George Lucas: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

George Lucas built Star Wars out of Saturday-matinee serials, Kurosawa, comparative mythology and — less famously — the Bay Area experimental film underground he haunted as a USC student. This mix traces that lineage from Flash Gordon cliffhangers and Arthur Lipsett collage films through the Zoetrope/Marin scene, into the blockbuster grammar his successors inherited.

The Kynda mix for George Lucas

• Key Influence · The Hidden Fortress by Akira Kurosawa (1958). Lucas has repeatedly credited Kurosawa's jidaigeki as the structural spine of Star Wars: a story told from the viewpoint of two bickering lowly peasants escorting a princess through enemy territory became C-3PO and R2-D2 shepherding Leia's mission. The wipe transitions, the general-and-retainer dynamic behind Obi-Wan, and the samurai bearing of the Jedi all descend from Kurosawa, whom Lucas later helped champion to Western audiences.
• Influencia Obscura · 21-87 by Arthur Lipsett (1963). Lipsett's seven-minute NFB collage of found footage and scavenged audio was shown to Lucas at USC and became his touchstone for sound-driven, non-narrative cinema. The title supplied THX 1138's prison-cell designation 'THX 1138 4EB / cell 2187' and later Leia's cell number, 2187. A voice on the soundtrack musing that many people feel a force behind the mechanics of life prefigures the Force itself; Lucas has called the film a lasting influence.
• Local Roots · Big Wednesday by John Milius (1978). Milius was Lucas's USC classmate and closest sparring partner in the film-school generation; he co-created the Indiana Jones character premise with Lucas and Spielberg and wrote on Apocalypse Now, the Vietnam project Lucas originally planned to direct. Big Wednesday is Milius's own autobiographical Southern California youth film — surfers aging out of paradise — the mirror image of Lucas's Modesto cruising elegy.
• Beyond the Medium · The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (1949). Campbell's comparative-mythology study of the monomyth — call to adventure, supernatural mentor, descent, return — gave Lucas the scaffolding he used to rewrite his sprawling space-opera drafts into Luke's initiation. The two men became friends, and Lucas hosted Campbell at Skywalker Ranch for the Bill Moyers conversations that made the book famous to a mass audience. Myth scholarship entering pulp adventure is the key crossing in his work.
• Peer · Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Steven Spielberg (1977). Lucas and Spielberg met through the early-seventies New Hollywood circuit and famously swapped points in each other's 1977 films; Lucas was so convinced Star Wars would flop that he traded a percentage for a share of Close Encounters. Their Hawaiian beach conversation after Star Wars opened produced Raiders of the Lost Ark. Spielberg's awe-struck suburban UFO epic is the companion piece to Lucas's mythic one.
• From the Canon · THX 1138 by George Lucas (1971). Expanded from his USC prize-winning short, Lucas's debut is the key to everything after: a cold, white, sound-saturated dystopia built from abstract montage and ambient chatter rather than plot, made under Coppola's Zoetrope banner and recut by Warner Bros. Its commercial failure pushed Lucas toward populism, but its obsessions — surveillance, machine voices, immersive sound design — resurface throughout Star Wars and in his founding of THX.
• Key Collaborator · Jaws by John Williams (1975). Spielberg recommended Williams to Lucas, who wanted a late-Romantic orchestral score rather than electronics, and Williams' Star Wars music — recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, built on leitmotif in the Korngold and Wagner tradition — became inseparable from the films and revived symphonic scoring industry-wide. Jaws, the score that won him the job, shows the same gift for a few notes that organize an entire picture.
• Legacy · Super 8 by J.J. Abrams (2011). Abrams grew up on Star Wars, was hired by Lucasfilm under Disney to direct The Force Awakens, and built that film as explicit homage to the 1977 original's desert-scavenger opening and practical creature work. Super 8 is his own prior love letter to the Lucas–Spielberg era: small-town kids with a camera, a wide-eyed Amblin register, and the belief that a childhood spent reverse-engineering those blockbusters is itself a subject.

