and a tad disillusioning。 I actually thought the early drafts of the script had some more interesting story beats than what ended up in the final film。 You really do get the sense that George Lucas wanted to have a "redo" of A New Hope （especially with the second Death Star） that more closely matched the vision in his head。 Lucas has gotten a lot of flak over the years for his creative approach and much of it is justified， but I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him as he became somewhat enslaved to complete the very universe he had created， costing him his marriage in the end。 Add to that the very palpable stress of all who worked so hard and so creatively to bring the film to life for so many months。 Everyone on board was just burned out by this point， and it does show in the final product。Despite the fact that the story of RotJ's creation ends on a bittersweet note， I loved the anecdotes about filming， such as the Ewok actors having a blast and the humorous tale of stuntman injuries accruing during the Sarlacc scene。 Mark Hamill can also always be relied upon for some hilarious soundbites。Overall， this "Making of。。。" volume was just as interesting as the other two， but the shadow cast on my own nostalgia made it a slightly sadder read for this now-adult Star Wars fan。 。。。more
Dariusz Stochmal
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What can I say， it's Star Wars！ What can I say， it's Star Wars！ 。。。more
Lucas
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The creative development process is the most fascinating part of the story: story iterations and character sketches are produced and discussed and refined or discarded。 Here the process seems rushed and the final product more a result of not having the time to think of anything better， and being constrained by having to wrap up a trilogy。 Coruscant （then 'Had Abaddon'） and two death stars are in the earlier drafts， with a rebel take over blowing up the imperial capital world。 The concept paintin The creative development process is the most fascinating part of the story: story iterations and character sketches are produced and discussed and refined or discarded。 Here the process seems rushed and the final product more a result of not having the time to think of anything better， and being constrained by having to wrap up a trilogy。 Coruscant （then 'Had Abaddon'） and two death stars are in the earlier drafts， with a rebel take over blowing up the imperial capital world。 The concept paintings were obviously taken out of storage for the prequel trilogy。 （The death star planet from The Force Awakens could have been blown up with a death star， maybe the resistance could have had one that had been captured from the remnants of the empire years before？ No that wouldn't work。。。）Model work with space ships doesn't get a lot of coverage in this book， probably because it had become an established process at this point？ Crashing the Super Star Destroyer into the Death Star merits a paragraph or two at least。Contract negotiations with Fox for Jedi attempted to get the rights to A New Hope to LucasFilm， but that effort ultimately failed- I've heard Disney may buy the movie division of Fox which would bring the rights to all the movies under one roof， now for billions instead of millions of dollars。 Hopefully that will bring a HD （or UHD） blu ray release of the original theatrical versions closer to reality。 Odd gossipy details about who Harrison Ford was going on vacation with ought to have been edited out， though the impact of George Lucas going through a divorce might deserve more attention （I don't want to read about Carrie Fisher's problems here， thankfully that is kept to a minimum）。At the end of the book there are pictures of people waiting in lines to see the movie （some taken by press agents to prove they had been doing their job）- it seems like a lot of money is being left on the table by continuing the practice。 I bought tickets online to see TFA but still had to wait in line to get preferable seats， and now for episode 8 the technology of being able to select seats along with tickets is available for at least the one theater I'll be going to （airlines have had it for how long？）。 Audience segmentation with premium showings and theaters vs。 regular does extract more money， but it would be interesting to see demand pricing implemented。 Less popular movies ought to have less expensive tickets， as should movies a week or a month old。 Perhaps different blocks of tickets could be auctioned off with auctions ending a month/week/day/hour before the show time， which allows different types of movie goers to self select what they are willing to pay and commit to that far in advance- somebody with money to burn and people to impress should always be separated from that money and be able to walk in and the last minute and pay an exorbitant price for the last couple of adjacent seats， while the miser will wait a week or have committed to being at the theater at a certain time a long while in advance。 Or they could sell their early ticket to the highest bidder with the ticketing system as a middle man， and receive a portion of the proceeds as credit for future showings， creating a speculative market。。。 。。。more
