Chefelf.com Night Life: Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! - Chefelf.com Night Life

Jump to content

Star Wars Fan Convention

Page 1 of 1

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! The force behind the Force?

#1 User is offline   Little Nippatiz Icon

  • New Cop
  • Group: Junior Members
  • Posts: 26
  • Joined: 24-March 06
  • Country:United States

Posted 06 April 2006 - 01:18 PM

Marcia Lucas.
George Lucas wife and personal film editor in the 70's.
She edited several quality films including "Taxi Driver" in addition to "THX 1138", "American Graffiti", and the OT ( uncredited on "Empire" and "Jedi"). She pieced together the WW2 dogfight film clips that became the template for the Space Battles.

Her involvement was the creative leash to George's imagination and is never more obvious when comparing the PT to the OT pacing. Or comparing the OT to everything George afterwards without her involvement. And I'm sure she was a sounding-board to his raw story ideas as well when together( They divorced in 83').

A film editor is as important as the music composer in setting the tone of the film from a directors footage. A good editor can save a film ( as happened with Vera Fields with Speilburgs "Jaws") from miss matched and over long scenes and continuity issues. This is something that Ben Burtt, talented as he may be with sound design, doesn't know when to cut a scene. Or is afraid to tell George it needs to be.
It seemed that Marcia had the balls to stand up to George during the OT on what works and what doesn't.. And maybe she's the last person to do so.

She has produced only several small un-released films in the 90's in addition to having a USC cinema editing building in her name, but other wise, she's gone missing,-film editing credit wise- since 1979.

Why did she drop out at the top of her game, and could she of saved the PT?
0

#2 User is offline   Despondent Icon

  • Think for yourself
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 4,684
  • Joined: 31-October 03
  • Location:a long time ago
  • Interests:Laughter. Louis pups. Percussion. What binds us. Bicycling, Tennis.
  • Country:United States

Posted 06 April 2006 - 02:55 PM

Becuase she could.

Didn't SW win an oscar for Editing? Go, Marcia! Go tell the world what a Fraud your ex-husband was (is). yell.gif

I put 5 dollars down that she came up with the "'Revenge' of the Jedi" title; just to spite GL in a corner; and never told him better, why, or otherwise.
0

#3 User is offline   barend Icon

  • Anchor Head Anchor Man
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Crappy News Team
  • Posts: 11,839
  • Joined: 12-November 03
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Nieuw Holland
  • Interests:The Beers of Western Europe, Cognac, and constantly claiming the world would have been a better place if Napoleon had won.
  • Country:Australia

Posted 06 April 2006 - 09:29 PM

the missing element in the lucas films office meating have been someone with the balls to say; "no george... that's lame."
0

#4 User is offline   KurganX Icon

  • Soothsayer
  • PipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 566
  • Joined: 06-June 05
  • Gender:Male
  • Country:United States

Posted 06 April 2006 - 10:12 PM

In an interview I believe George claims she left him "for another man 10 years younger."

I think he still has some scars from their breakup (he hasn't remarried, though he's dated various women since then, nothing long lasting), and perhaps some of that resentment translates over into his possessiveness and "I can do it myself" attitude about the prequels? All of this "now I'm doing it the way I wanted, the way I always intended" sounds like it might be a spiteful dig at his former partner.

Maybe. But I'm no psychoanalyist...

This post has been edited by KurganX: 06 April 2006 - 10:28 PM

0

#5 User is offline   barend Icon

  • Anchor Head Anchor Man
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Crappy News Team
  • Posts: 11,839
  • Joined: 12-November 03
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Nieuw Holland
  • Interests:The Beers of Western Europe, Cognac, and constantly claiming the world would have been a better place if Napoleon had won.
  • Country:Australia

Posted 06 April 2006 - 11:15 PM

didn't he go out with linda ronstad for a bit...

but then again she dadted barney gumble so...
0

#6 User is offline   jariten Icon

  • making the nature scene
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 1,845
  • Joined: 18-August 04
  • Location:in the bin
  • Country:Nothing Selected

Posted 06 April 2006 - 11:21 PM

QUOTE
Her involvement was the creative leash to George's imagination and is never more obvious when comparing the PT to the OT pacing.


Have you ever seen A New Hope?

The pacing of that film is appauling.
0

#7 User is offline   CowboyCurtis Icon

  • Soothsayer
  • PipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 800
  • Joined: 11-February 04
  • Location:Minnesooota
  • Interests:I lose interest in more things each and every day as things grow more and more mediocre and substandard...
  • Country:United States

Posted 06 April 2006 - 11:55 PM

Disagree. ROTS pacing is AWFUL!!!

