Notable Genre Anniversaries in 2020, Part 1 of 3

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat….” — Chief Brody (an ad-libbing Roy Scheider), Jaws

In 2018 and 2019, I did series (serieses?) of posts celebrating certain iconic characters and stories in the sci-fi/fantasy and action/adventure genre(s) (with a little bleed over into horror) that were having significant anniversaries — i.e., those in some multiple of 5 — in those years. It’s that time of year again, so I have another batch for you, beginning with…

The Empire Strikes Back (1980): 40 years

Normally, I wouldn’t include a sequel in these anniversary lists, since the characters and the universe they exist in have already been introduced. But, I haven’t done Star Wars (1977), yet, since the timing hasn’t been right; and, I did do Return of the Jedi and the Star Trek spinoff “Deep Space Nine” earlier. So, I’m going to make an exception for this sequel, too, because certain events and revelations made in it are themselves iconic….

The Empire Strikes Back was the second film in the Star Wars film franchise, following up the surprise hit Star Wars, but it was “episode 5” (or ‘V’) chronologically speaking. Creator/producer George Lucas hired Leigh Brackett, the “Queen of Space Opera”, to write the screenplay for the sequel based on Lucas’ story outline. She passed away in 1978, but her completed first draft is said to have included versions of “all of the big moments we’d eventually see on screen.” (These moments include things like the Battle of Hoth, a wise old Jedi Master, a cloud city, a love triangle, betrayals, and a climactic Luke/Vader duel.) Lucas then wrote two drafts of his own before handing it to Lawrence Kasdan to rework some dialogues. While significant changes had been made by Lucas, Brackett and Kasdan were given credit for the final screenplay.

TESB continued the Skywalker saga, while expanding the Star Wars universe and adding in a couple new and beloved characters — Master Yoda and Lando Calrissian. Directed by Lucas’ former professor, Irvin Kershner, the film encountered a few production problems — e.g., actor injuries, a set fire, fines from the Writers and Directors Guilds of America — and a budget that ballooned from $18 million to $33 million. Despite initially divided reviews, it became the highest-grossing film of 1980 and has grossed over $547 million worldwide from its original run and several re-releases. It is considered one of the greatest films ever made and has the honor of being preserved in the United States’ National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Jaws (1975): 45 years

Okay, okay, I know. Technically, I should have done this entry last year, since the Jaws novel by Peter Benchley was published in 1974. But,… I didn’t realize my oversight until long after I finished the 2019 anniversaries. Rather than wait until 2024 to do it, I opted to included it under the film’s premiere year.

As we all know, the story is about an oversized great white shark that terrorizes a small resort town and the trio of men who are trying to kill it. Despite mixed reviews, an effective marketing campaign helped make the novel a terrific success. A pre-publication copy got into the hands of movie producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, who snapped up the film rights and hired young Steven Spielberg to direct. Admittedly a rather stripped-down and further-tweaked version of the story, the film adaptation became the very first summer blockbuster. Much of the credit there goes to the talented Mr. Spielberg and his stellar cast, including Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw — oh, and a fleet of mechanical sharks named ‘Bruce’ — and a memorably suspenseful score by John Williams. Cinematographer Bill Butler also came up with a creative underwater camera rig.

It was a troubled production, though, beginning with some near-last-minute casting. There were lots of last-minute script rewrites, malfunctioning prop sharks for a number of reasons, various issues from shooting at sea, seasick actors, overworked and exhausted cast & crew, and one binge-drinking actor who was not only jealous of his co-star but kept running off to Canada due to tax problems. Principal photography took nearly three times as long as planned, which Spielberg was convinced would sink his career, and the budget swelled from $4 million to $9 million. On the plus side, the multitude of problems forced some very creative approaches. As Spielberg later said, “The film went from a Japanese Saturday matinee horror flick to more of a Hitchcock, the less-you-see-the-more-you-get thriller.”

The film was a critical and commercial hit. It set multiple earnings records both domestically and internationally. It is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and spawned three sequels. Tons of Jaws-inspired merchandise has been produced over the years, ranging from books and clothes and games to sharktooth necklaces, iron-transfers, plastic tumblers, etc. Jaws won three Academy Awards (though none for directing), as well as a Grammy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe. It (and those associated) have been nominated, and in some cases chosen, for several others awards (e.g., by People’s Choice, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America). It is recognized as one of the greatest films of all time and appears on a number of Top 50 and Top 100 lists. And, yes, it is preserved in the National Film Registry as a landmark horror film and the first “summer movie”.

