When George Lucas first dreamed up Star Wars, he wasn’t just thinking about spaceships, laser swords, or distant galaxies. He was thinking about the power of myth—and how the right story could make audiences believe in magic again. Decades later, the saga he created is more than just a pop culture phenomenon; it’s a modern mythology that continues to inspire fans and filmmakers alike.

But what inspired Lucas himself? The answer, as he’s shared in interviews and retrospectives, isn’t just found in the special effects or the epic battles. Instead, it’s hidden in six classic films—some famous, some surprising—that shaped his entire approach to storytelling. These movies didn’t just entertain him; they taught him how to turn ancient wisdom into unforgettable adventure, and how to make fantasy feel real for generations of viewers.

The Mythmaker’s Mission

George Lucas is often called Hollywood’s “mythmaker”—the man who brought the Force to the masses and transformed Saturday afternoon serials into cinematic legend. Yet, when he talks about his own influences, Lucas doesn’t sound like the head of a billion-dollar empire. He sounds like a kid, awed by the magic of the movies.

From the beginning, Lucas wanted to create a space fantasy for young people. He believed that children deserved stories that let them dream big—stories that made them believe they could pilot starships or stand up to evil. For Lucas, movies were always about wonder. “It’s about creating that feeling where kids think anything is possible,” Lucas once said in an interview.

His films do more than entertain—they transport audiences to worlds where heroism matters, where good can triumph over evil, and where every adventure is also a journey of self-discovery.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948): Greed, Friendship, and Inner Demons

Lucas’s first major influence came from John Huston’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. This adventure classic isn’t just about gold—it’s about how greed can tear friendships apart. Humphrey Bogart’s transformation from honest prospector to paranoid killer left a deep impression on Lucas, as did Walter Huston’s wise old-timer who warned of the dangers of gold fever.

What Lucas learned was simple but profound: the best adventure stories are really about internal journeys. The greatest enemies aren’t always out in the desert—they’re inside the characters themselves. Huston’s film stripped away all pretense, exposing human nature to harsh sunlight and even harsher moral choices.

Lucas discovered Sierra Madre during film school, realizing that audiences only care about adventure when they care about the people having it. The film’s lessons can be seen throughout Star Wars—in Luke Skywalker’s temptation by the dark side, in Anakin’s tragic fall, and in every moment when characters face moral tests that reveal their true selves.

The Magnificent Seven (1960): The Power of the Team

Next came John Sturges’s The Magnificent Seven, a western about assembling a team of heroes to defend the helpless. For Lucas, watching Yul Brynner recruit six gunfighters to protect a Mexican village provided the perfect template for ensemble adventure.

Here, Lucas learned that the most compelling stories aren’t about lone heroes—they’re about diverse individuals who become stronger together. Each character brings unique skills and backgrounds, serving something greater than themselves. Adapted from Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Sturges proved that universal themes could cross cultures and still pack an emotional punch.

Lucas absorbed these lessons early, shaping his approach to ensemble storytelling. The recruitment scenes, where each character’s personality is introduced before the climactic battle, became Lucas’s blueprint for introducing multiple protagonists—think Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, and Luke, each with their own strengths and flaws.

The Searchers (1956): Moral Complexity and the Dark Side of Heroism

John Ford’s The Searchers offered Lucas a deeper, darker look at American heroism. John Wayne’s Ethan Edwards chases his kidnapped niece across Monument Valley, wrestling with his own capacity for violence and obsession. For Lucas, the film’s psychological complexity showed that heroes could be morally ambiguous without losing their mythic power.

Ford’s genius was in blurring the line between justice and revenge, showing how personal stakes can twist even the noblest intentions. The epic landscapes amplified the intimate character study, proving that grand visuals could serve—not overshadow—human drama.

Lucas studied The Searchers obsessively, drawing on its lessons for Star Wars. Anakin Skywalker’s struggle with darkness and redemption echoes Ethan’s journey, showing how heroes and villains often share more similarities than differences.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962): Epic Scope and Intimate Transformation

David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia taught Lucas that the biggest stories need the most intimate understanding of human psychology. Peter O’Toole’s T.E. Lawrence transforms from eccentric officer to legendary desert warrior, but every victory comes at a personal cost.

Lean’s epic visuals weren’t just beautiful—they were psychological landscapes, reflecting Lawrence’s transformation and isolation. Lucas encountered this film while trying to ground his own space epic in real emotion, learning that patient character development was key.

Lawrence of Arabia influenced Lucas’s approach to Luke Skywalker’s journey, showing how ordinary people can discover extraordinary destinies—and how crossing cultural boundaries can change someone forever. The film’s lessons about identity, transformation, and the cost of greatness became central to Lucas’s storytelling.

Seven Samurai (1954): Action and Character in Perfect Balance

Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is often called the greatest action film ever made—and for Lucas, it was a revelation. Watching Toshiro Mifune’s wild Kikuchiyo unite with disciplined samurai to defend a village showed Lucas how diverse personalities could create perfect dramatic chemistry.

Kurosawa’s genius was in the preparation sequences, where trust and respect build gradually through shared challenges. The film’s three-hour runtime allowed for deep character exploration, balancing humor, drama, and action.

Lucas returned to Seven Samurai repeatedly, learning how to blend genres and create ensemble casts that audiences genuinely care about. The influence is clear in Star Wars, where comedy, adventure, romance, and drama mix seamlessly.

The Hidden Fortress (1958): Epic Stories Through Ordinary Eyes

Finally, Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress gave Lucas the template for making epic stories accessible. Told from the perspective of two bumbling peasants, the film follows their accidental involvement in a princess’s escape. For Lucas, this was the perfect way to make grand adventures feel intimate and relatable.

Kurosawa’s decision to filter epic events through ordinary eyes inspired Lucas to tell Star Wars from the droids’ point of view. The film’s structure—starting with low-status characters and gradually revealing the larger conflict—became Lucas’s blueprint for introducing audiences to complex fictional worlds.

The influence is everywhere in Star Wars: from C-3PO and R2-D2’s comic relief, to Princess Leia’s disguised identity, to the desert planet setting. Kurosawa’s blend of comedy and adventure, and his ability to make ancient stories feel contemporary, became the foundation for Lucas’s approach to mythology.

The Lasting Impact: How Six Films Built a Galaxy Far, Far Away

These six films didn’t just entertain George Lucas—they programmed his creative DNA. They proved that spectacle without heart is empty, and that technology should serve timeless stories, not replace them. Each taught Lucas essential lessons about balancing visuals with character, making audiences care about the people having adventures, and grounding fantasy in universal emotion.

From The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Lucas learned that external adventures must serve internal journeys. From The Magnificent Seven, he discovered how to create compelling teams. The Searchers taught him about moral complexity. Lawrence of Arabia showed him how epic scope could amplify transformation. Seven Samurai demonstrated the balance between action and character, and The Hidden Fortress provided the template for making epic stories accessible.

Together, these films built the foundation for Lucas’s unique approach to storytelling—an approach that created one of the most beloved and influential sagas in cinema history. Behind every great storyteller are the stories that first taught them to believe in the magic of cinema itself.