What influenced George Lucas

• Akira Kurosawa (1910). George Lucas revered Kurosawa and considered him a role model. (also via Star Wars, The Hidden Fortress) “Lucas, like many other New Hollywood directors, revered Kurosawa and considered him a role model” (Wikipedia)
• Federico Fellini (1920). George Lucas listed among filmmakers who cited Fellini's influence. (also via 8½, I Vitelloni)
• The Hidden Fortress by Akira Kurosawa. The Hidden Fortress (Akira Kurosawa) — titan for George Lucas (also via Star Wars) “it is one of several major influences on George Lucas 's 1977 space opera , Star Wars” (Wikipedia)
• The Searchers by John Ford (1956). The Searchers (John Ford) — titan for George Lucas “The Searchers has exerted a wide influence on film and popular culture—it has inspired (and been directly quoted by) many filmmakers including David Lean and George Lucas” (Wikipedia)
• 21-87 by Arthur Lipsett (1963). 21-87 (Arthur Lipsett) — ghost for George Lucas “Lucas saw many inspiring films in class, particularly the visual films coming out of the National Film Board of Canada like Arthur Lipsett 's 21-87 , cameraman Jean-Claude Labrecque 's cinéma vérité 60 Cycles” (Wikipedia)
• Bruce Conner. Conner is named among the filmmakers whose screenings interested Lucas. (also via A Movie) “At this time, Lucas became interested in Canyon Cinema : screenings of underground , avant-garde 16 mm film-makers like Jordan Belson , Stan Brakhage and Bruce Conner .” (Wikipedia)
• Joseph Campbell. Campbell's writings inspired Star Wars's religious and mythical themes. (via Star Wars, The Hero with a Thousand Faces) “The religious and mythical themes in Star Wars were inspired by Lucas's interest in the writings of mythologist Joseph Campbell” (Wikipedia)
• Flash Gordon by Frederick Stephani (1936). Flash Gordon (Frederick Stephani) — titan for George Lucas “Lucas then set his sights on adapting Flash Gordon , an adventure serial from his childhood that he fondly remembered. When he was unable to obtain the rights, he set out to write an original space adventure that would eventually become …” (Wikipedia)
• A Movie by Bruce Conner (1958). A Movie (Bruce Conner) — ghost for George Lucas “At this time, Lucas became interested in Canyon Cinema: screenings of underground, avant-garde 16 mm film-makers like Jordan Belson, Stan Brakhage and Bruce Conner.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (1949). The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell) — culture for George Lucas “The religious and mythical themes in Star Wars were inspired by Lucas's interest in the writings of mythologist Joseph Campbell, and he would eventually come to identify strongly with the Eastern religious philosophies he studied and inc…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard. The article identifies Breathless among the films Lucas encountered while exploring cinema. “Lucas and childhood friend John Plummer also saw classic European films of the time, including Jean-Luc Godard 's Breathless , François Truffaut 's Jules et Jim and Federico Fellini 's 8½ .” (Wikipedia)
• Jules et Jim by François Truffaut. The article identifies Jules et Jim among the films Lucas encountered while exploring cinema. “Lucas and childhood friend John Plummer also saw classic European films of the time, including Jean-Luc Godard 's Breathless , François Truffaut 's Jules et Jim and Federico Fellini 's 8½ .” (Wikipedia)
• 8½ by Federico Fellini (1963). The article identifies 8½ among the films Lucas encountered while exploring cinema. “Lucas and childhood friend John Plummer also saw classic European films of the time, including Jean-Luc Godard 's Breathless , François Truffaut 's Jules et Jim and Federico Fellini 's 8½ .” (Wikipedia)
• Jordan Belson. Belson is named among the filmmakers whose screenings interested Lucas. “At this time, Lucas became interested in Canyon Cinema : screenings of underground , avant-garde 16 mm film-makers like Jordan Belson , Stan Brakhage and Bruce Conner .” (Wikipedia)
• Stan Brakhage. Brakhage is named among the filmmakers whose screenings interested Lucas. “At this time, Lucas became interested in Canyon Cinema : screenings of underground , avant-garde 16 mm film-makers like Jordan Belson , Stan Brakhage and Bruce Conner .” (Wikipedia)
• Lester Novros. Lucas studied in Novros's course, which the article calls deeply influential. “Lucas was deeply influenced by the filmic expression course taught at the school by film-maker Lester Novros which concentrated on the non-narrative elements of film form like color, light, movement, space and time.” (Wikipedia)
• Slavko Vorkapich. The article explicitly names Vorkapich as another inspiration for Lucas. “Another inspiration was the Serbian montagist (and dean of the U.S.C. Film Department) Slavko Vorkapich , a film theoretician who made stunning montage sequences for Hollywood studio features at MGM , RKO , and Paramount .” (Wikipedia)
• 60 Cycles by Jean-Claude Labrecque. Labrecque's 60 Cycles is named among films Lucas found inspiring. “Lucas saw many inspiring films in class, particularly the visual films coming out of the National Film Board of Canada like Arthur Lipsett 's 21-87 , cameraman Jean-Claude Labrecque 's cinéma vérité 60 Cycles” (Wikipedia)
• Norman McLaren. McLaren's work is listed among Lucas's inspiring classroom discoveries. “Lucas saw many inspiring films in class, particularly the visual films coming out of the National Film Board of Canada like Arthur Lipsett 's 21-87 , cameraman Jean-Claude Labrecque 's cinéma vérité 60 Cycles , the work of Norman McLaren…” (Wikipedia)
• Claude Jutra. Jutra's documentaries are listed among the films Lucas found inspiring. “Lucas saw many inspiring films in class, particularly the visual films coming out of the National Film Board of Canada like Arthur Lipsett 's 21-87 , cameraman Jean-Claude Labrecque 's cinéma vérité 60 Cycles , the work of Norman McLaren…” (Wikipedia)
• Saul Bass. Lucas worked under designer Saul Bass. “He began working under movie and logo designer Saul Bass and film editor Verna Fields for the United States Information Agency , where he met his future wife Marcia Griffin .” (Wikipedia)
• Verna Fields. Lucas worked under film editor Verna Fields. “He began working under movie and logo designer Saul Bass and film editor Verna Fields for the United States Information Agency , where he met his future wife Marcia Griffin .” (Wikipedia)
• Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner. DJ Spooky claims Breil's Wagnerian scoring technique influenced later Hollywood film scores. (via Star Wars) “He has also cited Breil's use of music by Wagner as influential on subsequent Hollywood films, including Star Wars (1977) and Apocalypse Now (1979).” (Wikipedia)
• New Family In Town by Garry Marshall. The casting of Ron Howard in American Graffiti was influenced by his performance in Marshall's earlier pilot New Family In Town. (via American Graffiti) “And his casting director called me up when they were finally ready to shoot it and asked me could he see my pilot because he wanted to see Ron Howard's performance as a '50s character.” (Fresh Air (WHYY/NPR))
• 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick (1968). The article describes 2001: A Space Odyssey as an inspiration for the original Star Wars film. (via Star Wars) “Whilst initially wanting to use tracks and film music in a similar manner to 2001: A Space Odyssey , which served as the inspiration for the film, Williams advised against this” (Wikipedia)
• A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1912). A Princess of Mars (Edgar Rice Burroughs) — culture for George Lucas (openlibrary.org)
• Dune. Dune (Frank Herbert) — culture for George Lucas (openlibrary.org)
• Forbidden Planet by Fred M. Wilcox (1956). Star Wars (George Lucas) — legacy for Forbidden Planet (via Star Wars) (themoviedb.org)

