All language subtitles for Icons.Unearthed.S01E06.Attack.of.the.Clones.&.Revenge.of.the.Sith.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

[FILM CLICKING]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR:
The Phantom Menace

had overcome
a critical panning

to become the highest-grossing
film of 1999.

As the most eagerly-anticipated
film in probably 20 years.

All these people are lined up
to get tickets to a movie

that hasn't even
been released yet.

JONES: It makes
a ton of money.

NARRATOR: But despite
recruiting a new legion

of younger fans,
the old guard was...

[EXHALES] left cold.

EDLUND: I remember
going to see the first prequel

and we were about halfway
through the movie...

The only other choice
would be to submit
a plea to the courts.

The courts take even longer
to decide things
than the Senate.

and I said, "What the hell
is this movie about?"

I couldn't figure out
where it was going

or what it was
building towards.

NARRATOR:
Convoluted plot aside,

it was building toward
a sequel.

There was a lot of pressure
on George

to somehow make

Episode IImore likeable.

Better than Episode I.

NARRATOR: But if George Lucas
was to make

a superior
Star Wars Episode II,

the question
to be asked was...

had he learned any lessons
fromEpisode I?

I may have gone too far

in a few places.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: George Lucas began
work onStar Wars Episode II

in the wake of its
predecessor's mixed reception.

I'm not too big on the acting.

I was kind of disappointed
in the ending.

Thumbs way down.

NARRATOR: Not even his
juggernaut merchandising
machine hit the mark.

It was too much product.
Too quickly

with too much confidence
that just anything would sell.

WOMAN: The Dark Side.

-First off, you like
your coffee dark.
-MAN: Yes, absolutely.

About a year later
those things were in
the clearance bin.

You couldn't give away
your Jar Jar figure.

Believe me, I tried.

NARRATOR: Star Wars

would need to pull itself
out of the discount bin

by pulling out
all the stops.

But could it be
that the prequels

were missing something...
or rather someone?

He didn't have Marcia with him

and Marcia
warmed everything up.

NARRATOR:
None of the prequels
would benefit

from the deft touch
of the woman who helped
craft the originalStar Wars.

MORTON: By the time you got
to the prequel trilogy

Lucas is working more on his own
than he probably ever had been.

NARRATOR: Secluded and cut off
from the film industry

in his
Northern California Ranch.

MORTON: I think he was
working in a bubble

in which he's not getting
maybe a lot of feedback

to see how things are playing.

G. LUCAS: Finally glad
to be working on my own again.

NARRATOR:
But George's preference

for this solitary autonomy

should come as no surprise.

On the first three
extraordinary successful movies

George had still laid blame
on his various collaborators.

Especially his producer
Gary Kurtz.

He was not
reporting the figures.

Because of that,
George never forgave him.

NARRATOR: However, it seemed
that ifThe Phantom Menace

was anyone's fault,
it was probably Jar Jar's.

-Hello.
-NARRATOR: Which is why Lucas

was more than happy
to welcome producer

Rick McCallum
back with open arms.

JONES: McCallum's an incredibly
competent producer.

Really great at what he does.

Filled the Kurtz role for Lucas,
but in a different way.

Kurtz was
willing to push back.

McCallum was the one who
just said, "Whatever you need

"we'll get you
and whatever vision

"you want onscreen,
it's yours to go with."

NARRATOR: With McCallum
returning as wingman,

George felt comfortable
doing something he passed on

during the first trilogy.
returning as director

and, of course,
he'd be returning as writer.

So the first order of business
was... a script.

One of the historical things
about Episode II

is that they wanted it filmed
entirely using digital cameras.

NARRATOR: Oh, okay.
We'll get to the script.

-[CLACKS]
-Digital cameras, sure.

Everybody does that
these days.

MORTON: The digital cameras
were basically prototypes.

They had not really been
fully employed.

NARRATOR:
On any other movie...ever.

And even at the time
there was a lot of talk about,

-"Well, that may not work."
-George fully believed

that he could
control everything.

Light, performances, sets,

-all of it.
-Almost all the sets

inAttack of the Clones
are digital sets.

NARRATOR: But before
the cameras rolled,

if indeed digital cameras
can do that,

finally it was time
to work on the script.

-Casting auditions.
-NARRATOR: Well, yes, casting.

That's very important,
too.

And speaking of which,

you may remember
this funny, little boy...

You're a funny,
little boy.

NARRATOR: But now
he'd have to be replaced

with a much larger...
angrier boy.

-PADME: Annie...
-Anakin.

Annie makes me sound like
a little boy.

A challenge
with casting Anakin is that

you need someone who looks like
a more mature Jake Lloyd,

but has a rebellious streak.

NARRATOR: So,
they naturally cast their eyes

over Hollywood's bad boys
and in the year 2000

none was hotter than...
this guy.

MORTON: Leonardo DiCaprio
was one of the original choices

as I understand it.

WOMAN: Have you been to
Skywalker Ranch?

Yeah, I was there.

