whose title, "The People vs.
George Lucas," should tell you a bit about the passions this film, the
subsequent films, and their creator have been exciting over the years. (Full
disclosure: The author of this piece is one of the talking heads in that
documentary.) Still, to think that it all started with this at-the-time
loose-ended film that Lucas' other moviemaking pals (including Francis Ford
Coppola and Steven Spielberg and Brian De Palma) took an at least slightly
derisive attitude toward when he first screened a rough cut for them. (Depends
on whose account you buy, as far as the level of derisiveness is concerned.)
From such not necessarily auspicious beginnings was born a modern cinematic myth
that generations have come to cherish and resent in seemingly equal measure. As
for the movie itself? It still holds up in large part, but we wish we could
still easily see the version in which Greedo doesn't ... oh, forget it.
How much did the movie gross at the box
office?
Carrie Fisher, who plays Princess Leia, starred in movies with both Belushi
brothers: John Belushi in "The Blues Brothers" and James Belushi in this 1985
comedy that also starred Tom Hanks. What is it?
(Lucasfilm Ltd./Courtesy Everett Collection)
What is your favorite summer blockbuster of all time? What is the longest
you've waited in a summer movie line? Tell us your story at heymsn@microsoft.com
Glenn Kenny is chief film critic for MSN Movies. He was the chief film
critic for Premiere magazine from 1998 to 2007. He contributes to various
publications and websites, and blogs at http://somecamerunning.typepad.com.
He lives in Brooklyn.