According to that one Rolling Stone mag interview with Biskind (sp?), it sounded like Marcia blamed Francis Ford Coppola for breaking the marriage up (!??!!).

However, I tend to believe that it was Marcia who pointed George in good directions. After all, it was she who suggested that Obi-Wan Kenobi sacrifice his life to save the others rather than in George's version where he just hung around Yavin until the end.

Note, too. Marriage breaks up after ESB. ROTJ takes a nosedive.

Very... very... very interesting.
Flying Ferret

Battle for the Galaxy--read the "other Star Wars"

All I know is I haven't seen the real prequels yet.
0

#8 User is offline   KurganX Icon

  • Soothsayer
  • PipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 566
  • Joined: 06-June 05
  • Gender:Male
  • Country:United States

Posted 19 April 2006 - 09:49 PM

Hmm. Lucas' divorce sounds like one of those hollywood stories with a few different versions circulating.

I heard that they broke up in '83, after ROTJ was released, and according to Lucas "she left me for a man ten years younger."

IMDB.com lists Marcia Lucas as an editor for ROTJ (the site lists her as an editor for all three movies in the classic trilogy). It also lists his marriage to her as "22 February 1969 - 1983."

http://imdb.com/name/nm0000184/bio


Now IMDB.com isn't perfect, I just corrected an error earlier today about someone in a documentary that they turned into a man for some reason (on imdb.com, masculinized the person's name). But it's light years ahead of wiki in terms of credibility.

This post has been edited by KurganX: 19 April 2006 - 09:52 PM

0

#9 User is offline   jariten Icon

  • making the nature scene
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 1,845
  • Joined: 18-August 04
  • Location:in the bin
  • Country:Nothing Selected

Posted 19 April 2006 - 11:42 PM

I can hear the old Lucas Is Surrounded By Yes Men argument creeping up and out of this thread...

This post has been edited by jariten: 19 April 2006 - 11:42 PM

0

#10 User is offline   Despondent Icon

  • Think for yourself
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 4,684
  • Joined: 31-October 03
  • Location:a long time ago
  • Interests:Laughter. Louis pups. Percussion. What binds us. Bicycling, Tennis.
  • Country:United States

Posted 20 April 2006 - 12:06 AM

Actually, the old Marcia has all the brains argument precedes that one tongue.gif
0

#11 User is offline   barend Icon

  • Anchor Head Anchor Man
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Crappy News Team
  • Posts: 11,839
  • Joined: 12-November 03
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Nieuw Holland
  • Interests:The Beers of Western Europe, Cognac, and constantly claiming the world would have been a better place if Napoleon had won.
  • Country:Australia

Posted 20 April 2006 - 06:05 PM

QUOTE (jariten @ Apr 19 2006, 11:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I can hear the old Lucas Is Surrounded By Yes Men argument creeping up and out of this thread...


the truth's gotten 'old' has it...
0

#12 User is offline   jariten Icon

  • making the nature scene
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 1,845
  • Joined: 18-August 04
  • Location:in the bin
  • Country:Nothing Selected

Posted 20 April 2006 - 07:40 PM

We’ve been through this before, I’ve cited quite a few examples of how Lucas frequently sought the advice of those around him, or took criticism from those around him and changed the film accordingly (the final battles in TPM spring to mind).

On the other hand, what you will find (quite rightly) is Lucas at the helm of his own movies, and Lucas (also quite rightly) taking the brunt of any criticism that might come his way.
0

#13 User is offline   barend Icon

  • Anchor Head Anchor Man
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Crappy News Team
  • Posts: 11,839
  • Joined: 12-November 03
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Nieuw Holland
  • Interests:The Beers of Western Europe, Cognac, and constantly claiming the world would have been a better place if Napoleon had won.
  • Country:Australia

Posted 21 April 2006 - 02:00 AM

Yes i remember him saying on TV: "It's really cool having my young son around while making these films... I think IT's really important to have someone around who understands explosions."

He sought the advice of little children and people who were affraid to question him...

i know people who worked on these films... i know what happened, and how he treated situations.

trust me on this one...


he took on jobs he wasn't cut out for and no one stepped in tell him that wasn't going to work out.
0

Page 1 of 1


Fast Reply

  • Decrease editor size
  • Increase editor size