Peers and kindred spirits

• Francis Ford Coppola. Lucas and Coppola established a film studio together. (also via THX 1138, American Zoetrope) “Valentine asks Coppola about American Zoetrope's current production, the science fiction movie 'THX 1138' and he explains it was: "Directed by a very young director, a boy named George Lucas.” (DIVA, San Francisco State University)
• Steven Spielberg (1946). Lucas worked with Spielberg on multiple Indiana Jones films. (also via Close Encounters of the Third Kind) “With director Steven Spielberg , he created, produced, and co-wrote Indiana Jones films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989) and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)” (Wikipedia)
• Dave Filoni. Filoni collaborated closely with Lucas on developing Star Wars: The Clone Wars. “Filoni realized a lifelong dream in 2005 when he was selected by George Lucas to help build Lucasfilm’s animation studio from the ground up and create the company’s first series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars .” (Lucasfilm)
• Jonathan Hales. Lucas hired Hales to polish the Episode II screenplay. “He didn't just polish dialogues. He worked intensively with Lucas to build a story from the basic plotline that George had already written...” (TheForce.Net)
• Labyrinth. Labyrinth is listed among Lucas's executive-producer projects. “The initial phase of Skywalker Ranch’s construction is finished while Lucasfilm supports independent filmmakers on productions including Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (released 1984), Latino , Howard the Duck , and Labyrinth (both rel…” (Lucasfilm)
• Willow. Willow is listed among Lucas's executive-producer projects. “At the time, nearly a decade had passed since Howard had directed the Warwick Davis-starring film about the eponymous sorcerer, one of Lucas’ creations.” (Lucasfilm)
• Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is listed among Lucas's executive-producer projects. “George went in there and said that he wanted Warner Brothers to pick up the other 50 percent [of "Mishima"] and make this with him, Francis, and me,” (IndieWire)
• John Williams. Lucas collaborated with Williams across the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films. (also via Jaws) “Lucas is also known for his collaboration with composer John Williams , who was recommended to him by Spielberg, and with whom he has worked for all films in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.” (Wikipedia)
• Big Wednesday by John Milius (1978). Big Wednesday (John Milius) — geography for George Lucas “Along with classmates such as Walter Murch, Caleb Deschanel, Hal Barwood, John Milius and Matthew Robbins, they became a clique of film students known as The Dirty Dozen.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Steven Spielberg. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg) — peer for George Lucas “With director Steven Spielberg, he created, produced, and co-wrote Indiana Jones films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989) and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and served as an execu…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Mean Streets by Martin Scorsese (1973). Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese) — peer for George Lucas “He also became good friends with fellow acclaimed student film-maker and future Indiana Jones collaborator, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Carrie by Brian De Palma. Carrie (Brian De Palma) — peer for George Lucas “Pre-production for the film had coincided with the casting process for George Lucas' Star Wars, and many of the actors cast in De Palma's film had been earmarked as contenders for Lucas' movie, and vice versa.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Dark Crystal by Jim Henson (1982). The Dark Crystal (Jim Henson) — collaborator for George Lucas “Projects where Lucas was credited as executive producer and sometimes story writer in this period include Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980), John Korty's Twice Upon a Time (1983), Ewoks: Caravan of Courage (1984), Ewoks: Battle for Endor (1985…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese) — collaborator for George Lucas “He also became good friends with fellow acclaimed student film-maker and future Indiana Jones collaborator, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Lucasfilm. Lucas founded Lucasfilm. “Lucas founded a film production company Lucasfilm in 1971, [ 86 ] and incorporated as Lucasfilm Ltd. on September 12, 1977.” (Wikipedia)
