George Lucas Signed 1971 Distribution Agreement Between Lucas Film Ltd. and United Artists for Two "Pictures" Which Would Bec...

Description

George Lucas Signed 1971 Distribution Agreement Between Lucas Film Ltd. and United Artists for Two "Pictures" Which Would Become American Graffiti and Star Wars. As J.W. Rinzler reports in his quintessential behind the scenes book, The Making of Star Wars, George Lucas's epic space opera began first as a notion and a strategy to secure funding for his hot rod coming-of-age classic American Graffiti. As Rinzler states, "On December 28, 1971, the financing agreement between Lucasfilm and United Artists for the development of two films - American Graffiti and 'a second picture' - was made legal." Rinzler notes that, although the second film is not explicitly called Star Wars in the contract, this is precisely the project Lucas used to get Graffiti financed. In 1971, Lucas had only directed the esoteric, experimental THX 1138 and had recently collaborated with Francis Ford Coppola on the screenplay for Apocalypse Now, a project he was originally slated to direct. At the time, Lucas largely saw himself as an avant-garde filmmaker, more interested in visual experimentation than mainstream storytelling, and was far from a sure bet for studios. American Graffiti would ultimately prove his commercial viability, but until then, he faced a catch-22: he couldn't fund American Graffiti without first making it, and he needed to leverage future projects to secure that opportunity. The result was a lopsided dynamic in which he effectively indentured himself to a studio in order to demonstrate that his filmmaking could be commercially successful. Offered here is the 44-page Distribution Agreement between "Lucas Film Ltd." and United Artists. Page 1 of the contract, under the subsection "The Picture," reads: "Producer agrees to produce, complete and deliver to United... two new and original feature-length sound and talking motion picture photoplays in the English language, referred to herein individually and collectively as the 'Picture' or 'Pictures.'" Though neither film is mentioned directly, the 1971 date aligns with Lucas's dealings with UA, his struggles to finance American Graffiti, and his need to leverage his concept of an "epic space fantasy" alongside his teenpic. A similar copy of this contract appears in Rinzler's book on Page 6, where UA's vice president and George W. (Walton) Lucas, Jr. have both signed in blue ballpoint pen, with Lucas adding "President" beneath his signature. An incredible piece of both film and Star Wars history, this document stands among the earliest mentions of Lucas' unforgettable franchise and can arguably be seen as the prequel to the prequel series he would later conceive. Exhibits wear and age, with creasing to pages, bumped corners, and light tearing on some pages. The last two pages have separated from their original staple, and there are multiple staple impressions throughout the contract. The poster image is for reference only and is not included with this lot. Authenticated Signature: George Lucas; other signatures are inconclusive. Full LOA from Beckett Authentication Services.

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