WOMAN: You were there?
LEONARDO: Yeah.

In fact, there was a time
where we thought it...
that was gonna be the case.

NARRATOR: Instead,
1,500 casting tapes

were whittled down to just
five in-person auditions

with George Lucas.
One of those was a young actor

who had flirted
with the dark side
in his previous work.

Hayden Christensen
was seen in a film starring

Kevin Kline called
Life as a House
and he's pretty good in it.

Thanks for talking about me
behind my back.

It's useful in court.
What are you doing in my room?

I locked the door!
Get out!

Fuck you!

MORTON: And I think
that is what brought him

to their attention
after Leonardo DiCaprio

was not gonna be in the role.

PADME: Don't try
to grow up too fast.

I am grown up.

Hayden has good,
what we call, shit quality.

That is to say
he could bring a touch of

the potentially unpleasant
to the role.

There was just the possibility
that yes, he could become,

eventually, Darth Vader.

NARRATOR: But Anakin's turn
to the Dark Side

wasn't happening just yet.

In the meantime there was
a decidedly unpleasant

character that needed
to be cast.

Lucas brought
Christopher Lee in to be

the nominal villain
of the prequel trilogy.

NARRATOR:
Lee was cast as Count Dooku.

A former Jedi destined
for the Dark Side.

Peter Cushing is the head
villain in Star Wars.

Charming to the last.

The famous
Hammer horror film star.

His co-star in all those great
Hammer horror films

was Christopher Lee.

It was just great to keep
that kind of casting going.

As you see my Jedi powers
are far beyond yours.

Now, back down.

NARRATOR:
With casting complete,

George and his trusted
producer, Rick McCallum,

started packing their bags
for Sydney, Australia...

because much like the situation
with the pound

back on the original movies,
Australia offered

an excellent exchange rate,
tax breaks,

and brand-new cutting-edge
film studios.

Perfect for George Lucas'
cutting-edge script.

Oh, yeah... the script.
Actually...[CHUCKLES]

this was all starting
to sound familiar.

On Return of the Jedi,
famously,

Lucas didn't get around
to the script

until a few months before
production began.

The same thing kinda happened
on Attack of the Clones.

He had outlines and artwork
and pre-production.

NARRATOR: But to the chagrin
of Rick McCallum, not a script.

JONES: There were
people building models

on stories
they're not aware of.

That Lucas
isn't really aware of

and they've got
soundstages reserved

and they know the date
they're gonna shoot.
It's flying without a net.

NARRATOR: It was time for
Lucas to stop
playing with his toys.

No, not those... these.

And start
putting pen to paper

because the clock was ticking
for the crew in Australia.

And they're just waiting for
the final script

-to land on the desk.
-NARRATOR: But by March 2000,

the only thing
on the desk was Lucas'

hand-written rough draft.

Far from
a final shooting script

with far from a final title.

The title of the first draft
that he put on there was

Jar Jar's Great Adventure.

MADSEN: Yeah, that
was tongue-in-cheek.

It was kind of like
a slap in the face

to the critics
who panned Jar Jar Binks.

NARRATOR:
But all joking aside,

was the pressure
of having to course-correct

the prequel trilogy
getting to George?

Well, I think he was dealing
with the fallout

from Phantom Menace.

He'd taken a bit
of a pounding on that.

NARRATOR: George decided
he would need help

polishing the script,
but not to worry because...

MAN: From master storyteller
George Lucas,

comesThe Adventures
of Young Indiana Jones!

NARRATOR: Once again,
it was Indiana Jones
who saved the day.

Well...
Indy and screenwriter
Jonathan Hales.

Mm-hmm.
I worked with George

onYoung Indiana Jones.
We knew each other.

We were used
to working together.

It was good.

NARRATOR: So good that George
felt comfortable
inviting Jonathan to the Ranch

to explain his vision
or at least...

what there was of it so far.

He knew how he wanted...
Attack of the Clonesto start.

[LOUD EXPLOSION]

And he sort of knew
where it should go to end.

[EXCITING MUSIC PLAYING]

[CHUCKLES] What he didn't have
clear in his mind

was all the stuff in between.

NARRATOR: Clearly they had
their work cut out for them.

For the next couple of days

we sat there and started
to put together

the story
ofAttack of the Clones

and after
going through the outline,

I went into my office...
and wrote the picture.

NARRATOR:
Top of Jonathan's to-do list,

two of the films
most important plot points.

-The first of which...
-This wonderful kid...

[BOTH LAUGHING]

who eventually ends up
embracing the Dark Side...

-[HUMMING]
-and becoming the evil lord.

NARRATOR: Next...

Set up the story
of the clones.

NARRATOR:
Longstanding inStar Wars lore.

You fought
in the Clone Wars?

I mean, we've heard
about the Clone Wars since 1977.

That's kind of the mystery.

NARRATOR:
But for Jonathan

the biggest mystery involved
deciphering just the right

balance of Jar Jar,

who had slightly worn out
his welcome.

Me-sa busting' with happiness
busting' youse again, Annie.

