Les Archives Star Wars. 1999–2005. 45th Ed. (45th Edition)

The Star Wars Archives

by Paul Duncan

D�s l'explosion du ph�nom�ne Star Wars sur les �crans en 1977, le public fut aussi fascin� que terrifi� par Dark Vador, l'hybride mi-homme mi-machine. En 1999, son cr�ateur George Lucas d�cidait de raconter l'enfance d'Anakin Skywalker, comment il suivit l'enseignement d'Obi-Wan Kenobi pour devenir un Jedi, comment il d�couvrit l'amour aupr�s de la reine de Naboo, Padm� Amidala, puis bascula du c�t� obscur de sa nature, devenant plus machine qu'homme.



Force motrice du d�veloppement de techniques num�riques naissantes, George Lucas savait qu'avec ces outils il pourrait cr�er de nouvelles cr�atures et de nouveaux mondes � une �chelle jusqu'alors impossible. C'est ainsi qu'il con�ut le premier blockbuster num�rique et rencontra une r�sistance farouche quand il milita pour la g�n�ralisation des cam�ras, des d�cors, des personnages et des projecteurs num�riques, que l'industrie cin�matographique emploie aujourd'hui largement. Une fa�on moderne de faire des films popularis�e par Lucas.



R�alis� avec l'enti�re collaboration de George Lucas et de Lucasfilm, ce deuxi�me volume d�voile la fabrication de la pr�logie -- les �pisodes I (La Menace fant�me), II (L'Attaque des clones) et III (La Revanche des Sith) -- � travers notamment un entretien exclusif avec Lucas. L'ouvrage est abondamment illustr� de pages du sc�nario, de documents de production, d'images conceptuelles, de storyboards, de photos du tournage, d'images du film et d'affiches.



� propos de la collection

TASCHEN f�te ses 40 ans ! Depuis ses d�buts en 1980 comme d�nicheur de tr�sors culturels, TASCHEN a toujours �t� synonyme d'�diteur accessible permettant aux d�voreurs de livres du monde entier d'imaginer leur propre biblioth�que d�di�e � l'art, � l'anthropologie et � l'�rotisme pour un prix imbattable. Nous f�tons aujourd'hui 40 ans de livres incroyables en restant fid�les au credo de la maison. La collection 40th Anniversary Edition pr�sente de nouvelles �ditions de quelques-unes des stars de notre catalogue: plus compacte, � petit prix, mais toujours r�alis�e avec la m�me garantie d'une qualit� irr�prochable.

Genres: Star Wars, Nonfiction, Art, Film, Media Tie In, Coffee Table Books, Collections

512 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2020

Reviews

[Sebastian Zavala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was simply amazing. As a Star Wars fan, it has absolutely everything I would expect from a definitive collection of "behind the scenes" content. But as a Prequels Fan (oh yeah), it is simply superb, and beyond any of my expectations. You get interviews with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, all the concept artists and occasionally some of the actors, talking about pre-production, filming and post-production of all three prequels. And although some (not all) of the information was previously published in other "making of" books and documentaries, this has even more stuff: more conceptual paintings and unused ideas, and explanations for some of the story beats Lucas used in the movies.

And yes, it also has a bit of information about his ignored sequel trilogy. And frankly... it sounds bonkers (Darth Maul was the main villain, Leia was the main hero, and it was all about the crime syndicates who were trying to take over the galaxy after the fall of the Empire) but at the same time, MUCH more compelling and cohesive and original than what we ultimately got. Because Lucas had a PLAN. And even though he's not he best at writing dialogue or directing actors, he knows his mythology and themes and has COMPLETE STORIES to tell. And that's what this book shows: what he knows and the stories he wanted to tell, his legacy and the way he worked alongside an enormous group of people, both to tell stories AND develop technological breakthroughs (digital cinema cameras, digital projections, and many more).

So yeah, this is a treasure trove. Expensive, yes, and certainly enormous, but totally worth it. Quite the treat for any self-respected Star Wars fan.

[Maggie Lovitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming soon to a galaxy near you… TASCHEN’s The Star Wars Archives. 1999–2005 is a spectacular glimpse behind the movie magic that went into the Special Edition versions of the Star Wars original trilogy. *** READ MY FULL REVIEW AT YOUR MONEY GEEK *** https://yourmoneygeek.com/the-star-wa...

