Fifteen filmmakers on how Star Wars influenced them
In honour of the 35th anniversary of the release of Star Wars (25 May 1977), the Huffington Post has a story quoting thirteen filmmakers about the influence of the film on their work. Here's an excerpt:
Gary Ross ("The Hunger Games") It's hard for me to think back on "Star Wars" without remembering the wonderful Joseph Campbell/Bill Moyers series that Lucas also produced. Campbell was a huge influence on Lucas, and like all great science fiction, 'Star Wars' cares as much about eternal things (like familial relationships and the discover of identity) as it does visual effects. It's such a great lesson to us all. Lucas also lets us empathize with frailty: the vulnerability of R2D2, the beat-up wreck of a space ship that Han Solo flies, the huge beast of Chewbacca that can only wail plaintively, but somehow we always understand him. Lucas was interested in real heroes, and we've all been the beneficiary.
Simon Pegg ("Hot Fuzz," "Star Trek") It's pretty much impossible for me to quantify the full effect "Star Wars" had on my life. It inspired my imagination, developed my vocabulary, broadened my appreciation of music and my understanding of filmmaking. It gave me my first crush, my first real aspirations. It changed my life not just because of its worth as a piece of cinema, it was more than that, it was its power to alter the fabric of society. I was an impressionable seven-year-old child at the epicenter of a cultural earthquake. It arrived on a tidal wave of hype from a nation waking up from a deep depression and it was impossible to ignore. It speaks volumes that one film and its second, more grown-up installment have effectively powered the idea through increasing inadequate iterations for more than 35 years. You cannot underestimate the power of "Star Wars."
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