Althouse: The director of the best "Star Wars" movie has died.

November 29, 2010

The director of the best "Star Wars" movie has died.

Do you even remember his name?

Irvin Kershner was 87.

35 comments:

MadisonMan said...: Do you even remember his name?

Palin?; 11/29/10, 3:24 PM
Known Unknown said...: Irvin Kershner.; 11/29/10, 3:25 PM
Known Unknown said...: Good article featuring Kershner.

I wish Blogger would update their 2003 commenting system. How hard is it to create link buttons? Or bold or italic buttons?; 11/29/10, 3:27 PM
garage mahal said...: TSA?; 11/29/10, 3:34 PM
MadisonMan said...: I did not remember his name, incidentally, but I did know which movie it was: Empire.

In my defense, I don't remember anyone's name, as a rule. I'm terrible at that.; 11/29/10, 3:37 PM
Anonymous said...: Irvin Kirshner.

Without a doubt, he made Star Wars something for George Lucas to ruin with Jar Jar fucking Binks.; 11/29/10, 3:40 PM
Automatic_Wing said...: Wicket J. Warrick?; 11/29/10, 3:42 PM
Known Unknown said...: Good article featuring Kershner.; 11/29/10, 3:45 PM
Tibore said...: I couldn't recall the full name off the top of my head, but I remember Harrison Ford calling him "Kersh" in one interview, so that's the name that came to mind.

Too bad he didn't helm any of the remaining movies. One of the worst suggestions ever made in filmmaking history was Spielberg's one to Lucas telling Geroge to direct the prequels. That's pretty much why a talented actress like Natalie Portman showed less range and emotion than a turnip in her role. I think Kershner would've been able to get more out of her and the rest of the cast than Lucas did.; 11/29/10, 3:46 PM
Tibore said...: "E.M. Davis said...
Good article featuring Kershner."

Oh, damn... Kersh himself says "Ten years later, I would have said yes to directing one of the prequels. ".

If only. What a missed opportunity. And dammit, Spielberg! I agree with 90% of what you do, but between that and A.I., I have some real bones to pick with you! >:-(; 11/29/10, 3:50 PM
Known Unknown said...: Too bad he didn't helm any of the remaining movies. One of the worst suggestions ever made in filmmaking history was Spielberg's one to Lucas telling Geroge to direct the prequels. That's pretty much why a talented actress like Natalie Portman showed less range and emotion than a turnip in her role. I think Kershner would've been able to get more out of her and the rest of the cast than Lucas did.

It all starts with the script, and Lucas didn't write Empire either. No, a real screenwriter by the name of Lawrence Kasdan wrote Empire.; 11/29/10, 3:52 PM
Indigo Red said...: I've seen turnips perform. Natalie Portman's performance was extraordinary compared to a turnip. I still think any number of Hollywood's qumquats would've been better, though.; 11/29/10, 3:56 PM
bwebster said...: "Do you even remember his name?"

Damn straight I do.; 11/29/10, 4:04 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Wait a minute - you mean Kersh wasn't saved by The Force?

Time for another blog post,...; 11/29/10, 4:25 PM
ricpic said...: Hollywood churns out merchandise. When Harrison Ford improvised "I know" as his response to Princess Leah's "I love you" instead of the scripted "I love you, too" it became a crisis that could only be resolved by screening a preview for the audience reaction to THAT ONE LINE. Kershner knew that "I know" was clearly the better line, Lucas wasn't sure, so the solution was to go to the customer because the customer is always right. No wonder generations of writers have gone mad in Hollywood.; 11/29/10, 4:37 PM
blake said...: EM Davis--

Don't forget Leigh Brackett: A great movie writer, who wrote the Empire script before her death in '78.

In the hands of a real director and a real writer, they could've been brilliant. (Lucas is a real producer.); 11/29/10, 4:41 PM
Tibore said...: "Indigo Red said...
I've seen turnips perform..."

I respectfully suggest you cut back on your alcohol consumption, then.

(*giggles*)

;); 11/29/10, 5:09 PM
Anonymous said...: "When Harrison Ford improvised "I know" as his response to Princess Leah's "I love you" instead of the scripted "I love you, too" it became a crisis that could only be resolved by screening a preview for the audience reaction to THAT ONE LINE."