At one point George wanted,
uh, Jar Jar to go with Anakin

and Padme
when they leave Coruscant

and go back
to her home planet.

JAR JAR: Ex-squeeze me.

-No.
-And I said, "No, no, George.

"We-We really...
We really won't do that."

So, uh,
Jar Jar got left behind.

NARRATOR: But there was one
person Hales
couldn't get rid of

an increasingly impatient
Rick McCallum.

He wanted a script.
He was out in Sydney

playing around with
the blue screens or whatever...

[SQUEAKS]

and I would get little
messages and so on and so forth.

NARRATOR: But little messages
aren't something

you want from a man
like Rick McCallum

and so Hales had to get

this pitbull producer
off his back.

Secretly,
without telling George,

when I'd done the first draft,
before it was revised,

we FedEx'd a copy of it
to Rick in Sydney

to keep him happy.

NARRATOR:
And soon the little messages

turned into little gifts.

He sent me champagne.
So, there you are.

NARRATOR: And in June 2000,
just before the start

of principal photography,
Lucas and Hales

turned in their final
shooting draft.

At lastJar Jar's Great...
eh,Attack of the Clones

was ready to go before
those digital cameras.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: With production
in Sydney, Australia looming,

the world had reached
fever pitch

about the second
prequel movie...

whatever it was called.

There was always huge excitement
and discussion

among the fan base
as to what the title of the...

of the next movie
was going to be.

So the title was always
very carefully hidden

until the last moment.

NARRATOR: And the anticipation
was palpable.

Attack of the Clones.

He had these wacky titles,
you know?

NARRATOR: Well, palpable
excitement is relative.

For some,
this wasn't their first rodeo.

I knew you would return.
I knew it!

DANIELS: I have to say
when I read the script

in my hotel room
and saw the role of 3PO in this,

I actually threw it
into the corner of the suite.

[THUDS]

I think, perhaps,
we'd better go indoors.

NARRATOR: It had taken
Anthony much less time

to read his role
than he'd expected.

[EXHALES SHARPLY] I don't know
why I was out there.

It was like...
he was nothing.

NARRATOR:
Just ten scenes featured

the affable,
golden droid that had proved

so golden for the man
who gave him a voice.

DANIELS: And it hurt.
Not from ego,

but... but almost from a...
a brotherly,

um, worry about my friend.

He's too good to...
do nothing.

You know, why...
why insult him by being...

don't invite him at all
if this...

this is the crap
you're gonna give him to do.

If they had needed our help
they would've asked for it.

NARRATOR: Nevertheless,
in June of the year 2000

cameras began to roll
onAttack of the Clones.

Lucas is renting out
the soundstage for something
like three years

just so the stage
is constantly available to him.
If there's footage missing,

he can call
people back at the last minute

to go down to film.
This is Lucas' ability

to control every aspect
of the film making.

NARRATOR: It seemed
that now, more than ever,

George had control
of everything.

The once essential
old-school ILM team...

-[SIPPING]
-were now replaced

with a computer graphics
based ILM.

And even his disdain
for directing actors

-could be eradicated.
-G. LUCAS: Well, it's like

getting a performance
out of a regular actor.

It's just... it takes
a lot longer to get there.

NARRATOR: Even for everyone's
favorite green, Jedi master

the old ways were being
ripped up

and Yoda himself
would be ripped.

G. LUCAS:
Such an innocent, little thing.

NARRATOR: And, finally,
what Irvin Kershner

had envisioned back
onThe Empire Strikes Back...

He wanted Yoda to be leaping
from here to there.

NARRATOR: ...was now,
after more than 20 years,
achievable.

Yoda had to go from
being a puppet

to a CGI character
because he needed to do

-all those sick back flips.
-JONES: In the script,

all it says is, "Yoda fights."

And they let the animators
and the creatives

go for it.

[LIGHT SABERS HUMMING]

It was a huge challenge
to make that character

go through those motions
and yet keep that realistic.

Fought well,
you have.

NARRATOR: And even though
The Phantom Menace

might have steered George away
from going all-in on digital...

-[GRUNTS]
-he did it anyway.

-Great. That's a struggle.
-Already?

[ALL LAUGH]

NARRATOR:
There was nothing George

couldn't achieve this way,

but what he was dreaming up...

was a digital solution
to every problem.

On Attack of the Clones,
there was a feeling

that there wasn't enough action
at one point in the movie.

[ROMANTIC MUSIC PLAYING]

George had this idea
about the assembly line.

-The droids.
-[MACHINES WHIRRING]

DROID: Uh-oh.

I think it works very well.
It's a good sequence.

-[CLANGS, WHIRRING]
-Oh, no!

NARRATOR: However, George's
long-standing mantra...

"Oh, don't worry about it.
We'll fix it later in post."

NARRATOR: that had
served him so well in the past

now created a very different
kind of problem.

It's so dense.
Every single image
has so many things going on.

So many things going on.

[ECHOES] So many things
going on.

So many things going on.

