It could be a director, writer, actor.... Someone in here was saying how Lucas stole everything from Kurosawa (for Star Wars) and I've always been interested in these topics, and I like the original talent to be acknowledged, and for the forgers to be on notice.
shareLucas took a lot more from Flash Gordon. In fact, years before Star Wars, Lucas was attempting to obtain the license to make a Flash Gordon movie. This turned out to be a hassle.
So what did he do? He changed the characters a little, changed the name, made some cosmetic alterations, and used the same basic story for Star Wars.
The iconic opening crawl is lifted DIRECTLY from Flash Gordon (not the text, the style/look of the crawl itself and the concept of opening narration done with that crawl). The main Flash story from the comics, which Lucas wanted to adapt, has Emperor Ming moving his weapons planet (aka Death Star) toward Earth in order to destroy it. Flash, a kid from the midwest, joins Dale Arden and an old man Dr. Zarkov to fly to the weapons planet and save Earth.
The Planet of Peril
The planet Mongo is on a collision course with Earth. Dr. Alexis Zarkov takes off in a rocket ship to Mongo, with Flash Gordon and Dale Arden as his assistants. They find that the planet is ruled by the cruel Emperor Ming, who lusts after Dale and sends Flash to fight in the arena. Ming's daughter, Princess Aura, tries to spare Flash's life.
There's even a Han Solo like character in the series, I think he's Prince Thun. There's a part where Flash and that guy have to dress up in the armor of Ming's soldiers to sneak around.
Cloud City was taken from the Hawkmen city. The comparisons go on and on, seriously, but it's easy to compare because it's known history that Lucas did in fact alter the Flash Gordon adaptation he was developing and turned it into Star Wars.
Sorry I don't see any resemblance whenever I watch Star Wars and Flash Gordon. They are two completely different movies.
shareThe Flash Gordon movie is a loose adaptation of a different Flash story than the one Lucas wanted to make.
shareOk
shareIt was also made after Star Wars, so I'm not surprised they would avoid the story that ended up being turned into SW. It may be due to the popularity Star Wars that the Flash movie even got funded, but I have no clue on that.
Similar thing with Valerian, another Star Wars influencer, but didn't get a movie made until long after (and while Star Wars is popular again).
You still have no real evidence. It's all circumstantial.
shareIt's open knowledge that Lucas sought to secure the Flash Gordon license years before making Star Wars, and when he could not, he changed the story to be a bit different.
Even Lucas himself will say this.
Here: http://www.moongadget.com/origins/flash.html
Done.
Ok. Star Wars is a better movie though.
shareAs for the opening crawl:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnOL8Fx3Tvc
Even before Star Wars starts, it's already taking directly from Flash Gordon.
Lucas always freely admitted that, though.
shareYeah, but I'm just trying to differentiate it from the comparisons to Kurosawa, which is oddly a far more common comparison (even the OP said Lucas stole "everything" from him). I guess it's because there are more people who watch Kurosawa than who watch old Gordon serials.
shareLucas hardly stole "everything." But directors have borrowed/been influenced by/copied other directors almost since the dawn of film. Nothing Lucas did was sinful, as the OP seems to hint at
share"for the forgers to be on notice."
To whom, exactly?
I believe that all writers take a bit of source material from someone before them. It has been that way since the first story ever told.
Directors come away with knowledge and ideas from others they admired before their time.... people they learned from?
Actors learn and grow from different actors they have worked with. The Actor's Studio must have been one HUGE den of "Forgers"! LOL!