What If David Lynch Directed ROTJ?

[Kenoshi]

I've read that David Lynch was approached to direct Return of the Jedi but he turned down the job so he could direct Dune instead. After seeing Wild at Heart the other night, right about at the point where Nicholas Cage's character has the vision of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, I wondered just how weird Return of the Jedi would have been had Lynch accepted the job.

So that is the question I pose to all of you: How would Return of the Jedi have been different if David Lynch had directed it? Yoda talking to logs? Luke having mind bending visions while meditating on the Force? The ghost of Obi Wan Kenobi talking backwards? Jabba the Hutt channeling Frank Booth?

Have at it.

[Stofsk]

[VT-16]

I remember he did the Elephant Man in 1980, and it wasn't that weird, compared to most of his output. Dunno what he would have done with ROTJ.

[Glocksman]

It might have been somewhat different in style, but I doubt if Lucas would have let him make the the wholesale changes necessary to make it a classic 'Lynch' film in the style of Blue Velvet or Dune.

[Vympel]

Lucas still did some directing of RotJ. The commentary on the DVD is clear on that- his criticism of himself for putting two characters dressed in dark colours in a dark setting, for example (Luke hiding from Vader).

[Lord Revan]

Lucas still did some directing of RotJ. The commentary on the DVD is clear on that- his criticism of himself for putting two characters dressed in dark colours in a dark setting, for example (Luke hiding from Vader).

the documentary also in the DVDs said that Lucas had to spend some time directing the director.

[Srynerson]

So that is the question I pose to all of you: How would Return of the Jedi have been different if David Lynch had directed it?

As pointed out by others, it's unlikely that Lucas would have allowed any significant changes, but I do suspect that the Ewok scenes might have had fewer slapstick moments and more of a sense of jeopardy.

[Adrian Laguna]

As pointed out by others, it's unlikely that Lucas would have allowed any significant changes, but I do suspect that the Ewok scenes might have had fewer slapstick moments and more of a sense of jeopardy.

That would have probably made the movie better. That is, assuming no other parts of the movie are screwed around with.

[Elfdart]

I remember an interview with Richard Marquand where he said directing for Lucas was like directing Shakespeare -if the Bard was constantly looking over his shoulder.

[Plekhanov]

I remember an interview with Richard Marquand where he said directing for Lucas was like directing Shakespeare -if the Bard was constantly looking over his shoulder.

and also a much, much poorer writer of dialogue… much as I love starwars I’m having some difficultly with the concept of equating Lucas and Shakespeare.

[Tychu]

I remember an interview with Richard Marquand where he said directing for Lucas was like directing Shakespeare -if the Bard was constantly looking over his shoulder.

and also a much, much poorer writer of dialogue… much as I love starwars I’m having some difficultly with the concept of equating Lucas and Shakespeare.

thats easy if you take in the acount of the early Harrison Ford quote while i think he was filming ESB that he said "You can write this stuff but cant speak it"

try speaking Shakespearian literature today infront of a large audiance, its quite hard

[Plekhanov]

I remember an interview with Richard Marquand where he said directing for Lucas was like directing Shakespeare -if the Bard was constantly looking over his shoulder.

and also a much, much poorer writer of dialogue… much as I love starwars I’m having some difficultly with the concept of equating Lucas and Shakespeare.

thats easy if you take in the acount of the early Harrison Ford quote while i think he was filming ESB that he said "You can write this stuff but cant speak it"

try speaking Shakespearian literature today infront of a large audiance, its quite hard

That's more than a little unfair, seeing as how Shakespeare wrote his stuff 400 years ago it's hardly suprising that people today sometimes have bit of difficulty with it

[Ghost Rider]

I remember an interview with Richard Marquand where he said directing for Lucas was like directing Shakespeare -if the Bard was constantly looking over his shoulder.

and also a much, much poorer writer of dialogue… much as I love starwars I’m having some difficultly with the concept of equating Lucas and Shakespeare.

thats easy if you take in the acount of the early Harrison Ford quote while i think he was filming ESB that he said "You can write this stuff but cant speak it"

try speaking Shakespearian literature today infront of a large audiance, its quite hard

You have got to be shitting me?

Because one director made the analogy of Lucas and Shakespeare...you equate this to similiar styles? Did you even fucking read the entire quote...y'know the part of LOOKING OVER THE SHOULDER?!

Hell, Harrison's quote was plain as day. Lucas wants images evoked but his execution of dialogue sucks. So unless you want to apply that to Shakespeare IN HIS DAY, you're talking out your ass or you have no fucking clue what you're bleating.

[Joe]

Lucas didn't write ESB or RoTJ, anyway. That's why the dialogue is less cringe-worthy than the prequels.

[Elfdart]

I remember an interview with Richard Marquand where he said directing for Lucas was like directing Shakespeare -if the Bard was constantly looking over his shoulder.

and also a much, much poorer writer of dialogue… much as I love starwars I’m having some difficultly with the concept of equating Lucas and Shakespeare.