While some may take the Archives book and seek out tidbits of “unknown material,” the book's real beauty is learning about the evolution of George Lucas’ filmmaking process. Star Wars was such a pivotal piece of cinema history, but it was far from perfect in Lucas’ eye. It wasn’t until Jurassic Park, in 1993, that he felt like he could truly create the film he had once envisioned. 

“A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the Special Edition. The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million VHS tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years.” - George Lucas

George Lucas was a forward thinker when it came to the film industry. He had larger-than-life plans for the Star Wars trilogy, but they were held back by the limitations of celluloid film and what could be done with practical effects in the 1970s and 80s. Reading through the Archives and being reminded of why Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic makes it even sweeter to realize that many of Lucas's ideas when he was creating Star Wars have to come to fruition through ILM’s creation of The Volume for The Mandalorian. 

So much of what Lucas wanted to include in the first Star Wars trilogy was finally able to occur in the prequel trilogy. The Archives shares early renderings and sketches, plans for aliens, large-scale scenery, and even the deeper storytelling of the Whills and midi-chlorians, which were not included in Episodes IV-VI. While the prequel trilogy may be met with divided opinions throughout the Star Wars fandom, it is quite clear that it is something that Lucas was proud of. 

Another merit to The Star Wars Archives is reading through George Lucas’ own words. At some points, he offers sage wisdom that seems to reflect much of the morals and messages that are infused throughout Star Wars. It is easy for people online, whether it’s YouTube, Twitter, or a blog, to make assumptions about Lucas’ ideologies, but you can’t argue with his own words. 

"I learned a lot of lessons in those years! One is that the only true route to happiness is through caring about other people. If all you care about is yourself and about your things and your stuff, you will be unhappy the rest of your life no matter how much you accumulate." - George Lucas

Despite the $200 price ticket, The Star Wars Archives. 1999–2005 is a must-have for diehard Star Wars fans. While some of the information can be found in past George Lucas interviews, featurettes, and other books – the Archives feels like an artful ode to Lucas’ creative genius. This is far from a coffee table book; it is a little slice of Star Wars history that should be cherished. 

Like the first volume, which covered the original trilogy, The Star Wars Archives. 1999–2005 includes rare interviews with Lucas and his team, production documents, concept art and storyboards, on-set photography, promotional stills, posters, and illustrations. 

Pick up your copy of The Star Wars Archives. 1999-2005 today.

[Star Wars Escape Pod (Josh) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding book!!!

[kesseljunkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically written, clearly laid out and full of great insight. Well worth the read.

[dumbencore (Tom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’aurais tellement aimé pouvoir lire l’édition ultime de ce livre qui est malheureusement à 150€ (cent cinquante euros.) mais bon je suppose qu’on peut pas tout avoir même si je suis le plus gros fan de la prélogie ehhh oui c’est moi.

Et c’est un réel plaisir de pouvoir lire autant d’infos et de témoignages et de visionner autant de concepts et d’images sur des films que j’ai regardé en boucle pendant presque toute mon enfance et que je continue à revoir en boucle, c’est un cycle dont je ne peux échapper et ça me pose aucun problème parce que je suis fasciné par l’amour, le travail, la mythologie, les concepts et la technologie phénoménaux mis en place pour créer ce qui est pour moi: la trilogie qui a révolutionné ma vie et ma vision sur le monde, aussi bien celui du cinéma que celui de la vraie vie; l’un ne subsiste pas sans l’autre #symbiose.

Au-delà de se dérouler chronologiquement avant la première trilogie (1977-1983) et de raconter le commencement de la saga STAR WARS en illustrant la chute d’Anakin ainsi que celle de la République vers le côté obscur, la prélogie est une trilogie qui est ancrée dans son époque mais pas que… Si en effet ici on assiste à l’évolution de l’histoire d’épisode en épisode avec en parallèle l’évolution de l’utilisation du numérique, il y a une raison pour laquelle la prélogie (et la saga en elle-même) sont aussi marquantes et remarquables: elles forment un cycle qui non seulement racontent une histoire en parallèle avec son présent mais qui s’inspirent aussi de tout ce qui a été fait auparavant, historiquement et cinématiquement parlant. ET les histoires et les mythes traversent le temps, elles sont le passé, le présent et le futur (tout comme nous). Mais cette fois-ci avec des images et des sons jamais vues/entendues auparavant, avec un montage organique et une poésie qui relient les 6 films qu’on manque cruellement à l’heure actuelle où la mythologie est de plus en plus négligée. J’exagère énormément parce qu’il reste toujours des auteurices qui font des merveilles et racontent encore des choses bien évidemment, mais je crois malheureusement qu’aucun autre morceau d’art ne m’impactera autant que ce que je vois avec ces films.