Kurt Zisa
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Comprehensive look at how George Lucas and the talented folks at Lucasfilm created the last film in the original trilogy。 Pragmatically brings the reader through the production process。 The ins and outs of everyday life during filming are brought alive with countless archival images and rare stills。 It's even quite humorous at times giving little insights into hilarious circumstances that took place during photography and ended up in the final film。 Changes your viewing of a classic for any Star Comprehensive look at how George Lucas and the talented folks at Lucasfilm created the last film in the original trilogy。 Pragmatically brings the reader through the production process。 The ins and outs of everyday life during filming are brought alive with countless archival images and rare stills。 It's even quite humorous at times giving little insights into hilarious circumstances that took place during photography and ended up in the final film。 Changes your viewing of a classic for any Star Wars fan。 。。。more
Michael Otway
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THE BEST Behind The Scenes / Making of book that I have ever read from anyone or anything。 The information in this book is incredible， the detail is mind blowing and the access you get is amazing。 There are so many incredible photos as well。I love the transcripts of writing meetings between Kasdan and Lucas where we get to see where the ideas came from and what could have been。 It also shows you that despite what those who pretend to be in the know say， this movie was always called Return of the THE BEST Behind The Scenes / Making of book that I have ever read from anyone or anything。 The information in this book is incredible， the detail is mind blowing and the access you get is amazing。 There are so many incredible photos as well。I love the transcripts of writing meetings between Kasdan and Lucas where we get to see where the ideas came from and what could have been。 It also shows you that despite what those who pretend to be in the know say， this movie was always called Return of the Jedi from the beginning。 This is huge and truly bursting with information。 I love this book。 I love this movie and this is an absolute must on top of the list for any fan of Star Wars and especially Jedi。 Get it now because it'll take you months to read it all！ 。。。more
Iain
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I got the feeling that everyone involved with the trilogy， especially George Lucas， was just glad to get this film made and out of the way。 This book suffers slightly from having fewer direct sources to draw from， with most of the quotes coming from interviews done after the production was over。 It's still very enjoyable if you're a Star Wars fan and interested in movie-making though。 I got the feeling that everyone involved with the trilogy， especially George Lucas， was just glad to get this film made and out of the way。 This book suffers slightly from having fewer direct sources to draw from， with most of the quotes coming from interviews done after the production was over。 It's still very enjoyable if you're a Star Wars fan and interested in movie-making though。 。。。more
David
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Another awesome "Making of。。。" book by Rinzler。 I very highly recommend all three of his original Star Wars trilogy "making of" books， as well as his single volume devoted to the all four Indiana Jones movies。 Another awesome "Making of。。。" book by Rinzler。 I very highly recommend all three of his original Star Wars trilogy "making of" books， as well as his single volume devoted to the all four Indiana Jones movies。 。。。more
William Mohn
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I love these books！ They make winter in Minnesota livable。
Gregory
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Good， but less insightful or ah-ha moments than the earlier volumes--presumably because by Jedi， they knew they were doing something of historical value。
James
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I've been reading this during the in between moments of the day for about two months。 Breakfasts after the family left， during lunch， etc。 I enjoyed the hell out of the first two books because they pulled open my childhood memories of these movies - all the obsession for the toys， behind the scenes photos， the magic of special effects， etc etc - and gave me a post-mortem on what the true experience of creating such a juggernaut was like。 I've enjoyed them because the human element of discovery w I've been reading this during the in between moments of the day for about two months。 Breakfasts after the family left， during lunch， etc。 I enjoyed the hell out of the first two books because they pulled open my childhood memories of these movies - all the obsession for the toys， behind the scenes photos， the magic of special effects， etc etc - and gave me a post-mortem on what the true experience of creating such a juggernaut was like。 