I don't think Marquand meant it as a compliment. Most directors if the last 40 years have bought into all that "director-as-auteur" bullshit, which is why Lucas settled on Marquand.

[Elfdart]

Lucas didn't write ESB or RoTJ, anyway. That's why the dialogue is less cringe-worthy than the prequels.

Bullshit. The credits on ROTJ list Lucas and Kasdan as co-screenwriters. According to an interview with Lawrence Kasdan by Michael Sragow, Kasdan didn't do all that much on TESB because he was brought in as a script doctor at the last minute. He always considered his script for Raiders of the Lost Ark his "baby" and TESB as Lucas'. Leigh Brackett had nothing to do with the script, either:

Stephen Haffner

I've just finished reading the Salon.com article on Lucas' material, and
insofar as Leigh Brackett is concerned my response is "bullshit."
Mega-super bullshit.

I've read the first draft screenplay that Leigh Brackett wrote (called
alternately STAR WARS II and STAR WARS SEQUEL) and while it adheres to
the three-chapter outline (Ice Planet-Swamp Planet/Asteroid Belt-Cloud
Planet) given to LB by Lucas in 1978 (supplemented by lengthy telephone
interviews between GL & LB with Lucas role-playing several different
characters) the draft that she turned in is near-unfilmable and at
variance with what was ultimately done in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

I think EMPIRE is a great film and I obviously admire LB's work, but her
STAR WARS II script, while it has more than a few wonderful moments, it
fatally flawed. For one thing, the "Force" is much more prominent, and
is essentially an additional character in the film, giving the
screenplay an over-abundance of supernatural and spiritual overtones.
Also, no sod is sewn over the "Vader is Luke's father" scheme.
Nothing. Brackett's trademark rapid-fire dialogue is present between
Han-Luke-Leia, but the romance is missing, and Han Solo exists in the
script only to pilot the Millennium Falcon and tell everybody that he
has to meet up with an old mentor before paying off Jabba the Hut
(sic). In fact, Han never gets to meet this dutch-uncle, and leaves the
film at the end to do so. No Boba Fett. No carbonite freezing
chamber. A proto-Lando is present, and a proto-Yoda (called Minch in
the script) guides Luke through his Jedi training. The asteroid chase
is brief, and Han, Chewie, Leia and 3PO simply rendezvous with the Rebel
fleet. A second draft using Brackett's material could have been
attempted, but Lucas gave the same three-chapter synopsis to Kasdan and
the result is the final film.

For some reason, it has become fashionable to slag-off Lawrence Kasdan
and his work on RAIDERS and JEDI, as well as diminishing BODY HEAT, BIG
CHILL and SILVERADO. Maybe having worked so much with Lucas and Kevin
Costner, and with their clout currently tarnished (Lucas for PHANTOM
MENACE and Costner for, well, take your pick post-DANCES WITH WOLVES)
that Kasdan is an easy target.

Sorry for the rant, but in the past few years I've heard any number of
people tell me how MUCH BETTER "EMPIRE" would be if Lucas had used the
original Brackett screenplay. The reality is that only a few people
have read that screenplay (my guess is less than 15 or so) and EMPIRE is
a better film for not using it. It is to Lucas' credit that he enjoyed
working with Leigh enough that he let Kasdan know the he could only get
co-screenplay credit as Lucas wanted Brackett's estate to benefit from
EMPIRE's success--if any. Fortunately, the executors of the
Hamilton-Brackett estate confirm that Lucas and his people have more
than done right, financially, by Leigh's contribution, and her name is
on the film to this day. Although, I'm told that EMPIRE was pothumously
dedicated to LB, but none of the tapes ('80 or re-worked '97 editions) I
own have any such note.

Stephen Haffner
HAFFNER PRESS

More

FWIW, Leigh Brackett turned in the first draft of TESB (her cover page
reads: STAR WARS SEQUEL) in February of 1978 before dying of cancer
weeks later on March 24th.

While she wrote her script from story notes and telephone interviews
with Lucas, none (I repeat NONE!) of her contributions were utilized in
subsequent drafts or the final script. I've read her script and
although I'm a big Brackett fan (in 2002 I published a 500-page book of
her earliest stories), her screenplay is pretty bad.

Lucas enjoyed working with Brackett and wanted her name on the film and he ensured that her estate would benefit from the finished product.
I've read a letter written by Richard C. Jones, then-attorney for
Brackett's estate and he is effusive on how above-board and reputable
Lucas is.

Grist for the mill,

Stephen Haffner
Big Poobah
HAFFNER PRESS

So all the people whining about how Lucas should have used the people who wrote the OT should keep in mind that for the most part, he did: himself.

[NecronLord]

I suspect the slaughter of ewoks by stormtroopers would be explicit, rather than implicit.

[VT-16]

IIRC, Leigh Brackett was credited mostly because she had died right before the movie opened, so it was more of a gesture towards her as a person, rather than actually having anything she wrote, end up in the movie.

EDIT, ok so it was right after writing her version of the script. Sorry.