Donc je pense que c’est pas une folie de dire que la prélogie a révolutionné la façon de faire du cinéma. Genre je sais pas juste de savoir que cet univers (personnages, endroits, planètes,…) est fait avec des maquettes, des décors réels, des animatroniques, de la matte painting, de la 3D, des pixels etc etc moi je sais pas mais ça m’fait un truc.

[Graham Tomlinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with the previous Star Wars Archives this is an awesome book totally brining to life the making of these epic movies. It also sheds light on how George Lucas and the making of these movies were instrumental in the industry moving into the digital era. I can not recommend this book highly enough.

[Michał Kłosowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5/5

Dobrze opisana oraz ladnie wydana kronika powstawania trylogii prequeli.

Na plus: dużo ciekawostek, wzmianki o planach Lucasa na trylogię sequeli (R.I.P.).
Na minus: dużo technicznych szczegółow, które niekoniecznie mnie interesowały (np o kamerach).

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book of you like the Star Wars prequel trilogy (or are open to it)! Just gorgeous throughout, with lots of fun background and behind the scenes stuff and concept art and ephemera. This and the one from the original trilogy are going to be my very favorite coffee table books.

[Samantha Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is pretty heavy which is to be expected. At the same time, it has a good amount of new information and is a must-read for prequel trilogy fans.

[Eduardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Whenever you’re telling mythological stories, you’re traveling in circles. Like in a mandala there are small circles and bigger and bigger circles until you finally encompass the universe. It’s the same thing telling stories, in that every person, or relationship or group of symbiotic relationships, is always traveling in a circle. It goes back to either where it started or it intersects with other circles. At the end they survive because they’re all connected.”
-George Lucas
—

I had heard a few things about this book because I’ve gone down a “Star Wars” video essay rabbit hole this year, and while I couldn’t find the book on the Original Trilogy, I did find this one about the Prequel Trilogy. This book is packed with quotes and interviews from cast and crew both during and long after the productions of these movies, along with behind-the-scenes photography, artwork, and finished shots.

Basically, it’s a *really* in-depth look at the making of the films. Not as detailed or long as Rinzler’s looks at the Original Trilogy, but still pretty detailed!

As a result, it’s full of really interesting information. Samuel L. Jackson was VERY psyched to be playing a Jedi Master, for instance. But also how things shifted around in production, why certain scenes were cut or rearranged, and how the technology of special effects were being pioneered by these movies. If you’ve ever appreciated a very special effects-heavy film in the last few years, you probably have to thank the productions of these movies. Some of it even got downright weird, like changing actors’ faces to match different takes or something in post-production–which kind of makes me uncomfortable?

I was also a bit frustrated that while there’s a lot of really good concept art in the book, and it’s captioned, the main text of quotations and such doesn’t always deal with them, so you’ll get amazing concept art of something that got cut or altered, and no explanation as to why.

Still, it’s really cool to see how this stuff came together, what ideas the director, crew, and cast had in mind while making it, and to have it all laid out here in a way that’s fairly accessible. Now this book came out in 2020, so it includes references to later material Lucas had influence over, like “The Clone Wars” TV series, and at the end of the book, there is also a brief description of what his own take on the Sequel Trilogy would have looked like (which… I think needed a couple more drafts).

Overall, a very good behind-the-scenes book, and I need to find more stuff like this, especially the one Duncan made about the Original Trilogy.

[Joshua]

Look I’ve been dying for the prequel trilogy to get, ideally, the making of treatment the original films got in J. W. Rinzler’s incredible books or, at least, any sort of makings of book treatment. So this is the latter for sure. Can’t argue with that. But ultimately, for reasons beyond the content of the book, this is not fun to read. It is freaking giant. Entirely unwieldy. No matter how you read it your neck is going to feel it. And as with the previous archives release the images and the text are consistently disjointed telling two narratives - one comprised various images and captions that follow the narrative of the movie, the other an oral history detailing the production. Following both is tedious. Ultimately it feels like this book was made to be skimmed and glanced at, not actually read. There are some cool insights here and there, particularly in the final pages and the interviews throughout with George Lucas, but there’s also almost no mention of the larger cultural reactions to these films and how that did or didn’t impact there production. I’m glad to have some details on the prequels and I’ll browse this book again I’m sure but I don’t see myself ever reading it cover to cover again. That said, if this volume were the exact same content in a more manageable package that I could actually read in a chair or in bed I’d probably be singing a different tune.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing insight into the Prequel trilogy, aka Episodes I-III. Be warned, this book is huge, literally - as long as my arm, and about as thick!! But so wonderfully filled with gorgeous concept art and plenty of text with behind-the-scenes info and little tidbits.

