Review of 6-18-67

6-18-67 (1967)
Desert Documentary
3 April 2021
"6-18-67" is another one of the least known George Lucas student films, and also among the last he made. Shot whilst the twenty-four year old filmmaker was touring with the filming crew shooting "MacKenna's Gold" in Arizona, the film, often misconstrued as being a behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of this western (which I, by the way, have never seen) is much more minimalistic, being more about exercising cinematography and capturing the beauty of the desert location. Lucas certainly had talent in both regards, and it is rather a shame he never stuck with independent filmmaking - although he has hinted at taking the practice back up now that he relieved himself of the Star Wars franchise (to Disney, which quickly realized what a money-making opportunity it was).

It would honestly be a good idea to replace the plot outline on IMDb with another more accurate description, as "6-18-67" (which probably refers to the date it was filmed) really is not focused on the film crew or the action on the set. The majority of the five minutes instead consists of landscape shots, views of the sunset, a river, animals, etc., while only a small portion in the middle features voice-overs of the director starting a take and an out-of-focus long shot of the crew. The entire film is quite blurry, which is honestly rather a shame, considering how a sharper print would no doubt add much more beauty to the different shots. An interesting meditative piece, well-made as are all of Lucas's student films, although a nicer copy being uploaded would be highly appreciated.
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