I've enjoyed them because the human element of discovery was very much alive in the story of making Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back。 Lucas's determination and the collective focus of his team were inspiring reads。And now the bittersweet ending of the making of trilogy is complete。 Another good read， but not as charming as the first two， not as exciting。 Here the story isn't as immediate because the source material had changed。 J。W。 Rinzler relied more on contemporary interviews with people recollecting what the experience was like。 For the previous books he had taped interviews from the time of the film's production and release。 He also relied on the usual mish mosh of production reports， ledgers， and gathered manuscripts from other books and interviews。The business machine seemed to have overtaken the production at this point。 The need to drive revenue to support the filmmaking and the people who worked for Lucasfilm in some fashion colors this book。 There is the sense that money weighed so heavily on everything。 That Lucas was just plain done with this beast he'd created。 The dedication to the material remained as high and as stalwart as ever。 The craftsmanship if anything had risen to new heights。 But somehow it just doesn't seem to have the same magic as the previous productions。 Here， the nature of work became more apparent。 I felt like at this point， it had become a job instead of a passion。I could be wrong。 Truth is， the movie feels the same way。 The sparkle just isn't there for me。 Which is not to say it's a bad movie or a bad book， quite the opposite。 I'm just saying the touch of the sublime to the story isn't quite present。I wouldn't be surprised if I read this again someday。 Taken up out of curiosity。 A return to early days and dreams。 And why not。 But for now I'm struck by the sense that another minor chapter in my Star Wars experience is wrapped。 As another is about to begin with the release of the Force Awakens soon enough。 Reading this stuff I can't help by think back on what made the experience of these movies so unique， and how it just isn't available to anyone anymore。 The waiting。 The three year vacuum of new film to watch。 The tension of waiting that long for what happens next and how Han Solo would be saved and how Luke would deal with his father。 What it all meant while I plowed into adolescence and junior high while listening over and over again to the soundtracks is hard to express。 Everything was marketed just as aggressively back then as it is now - there just seems to be more of it now。 More of everything: more press， more ads， more tie-ins for selling， more merchandise。It all feels like the stuff surrounding the story is more important than the story in the long run。 The money that can be made。 The careers that can be advanced。 Which is the way of humans anyway， and has been for as long as man has walked this fast planet。 It's nice that we can always come back to the source， though。 See the movie。 Introduce it to our kids。 And in this case my wife。 Reboot the stuff that charged my love of storytelling and see how it might spark new ideas these days。At the end of the book， the legacy of the production is recounted in detail。 Where everyone went， the movies they made， how Lucas moved on， and eventually made the prequels。 In the end we're all finding work that satisfies us and if we're creatives we focus on the craft of what's made and how we make it as well as we can。 It was a nice postscript to the production tale。 A sense that like everything else， Star Wars made up a moment in time， in this case a decade for those involved， and the world kept spinning， time marched on， and everyone found their own successes and disasters in the death star's wake。 。。。more
romney
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Beautiful book。 Huge amount of official material - behind the scenes photos， what the plot was originally， what happened during filming， what happened when it came out， working design sketches。。。 Enjoyable to browse through or settle down for a fascinatingly detailled read。
Michael
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Awesomeness。
Shane Grier
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Circle completeMr。 Rinzler has created his own magic with these books。 I can't write enough about the ins and outs of the info provided through all facets of production。 Here's hoping for a prequel set。 Circle completeMr。 Rinzler has created his own magic with these books。 I can't write enough about the ins and outs of the info provided through all facets of production。 Here's hoping for a prequel set。 。。。more
Daphne Close
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I didn't read all of it， just the green pages with the could've-been scripts。 I enjoyed envisioning different ways in which the story played out。 It brought great excitement imagination！ I didn't read all of it， just the green pages with the could've-been scripts。 I enjoyed envisioning different ways in which the story played out。 It brought great excitement imagination！ 。。。more
Ben Hodson
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