Marcia Lucas, a widely respected and successful film editor, died of cancer on Wednesday at age 80, her family announced in a statement.
“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,” the family wrote. “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. 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.”
She was the ex-wife of director George Lucas, as the two were married from 1969 until divorcing in 1983. She proved to be a vital help to her husband’s filmmaking. She was an assistant editor on his first movie, THX 1138, and edited his second movie, American Graffiti, which became a surprise hit. Graffiti was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, earning Marcia Lucas her first Oscar nomination, for Best Film Editing.
With George Lucas now a known asset as a director, it was time for him to make the Star Wars movie he had long dreamed about. He directed what would become known as A New Hope, and Marcia Lucas was a crucial part in the movie’s success. She would advise her husband on various aspects of the movie, and she was one voice that George would listen to. For example, he credited her with the decision to have Obi-Wan Kenobi die on the Death Star, while Mark Hamill credited her for Leia’s kissing Luke “for luck” aboard the Death Star staying in the final cut. But her biggest contribution to the movie was, undeniably, the Trench Run sequence at the end. Dissatisfied by the state of the movie, George made a shakeup during filming, bringing Marcia in as editor – particularly for that final sequence. She told her husband that if audiences didn’t cheer when Han Solo showed up at the end, the whole movie didn’t work. She devoted herself to editing the movie – specifically, the Trench Run – and was a vitally important, yet oft-overlooked, reason for the movie’s success.
So much so that I’m convinced the Trench Run is one of the most obvious examples of perfect editing as you’ll ever see.
Star Wars became a massive sensation. It earned twelve Academy Award nominations, which again included Best Picture and Best Director, and this time Marcia Lucas won. The Oscar for Best Film Editing was awarded to Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, and Richard Chew, an incredibly well-deserved accomplishment. If it weren’t for their work on the movie, it never would have become as beloved, iconic, or industry-changing as it did.
Though she subsequently took a step back from her work on movies to focus on their family, she nevertheless stayed invested. One particularly prominent example stands out after she watched an early cut of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first Indiana Jones film, created by George Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg. Marcia Lucas observed that, in this cut, the last time Marion Ravenwood was seen was closing her eyes as the Ark of the Covenant was opened. What happened to her? It felt like such an important narrative thread was just completely dropped. This led to a pickup shoot where Spielberg filmed the final scenes of Indy and Marion, giving a bit of closure to the movie’s emotional center.
Marcia Lucas would work on one final project with her husband, as she returned to the Star Wars franchise as an editor for Return of the Jedi. That movie was released in 1983, the same year that their divorce was finalized, and Jedi would be the final editing credit of her career.
There are many people who made Star Wars what it is, from the direction to the acting to the visuals to the musical score to the editing. It’s a filmmaking marvel, in many ways. And Marcia Lucas played a key part in making it all work, specifically when it comes to one of the most iconic scenes in movie history. Her legacy will live on for as long as Star Wars does.
Star Wars Thoughts 