J.W. Rinzler at Lucasfilm

ArchdukeOfNaboo said (in another thread):


Rinzlering! Ha! I caught that too! Ice cold!

Those blog entries are a treasure! Rinzler hits it on the nose when he describes the Lucasfilm properties as a creative project unto themselves. They clearly are. Utterly fascinating! Thanks so much for the links, Cryo!

You're welcome, Somny! Please note I made a mistake and excluded a blog entry (Blog #12). I had this niggle that it was actually twelve entries -- it was really biting at me! Unfortunately, my memory remained fuzzy. I did some digging via Google and was led to a false conclusion. I should have trusted my archives! My post has now been edited to reflect this mistake. All twelve should now be available via an alternate source.

And yes -- they make for some great reading!

There are a couple of bits I really love from blog entries #9 and #10:

(I'm reprising myself here from some comments I made on Naboo News in 2018)

In entry #9, Rinzler captured a remarkably unguarded and incisive comment from George Lucas about his first movie, THX:

“This is the movie most like me.”

In entry #10, Rinzler had his head shaved and did a day’s shooting as an extra for various inserts designed to go into the tweaked version of THX (released on DVD in 2004). As Rinzler puts it:

“It was a great experience to become a few pixels in that underrated movie.”



Yes, I'm aware of that: Rinzler has claimed there is nothing especially salacious in it. And maybe there isn't. But it would still be good to get some of the nuts-and-bolts of the whole experience. That's what a good "making of" book is for. Compare it to the puff-piece documentary they put out, "The Secrets Of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey", which in my opinion -- aside from a few bright spots -- is absolutely terrible:

(Sorry to all involved: it's just extremely glossy and barely lives up to its promising (if bloated) title):



There's just way too much hidden from view (in my opinion, anyway).

If they have nothing to fear, why suppress the book? Book suppression is not cool (nor is handing the lead Lucasfilm books editor his pink slip straight after he finished it). All the previous Star Wars movies had "making of" books, and Rinzler proved his phenomenal documentarian skills with the OT coffee table books and his first project: "The Making Of Revenge Of The Sith". Back when Lucas ran the show, there was a lot more honesty and a distinct lack of pretence. Just compare "The Beginning" to that Disney trash above:



Rinzler himself predicted that more would eventually come out regarding Lucas' treatments (which are touched upon in the book). And yes, as of a few days ago, we now have more information about those treatments. Perhaps Disney would finally like to release the book? The new trilogy is a done thing. In order for me to respect a creative endeavour, especially something as complex as a movie, I like to know something about the work that went into it: the good, the bad, the whatever.

My mini-review:

"This book, my memoirs, was written not for the ego of it, but as a statement to young potential filmmakers and others about the challenges of our industry, both good and bad." -Howard Kazanjian

From learning the assistant director ropes as a young DGA trainee in a dying, traditional studio system to commanding production of some of the biggest blockbusters of New Hollywood, Kazanjian's story is an unblinkered look at the motion picture industry and a cool education about its variety and volatility. The late author J.W. Rinzler (who died of cancer earlier this summer before the book's release) combines a deftly flowing narrative with fascinating anecdotes (about Sam Peckinpah, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg among others) from many of the key players involved. All in all, a captivating account of the career of a remarkable if unsung producing talent! Highly recommended to my fellow cinema enthusiasts!

In the Kazanjian book, Randal Kleiser, Lucas' roommate at USC, is interviewed and describes Lucas' personal artwork as reminiscent of art by Margaret Keane. In other words, Lucas himself indeed had some bearings as a visual artist early on. I had always wondered about this point given Lucas' oft-cited interest in a career as an illustrator when he was younger.

A particularly memorable nugget from the book.

Fascinating stuff! How's How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, by the way? You've cited the book once before and it seems like an interesting read. Worth picking up?