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George Lucas to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
KefabiMe writes "George Lucas is receiving the AFI Lifetime Achievement award. I will make no other comment."
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To receive the Lifetime Achievement Award Special Edition in 2005, and the Super Extended Lifetime Achievement Award Special Edition Platinum in 2014.
I didn't know trashing the trilogy was an achievement... go figure... fp?
There exists some positive integer N that you are the Nth person to read this signature.
I was unaware that giving birth to Jar-Jar Binks was considered as a "life achievement"...
Then again, everything depends on what you mean by "achievement".
Karma cannot be described by words alone.
All we need, now he'll think he's good and remaster Indian jones... and Indie wont shoot first.
I like muppets.
I can't wait until 20 years down the road, when he releases the DVD of the AFI program, replacing a 60 year old Lucas with a virile 20 year old version of himself. There will be space battles, too.
400 Person LAN for Charity: Zion LAN 2005
that that award was for someone who continues to innovate and pursue new things, not someone who does something great and spends the next 20 years tinkering with minute details of said work.
For remastering dvd to show a puppet, now with more wrinkles!?
[ I can not bring myself to believe that if knowledge presents danger, the solution is ignorance ] -- Isaac Asimov
<Wilhelm-Scream>AHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHH!</Wilhelm-Scream>
That's just the sad thing of this award. If the film industry had realized the long ranging impact of the 3 originals, they probably would have handed Lucas the award in the 80s. By now recieving an award doesn't make any sense because of low quality prequals, etc... but how can you know something is a classic in less than 10 years?
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the World"
1 John 4:14
Although I will say they have finally found a good character for his over-acting on Boston Legal.
This way to the egress...
The criteria stated that "the recipient should be one whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time." In 1993, AFI trustees extended the criteria to encompass individuals with active careers and work of significance yet to be accomplished. "
(From http://www.afi.com/tvevents/laa/laasite/)
Despite the debacles that are the 'new' trilogy, no fan could watch the extras DVD that came with Star Wars and deny that it brought a lump to the throat to see how the film that defined space adventure for a generation was literally dragged kicking and screaming to the screen, all despite incredible odds, horrendous bad luck and dumbass studio execs through the sheer force of will and unshakable self belief that the story he was telling had to be told. Much as I really dont like how he conducts himself these days, no-one could say the man hasn't earned his place in history and in the hearts and minds of thirtysomethings globally. I can't hear the opening bars of the John Williams theme without getting chills down my spine and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
I've got some photographs, I'd like to show them to you. Though you don't know the girls You'll recognise the view..
Having the dumb luck to stumble into the greatest movie franchise in history, Lucas has taken that little bit of luck and transformed it into his vision of a complete alternate universe. Had he been any other short-sighted director (Spielberg, I'm looking right at you and your last half of A.I.) the Star Wars trilogy would have simply ended with the dance of the Ewoks. However, Lucas was able to transform that complete story into a more complete story by going back and fixing and editing and putting in scenes that were originally not his vision in the first place. I hate to use the word visionary, but Lucas truly has a vision.
The problem is that most people cannot understand the mind of a visionary and it isn't until long after they fade into irrelevance that they truly become appreciated. So too it is with Lucas, I believe. Many people are so worried about their childhood memories that they cry wolf every time Lucas decides to change a scene. Nevermind the fact that the whole Star Wars universe makes more sense when the updated (Director's Cut, if you will) scenes are added to the films.
Lucas truly does deserve this award not only for what rich memories he brought to us when we were still kids, but also for the memories he gives kids of the future. When we look back in 20 years and reminisce about the Star Wars Nonology we will finally see why Greedo had to shoot first and why Jar Jar was crucial to the story of Anakin Skywalker.
Hey, I practically hate most of the guy's movies - but let's not forget what Lucas has done for special effects, cinema sound, etc. Somehow he was also partly responsible for the film "Mishima" which I think is quite brilliant. "American Graffiti" wasn't bad either.
But anyway, the next time the special effects appear to be seemless and the sound quality vibrates your theater seat - remember Lucas for caring about that stuff. He's certainly moved some things along which is more than most people do.
According to MSN Encarta (hey, it was the first one I found on a google search) these are the past winners of the AFI Lifetime achievement award.
1973 John Ford
1974 James Cagney
1975 Orson Welles
1976 William Wyler
1977 Bette Davis
1978 Henry Fonda
1979 Alfred Hitchcock
1980 James Stewart
1981 Fred Astaire
1982 Frank Capra
1983 John Huston
1984 Lillian Gish
1985 Gene Kelly
1986 Billy Wilder
1987 Barbara Stanwyck
1988 Jack Lemmon
1989 Gregory Peck
1990 Sir David Lean
1991 Kirk Douglas
1992 Sidney Poitier
1993 Elizabeth Taylor
1994 Jack Nicholson
1995 Steven Spielberg
1996 Clint Eastwood
1997 Martin Scorsese
1998 Robert Wise
1999 Dustin Hoffman
2000 Harrison Ford
2001 Barbra Streisand
2002 Tom Hanks
2003 Robert De Niro
2004 Meryl Streep
There are some pretty serious names on that list. My point is, why now? The nostalgia for the first trilogy of films is good and all, but really, they were only 3 movies.
