Overview

This is a fantastic work, which spans the origins and creation of the film and includes insights into nearly every aspect of the filmmaking process. A true archive of both information and visuals, it is, in my opinion, a book that should be in the collection of every fan of the film. Highest recommendation.

This review is broken down by the following group areas - Written Content, Visual Collateral, Presentation/Quality, and Overall Value - focuses on the perspective of the original prop hobbyist, in that sometimes we are looking for photos pertaining to real, original props and editorial content is of less interest; other times, in performing research, we may be seeking information more so than photos, etc.

Written Content (10/10)

This is, quite frankly, the most impressive and comprehensive Star Wars resource I have ever laid hands on. Whereas the legendary Star Wars Chronicles set the mark some time ago, in my opinion, in terms of visual collateral and photos, it had little by way of actual written content - just remarks about the stunning photography and images.

This book matches the visual collateral in quality (though not sheer quantity) but far exceeds in the realm of pure information, narrative, background, insights, opinions, and more. You truly can't appreciate it until you begin flipping through this book - it's just astounding.

If anything, the reader gains an appreciation for how impossible it seems to be that the final product is what it is, in that it was such a collaborative process that underwent constant change and alteration, and it had so much stacked against it throughout the creation of the film.

As someone particularly interesting in story, character, and writing, I was especially captivated in following the development of the story and script itself, and its many and drastic changes.

But I would say that there is definitely something for everyone in this work. There is focus given to special effects, models, creatures/masks, acting, production, post production - it's all here, in a format that encourages a bit of "flipping around".

Visual Collateral (9/10)

Of course, some of the photos have been seen before, in various publications and elsewhere. But there is so, so much I'd never personally seen. An incredible amount of "eye candy". Description just can't do it justice.

Particularly interesting to me were some of the prototype props, such as the photos of the unpainted prototype R2D2 and the early lightsaber prototypes (think "flashlight").

There is a substantial amount of behind the scenes material as well as sketches and artist renditions, photos of models, sets, workshops, actors, etc.

As far as photos of actual props go, there are some excellent reference photos with great detail, which may be of some help to those lucky enough to have original pieces from A New Hope.

Between this book and Star Wars Chronicles, I think any fan would be happy with the amount of material covered in both books.

Presentation/Quality (9/10)

It's a nice-looking, squareish hardcover book with a reflective yet not "fingerprint magnet" jacket. I usually take the jacket off right away (I find them annoying) and the actual book is all black textured material with a gold signature across the front (I assume George Lucas).

The interior pages are of a high quality, and I get the impression it will hold up to handling quite well. Again, not of the "fingerprint magnet" variety (my biggest pet peeve with books - designed so as to discourage handling!).

The content of the book is laid out in good order and there is at least one photo on every page in the book; though the "all photo(s)" pages are few and far between, which is a distinct departure from the Chronicles style. This is just as much about information as it is the visuals, and the visuals truly compliment the editorial content.

Given the overall length of the book, things are broken up well enough to where you can read section by section or skip around based on interest.

I was a bit disappointed with the index. It is fairly comprehensive in listing actors and production members, as well as main characters, but is limited to mostly that (i.e. you can't look up "lightsaber" and find the references in the book). Not the biggest deal, but given how much content there is, going back and trying to find something after the fact is a huge challenge. An expanded index would have been a bonus, in that there is so much content to work through. One would truly have to read through the entire work once just to have an idea of how much is covered throughout the book.

In summary, it is a beautiful "coffee book-style" piece that is difficult to put down once you start flipping through it.

Overall Value (9/10)

The retail price is $75, which seems like a lot for a book. However, Star Wars Chronicles was $150 in initial release, and was fewer pages (320 vs 372) though it was 100% full color with pull outs and a slip case.

Given that it can be had via Amazon.com for $[...] and deeply discounted at other retailers as well, I think it is well worth the price of acquisition. It is a wealth of information, in a high quality book, with all full color photos throughout.

Conclusion and Overall Rating (10/10)

I would characterize this book as a "must have" for any Star Wars fan. It is a fantastic book with an incredible about of both written and visual content, much of which is unique to this release. Along with Star Wars Chronicles, I would say these are the two books any serious Star Wars fans should have in their library. Highly recommended. I can count the books in my collection that I would rate a "10" overall on one hand, and I have a pretty extensive library. Star Wars is, in my opinion, the most important film of my generation, and this book gives exclusive insights into the making of that legend.