NARRATOR: But was having
so many visual effects

replacing practical,
actually practical?

REYNOLDS: John Knoll,
visual effects supervisor,

was asking, "When are we gonna
outfit some actors

"as clone troopers so
we can get all of
these close ups?"

And the answer was,
"We're not gonna build

"a single clone trooper outfit.

"We're not gonna film
any actors."

"Even if it's an insert shot
of somebody pulling a trigger,

"it's all gonna be digital."

[EXCITING MUSIC PLAYING]

-The army?
-Yes.

And, so, even the great champion
of digital, John Knoll,

was saying,
"Wouldn't that just be easier
to do practical?"

You are the one that has to
deal with the overall picture.

NARRATOR:
But for the actors who still

hadn't been replaced,
the green and blue voids

they found themselves working
in every day

presented their own challenge.

Green screen
can be a nightmare.

And also it's just green screen.
There's nothing there.

It can be
kind of deadening process.

NARRATOR: Also disheartening
for certain members
of the cast was having

to watch
their more nuanced work.

fall by the wayside
to make room for more
action and excitement.

The scene
I really liked the most?

Padme is alone at night
with 3PO in a garage whatever.

And she asks
3PO if he's happy.

And he said, "Well, it's very
difficult being like this."

"What do you mean?"
"Well, naked...

if you'll pardon
the expression."

You suddenly saw
this terrible pathos

of a character who is
walking around totally naked.

J. TENUTO: And, so, Padme
is the one who puts
the pieces on C-3PO

and there's something
very sweet about that.

NARRATOR: Or there
might've been, but...

The decision was made that
the scene slowed the film down.

NARRATOR: We never got to see
how C-3PO went from

his birthday suit
to his golden armor.

And Lucas said,
"Nope, he's already
gonna have it on."

-I am C...
-3PO?

It was one
of the tragedies for me.

One of the things
3PO's not had ultimately

was an ability to share
his... humanity.

NARRATOR: Which it seemed
there wasn't much room for

in this very
heavily digital movie.

Sometimes the computer graphics
take over too much.

It's a very dangerous
thing to do

because it's
about storytelling.

That's what the movies do

and if you lose sight
of the story,

you could
find yourself in trouble.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

Question: Are you feeling
the Force yet?

NARRATOR: Attack of the Clones
was released in May of 2002.

The movie would cost
$115 million

and earned it
over $650 million.

But despite the numbers,
byStar Wars standards

this was a disappointment.

It did open to, you know,

a strong presence...

These are my people.

It definitely was hurt
a bit by the critical reviews

of Phantom Menace.

NARRATOR: Attack of the Clones
had been knocked off

the top perch by an arachnid.

For the first time
a Star Warsfilm was not

number one at the box office.
It was Spider-Man.

NARRATOR:
This was not the deflation

many fans felt
afterThe Phantom Menace.

Better reviews
than Phantom Menace,

not great reviews, though,
overall.

It has too many climaxes.

You know, it has
the big battle in the arena.

Die, Jedi dogs!

MORTON: It goes to the chase
across the desert.

-It's Dooku!
-And then there's another...

-[SCREAMS]
-light saber duel

with Count Dooku

and Yoda shows his stuff
in that sequence.

Then, I think,
some people love that,

some people maybe wish
there was a little less of it.

NARRATOR: In the dizzying array
of digital artistry,

the drama and intensity
ofStar Wars seemed to have

fallen through George Lucas'
hands like... sand.

ANAKIN:
I don't like sand.

It's coarse and rough
and irritating

-and it gets everywhere.
-[LAUGHTER]

"I hate it.
It gets everywhere."

-[LAUGHS]
-NARRATOR: It was arguably

the worst line
in the franchise.

You shouldn't
have done that.

NARRATOR: Regardless
the film had its fans.

I think most people
consider it a better film

than Phantom Menace.

NARRATOR: Like a pilot
headed toward a mountain,

George had managed to pull up
at the last possible moment,

but the bad news
was that he was still

miles from the height
of the original trilogy.

Still he had one more shot
to clear those peaks

and he'd be doing
it once again in Sydney.

Warm weather, pleasant people,
and the same

cutting-edge film studio
at his disposal.

Ideal working conditions
for George.

Making the trilogies...
especially between two and three

is kind of like,
just continuous production.

NARRATOR: Unfortunately,
the thing George

was most in love with,
was what many people

didn't love at all.

BENNETT: There was
just too much CGI.

It took away from the narrative
and the heart of the story.

NARRATOR: But love is blind
as they say.

I think he really
falls in love with that tech

to the detriment of
everything else.

To the detriment of the story.

NARRATOR: For Marcia,
the prequels were a reminder

of what the original trilogy
managed to never lose sight of.

Movies and film
are about storytelling.

It has to work.
The performances have to work,

the story has to work,
the exposition has to be told.

NARRATOR: And even the guy
who wrote the story
wasn't convinced.

HALES: I thought
it was too long.

I thought there was,
occasionally, an over-reliance

on special effects
and I was disappointed

-with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
-What?

