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Lucas Wants Christmas Special Banned

MONDAY NOVEMBER 29 2004 6:02 PM

Submitted by jake_lex. Edited By Christopher.

Unable to slap some new CGI onto the 1978 "The Star Wars Holiday Special" to make it fit his "original vision," Lucas is calling for the special to be completely banned.

Moviemaker George Lucas wants his first Star Wars sequel banned, as he is so disappointed with its quality. The one-off, two-hour-long The Star Wars Holiday Special was originally screened on the CBS network in 1978 and tells the story of Chewbacca's journey home with Hans Solo to celebrate Life Day with his family. During the course of the much-maligned movie, Carrie Fisher's beautiful Leia is seen reducing Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker to tears with a song. A contributor on the Star Wars website comments, "The Holiday Special has always been the red-headed step child of the Star Wars family." While a source at LucasFilm adds, "The Holiday Special was the biggest f***-up ever. The Force was definitely not with Mr. Lucas the day that doozy was born."

One wishes he'd come to the same conclusion about the first two "prequels" which have done far more damage to the name “Star Wars” than the TV special.

Once again we see Lucas exercising creative control that Stanley Kubrick would have called megalomaniacal—he's not only changing parts of his films and denying fans the original work, but he's also attempting to entirely blot-out parts of his resume.

53 Comments

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doghouse_reilly

I'm lost

February 2004

NOV 29, 2004 06:07 PM

George Lucas' "original vision" needs to be banned.

Skeksi

Chicago, IL

December 2003

NOV 29, 2004 06:10 PM

banned from what? its not for sale and as such any copies which exist on ebay or black market are illegal anyways... what exactly is it he wants to happen? the government to go into people's homes and forcibly remove old vhs copies of it? as if they are being watched anyways?

bily

Ann Arbor, MI

November 2003

NOV 29, 2004 06:13 PM

I think that as an artist he has every right to change/edit his work however he sees fit. I know there's some pieces out there that I would love to buy back and destroy and if the oppurtunity arises I will do just that.

zenFish

Vancouver, BC

August 2004

NOV 29, 2004 06:13 PM

personally I'd love to find a old copy, for just fun.

handle

I'm lost

July 2003

NOV 29, 2004 06:18 PM

Seriously, I'm all for the ban. I saw a pirated copy last year and I still haven't fully recovered. I felt like that kid in Event Horizon after they pulled him back from hell.

[Edited on Nov 29, 2004 by ______]

AndersWolleck

Astoria, NY

February 2003

NOV 29, 2004 06:20 PM

i have had a copy of this on VHS for five years and i still cant watch the whole thing

clocknova

Charleston, SC

March 2003

NOV 29, 2004 06:21 PM

DON'T WATCH IT! Oh, please don't watch it. Trust me, it's just not worth it! Unless, that is, you REALLY like Bea Arthur.

almostfamous

NEWSWIRE

United Kingdom

NOV 29, 2004 06:21 PM

how the fuck is that news?
i mean, slow day at imdb or what?

some guy at lucas film told us george doesn't like the holiday special.

maybe that's why he swore 20 years ago it'd never be seen again?

and it has never been officially released since, any copies on sale now are illegal, because they're infringing his copyright, so there's nothing to ban. that said, it is a truly amazing piece of...shit

bruiser_boy

Lewiston, ME

September 2003

NOV 29, 2004 06:22 PM

______ said:
Seriously, I'm all for the ban. I saw a pirated copy last year and I still haven't fully recovered.

Amen.
Its been three or four years since I've seen it i its entirity. Best I can tell you never recover from that mind fuck.

feyd

Albuquerque, NM

January 2003

NOV 29, 2004 06:25 PM

Oh, it's horrible. It's incredibly horrible. However, because of that, it should survive. It should survive as testament to Lucas' folly for genrations!!! He fucked up his own creation and mythology, he fucked up what was once held sacred, and NOW I SAY LET HIS FOLLY BE KNOW!!!!! It is irrevocable proof that he has always been a complete hack!!!!!! He made it in his prime and it sucked balls!!! Everyone should see it! When he dies it should be shown at his gravesite for etrnity as a forever FUCK YOU! You got luck with one idea and then used other people's talent to propel your own success. HAHAHAHA! Let the Christmas special stand as proff that you are and have always been a fuckwad!!!

At least that's how I see it.

doghouse_reilly

I'm lost

February 2004

NOV 29, 2004 06:26 PM

Despite the "auteur" theory, Lucas isn't the only one who made that Holiday Special. Making a movie, even a television show, is a group effort. If he wants to release a souped-up version of all his old stuff, with new flashy farting alien musical numbers and superfluous CGI bullshit, he can go nuts with it. But all this historical revision just smacks of arrogance and megalomania. The more I hear from Lucas about this, the more I think that Star Wars turned out to be a classic despite his obsessive micromanagement, not because of it.

I wonder how those puppeteers who brought Yoda and Jabba to life in the ROTJ feel about their work being censored out of the historical record in favor of some lifeless computer nonsense.

filmnoir1

Los Angeles, CA

April 2004

NOV 29, 2004 06:32 PM

Oh man, is it ever BAD!

rottenart

Norman, OK

February 2004

NOV 29, 2004 06:32 PM

Doghouse_Reilly said:
Despite the "auteur" theory, Lucas isn't the only one who made that Holiday Special. Making a movie, even a television show, is a group effort. If he wants to release a souped-up version of all his old stuff, with new flashy farting alien musical numbers and superfluous CGI bullshit, he can go nuts with it. But all this historical revision just smacks of arrogance and megalomania. The more I hear from Lucas about this, the more I think that Star Wars turned out to be a classic despite his obsessive micromanagement, not because of it.

I wonder how those puppeteers who brought Yoda and Jabba to life in the ROTJ feel about their work being censored out of the historical record in favor of some lifeless computer nonsense.

amen. perfectly stated.

Dankrubis

Chicago, IL

February 2004

NOV 29, 2004 06:33 PM

Whoa, are you saying that there was another movie? Are harrison ford and Mark Hamil in it? I'm confused.

It can't be any worse the last two bombs. Right?