Dune covers over the years

Dune (1965): 55 years

When some people think of “Dune”, they think of the David Lynch-directed movie (1984) starring Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, and Sting. (And Patrick Stewart, of course.) But, die-hard fans and other sci-fi adepts know that the first novel of spice and sandworms was actually published in 1965. Technically, though, Dune was initially serialized in Analog magazine in two separate sequences — the three-part “Dune World” in 1963/64, followed by the five-part “The Prophet of Dune” in 1965. Author Frank Herbert expanded and reworked the serialized material into a novel, which was submitted to 20+ publishers before Chilton Books finally accepted and published it. The result would be a sci-fi phenomenon.

Herbert explored ideas ranging from ecology & environmentalism to mystically-based (super)heroism, from the decline of empires to the blending of multiple religions, not to mention gender dynamics. This “unique” tale has been lauded by critics, fans, and fellow-authors alike (including Robert Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke). The original Dune novel tied with Roger Zelazny’s This Immortal for the Hugo Award in 1966 and won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. The multi-layered story became “the world’s best-selling science fiction novel,” as well as one of the most influential. Furthermore, it has since been translated into dozens of languages and sold almost 20 million copies.

Herbert went on to write five sequels, and various prequels and sequels have since been co-written by Kevin J. Anderson and the author’s son, Brian Herbert. Besides the aformentioned 1984 movie, two miniseries were produced by Sci Fi: Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000) and Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune (2003) (which combines the events of Herbert’s 2nd & 3rd novels, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune). A new film adaptation is scheduled for a Dec. 2020 release. The Dune saga has also inspired a number of games (both board and computer) and songs, along with a variety of merchandise.

TLtWatW (1st ed., art by Pauline Baynes)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950): 70 years

One of the most beloved series of fantasy books is C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, which began with the 1950 publication of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Inspired by a mental picture he’d imagined as a teen of “a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood,” he got the idea roughly 25 years later to flesh it out into a story for his goddaughter. He finished the manuscript by the end of March 1949, and by the time it was published (by Geoffrey Bles in London) in mid-Oct. 1950, he had already written three more for the series he’d never planned on writing.

Fantasy and fairy tales were out of vogue at the time of Lion‘s publication and considered potentially harmful to older children. Concern particular to Lewis’s work included that it was too frightening, overtly moralistic, or Christian indoctrination. Somehow, Lion and its successors not only survived but became quite popular with young readers — a phenomenon that only grew over time. Lion is the most well-known of the seven installments in the Chronicles of Narnia. Enthusiastic readers of all ages, critics, and educators (e.g., U.S. National Education Association, School Library Journal, University of Worcester) have given Lion and the Chronicles many high accolades, and they show up in many Top 100 lists and surveys. According to Wikipedia:

“TIME magazine included the novel in its “All-TIME 100 Novels” (best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005). In 2003, the novel was listed at number 9 on the BBC’s survey The Big Read. It has also been published in 47 foreign languages.”

TLtWatW (from 1970 boxed set, art by Roger Hane)

Influences on Lewis and his Narnian creation include ancient Celtic literature, pagan mythology and cosmology, the writings of George MacDonald, Edmund Spenser, and E. Nesbit. In turn, the influence of Lewis’s writing can be seen in the works of J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter…), Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials, an atheist response to Lewis’ spiritual themes), Bill Willingham (Fables), Lev Grossman (The Magicians), and others. Homages to Lewis and Narnia have even cropped up in everything from the “Lost” TV series to “Saturday Night Live” to Digimon.

There have been three TV adaptations of Lion: a 10-part serial by ABC (1967), an Emmy-winning animated TV movie (1979), and a live/animatronic/animated BBC adaptation (1988). (That last was the first of a series of four Narnia adaptations over three seasons, nominated for 14 Emmys and several BAFTAs.) There have been radio dramatizations, many theater productions, and film adaptations of the first three books came out in 2005, 2008, & 2010, respectively. Netflix is currently developing the Chronicles for an entire live-action series. And, of course, tons of books (including academic analyses), clothing, toys, games, etc., have been based on or inspired by Lion and the rest of the Chronicles.

I’ll have four more notable genre anniversaries for you next month, so keep a lookout….