• American Zoetrope. Lucas and Coppola co-founded American Zoetrope. “After graduating from the University of Southern California in 1967, Lucas moved to San Francisco and co-founded American Zoetrope with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola .” (Wikipedia)
• Industrial Light & Magic. Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic. “Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic in 1975, he wanted his 1977 film Star Wars to include visual effects that had never been seen on film before.” (Wikipedia)
• LucasArts. The article credits Lucas with founding LucasArts. “He created the Star Wars franchise and its fictional universe , the Indiana Jones franchise, and founded Lucasfilm , LucasArts , Industrial Light & Magic , and THX .” (Wikipedia)
• THX. Lucas co-founded THX with Tomlinson Holman. “Also in 1983, Lucas and Tomlinson Holman founded the audio company THX .” (Wikipedia)
• Sunrise Productions. Lucas formed Sunrise Productions with Randal Kleiser and Chris Lewis. “Lucas, Kleiser and Lewis then formed a short-lived production company called Sunrise Productions with offices on Sunset Boulevard.” (Wikipedia)
• The Star Wars Corporation. Lucas founded the Star Wars Corporation as a subsidiary. “Lucas founded the Star Wars Corporation, Inc. as a subsidiary to control various legal and financial aspects of Star Wars (1977), [ 89 ] including copyright, and sequel and merchandising rights.” (Wikipedia)
• Lawrence Kasdan. Lucas shared a screenwriting credit with Kasdan on Return of the Jedi. “while receiving a story credit on the former and sharing a screenwriting credit with Lawrence Kasdan on the latter.” (Wikipedia)
• Jeff Nathanson. Lucas and Nathanson collaborated as writers on The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. “Lucas collaborated with Jeff Nathanson as a writer of the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , directed by Steven Spielberg.” (Wikipedia)
• Kagemusha. Kagemusha is listed among projects for which Lucas received an executive-producer credit. “Projects where Lucas was credited as executive producer and sometimes story writer in this period include Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980), John Korty 's Twice Upon a Time (1983)” (Wikipedia)
• The Land Before Time. The Land Before Time appears in the article's list of Lucas's executive-producer projects. “Coppola's Captain EO (1986), Ron Howard 's Willow (1988), Don Bluth 's The Land Before Time (1988), and the Indiana Jones television prequel spinoff The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–93).” (Wikipedia)
• Michael Jackson. Jackson worked with Lucas on Captain EO. “Jackson worked with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on a 17-minute, $30 million 3D film , Captain EO , which ran from 1986 at Disneyland and Epcot , and later at Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disneyland .” (Wikipedia)
• Captain EO. Lucas executive-produced Captain EO. “In 1986, Coppola directed Captain EO , a 17-minute space fantasy for Disney theme parks , executive produced by George Lucas and starring Michael Jackson .” (Wikipedia)
• Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry (1966). Star Trek and Star Wars are frequently compared as rival science fiction franchises. (via Star Wars) “The franchise has also garnered many comparisons of the Star Wars franchise being rivals in the science fiction genre with many fans and scholars” (Wikipedia)
• Sofia Coppola (1971). American Graffiti (George Lucas) — geography for Sofia Coppola (via American Graffiti) “However, she did appear in the independent film Inside Monkey Zetterland (1992), as well as in the backgrounds of films by her friends and family (for example, she appeared as Saché, one of Queen Padmé Amidala's five handmaidens, in Geor…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Black Stallion by Carroll Ballard (1979). The Black Stallion (Carroll Ballard) — geography for George Lucas (themoviedb.org)
• The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by John Korty (1974). The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (John Korty) — geography for George Lucas “Projects where Lucas was credited as executive producer and sometimes story writer in this period include Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980), John Korty's Twice Upon a Time (1983), Ewoks: Caravan of Courage (1984), Ewoks: Battle for Endor (1985…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Jaws by John Williams (1975). Jaws (John Williams) — collaborator for George Lucas “Lucas is also known for his collaboration with composer John Williams, who was recommended to him by Spielberg, and with whom he has worked for all films in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.” (en.wikipedia.org)

