What previous works was Star Wars influenced by?
George Lucas' epic space opera Star Wars was released theatrically on May 25, 1977. It became a financial triumph (by earning a total of $775 million and becoming the third highest-grossing film, when adjusted for inflation) and a critical success (by receiving ten Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and winning seven).
I assume that George Lucas was influenced by previous movies/books. Can you name where some of those exact inspirations have originated from?
Best Answer
Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress is a well known influence.
Lucas has mentioned it numerous times. I recall it was the inspiration for Leah.
Pictures about "What previous works was Star Wars influenced by?"
What was Star Wars influenced by?
Specifically, Star Wars has been heavily influenced by Japanese culture, especially samurai history and other iconography of the feudal Edo period that lasted from the early 17th century through the mid-19th century.What was Star Wars originally based on?
It's a brilliantly unconventional angle for a galaxy-spanning sci-fi adventure, but George Lucas, the writer-director of Star Wars, didn't have to think too hard to come up with it. As he has often acknowledged, he simply borrowed the idea from Akira Kurosawa's 1958 samurai classic, The Hidden Fortress.What movies were inspired by Star Wars?
10 Movies That Star Wars Obviously InfluencedWas Star Wars influenced by 2001?
The realistic spacecraft from Star Wars were influenced by the film 2001: A Space Odyssey and the television program Space: 1999, both of which used techniques developed for the television program Thunderbirds.Star Wars - A Saga of Influence
More answers regarding what previous works was Star Wars influenced by?
Answer 2
The final attack sequence on the Death Star has some striking resemblances to the film '633 Squadron'. The film ends with an attack by Mosquito fighter bombers on a German controlled plant in Norway manufacturing heavy water needed for atomic bomb experiments. This requires them to fly along a fjord at a low level very fast and hit a precise area to destroy the plant. They come under attack from both AA guns along the fjord walls and German fighters.
Answer 3
Akira Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress was a major influence on Star Wars, it could be argued that Star Wars IS a science fiction remake of Hidden Fortress.
I read a magazine dedicated to this subject years ago. Originally George Lucas wanted to make a Flash Gordon film but was unable to secure the rights, so he invented his own "Original" universe utilising all his influences: Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Samurai Films, Westerns, Pirate films, World War II films. Science fiction literature: The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, Dune by Frank Herbert, Lord of the Rings. Lucas was quite open about it and you can see all these influences in the films.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ella Pix, Gotta Be Worth It, Dids, Ankit Patel