Customer Reviews

Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays

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I've always loved Star Wars. Who does not? But to tell you the truth I'm sometimes overwhelmed by all the tie-in books that come out.

Except this one. To have all three screenplays along with running commentary from George Lucas and all other major players in this empire- building process just blew my mind away.

To be let in on the development of the characters and the events that make up one of the modern classics of the cinema is too much of a good thing. Also to get glimpses of the Star Wars that might have been at a story and character level is a unique treat.

Add to that the fact that you get three complete screenplays (with the special edition modifications also included) for the price of a trade paperback and the decision to get it is a no-brainer for any aficionado of Star Wars, Science Fiction or screenwriting in general.

If there was one flaw to the book is that it doesn't really contain the "screenplays" of the classic trilogy, per se. It's really a word-by-word, scene-by-scene *transcript* of the movies as we know them, including the material added for the Special Edition.

It would have been nice if the book contained, for example, the final written draft of the screenplay, and then annotated with the changes in the dialogue and settings made during filming. All three films had a lot of extra stuff that was filmed but not seen in the final cut, although some of it is referred to in this book. The novelizations of the film do contain many of these "cut scenes" (i.e., Luke hanging out with his friends in Star Wars, more training with Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, etc.). This book should have included all those cut scenes from the actual screenplay and explained why they were cut (i.e., for running time, because the f/x wasn't working, they felt certain scenes weren't needed etc.) Perhaps we will get to see all of that when the classic trilogy makes its way to DVD later in 2004...

Too bad that some of the comments that Lucas said (when he made these comments in 1997) made the prequels sound more promising than what's been delivered so far.

One great way to gauge the popularity of the original Star Wars trilogy: just check out all the different versions of the movies' scripts that have been published over the years. First, there were the original Art of Star Wars books. Then, there were the updated Art of Star Wars books. Then there were the Premiere Magazine Movie Script Library editions. Then yet another updated Art of Star Wars series (this time with the Special Edition stuff). And that's not including the NPR radio drama scripts!

Out of all of these, however, my preferred SW script book is the "Star Wars Trilogy Annotated Screenplays". It has the lines to all three flicks all in one convenient 320-page-long paperback. But, there's more to like about this particular paperback than mere convenience and saving of shelf space. It also includes various footnote/endnote comments by George Lucas, Joe Johnston, Irvin Kershner, and other folks who worked on the movies and influenced the screenplays. Most of the discussions regard the genesis of various scenes, how the characters evolved from their original incarnations to what you see on the screen today, parts that were altered, what the alterations were, and other little-known behind-the-scenes bits. Also included are the Special Edition revamps, highlighted in grey. So not only do you get the complete screenplays, you also get insight on what it took to evolve, create, and eventually realize this legendary cinematic trifecta. This one's definitely a must-have for both Star Wars geeks (especially you live-action-adventure RPG types out there) and Hollywood history buffs.

There are a few downsides to this book, however. Being in paperback format with plain novel-grade paper, this book isn't quite as durable as some of the other screenplays. Also, the print is rather small (especially the scripts), and is likely a real bear to read for folks who lack perfect eyesight. You might have to break out the magnifying glass for this one!

'Late!

This books allows to go inside Lucas's mind as he was developing the Star Wars universe. The first thing you notice is that the hexalogue or nonalogue was not planned out in millimeter as many people suppose. Lucas went through the normal development anyone else would go through. For example, Lucas didn't decide on making Darth Vader Luke's father, until the fourth draft of Empire. Ant that is a very significant item of plot!

This book is trivided among the three films, beginning with excerpts from the early drafts Lucas wrote, then the screenplay is presented with the Special Edition line highlighted by grey. Throughout the script, there are italicized comments about how the story changed or was modified from the original draft.

This book is not up to quote-unquote scholarly levels of historical precision, but that does not mean it is absolutely useless. It is quite a fun book,a nd you can win many arguments about Lucas with this book!

You want to read this book along side of Joseph Cambell's "Hero with a Thousand Faces," to see where Lucas is getting his mythological ideas.

The best tidbits are the ideas Lucas scrapped, and later reused in the other films. But you will have to read that on your own!

Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays is not only a collection of the scripts for A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, all of which were individually published in various forms. It is also replete with notes and commentary on the evolution of each screenplay from story ideas to final drafts. While it might irritate a few readers (the effect is rather like literary Pop Up videos), the commentary reveals that what we saw on the silver screen was not what was originally conceived by George Lucas. While to a few fans who read Dale Pollock's Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas some of this new information isn't so new, to most fans the constant changes in the characters and situations will be enlightening.

Also, material from the Special Edition appears in boxes alongside the original versions of the final scripts. Enjoy! (And have this tome handy to settle trivia disputes that previously could only be settled by a Jedi Knight!)

If there's one book every Star Wars fan should read, it is this one. Written in a interesting, down to earth, though informative style; the book gives endless information on the early formation of the Star Wars saga. Far beyond being just an endless script, full of nothing but lines we've all memorized many times over; interspersed throughout is not only commentary on most of the scenes from greats such as George Lucas and Ralph McQuarrie, but also quick glimpses into early drafts, from each movie. Luke (Starkiller?!?!) trying to rescue his younger brother from the Death Star? Leia the daughter of Owen and Beru? Lando as a clone? Obi-Wan rising from the dead to aid Luke in his struggle against Vader? Priceless!

I had a few minor gripes about this book, the main one being that the book itself was slightly flimsy, and it was difficult to read at times without bending the binding. Besides that extremely minor difficulty though, it was excellent. Very enjoyable and informative. Recommended to Star Wars fans of any and every age.

This book is JUST AWESOME and a must for any real Star Wars fan. To see how the entire saga came about and all the changes and the last minute rush jobs to be ready for filming. Well, it was utterly fascinating. The evolving of the characters, futuristic machines and weapons, and who changed what and the some of the chances that were taken and pulled off were as exciting and inspiring as the movies themselves. Like Solo saying I know when Leia says she loves him, was a chance taken and it worked and therefore it was used. The expression "I have a bad feeling about this." ended up in all 3 films. Some people think books and reading are/is boring. Not with this book. A fantastic read. Get it - you won't be sorry.

Filled with interesting anecdotal info culled from recent interviews with George Lucas, Irving Kershner, et al., this book is as close to an intelligent, scholarly take on the development of the Star Wars trilogy as you're going to find. A definite treat for both the casual and die-hard fan.

Whereas I'll admit I didn't read the three screenplays in their entirity, seeing how the stories evolved really fascinated me. Bouzereau includes quotes and insights from Lucas himself that really add to the integrity of the text. It was really interesting to imagine how stories that influenced a generation so profoundly could have been. This book is required reading for the die-hard Star Wars fan.

If you're a SW fan and the DVD commentary tracks leave you wanting more, you'll like this. I only wish it contained more annotations (which would have earned it 5 stars).