There are strange opinions of George Lucas out there. Everyone is willing to say that they love Star Wars (the original trilogy at least) yet they have an extreme hatred for Lucas.
Your viewpoint on Lucas will have a huge impact on the following news:
George Lucas is suing the prop designer who created the white stormtrooper body armor for the original 1977 film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (or just plain old Star Wars)
Andrew Ainsworth, owner of Shepperton Design Studios is selling the famous costumes for eighteen hundred pounds… roughly double that for a dollar figure.
Ainsworth’s company is using the original molds to manufacture the costumes and he has now counter-sued Lucasfilm for a portion of the Star Wars trilogy’s profits because he believes that he owns the copyright (or portion at least) of the world famous armor.
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What makes this case more interesting is that Lucas already sued Ainsworth (and won) in California, but because he is UK based, Lucas has to take him to London’s High Court.
So right now I’m guessing that you are either saying “George, You money grabbing memory trasher” or you are shouting “Go George Go!”.
Me?
Well, since I was a kid George Lucas has been my hero, he still is. Nine years ago I stood and waited outside the Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace premiere in London and got to see my idol. It was one of the greatest (and geekiest) moments of my life.
Since the release of The Phantom Menace Lucas hate has reached an all-time high. Blame the Internet, blame DVD or blame the fact that the prequel trilogy could never have met the fever pitch expectations of Star Wars fans around the globe. Hell, it might even have started way back in 1997 when Greedo shot first.
My opinions on Lucas’ Star Wars prequels?
I enjoyed them. I always knew that they would never be as good as the original trilogy. I think that I’ve said it before, but I feel that it’s a good quote…so I’ll say it again:
The original Star Wars movies are like the greatest meal that you have ever had. You want second helpings, and you get them, it’s just that they don’t taste as nice second time around. You can’t really complain to the chef. You got what you wanted – twice!
As far as the Ainsworth case goes- as much as he may be “just a simple man trying to make his way in the universe”, he has been making serious money from the Star Wars name. Money that has not been paid to Lucas.
Ainsworth may have helped design these costumes (then again he may not) and he may deserve to sell these designs, however he is making thousands of pounds (and dollars) and getting free advertising due to the Star Wars brand.
I don’t blame Lucas for suing, he likes to make sure that he is aware of what products have the Star Wars name, as he is accountable at the end of the day. A Lucasfilm spokesman said:
“We would never want to discourage fans from showcasing their enthusiasm for the movies. However, anyone who tried to profit from using our copyrights and trademarks without authorisation … we will go after them.”
I’d love to know what you Screen Ranters think!
Source: The Guardian, Shepperton Design Studios
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33 Comments
Ahhh,
It’s good to be part of the gang… ;p
I guess we can all be food critics now… just imagine some of the movies IF THEY REALLY WERE a meal you had to eat.
Hmmm, I think I’d be fat and stupid right now with all the movies I’ve watched… but that’s not what I really meant… Cause in that universe no one would get fat watching movies. But, I can imagine some pretty horrible dishes, even dogs would turn their backs on… and I pretty much ate em all…
I watched a movie called Ghost Voyage the other night, that one would have enabled me to sue the chef! No taste, no substance, and a waste of my time to consume.
Last night I saw the the Crow: Whispered Prayer, a new version with the guy who played John Connor in T2, and David Boreanz (Angel) as a psychopath. Sometimes it was ok, but often just tasted weird as flavours clashed. Not well put together and some parts were a bit stale.
Hey, this is fun!
oops, forgot to say totally agree with the Star Wars freshness versus artificial gloss.
In fact the fakeness is spot on for me. I just felt, among many things, the CGI in the prequels was too clean and shiney. When we had real Yoda and troopers and such, they were there, interacting, solid and grimey. The CGI just slide through it all. Almost ethereal for me. No good.
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