Gary Kurtz
Gary Douglas Kurtz was an American film producer whose list of credits includes American Graffiti, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Crystal and Return to Oz. Kurtz also co-produced the 1989 science fiction adventure film Slipstream, which reunited him with Star Wars star Mark Hamill.
Early career
During 1965, Kurtz was an assistant director on a Monte Hellman Western, Ride in the Whirlwind, starring Jack Nicholson for Proteus Films. He then served as production manager on Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet with Basil Rathbone and Faith Domergue for American International Pictures. Kurtz additionally worked as an assistant director and second unit director, as well as a camera operator for the second unit, on the musical comedy Beach Ball for Paramount Pictures. In 1966, Kurtz was again production manager on Queen of Blood, with John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, and Dennis Hopper, as well as acting as a sound technician on Blood Bath, both for American International Pictures. Kurtz then worked as an assistant camera operator on another Monte Hellman western, The Shooting, starring Warren Oates and Jack Nicholson, and finally wore multiple hats as production manager, assistant director, and editor on the Harry Dean Stanton-starring The Hostage, both for Crown International Pictures.Kurtz's film career was interrupted between 1966 and 1969, when he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Raised as a Quaker, Kurtz enlisted as a conscientious objector, refusing to wear a sidearm, and served as a combat cameraman in Vietnam.
Upon leaving the military, Kurtz moved up to the world of studio pictures, acting as the associate producer on the neo-noir Warren Oates-starring Chandler for Metro-Goldwyn Mayer; and Two-Lane Blacktop with Monte Hellman for Universal Pictures, both in 1971.
Collaboration with George Lucas and Lucasfilm
''American Graffiti''
Gary Kurtz and George Lucas' first collaboration was on the 1973 film American Graffiti. Lucas and producer Kurtz initially took the script to American International Pictures, which expressed interest but ultimately deemed American Graffiti not violent or sexual enough by the studio's standards. The pair eventually found favor at Universal Pictures, who allowed Lucas total artistic control and the right of final cut privilege on the condition that he and Kurtz make American Graffiti on a strict, low budget.Universal initially projected a $600,000 budget, but added an additional $175,000 once producer Francis Ford Coppola signed on to co-produce with Kurtz. This would allow the studio to advertise American Graffiti as "From the Man Who Gave You The Godfather." Production proceeded with virtually no input or interference from Universal.
The film was released in the United States on August 1, 1973, to sleeper hit reception. The film cost only $1.27 million to produce and market, but yielded worldwide box office gross revenues of more than $55 million. It had only modest success outside the United States, but became a cult film in France. Universal reissued Graffiti in 1978 and earned an additional $63 million, which brought the total revenue for the two releases to $118 million. At the end of its theatrical run, American Graffiti had one of the best cost-to-profit ratios of any motion picture ever. It was the thirteenth-highest-grossing film of all time in 1977, and, adjusted for inflation, was the forty-third highest as of 2009. By the 1990s, American Graffiti had earned more than $200 million in box office gross and home video sales. In December 1997, Variety reported that the film had earned an additional $55.13 million in rental revenue.
American Graffiti went on to receive widespread critical acclaim. Based on 33 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of the critics enjoyed the film with an average score of 8.3/10. The consensus reads, "One of the most influential of all teen films, American Graffiti is a funny, nostalgic, and bittersweet look at a group of recent high school grads' last days of innocence."
Kurtz and Coppola were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture but lost to The Sting. Further nominations at the 46th Academy Awards included Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress and Best Film Editing. Kurtz and Coppola went on to win the Best Motion Picture at the 31st Golden Globe Awards, while Paul Le Mat won Most Promising Newcomer. Lucas was nominated for Best Director and Richard Dreyfuss was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical. More nominations included Cindy Williams by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Lucas for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing, and Lucas, Huyck and Katz by the Writers Guild of America for Best Original Comedy.
In 1995, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."
In 1973, at approximately the same time as he began his collaboration with George Lucas, Kurtz formed his own company, Kinetographics, in San Rafael, California.
''Star Wars''
Kurtz continued his collaboration with Lucas on Star Wars, released in 1977.When principal photography began on Star Wars on March 22, 1976, in the Tunisian desert for the scenes on the planet Tatooine, the project faced several problems. Lucas fell behind schedule in the first week of shooting due to a rare Tunisian rainstorm, malfunctioning props, and electronic breakdowns. He also clashed with cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, whom Kurtz called "old-school" and "crotchety".
Produced with a budget of $11 million and released on May 25, 1977, the film earned $460 million in the United States and $314 million overseas, surpassing Jaws as the nominal highest-grossing film and remaining that way until being surpassed by E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982. When adjusted for inflation, it is the second highest-grossing film in the US and Canada and is the third highest-grossing in the world as of 2012.
Among the many awards the film received were ten Academy Award nominations, winning six; the nominations including Kurtz himself for Best Picture, and Alec Guinness for Best Supporting Actor. The film is often ranked among the best films of all time.
In 1989, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."
''The Empire Strikes Back''
Kurtz's final collaboration with Lucas, The Empire Strikes Back, was an expensive and difficult production. Records at Elstree Studios indicate that the movie took 175 shooting days, having been budgeted at 100, which forced Lucas to borrow $10 million to complete the film. Kurtz had to help direct along with David Tomblin, Irvin Kershner, Harley Cokeliss and John Barry to bring the film in on even this revised schedule and budget. The actual completion of photography occurred a month after the film's 'wrap party' in late August 1979, which Kurtz and his wife hosted. Kurtz was actively involved from post production through its release in theatres in the US and the UK, but was replaced four weeks before filming wrapped by Howard Kazanjian. On Kurtz's parting of ways with Lucasfilm following the movie's release, Kazanjian took over the producer's reins for Return of the Jedi. Kurtz later claimed he decided not to produce the latter film as he found its story to be too commercial, as well as redundant of the first film in the trilogy.The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980, becoming the most critically acclaimed chapter in the Star Wars saga and one of the most highly rated films in history. It earned more than $538 million worldwide over the original run and several re-releases, making it highest-grossing film in 1980. When adjusted for inflation, it is the twelfth-highest-grossing film in the U.S. and Canada as of 2012.
In 2010, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."
Productions post-Lucasfilm
Kurtz claimed that he and George Lucas clashed over how to progress the Star Wars series. Kurtz claimed that after Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, Lucas became convinced that audiences no longer cared about the story and were simply there for thrills and entertainment, and began to deviate from the originally planned plotlines for Return of the Jedi, at which point Kurtz quit the series—though opposing sources state that he was fired by Lucas due to his mishandling of The Empire Strikes Back, which went massively overbudget and overschedule. Kurtz also claimed Lucas changed the emphasis from storytelling to prioritizing toy merchandising. In a 2010 interview for the L.A. Times, Kurtz revealed he had become disillusioned with what he saw as the commercially driven direction the franchise was taking, as well as the related changes that Lucas made to the plot of the third movie, which was originally much darker, and supposedly included the death of Han Solo. He stated that:I could see where things were headed. The toy business began to drive the empire. It's a shame. They make three times as much on toys as they do on films. It's natural to make decisions that protect the toy business but that's not the best thing for making quality films.
Kurtz was particularly displeased with Lucas' decisions in Return of the Jedi to resurrect the Death Star and to change the plot outline from one that ended on a "bittersweet and poignant" note to one having a "euphoric ending where everyone was happy".
Kurtz later expressed his dissatisfaction with the 1997 Star Wars Special Editions and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.