That's not what Han said. Here's what Han really said.

(He shot first, too!); 11/29/10, 5:31 PM
X said...: New Ham, I hear David O. Selznick's descendants want to redo the end of Gone With The Wind the same way and that those were also Charles Foster Kane's last words.; 11/29/10, 5:59 PM
jr565 said...: New Hussein Ham wrote:
(He shot first, too!)

ISn't that the epitome of why George Lucas is such a lousy filmmaker? HEre he has a bad guy, or at least a rogueish good guy who has no problem dealing with threats before they become imminent, and he turns him into some ballless guy in a vest who has to get shot at to defend himself.
Bull. That Greedo had it coming and Han knew that it was just a matter of time before Greedo pulled on him so he beat him to the punch.
Contrast that with Indiana Jones and his encounter with the guy with the swords. Screw wasting time with the swordsman, he simply shot him and moved on finding Marian.
Yet George Lucas is such a control freak that even though it destroys the character of Han, even though it looks really cheesy he wont even have the scene released where Han shot Greedo as one of the outtakes. With instincts like that is it any wonder that all the prequels sucked?; 11/29/10, 6:24 PM
blake said...: Note that the Indy-shoots-swordsman scene was also improvised by the ailing Ford.; 11/29/10, 6:27 PM
Smilin' Jack said...: "The director of the best "Star Wars" movie has died."

In other news, the world's tallest midget has also died.; 11/29/10, 6:58 PM
Trooper York said...: Always with the midgets.; 11/29/10, 7:14 PM
Mark said...: I'm loath to defend Lucas, but I feel compelled to point out that he's actually a damned fine director of action sequences, particularly of the one-on-many variety. The prequels would have been decent movies with a decent editor and a producer willing to crack the whip on his director. Unfortunately....; 11/29/10, 7:34 PM
Known Unknown said...: Red Letter Media's amazing takedowns/reviews of the prequels are not to be missed.; 11/29/10, 7:35 PM
Known Unknown said...: I'm loath to defend Lucas, but I feel compelled to point out that he's actually a damned fine director of action sequences, particularly of the one-on-many variety. The prequels would have been decent movies with a decent editor and a producer willing to crack the whip on his director. Unfortunately....

They sorely lacked a decent writer most of all.; 11/29/10, 7:36 PM
Known Unknown said...: I will defend Lucas on his passion and aptitude in getting the series on the screen in the first place. And also on almost single-handedly revolutionizing the industry with technology like the motion-control camera.

Without Lucas, someone else would have eventually pioneered enhanced movie effects, but he is basically the father of the modern movie effect.; 11/29/10, 8:24 PM
holdfast said...: So Nielsen and Kershner. Who's number three?; 11/29/10, 8:50 PM
AST said...: I wonder if Lucas' announcement that he will produce the final three "episodes" had something to do with this.

Without Lucas, someone else would have eventually pioneered enhanced movie effects, but he is basically the father of the modern movie effect.; 11/29/10, 9:34 PM
Unknown said...: Neither was OBi Wan Kenobi Or Anakin or the emperor or the full schoool of Jedis; 11/29/10, 10:12 PM
themightypuck said...: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is easily the best Star Wars movie.; 11/29/10, 11:46 PM
Skyler said...: The first movie was remarkable only because of the new style of special effects. Empire was a good movie all by itself. All the rest had good moments and were enjoyable at some level but were otherwise flawed enough that I always left expecting more. Empire is the only one to deliver on the hype.; 11/30/10, 1:43 AM
Skyler said...: But I'll say that the sword fight with Darth Maul and Obiwan and Qui Gon is one of the best ever filmed. If they had left out the pod race and that idiotic duck billed Binks, episode 1 would have been very excellent.; 11/30/10, 1:50 AM
Known Unknown said...: episode 1 would have been very excellent.

Except it had no protagonist. Young Anakin isn't introduced until halfway into the film — and it's not even his story yet. It also contained too much Trade Federation bullshit better left off screen.; 11/30/10, 8:54 AM
Anonymous said...: It also contained too much Trade Federation bullshit better left off screen.

"Noot Gunray", haw haw, get it?

What a towering intellect.; 12/1/10, 1:59 AM