----
Squirrel
Much as we all enjoy reading about how Lucus raped your childhood, his movies are probably only a small part of why he is getting this award. The man is directly responsible for much of the technology behind modern film making - nonlinear editing, sound post-production and reproduction, digital effects, virtual sets, virtual extras, and now he is a leading force in digital film. Not to mention the great strides he made in marketing and licensing :)
All these techniques were developed for his projects, and there is not a film made today that does not use them in some way.
He is certainly more deserving than 2001's winner - Barbra Streisand!
sheep.horse - does not contain information on sheep or horses.
Now he can quit.
Okay, okay, so why isn't it called the "shitload of money achievement" ? Would be more to the point, don't you think ? :)
Karma cannot be described by words alone.
but what have YOU done?
Windows XP SP2 told me to install third-party software that prevents viruses and protects stability... I chose Ubuntu
Am I part of the core demographic for Swedish Fish?
I sense a disturbance in the force... as if millions of voices cried out in terror, and then were suddenly silenced.
Love the Third Amendment?
I take good movies in black and white with mono sound over bad movies with excelent visual and sound effects.
Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
I'm constantly surprised that George Lucas was lucid and creative enough to create American Graffiti... it's a film that has not only withstood the test of time, quite an achievement for what could have easily been just a nostalgia piece, but has the perfect balance of comedy and drama, and manages to develop many different storylines (most multi-threaded films tend to skimp on any sort of real character and story development and the crossover between storylines is often very poor).
sig.
That's quite a successful run. Maybe not a "lifetime" of achievement, but a bunch of great and/or insanely popular movies in a short period of time.
It's unfortunate that the recent stuff sucks, but he's still got a pretty amazing record.
Disclaimer: I work for a company, but I don't speak for them.
"George Lucas is receiving the AFI Lifetime Achievement award. I will make no other comment."
Oh, c'mon, don't like that. You'll get yours too, eventually!
Mesah won no award!?!? Yousah kidding! Jar Jar given award by Naboo Princess! Kiss on cheek! Jar Jar no need lifetime achievement award. Mesah still archieve only half lifetime greatness. Yousah gonna see lotsa more of Jar Jar nows!
As always a story brings out the most short sighted posters, upset over the treatment of Star Wars.
Lets not forget that the award is not for Star Wars but for his achievements to the industry.
Lucas helped found ILM which helped get special effects to the what they are today. Skywalker Sound has contributed to hundreds of films. THX certification got cinemas, film and DVD production quality up.
And personally, I loved Howard the Duck...
[)amien
Yet perhaps not so much for the art of movies. Alas, because I enjoyed the original trilogy so much in my childhood.
He created one of the greatest (and first, I believe) movie merchandizing businesses in history. I would question whether there would be so many "Power Ranger Toys" or "Barney" tie-ins if the Star Wars franchise hadn't done been so successful.
He has continually expanded the frontier of digital effects in film-making, and although in recent years his studio's work has been eclipsed by other films (e.g., The Matrix, Shrek, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, etc.), I do believe that nevertheless he deserves credit for the push towards effective uses of digital imagery in cinema.
He has enhanced the audio experience in most large cinemas in operation today (at least in the US). I can't say how many times I've seen "THX-1138" digital surround sound by Dolby--that sound system was developed in conjunction with Lucas' team.
He was first to expand the idea of film sequels (and series) in modern cinema. Would we have had Die Hard, Die Harder were it not for Lucas? Would we have The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions were it not for Lucas? What about Star Trek the Movie I-IV? Back to the Future I-II? If the original trilogy had not been so popular with audiences, would subsequent sequels & series concepts have been developed other major film studios?
There may be other such achievements as well, but with the above I think there is a strong case that Lucas reshaped how the business of movies does it's business.
...the parts where he revolutionised film making (THX, Skywalker Sound, ILM, non-linear editing) and where he became the most successful independent film-maker of all time.
I mean think about it:
1. Industrial Light and Magic essentially pioneered the modern age of cinematic special effects. They took "traditional" special effects to new levels of excellence and helped pioneer CGI effects for movies.
2. Pixar pioneered much of what computer animation can do, and under subsequent leadership of Steve Jobs the company has produced several blockbuster hit movies.
3. Lucas Sound helped develop the THX certification for high quality movie presentation in the theaters, and it has extended that certification to DVD mastering, too. A THX-certified DVD tends to have high-quality picture and sound on average.
...some of the events in his life will be altered so they more closely match the life George originally intended.
"We shall party like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean." - HedonismBot
"I take good movies in black and white with mono sound over bad movies with excelent visual and sound effects."
George gave moviemakers better tools. He can't make other moviemakers make better movies.
"Derp de derp."