Star Wars

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by Will Brooker

Type: Studies
Subject: One Film > Star Wars
Keywords: George Lucas, Star Wars, science fiction
Publishing date: 2009
> See the newer edition (2020)
Publisher: BFI Publishing
Collection: BFI Film Classics
Language: English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 96 pages
5 ¼ x 7 ½ inches (13.5 x 19 cm)

ISBN

978-1-84457-277-9

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Book Presentation:
Will Brooker's illuminating study takes issue with many commonly held ideas about Star Wars. He provides a close cinematic analysis, carefully examining its shots, its editing, its sound design, cinematography and performances. Brooker argues that Star Wars is not, as Lucas himself has claimed, a departure from his previous work, but a continuation of his experiments with sound and image. He reveals Lucas' contradictory desires for the total order and control of the Empire, and, on the other hand, for the raw energy and creative improvisation of the Rebels. Though at first Star Wars seems a simple fairy-tale, it becomes far more complex when we realize that the director is rooting for both sides, creating a tension unsettles the saga as a whole and illuminates new sides of Lucas' masterpiece.

About the Author:
Will Brooker is Field Leader in Film Studies at Kingston University. He is the author of Batman Unmasked: Analysing a Cutural Icon, Using the Force: Creativity, Community and Star Wars Fans and the editor of The Blade Runner Experience: The Legacy of a Science Fiction Classic.

Press Reviews:
'Another day, another Star Wars book, but this one does a rare thing - concentrate on the film itself rather than its mythos. There's thoughtful stuff, suggesting SW continues Lucas' development as an experimental filmmaker and arguing that Lucas is rooting for both Empire and rebellion.' - Empire 'For once, a scholarly study that doesn't tut and moan about merchandising and the death of New Hollywood... Its clear, concise arguments include a taut dismissal of the prequels that doesn't resort to Binks-bashing.' - Total Film

See the publisher website: BFI Publishing

Newer edition