Alex Ben Block - George Lucass Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success

Just what is a blockbuster movie? Based on journalisms obsession with weekend grosses these days, you might think that its solely about the money brought in at the box office worldwide. But by looking closely at some of the most successful movies ever released, George Lucass Blockbusting answers the question in a subtle, yet more accurate way. A blockbuster movie is a combination of financial success, critical success, great storytelling, and timing. Blockbusting is determined by the impact it makes on the culture and its ability to stand the test of time.

Movie making combines many other art forms through a kind of alchemy. Clearly, the mixing of all the ingredientshuman talent, storytelling, technical know-how, and a sense of timingisnt easy. Filmmaking can be a grueling process requiring abundant amounts of energy and enthusiasm, so you have to be strong in your convictions. If you dont know enough about the technical aspects, you might find the camera operator, the grip, or someone else on the set calling the shots. If your sense of timing is off, you can waste millions of dollars making a movie few want to see. And you will have to collaborate with the people putting up the money whether you agree with them or not.

When I was directing The Godfather in 1971, Paramount did not like the cast I had chosen and they disapproved of how I was shooting the movie. I was often on the verge of getting fired. My story is hardly unique throughout the century or as long as movies have been made. Like The Godfather, its a miracle some movies were ever released in their final form. Frank Capra had a hard time making It Happened One Night (1934) due to the interference of studio heavyweights Louis B. Mayer and Harry Cohn. Citizen Kane (1941) was nearly quashed by powerful newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, upon whose thinly disguised life the story was based. Hollywood tried twice to cast Bette Davis as the lead of The African Queen (1951) before Katharine Hepburn finally got the part, and Psycho (1960) was made only after Alfred Hitchcock agreed to finance it personally.

Talented people can be inspiring or difficult, more often they are both. But blockbuster movies cannot be made without them. This includes not only the stars but the producer and director who put them on the big screen. The achievements of the talented and successful filmmakers of the past inspire those who follow to reach new heights. They include the likes of F. W. Murnau, D. W. Griffith, Cecil B. DeMille, Frank Capra, Charles Chaplin, Walt Disney, John Ford, John Hustonand the list goes on. But there are other, lower-profile filmmakers who also serve as teachers. For me, that included Roger Corman, with whom I worked while I was a film student at UCLA.

The story is the foundation upon which all else is built in a blockbuster movie. Its what first intrigues a director, and attracts the best actors. The majority of the greatest movies ever made were based on fiction derived from popular novels, plays, or short stories. During the golden age of Hollywood we had such classics as Gone with the Wind (1939), the number-one film of all time in terms of box office success, based on Margaret Mitchells bestseller. Before that came David Copperfield (1935), taken from the novel by Charles Dickens; Captains Courageous (1937), from the story by Rudyard Kipling; and The Wizard of Oz (1938), based on L. Frank Baums classic book. Following Gone with the Wind came The Grapes of Wrath (1940) based on John Steinbecks novel; The Maltese Falcon (1941) from the noir novel by Dashiell Hammett; A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) based on Tennessee Williams play, and more. So its no surprise that some of the biggest hits of the twenty-first century are The Lord of the Rings trilogy of films (20013) based on the fantasy books by J. R. Tolkien and the Harry Potter movies (2001 and still going strong) from the series of novels by J. K. Rowling. Not all great movies are based on fiction though. Some are also derived from history such as the biblical story behind Ben Hur (1959), the historical setting for Cleopatra (1963), and the profiles of real-life famous individuals such as The Life of Emile Zola (1937), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and Patton (1970).

Although fewer in number, great original characters and ideas have sprung up directly for the screen from such storytelling filmmakers as Charles Chaplin, who first introduced his famous character in the short film The Tramp (1915); writer/actress Mae West, who wrote and starred in She Done Him Wrong (1933); Sunset Boulevard (1950) from writer/director Billy Wilder; Alfred Hitchcocks North By Northwest (1959), working with screenwriter Ernest Lehman; Martin Scorseses Taxi Driver (1976) written by Paul Schrader; Woody Allens Annie Hall (1977) with co-author Marshall Brickman; George Lucass Star Wars movies (19772005); all the animated films from Pixar, and others.

The one characteristic that I believe is most important for success in the movie business is courage. An artist of any merit has doubts some of the time but one must stand behind ones ideas to be successful. When I look back, courage is what got me through the difficult times. For example, the script I wrote for Patton was considered controversial and exotic for its time because of the bizarre opening in which Patton stands in front of an American flag to give a speech. That opening was cited when my bosses went through the failings of the script. My option wasnt picked up and the script was filed away. Years later, and long after I was gone, it was resurrected by the story editorand made faithfully. That controversial scene is now considered one of the better openings in movies and confirms the notion that its often the things for which you are fired from that you receive lifetime achievement awards for years later.