Jason De Bord, Original Prop Blog

Got mine from 3rd party SUMMITPARK PRINTS paid $47.47. Arrived on time. Book is beautiful with vast amounts of info, pics, diagrams, behind the scenes etc. If you're a STAR WARS fan it's a must have. 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

"Making Of" was written a few years ago by J.W. Rinzler. He was able to comb the Lucasfilm archives and unearth dozens of interviews that were conducted contemporaneously with the making of the original film. This, along with tons of production artwork, photographs, and behind the scenes materials are what comprise the book. It was both a difficult read, and an easy read. After reading the introduction by Peter Jackson, I plowed straight in to the book. It's not a terribly long book (around 300 pages), but it a big book - thick and unwieldy - printed in an almost sadistically small font. It's also printed on heavy stock paper, with just enough gloss to make it challenging if lighting conditions aren't ideal. There - that's the bad - all physical issues with the book itself. Now on to the good.

As a fan, I pride myself on knowing a decent amount of Star Wars trivia and folklore. Still, I was amazed at the things I learned in the book. It's been 33 years since the original film came out. I, like some many others, have grown up with the Star Wars mythos as part of the fabric of my life - it's easy to take for granted. For most of us, we don't really remember a world without Star Wars. (I'm also happy to say that I've passed my love of "Star Wars" done to both of my kids.) With that perspective, I found it fascinating to Lucas struggle to pull this new world together. You get to follow that evolution through four different versions of the script, and ultimately to what we all know and love from the film itself. You can see Lucas as he struggles to meld the ideas that he has, refine them down., and deliver a true "modern fairy tale". You also see his unyielding self criticism, and unhappiness with how the movie eventually turned out. It's easy to understand why he revisited the films in 1997 to "fix" them, and try to put on the screen the story he always wanted to (except for the Greedo incident - there he should have left well enough alone - Han ALWAYS shoots first. End of story).

Along with the evolution of the script, you get a good look at what it took to start a special effects company from scratch (ILM), and get a movie that no one believed in, made in the late 70's. There were many stories I had heard before - Luke Skywalker was originally called Luke Starkiller; and many that I had not heard - he was called Starkiller up until just shortly after principle photography had started. Lucas felt, with the Manson murders in the news, that Starkiller might not play well. They hadn't yet filmed the scene where Luke introduces himself to Leia in the Death Star prison cell, so the change was made.

If you are a "Star Wars" fan, or just a fan of movies, you should read this book. I am giving it five stars. I almost gave it four stars because it was so physically frustrating to read but, in the end, I just enjoyed it too much. "Star Wars" was a seminal event in film history, and I loved to get a look behind the scenes of how it came to be. Rinzler is publishing a definitive history of the making of "The Empire Strikes Back" - due out this summer. I've already got it in my shopping basket on Amazon.

This is a wonderful book showing a behind the scenes look at the first Star Wars movie. The photos are amazing, the storyboards are incredible as well as all other behind the scenes photos, not to mention ones like how they accomplished the opening crawl and spaceship models.

This is a great book which I hope my son will enjoy. The issue I have is with Amazon’s treatment of the book. Thrown in a box with four or five other things and a strip of bubble wrap for looks. The book was not wrapped individually and had a big portion of bent pages when it arrived. It also had a big (3” x 3”) goopy area on the cover where a sticker had been pulled off. I was so disappointed but too late to return. So I gave it to him with the understanding I would replace it. He took it anyway but as a guy who loves these kind of books, I’m sure he was also disappointed. Come on Amazon! You can do better…even at high volume ship times.

J. W. Rinzler always delivers when it comes to documenting the making-of processes of movies. But I never thought he could out-do himself ten times over in this book. Very simply said: You will NEVER read a more comprehensive book about ANY movie... I mean EVER. Every single piece of information about the first Star Wars movie is simply there, from old early drafts (it is almost shocking how the original conception of the saga is so radically different from the final product, especially because the original script drafts have almost no humor) to the complete set of gorgeous Ralph McQuarrie paintings in full color and detail, to most models used in special effects to an almost breath-taking chronology of events, including money & ego troubles, set accidents, fights, and so much more.

Don't get me wrong, this is a long read, at more than 400 pages. It took me almost two months of occasional reading to complete it, but it was well worth it. Call this the ultimate Original Star Wars Bible if you will. The hardcover book contains some extra material including a complete set of storyboards and a cute little compilation of anecdotes written by Lucas about the backgrounds of the film's characters--they differ radically from the arcs and character backgrounds later provided by the prequels.

A must-read for every Star Wars fan. I can only hope Rinzler and Bouzeraou will do the same thing for Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

The book itself is excellent..! Never have I read such a complete story about the making of this classic in space fantasy. Everyone from casual fans to more specific fans of the production process in cinema will be enthralled at the details and history contained within. I heartily recommend it..!!

One caveat -- this "enhanced edition" contains audio and video clips which I have no access to because despite buying a "Kindle" version and reading it on my "Kindle for PC" software, the audio and video clips seem to be restricted to only Apple products, such as iPads and such, as well as a standalone Kindles. I do not own, nor will I ever own, a standalone reading device since I already have a desktop, a laptop and a Windows tablet PC device. I see no reason to buy a specialty device when I can easily read my eBooks on those devices I already own. The fact that the enhanced content is denied me because I don't own or choose to pay for a separate media device is a shame on the vendor and an outrage to fans of books and of reading in general. I assumed that by the time we reached the 21st century outdated notions of proprietary formats would have been relegated to the dustbin of bad ideas. Apparently not...!

