Star Wars (BFI Film Classics)
by Will Brooker
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Book Summary Information
Author: Will BrookerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-10-13
ISBN: 1844572773
Number of pages: 96
Publisher: British Film Institute
Book Reviews of Star Wars (BFI Film Classics)
Book Review: More Gray than Black & White
Summary: 5 Stars
It is telling that books in the BFI (British Film Institute) classic series formally take the title of the same film which it critiques without any subtitle, for Brooker's monograph critiques Star Wars, the original blockbuster, not Star Wars: A New Hope, the first film of six viewed within an eventual 20-year context.
And, indeed, Star Wars is a worthy addition to a very limited field of books and essays that critically look at the Star Wars films from an independent perspective, and not that simply of a fanboy or that of a Star Wars affiliate like [...] or a franchise like Lucasbooks or Wizards of the Coast. Brooker is not only a respected professor in popular culture, but also fan of those other popular expressions that inform modern adventure films. Things like comics, radio serials, television, as well as art, literature, and cinema. And behind him stands the British Film Institute and the proper vetting and rigor that is required for the inclusion of another addition to the BFI film classics series.
Brooker's monograph looks at the original film with a particular look at George Lucas the avant-garde filmmaker and the influences that inform the rebel versus empire theme within the first movie. Unlike the many interviews Lucas has given over several decades, Lucas cannot re-interprete the influences on him and the original film. Instead, Booker looks at the visual influences on Star Wars and the pretensions of Lucas as a director and editor pre-Episode IV. His supporting evidence is so good that it even impresses the many die-hard fans that are quite familiar with the body of Lucas interviews and early critical reviews of the film.
Those that are looking for a more comprehensive look at this film are directed to Rinzler's The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film, but for those who want a critical look from a particular perspective, as true academic criticism is supposed to, then researchers and Star Wars lovers alike should pick up Brooker's book and add it to their library.
For those who see Star Wars as simply black & white, Brooker's essay is required reading for commentary on the "gray" of the film which not only makes Star Wars a little more critically understood and not simply a modern fairy tale, but the "gray" which explains intellectually the raw feelings that make its fans love the very movie itself.
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