NARRATOR: More specifically,
Ewan McGregor's performance

-of the great Jedi.
-Curious.

I don't think he had
a great deal of respect

-for what he was doing.
-You're sweating. Relax.

And, sometimes, in the movie
he can hardly keep the sneer

-off his face.
-[CHUCKLES]

It's a very lazy performance.
He phones it in.

Patience.
Use the Force.

If he had brought
one quarter

of the commitment
and the wit

that, say, Harrison brings to
his performance in the others...

Well,
that's the real trick, isn't it?

...it would've made
a huge amount of difference.

But he doesn't.

NARRATOR: And, so, you may not
be surprised to hear

that Jonathan Hales
wasn't so keen to come back

for the next movie.

Not really.
Um...

No, I was perfectly content
with... with what had happened.

NARRATOR: Well,
at least Jonathan's happy.

So now George set his sights
on everybody else

starting with Anthony Daniels
who would be back again.

There have been so many.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

Uh, yeah, Revenge of the Sith
here we go. [CLEARS THROAT]

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

-This is where the fun begins.
-[MUSIC WINDS DOWN TO STOP]

Pause a minute.

[PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING]

What happened in it?

NARRATOR:
Well, that would be for George

and a new screenwriter
to work out.

And on that front,
it would be...

George Lucas wrote
the screenplay
for Revenge of the Sith.

NARRATOR:
George Lucas himself.

Having writtenA New Hope,
George would now

bookend the franchise
as the sole writer/director
on the final film.

But based on George's
track record...

MORTON: [ECHOES]
He's not an actor's director.

BENNETT: [ECHOES] Wasn't so
fantastic at writing dialogue.

NARRATOR: Maybe
that wasn't the best idea.

I agree. Bad idea.

MUIR: Rick McCallum,
love him or hate him,

if you look at the prequels,
it's clear he's not

what George Lucas needed
which was somebody

who could tell him "No."
Or that, "This isn't good."

The thing you need
as a filmmaker

is not someone who says,
"Gosh, you're so brilliant.

"Gosh, this is
gonna be so great.
Aren't you a genius?"

But who says,
"This isn't working.

"Rethink this."

That's the voice you need.

-NARRATOR: And, so, with...
-No.

NARRATOR: off the table,
Rick and George

set about
making the third film

-in the prequel trilogy.
-And... action!

NARRATOR: As filming began
on June the 30th, 2003,

Revenge of the Sith
was a smooth operation.

From the camera
to the computer,

shooting, editing,
and even rewriting

were all happening
at the same time.

Then Tom Stoppard was brought in
to do a lot of re-writes,

but he was uncredited.

NARRATOR: Not onIndiana Jones
and the Last Crusade...

And the Oscar
goes to...

NARRATOR:
OrShakespeare in Love...

Tom Stoppard.
Shakespeare in Love.

NARRATOR:
for which he won an Oscar.

-Thanks.
-MORTON: Technology allows you

to keep changing things
and coming up with

so many different variations
of things.

That gives him the luxury
of making the movie

the way he wants to make it.
If other film makers think

that's crazy... eh.
He didn't care.

This is the way
he was gonna work it.

That's it. Match it.
Match it.

That's exactly
what we want.

NARRATOR: With near limitless
digital potential,

George had more creative
control than he'd ever had.

Or as more fanatical advocates
would call it...

[SCREAMS] Unlimited...

power!

MORTON: He was still trying
to create new stuff.

His imagination
is really working overtime.

Like, new environments.
New creatures. New ideas.

He's always trying to do
something new.

First of all,
he really took miniatures

out of the picture which had
been the bread and butter

of the original
Star Wars films.

And, you know, all the
spaceships, things like that,

-were computer generated.
-Eh, you know,

I get it.
You know, George was always

very supportive
of technological changes

and he would embrace them.

I-I think even to the point of,
you know,

the stuff doesn't actually
look very good.

-[CHUCKLES] You know?
-NARRATOR: And this time

George was determined
to get it right.

Enter all-digital...

General Grievous.

[THUDS]

A character first seen
in 2003's animated series

The Clone Wars.

BENNETT: General Grievous
was brought in
as our new adversary.

Our new, uh,
super soldier villain.

NARRATOR:
Grievous was no Jar Jar,

but like George's
other digital inventions,

he was hard to work out.

You know, Grievous
is one of those characters

that, um...
I still can't
quite figure out.

He's, like,
he's asthmatic I guess.

[COUGHS]

He's got, like,
an organic heart...

-[WHIRRING]
-but then he's a robot.

[LIGHTSABERS HUM]

I never quite got that.
[CHUCKLES]

NARRATOR:
But with general grievances

about going overboard
with digital

and subsequent criticism...

there was still a little room
inRevenge of the Sith

for more traditional,
analog filmmaking techniques.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

ELSEY: My name is Dave Elsey
and I was in charge

of the creature workshop
on Revenge of the Sith.

NARRATOR: It fell on Dave
to create creatures

not with pixels,
but with paint and prosthetics.