A great amount of the text was more geared towards tech-savvy / movie industry folk, using a lot of technical terms and discussing movie technology in-depth, which all looked like Latin to me! But I'm sure many others would find that in-dept stuff quite interesting!

My only gripe is that, within each movie's section, they kind of jump all over the place, instead of breaking down the movie scenes in chronological order. (It's mostly chronological, but not completely.) They are also two types of text: the main paragraphs, and the blurbs related to the images. Oftentimes, the main text would be talking about one particular subject or scene, but the concept art would be from a totally different scene. They could've matched them up better.

All in all, if you have the strength to lift this massive book!!, it's well worth the read for any fan of the Prequels. Can't wait to check out the Original trilogy archives!

[arytaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a simple behind-the-scenes or making-of book, Paul Duncan’s “The Star Wars Archives 1999-2005” is a grueling examination of the second chapter in one of pop culture’s most frequent landmarks. Duncan ventures into the nucleus of George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy, not only documenting its production, but diving head-first into the fundamental principles set by its creator. Furthermore, attention is brought to the tireless process by Lucasfilm to increase traction for digital cinema. Engaging, interesting and complete with colorful images and concept art, this is one that any Star Wars fan will devour without hesitation.

[Richard Cahill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in this duology, which covered the original trilogy, was too much of a retread of Rinzler's definitive making of books to be an essential part of a Star Wars fan's library. This book, though it does retread some of the information on the DVDs/Blu-rays, has a lot more new information making it a more indespensible source of information.

The biggest fault of this book, however, is when we hit ATTACK OF THE CLONES and the book becomes a piece of pro-digital anti-film propaganda filled with fallacies, outright lies and, worst of all, just falls short of directly insulting film projectionists the world over.

3.5/5

[Victor Zehmour · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the Original Trilogy one and when I learned there was a sequel about the prequels, the Star Wars I grew up with, I just had to read it. And it did not disappoint.
The depth of the story takes a whole other meaning thanks to the words of George Lucas himself and seeing the insane and inspiring process that went into making the movies is incredible! The text is fascinating and the pictures and extras are a pure delight for any Star Wars fan.
Taschen nailed it with the two books!

[Adam Blackburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s good. Some really cool information about the making of the films, and concept art from the prequels. However, there is a lot of technical jargon that is hard to understand. Would have also been nice if the images had followed the text, instead of being random and unrelated to what you were reading.

[Kevin Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly outstanding book. Delves into not only the creative process of the prequels, but also drives home what a technical revolution they were, the pivot point that changed cinema from analog to the digital world we now take for granted today.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing insight into how the prequel trilogy was made! This book really goes into detail about the vfx, the story, the characters and the hard work that went into making these movies. It makes me appreciate these films even more!

[Austin Shirey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little more focused on the technological side of things than the first volume, which makes sense given the huge digital strides Lucas & Co. made for the Prequels, but a great read nonetheless, and another must-read for Star Wars fans.

[Josh reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a fun and insightful look at the Star Wars prequels, Paul Duncan really helps craft the story behind these films. This book contains so many interesting nuggets of information on the making of these movies.

[Charlie W · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect record of the blood sweat and tears poured into the greatest trilogy of the 21st century. The thematic notes from Lucas about the mythos of his work really stand out as the best parts of what is an incredible work.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect inside look into the creative process for the prequels.

[EMFubz · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5📚 0/5🌶️
Love this behind the scenes.🫶🏻

[Ailén]

1:30 pm
3:27 pm

[José Manuel Talavera Sánchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Igual de bueno que el de la primera trilogía, indispensable si te gustan las películas.

[Klingenzeit · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book about bad movies.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes of the prequels. George’s explanations for why everything is the way that it is was very intriguing to read.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Wars te amo

[Black Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

i teared up several times during the ROTS bit ngl to you
it also has to be noted that i didn't care abt the technical bits, but the concept art was STUNNING♡

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down some of the best Star Wars ever! This is an essential for any fan!