Quote Of The Day By George Lucas: 'You Can't Experiment. You Can't Do Anything...'

It's not easy to put into words just how much Hollywood and cinema have changed thanks to George Lucas. After Steven Spielberg introduced the modern blockbuster with "Jaws," George Lucas revolutionized the industry with the first "Star Wars" movie, kickstarting a franchise that would not only become one of the biggest fictional universes out there, but bring about the digital revolution in cinema, helping establish performance capture, digital characters, and much more.

But before he became associated with a single franchise, Lucas was an indie filmmaker. Born in Modesto, California on May 14, 1944, Lucas grew up interested in comics and science fiction, becoming a big fan of the "Flash Gordon" serials, which would influence his work for decades to come. But before Lucas ever thought of becoming a filmmaker, he was interested in fast cars. Yearning to be a racecar driver, Lucas was involved in an underground racing circuit in his high school years, until a near-death experience put a stop to that dream and launched Lucas' filmmaking career. As a student at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, Lucas became part of what was known as The Dirty Dozen, a group of students who would all go on to be renowned filmmakers (including Caleb Deschanel, Walter Murch, and John Milius).

Even as a student, Lucas was not happy with just conforming to the status quo or what was considered normal. Taking courses on animation and graphics, Lucas' student films were experimental and abstract. Throughout his career, Lucas had a good eye for visuals, for experimenting with the medium, but that doesn't mean isn't also an eloquent speaker with plenty of quotable lines.

"You can't experiment. You can't do anything. You have to do it in a certain way. I don't like that, I never did, I started out in experimental films and I wanna go back to experimental films."

George Lucas said this back in 2015 in an interview with Vanity Fair in the lead-up to "The Force Awakens." The quote is specifically entwined with that film, and George Lucas' divorce from "Star Wars" after he sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012. When asked about which "Star Wars" character he'd be if he could, Lucas almost dismisses the question before answering "Jar Jar Binks."

Then, in a rather dour tone, Lucas goes on to explain his connection to the much-hated (though recently redeemed) Jar Jar.

"You go to make a movie, and all you get is criticized ... and people try to make decisions about what you're going to do before you do it ... you know, it's not much fun," before continuing with the above quote.

The quote and the interview came about a couple of years after Lucas announced his retirement from directing blockbuster films. When asked if he'd direct any movies in the future, he responded that he "will be directing" movies, but added that they would not be movies "that will be shown anywhere."

George Lucas' quote can be taken to be about his career at large and his relationship with Hollywood. Ever since his very first film, "THX 1138," Lucas defied what was expected of him as a filmmaker. He struggled to find financiers and distributors, being rejected by virtually all of them while making "THX 1138," "American Graffiti" and the first "Star Wars," only to prove his critics wrong at every turn. He always challenged the Hollywood system, doing things his way and launching wave after wave of imitators.

"American Graffiti" is credited with launching 1950s and 1960s nostalgia in American pop culture, and "Star Wars" continues to be a blueprint for sci-fi on the big screen.

But the quote is very much about Lucas' relationship with his most famous child, and his disillusionment with it. Across the six "Star Wars" movies Lucas made, he revolutionised cinema, brought along the digital era and the age of merchandising, and also made a lot of whiny fans angry. For decades, Lucas got complaints and hatred from people mad at every single decision he made, at the characters he created, and at the changes he made to his own movies. By the end, it was as the quote stated: Lucas couldn't experiment with his own universe, he couldn't deviate from what people's idea of "Star Wars" was, and the fun was lost. It's why, on a rewatch, it's clear that the two movies that are the most George Lucas are the original "Star Wars," and "The Phantom Menace," where the filmmaker was most free to do as he pleased without listening to criticisms (like with Jar Jar).

• "It's like poetry, sort of. They rhyme."
• "A special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing."
• "The script is what you've dreamed up-this is what it should be. The film is what you end up with."
• "The object is to try to get the (movie) system to work for you, instead of against you. And the only way you can do it is through success, I'm afraid."
• "I hate corporations and I'm not happy that they have taken over the film business but on the same hand I find myself being the head of a corporation. There's a certain irony there."
• "Don't forget the basics. Don't get enamored with new technology, because it's not new. Just the medium we're working in is new, but that doesn't change anything. The art of what we do is exactly the same. It's beyond technology. It's the art of movies."