My FB Rolling Stone feed showed me this today: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/the-wizard-of-star-wars-20120504 I used to actually have this issue, but it has been years since I read this story. It does help to clear up some issues about where he really planned to go with the series back then. He did mention a prequel movie, but nothing about Anakin Skywalker actually being Darth Vader. It seems pretty clear that he had not even considered this possibility at that ime.
Same thing is going to happen with super hero movies in the not too distant future. BTW, great interview. This is what RS used to be known for. I too remember this issue but I don't recall if I ever read the Lucas piece. I haven't read or heard any recent interviews with him, but it is refreshing to read such straight forward answers to questions. I doubt after 40 years, George gives these kind anymore.
It is pretty astounding to think that Lucas was somehow able to turn this simple "children's movie" into one of the biggest and most influential movies of all time. Hell, if I was a studio head back then, I'd probably think the entire idea was just as ridiculous and unlikely to work as they all did. And up until you see it all mixed together with music, sound, and visual effects, it kinda does look ridiculous.
I thought it was interesting to see him acknowledge that he was making an old-fashioned style melodrama and that lines and phrases were clunky and didn't work.
Had never heard that before about Alec Guinness helping to come up with the idea of Obi-Wan continuing on as part of the Force. And I do wonder how much better the movie could have been if he had been given the extra time and budget he wanted (and no I wouldn't expect another prequel situation, since his story instincts were a lot better back then). Like the interviewer said, you can see a few seams in the movie, but not a whole lot, and nothing that really harms the story. I suppose the effects would have looked even more polished, the aliens a bit more impressive, and props like Artoo would have behaved a bit better. But it's hard to imagine them really needing to fix much else.
What perfectionist tendencies? Not much that I can see; all I see is fans pissed off that he didn't tell the story (in the prequels) the way they wanted it to be.
Are you kidding? He says in the interview that he was unhappy with everything, dialogue, special effects, lighting etc. Even says he wishes he could go back and re-do all the effects(which he did, eventually).
We don't have a problem with the story he told. It was the awful writing and execution of that story.
^Emphasis on the some part. The box office grosses beat all of the whining that the disgruntled fans and critics have about it.
^No, just that people were entertained enough to part with their money to see it, and those people told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on and so on....