Marcia Lucas, who won an Oscar for editing Star Wars, directed by her former husband George Lucas, died from cancer on Wednesday, May 27th, in Rancho Mirage, California, aged 80.
“Marcia will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host, and a loyal friend whose humor and sparkle filled every room she entered. Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun, and more full of love,” the family statement said. “Her work was known for its emotional intelligence, rhythm, and humanity — a rare ability to find the truth of a scene and bring heart, momentum, and clarity to the screen.”
Marcia Lucas, who sometimes called George Lucas’ “secret weapon,” co-edited George Lucas’ “American Graffiti,” for which she was Oscar-nommed, and then won an Oscar for editing “Star Wars.” She also edited “Return of the Jedi,” as well as Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Taxi Driver” and “New York, New York.”
She played a significant role in helping her husband shape the “Star Wars” films. In his book “The Secret History of Star Wars,” Michael Kaminski wrote, “Marcia, along with many of George’s friends, critiqued which characters worked, which ones didn’t, which scenes were good, and Lucas composed the script in this way. Marcia was always critical of Star Wars, but she was one of the few people Lucas listened to carefully, knowing she had a skill for carving out strong characters.”
George Lucas told Rolling Stone in 1977 that it was her idea to have Obi-Wan Kenobi die on the Death Star. “The more I thought about Ben getting killed the more I liked the idea because, one, it made the threat of Vader greater and that tied in with The Force and the fact that he could use the dark side.”
Mark Hamill said in an interview that “I know for a fact that Marcia Lucas was responsible for convincing him to keep that little ‘kiss for luck’ before Carrie [Fisher] and I swing across the chasm in the first film. George Lucas thought people were laughing in the previews, but according to Hamill she said, “‘George, they’re laughing because it’s so sweet and unexpected’ — and her influence was such that if she wanted to keep it, it was in.”
Born Marcia Lou Griffin in Modesto, she was raised in North Hollywood and started out as a film librarian before serving an Editor’s Guild apprenticeship. She met George Lucas when they were both hired to work with legendary editor Verna Field. She married George Lucas in 1969 and served as assistant editor on his first feature film, “THX 1138.”
They divorced in 1983. Her second marriage, which ended in 1993, was to Tom Rodrigues, who worked as a production manager at Skywalker Ranch.
She is survived by her daughters Amanda Lucas and Amy Soper; her grandchildren Felix Hallikainen, Aeliana Hallikainen, and Knox Soper and her chosen family Sarah Dyer and Jon Taylor.
Team Jedi News sends our condolences to Marcia’s daughters, grandchildren, family and friends at this difficult time
Image: Richard Chew, Marcia Lucas, and Paul Hirsch win the Academy Award for Best Film Editing via StarWars.com