ELSEY: I think something
transformative happens

when you put people
into those makeups

and they see
the character in the mirror.

-I think it's better without.
-Yeah, so do I.

That's not something
you get by putting dots

on someone's face
and going,

"Well, it'll be fine
in the end."

NARRATOR:
Makeup artist Nikki Gooley

was also trying
to bring a sense

of naturalism to the film.

Filming in an environment
that might've had

one prop or a little bit
of furniture or something.

So, I-I really wanted them to
look a part of the environment

rather than look like
they were a couple of actors

-sitting on a stage.
-[BELL RINGS]

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

In order to do that
I tried to make their skin tones

and their skin textures
as real as possible.

To me it's like a good costume,
a fantastic set,

a great prop,
or any other thing, really,

raises the excitement level
of everybody involved.

The crew,
of the actors, everybody.

NARRATOR:
Well, one excited actor

would be absolutely caked
in makeup.

ELSEY: The Emperor's
not gonna be digital.

He was a guy in makeup.

He's gonna be
a guy in makeup again.

[EVIL LAUGHTER]

George said,
"Hey, great nose."

ELSEY: You couldn't replace
what Ian McDiarmid

was doing as the Emperor.

Once more the Sith

will rule the galaxy.

DANIELS: Watching
Ian McDiarmid suborning Anakin

and thinking,
"Gosh, this is a real actor.

"This is beautiful.
This is...

"unusual."

Is it possible
to learn this power?

"Not from a Jedi."
[EXHALES SHARPLY]

Sorry, terrible impersonation.
[CHUCKLES]

NARRATOR: Ian McDiarmid
turned in a performance

worthy of the stage.
Speaking of which...

One of the scenes
is the opera scene.

Yes, it was originally
another desk scene.

ANAKIN: Chancellor.
McDIARMID: And George said,

"I think we need something
different for this scene."

And he had this idea
and he said,

"You'll appreciate this, Ian."

He knew I was
a man of the theater.

A theater actor.
"They're in a theater.

"They're watching something.

"I don't think we need
to change the dialogue.

"I think
it'll probably make sense."

And I said,
"Okay, what are they watching?"

He said,
"Oh, I don't know.

"A squid ballet or something."
I thought, "A squid ballet?"

NARRATOR:
And so the Emperor Palpatine

became a patron
of the cephalopod arts

in this famous scene.

McDIARMID: People say,
"Is there anything positive

"you can say
about this evil person?"

I say, "Yes, one thing.
He likes going to the theater."

NARRATOR: However,
people wouldn't be lining up
forSquid Lake.

George had nearly completed
three prequels

for a total cost
of nearly $350 million.

The ultimate prologue
to one of the greatest
stories ever told.

I do think one of the problems
with the prequel trilogy

is it's really only one movie
worth of story.

-What?
-The only thing that's relevant

in Phantom Menaceis that
Obi-Wan and Anakin meet.

-Pleased to meet you.
-And the Emperor meets them.

We will watch your career
with great interest.

And the only thing
that's relevant in
Attack of the Clones

is that Anakin and Padme
fall in love.

-You love me?
-The rest of it is filler.

I'm just a simple man trying
to make my way in the universe.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

Really?

NARRATOR:
And really all the prequels

were leading
to just one moment.

MORTON: How does Anakin
become Darth Vader?

And that's told
in the third film

-of the prequel trilogy.
-You have done that yourself!

NARRATOR:
And for the PG-rated movie,

what a story it is.

This is about
somebody good collapsing

into something bad
and the whole galaxy

going with him.

You know, the other ones
are about

climbing out of that hole.
About finding goodness.

Those are all
inherently positive stories.

This is the one
that was always gonna be dark.

We know how it ends.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: The entire prequels
were leading up to one

-hotly anticipated moment.
-You've changed.

ELSEY: The thing that
I've never seen as a kid,

but I'd always envisioned

was how Vader becomes Vader.

NARRATOR:
And for this George Lucas

simply could not fail.

And to make sure
he got it right...

he went
to extraordinary lengths.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR:
Revenge of the Sith

was in some ways
the revenge of George Lucas

toward his many doubters.

It finally delivered
on the moment all fans

had been waiting for.
A moment so important

that George Lucas...

asked his pal
Stephen Spielberg for help.

Stephen Spielberg plays a role
behind-the-scenes

as a kind of almost
second unit director.

And Stephen Spielberg
wanted to learn

how to use this new technology
using the computer.

You underestimate my power!

The climax of
Revenge of the Sith

is the light saber battle
between Obi-Wan and Anakin.

NARRATOR: Lending his talents
to this crucial scene...

Spielberg worked with Lucas
to design a lot of the shots

and a lot of the way
the whole thing was gonna go.

The choreography.
He was an integral part

of designing
that entire sequence.

NARRATOR: It was just like
the good ole days.

That's what those guys
always used to do

way back in the beginning.

They'd all help
on each other's movies.

