George Lucas on Kershner’s passing
Monday, November 29th, 2010 at 1:37 pm Category: In Memoriam, News, Star Wars, TopWe have an official statement on the passing of Irvin Kershner straight from George Lucas:
The world has lost a great director and one of the most genuine people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Irvin Kershner was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. When I think of Kersh, I think of his warmth, his thoughtfulness and his talent. I knew him from USC – I attended his lectures and he was actually on the festival panel that gave the prize to my THX short. I considered him a mentor.
Following Star Wars, I knew one thing for sure: I didn’t want to direct the second movie myself. I needed someone I could trust, someone I really admired and whose work had maturity and humor. That was Kersh all over. I didn’t want Empire to turn into just another sequel, another episode in a series of space adventures. I was trying to build something, and I knew Kersh was the guy to help me do it. He brought so much to the table. I am truly grateful to him.
He was a friend as well as a colleague. He will be missed.
You can read my thoughts about his passing here.
Responses to “George Lucas on Kershner’s passing”
That guy…was a symbolic artist.
He truly will be missed.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Kershner.
RIP Mr. Kershner. A very gifted movie director/story teller that will be missed. I am so glad to have seen him at the Monterey Film Festival last year and hear his insight when he was making the “Empire Strikes Back”. The contrast of the the original version compared to the “redux” version that we see now totally changes the nuances of the characters. I.e.: Luke screamed like a little girl when he jumped off the ledge. New version deleted the yell…
Anthony, you know they changed that moment back, right?
I feel blessed to have actually watched and gotten into the original versions of all three of the original series. I’m actually probably young enough to where I would have only seen the Lucas-fucked versions and gotten into the prequels instead. Luckily, my parents were fans of good cinema and bought the older VHS’s.
And yes, Empire is without a doubt the best.