Who George Lucas influenced

• Garry Marshall (1934). American Graffiti (George Lucas) — culture for Garry Marshall (via American Graffiti, New Family In Town) (themoviedb.org)
• Super 8 by J.J. Abrams (2011). Super 8 (J.J. Abrams) — legacy for George Lucas “Despite its strong box office performance and positive reviews, the film was considered by some, including Star Wars creator George Lucas, to be too similar to the original 1977 film.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Avatar. Avatar (James Cameron) — legacy for George Lucas “The series featured interviews with guests including Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Christopher Nolan.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Ridley Scott (1937). Star Wars influenced Scott's decision to make Alien. (via Star Wars) “after seeing Star Wars , he became convinced of the potential of large-scale, effects-driven films.” (Wikipedia)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The success of Star Wars prompted Paramount to greenlight the Star Trek film. (via Star Wars) “Following the success of the science fiction movies Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind , Paramount adapted the planned pilot episode of Phase II into the feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (Wikipedia)
• I Vitelloni by Federico Fellini. I Vitelloni is stated to have influenced American Graffiti. (via American Graffiti) “George Lucas 's American Graffiti (1974), Joel Schumacher 's St. Elmo's Fire (1985), and Barry Levinson 's Diner (1982), among many others.” (Wikipedia)
• Doctor Who by Sydney Newman. Producer Philip Hinchcliffe states that the release of Star Wars made Doctor Who's production values appear outdated. (via Star Wars) “Star Wars in a way was the turning point. Once Star Wars had happened, Doctor Who effectively was out of date from that moment on really, judged by that level of technological expertise.” (Wikipedia)
• Trey Parker (1969). Parker cites Star Wars as a formative, almost religious influence that shaped his worldview and the show. (via Star Wars) “I grew up, and it was part of what ended up in the show, too. I grew up with the religion basically of "Star Wars,"” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The Force Awakens cantina song is described as an homage to the original film’s cantina scene and song. (via Star Wars) “writing a song for the scene in Maz Kanata 's cantina, an homage to the classic Mos Eisley Cantina scene and song by Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes .” (Wikipedia)
• Used. Used references the Star Wars character Obi-Wan. (via Star Wars) “in the song "Used", SZA makes a reference to Obi-Wan , the Jedi Master from Star Wars ;” (Wikipedia)
• Janelle Monáe (1985). The page names Star Wars among the influences in its discussion of Monáe’s work. (via Star Wars) “Other influences include Blade Runner and Star Wars .” (Wikipedia)
• Risk: Star Wars: Clone Wars Edition. This Risk edition is explicitly set in the Star Wars universe. (via Star Wars) “Risk: Star Wars: Clone Wars Edition (2005) – Set in the Star Wars universe during the Clone Wars .” (Wikipedia)
• Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition. The edition's title and described setting connect it to Star Wars. (via Star Wars) “Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition (2006) – Set during the Galactic Civil War , players play as the Galactic Empire , the Rebel Alliance , or the Hutts .” (Wikipedia)
• Clerks by Kevin Smith (1994). Clerks (Kevin Smith) — legacy for George Lucas (themoviedb.org)