NARRATOR: In the safe hands
of none other than

Stephen Spielberg,
this exciting sequence

is one of the best
in the prequels.

-[ANAKIN SCREAMS]
-[LIGHTSABERS HUM]

[ANAKIN GROANS]

But, gee,
it does get dark quick.

-[SCREAMING]
-Or should we say, "PG?"

[ANAKIN CONTINUES SCREAMING]

A problem for
the makeup artist Dave Elsey.

George says,
"Oh, remember...

"a lot of kids
are gonna see this.

"So this should be like
a PG burn".

NARRATOR: That raised
an obvious question.

"What's a...
What's a PG burn?"

What does that mean?
He's just fallen

in a pit of lava.
How are we gonna do this?

And he goes...

"Yeah, you're right.

"Okay, you do whatever
you were gonna do

"and it'll be a different
rating then."

I was like,
"Okay.

"They're gonna change the rating
because of what I'm doing?"

NARRATOR: Well, that's how
Revenge of the Sith became

the firstStar Wars film
to receive a PG-13 rating.

People forget just how gory
Star Warscan become.

[OVERLAPPING SCREAMS]

-[CHUCKLES]
-NARRATOR: But for a scene

at the very center of
everything that isStar Wars

-it was worth it.
-ELSEY: It's something that

you need to see to understand

what's inside the Vader suit

and why Vader is actually
quite tortured.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: The birth
of Darth Vader had delivered

Star Wars
back to its beginnings.

As the prequel trilogy
finally dovetailed

with the original films.

I mean, that's the moment
the door slammed shut.

NARRATOR: Well, when
the movie opened
May the 15th, 2005,

Revenge of the Sith
grossed

$850 million worldwide.

It's... It's the film
that I think holds up the best.

It's the one
that makes the most sense.

It's the one that... it's
the most dramatically sound

but you still do get the Vader,
"No"

at the very end,
unfortunately.

[SHOUTS] No!

NARRATOR: Regardless,
there was nooo doubt

thatRevenge of the Sith
was for both

new fans and old ones.
Finally delivering

on elements of theStar Wars
story that audiences

-had been waiting for.
-[BABY COOS]

But asRevenge of the Sith
graced screens

around the world,
George Lucas
had found himself

in an altogether
different scenario

he had no more
Star Wars to make.

[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING]

As the dust settled,
the world now had

sixStar Wars movies
and one George Lucas

to thank for them.

With the original trilogy,
George had moved

the entire entertainment
industry forward

and with the prequels,
well,[CHUCKLES]

he kind of did it again.

Lucas is a visionary.

He saw the future
and made it happen.

Everything he did
on the prequel trilogy,

in terms of its production,
is now standard.

A lot of people
talked about things for years

he actually put
it all into practice.

Everything we do
with this stuff now

started with George Lucas.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC SWELLS]

-[DRUM BANGS]
-[MUSIC STOPS]

NARRATOR: After
an incredible six movies

grossing a cumulative total
of $4.3 billion

and counting,
this young boy from Modesto

had looked up at the stars
and dreamed.

But that's where the comparison
to Luke Skywalker ends

because George Lucas
didn't harness the Force,

George Lucasis the Force.

BENNETT:
If you think about it,

if George had stopped
with Return of the Jedi,

he would've just become
an '80s cultural phenomenon,

but that's not
who George Lucas is.

He is a businessman,
he is a tortured director,

he's an ex-husband,
a father, and a son

that had something to prove
to his father

and he proved it.

NARRATOR: Having achieved
what he set out to do...

POLLOCK: [ECHOES]
Own your own business.

Don't work for other people.

NARRATOR: The question was,
what next for George?

LUCAS: George
always said to me,

I will never,
ever sell my company.

I will never, ever put
my company on the stock market.

I'm a success.
I made all this money.

I will never,
ever give up my company.

And guess what?
[GIGGLES]

He sold it.
[EXHALES]

[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]

That made me sad.

-NARRATOR: In October 2012...
-[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

for the first time
Star Wars would be in the hands

of another creative force.

Headline: "George Lucas
sells Star Warsto Disney."

Why not?
He's done his time.

He's put it in
and that's a chunk of money.

I think I'd be tempted.

I think the $4.2 billion
that George sold was low.

I think it was
worth much more than that.

NARRATOR: It's hard
to put a price
on a cultural phenomenon.

The valueStar Wars
has to us all is priceless

and the galaxy
George Lucas created

continues to enrich our lives,

but George Lucas
paid a high price

to revolutionize
the film industry.

Divorce in California
is a 50/50 divorce.

So we split
that personal money

that we owned personally.

When it came to the business...

the company
had to be appraised.

NARRATOR: According to Marcia,
George signed a promissory note

promising to pay her
for her share of LucasFilm.

And that's what George owed me.

And then my lawyer said to me,
"You know, Marcia,

"you're making
a really big mistake here

"because if you have this note
and its unsecured,

"George could bankrupt
the company tomorrow".

NARRATOR: Meaning Marcia's fate
would be linked

to LucasFilm's future.