"The Making of Star Wars" by JW Rinzler is a must have book for any serious fan of Star Wars or Filmmaking. For Star Wars fans, the need to have this book is self explanatory, but for Filmmakers this book might not grab you first off as being a definitive film making resource, but it is!

This book chronicles the entire process of the making of Star Wars, one of the most successful movies of the 20th century. Rinzler did a great job tying in George Lucas's past experiences with what eventually was seen on screen. It also shows you the money trail that allowed Lucas to make this movie, something that a lot of "behind the scenes" books leave out. Want to know how Lucas retained the merchandising rights to Star Wars in a time when the studios retained All rights to all movies, it's in there. Wonder how ILM got those amazing special effects on a such low budget ($3 million), it's in there. This book is an exhaustive resource on film making the the film business as much as it is a look into the lore and story of the movie we call Star Wars.

For costumers, the full page glossy photos are a very good resource at times, but for the most part the photos in the book are focused on production stills from the producers and concept artist points-of-view. There are enough exclusive behind-the-scenes images in this book though that justify a Star Wars costume fanatic to buy this book.

All in all I would recommend this book to anyone wo is a Sta Wars fan of an level. It's is a monster read (took me three weeks to read it in my off time) but the time spent in these pages is well worth it. Buy-Buy-Buy!!!!

Excelente libro, muy informativo, mejor que el de alien

Es un libro recomendado para todos los aficionados de la saga. Bien editado, con imágenes inéditas y con una cronología del rodaje muy detallada, extensa y exquisitamente redactada. Además, ofrece una visión cercana del guion de George Lucas en sus primeras fases, los cambios del libreto y la evolución de los personajes, hechos y lugares a lo largo del tiempo. También hace hincapié en los contratiempos, los castings y la promoción posterior al estreno. Un libro imprescindible.

Nach längerer Zeit endlich mal wieder ein gutes Sachbuch über den klassischen ersten Star Wars Film. Das Buch wirkt hin und wieder etwas trocken, wenn um Finanzen, Vertragsdetails usw. geht, und zwar kommen die Darsteller und bedeutende Mitarbeiter wie u.a. Ralph McQuarrie nicht so häufig wie erhofft zu Wort, aber nach dem etwas zähen Anfang schildert das Buch dann sehr detailliert die Entstehung des "Krieg der Sterne".

Interessant sind vor allem die vielen Anekdoten von George Lucas, Gary Kurtz und John Dykstra. So geht das Buch recht umfassend auf die Dreharbeiten, sowie die monatelange Arbeit an den Spezialeffekten, Sound, Schnitt usw. ein. Man erfährt z.B., das Lucas eine Szene im Drehbuch hatte, in der Darth Vader in einer Kristallkammer Kontakt mit den Sithlords aufnimmt, welche aber gestrichen wurde.

Auch die diversen Drehbuchfassungen (von denen George Lucas einige geschrieben hat) werden ausführlich erläutert. Am Ende geht das Buch dann noch auf sämtliche Drehbuchentwürfe ein, fasst den Inhalt und die Unterschiede zusammen und schildert die Evolution des finalen Scripts.

Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Bücher bietet dieses tatsächlich seltenes Bildmaterial. Einen Großteil der Fotos hat man zuvor nie gesehen.

Auch stellt das Buch nochmals zwei Dinge klar, daß Lucas bereits damals (bevor der erste Film abgedreht war) definitiv beabsichtigte, die Vorgeschichte zu verfilmen, sowie das Anakin Skywalker und Darth Vader noch zwei verschiedene Personen waren.

Ich will nicht behaupten, dieses Buch wäre das beste zum Thema. In manchen Bereichen ist es besser als andere Bücher, in manchen etwas schlechter. Am besten sollte man dieses Buch in einem Aufwasch mit Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays und Empire Building (bzw. die deutsche Auflage Star Works) lesen, da sich diese drei Bücher wirklich hervorragend ergänzen.

Autor JW Rinzler soll bereits an einem entsprechenden Buch über "Das Imperium schlägt zurück" arbeiten, und ich freue mich darauf, es zu lesen.

Um livro indispensável para os fãs da obra de George Lucas. A parte mais interessante diz respeito a gênese da ideia de um cineasta novato que apostou alto em levar sua obra adiante mesmo diante de todas as dificuldades possíveis e imaginárias. O livro mostra passo a passo da criação de uma obra que marcou para sempre a história do cinema.

Reading this, it’s a miracle that:

A. The movie got made at all

B. The movie got finished

C. The movie is any good.