At that time George didn't need
to pay Marcia anything.

The promissory note was
for a percentage of LucasFilm

when he sold it
which at the time

was 30 years away,

but it seems
that was too long for George.

I never asked him
to pay down the note,

but he wanted to.
He wanted every...

He wanted me gone forever...

with no contact.

NARRATOR: Marcia says that
George found the cash
to pay her then

so he would never owe her
anything in the future.

The common belief is that George
had to sell

The Graphics Group
to Steve Jobs in 1986

to pay for his divorce.

Graphics Group
eventually became Pixar.

[BOINGS]

NARRATOR: But George
didn't just want Marcia gone

from his life financially.

It looked like he wanted
something else altogether.

This is painful.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LUCAS: [ECHOES]
We didn't just make it work,

we made something
really, really, really special.

NARRATOR: After
the divorce in 1983,

George Lucas completely
severed all financial ties

with his ex-wife,
but for Marcia,

there were heavier losses
to come.

This is painful,
but when I left George,

he was very unhappy.

He was very hurt.

And the way he dealt
with my leaving him

was to decide
that I never existed.

KAZANJIAN [ECHOES] She was
an inspiration to George.

BENNETT: [ECHOES] She was
with him every step of the way.

He erased me from history.

He went... As far as I know,
my daughter wasn't even

supposed to mention
my name in his house.

You know, he just was so...
resentful

and so angry at me
for leaving

and he just sort of...

that's the way
he had to deal with it.

KAZANJIAN: [ECHOES]
And Marcia was the shining,

bright light of LucasFilm.

LUCAS: They wrote
a book called

The First
20 Years of LucasFilm.

I opened up the book
and I looked at the index

and it said
"Marcia Griffin Lucas one page.

"Marcia Griffin Lucas
was an assistant editor

"I married in 1969."

KAZANJIAN: [ECHOES]
And she was
George's love of his life.

You don't think that hurts?
You don't think that was...

a knife in my heart?

NARRATOR: George and Marcia's
relationship

is a long, long way
from where it all began.

-I love you.
-I know.

Is he still in love with her?

I think deep down he is,

but if you talk to him
and you watch his movements...

I hate to use this word,

but I think he...
hates her.

MAN: Did you ever call him
or e-mail him

or send him a letter ever

and just say,
"What are you doing?"

Like, "I know you hate me,
but..."

No I didn't because it...
it's been how many years now?

Forty years?

And our daughter got married,
you know?

We went to her wedding.

He never spoke to me
at the wedding.

He didn't want
to have anything to do...

with me ever.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I don't think
he's forgiven me...

leaving.

I don't think he ever will.
[SNIFFLES]

I won't ever be able
to say goodbye to him.

NARRATOR:
With the tragic lost love

of these two
extraordinary filmmakers...

Yeah, that's a sad thing.

That's the sad thing
about divorce.

NARRATOR: The magic
of the first three
Star Wars movies

is fading into history,

but like the desert sands
of Tatooine

things change with time.

Marcia did remarry
soon after the divorce.

Then divorced again in 1993

and in 2013,
George also remarried.

He has a new wife.
I was at his wedding.

Uh, she's wonderful.

He has a whole new life.

NARRATOR: In the 45 years
sinceStar Wars

for those who made the film
and history,

much has changed.

I've called him many times

and I don't get
a return phone call.

NARRATOR: But what they created
all those years ago, well...

it hasn't changed.

Maclunkey!

NARRATOR: Well,
it's changed a little,

but since
that first opening crawl...

the impact this film has had
on so many

in so many different ways

across multiple generations

is a testament

to these
most extraordinary people.

Somebody were to ring and say,

"We're gonna make
a Star Wars10, 11, 12."

"Ah... do I have to?"

[SOFT SWEEPING MUSIC]

But I am the Anthony Daniels
who has, is,

and forever will be...

C-3PO.
Human cyborg relations.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: From the people
who love the movies...

to the people who made them.

From in front of the camera...

to the people who actually
built the camera.

The story of
the first sixStar Wars films

is vast and complicated...

but at the heart
of this epic franchise,

everyone can agree

lies the most important
ingredient of them all...

that being
an absolutely incredible,

compelling story.

HIRSCH: What's wonderful
about Star Wars

is that when you watch
the movie, you're not watching

a movie...
you're watching "the movies"

because Star Warsincorporates
all the genres.

The films that we've loved
through our whole lives.

Western saloons.
There's the Indians on the ridge

watching the stagecoach go by,

and the WWII
fighter-pilot films,

and Robin Hood and fighting...
sword fights in the castle,

and swinging across moats.

It's fresh, but it's familiar
at the same time.

NARRATOR: George Lucas...

and Marcia Lucas
made incredible movies.

Unlike anything the world
has seen before

or since.

But what George Lucas has built
is a staggering legacy.

He's building his museum now.

NARRATOR:
And he's still building it.

He hasn't stopped building.

You know,
he's always building.

[EXCITING MUSIC PLAYING]