The Cinema of George Lucas

by Marcus Hearn, Ron Howard

A gifted storyteller in the epic tradition, a masterful director and editor, and a visionary leader in the field of visual effects and production techniques, George Lucas has made an enormous contribution to the art and culture of our time. The Cinema of George Lucas presents new insights into the work of this innovative and influential filmmaker, whose groundbreaking technical achievements and creation of enduring modern mythologies have forever changed both film and science fiction.
Drawing on exclusive new interviews, oral histories, and unprecedented access to the Lucasfilm archives, including documents such as shooting schedules and production notes, author Marcus Hearn analyzes Lucas's personal journey as a director over four decades - beginning with his student work - while also delving into his projects as a writer, an editor, and a producer. He also discusses Lucas's many other accomplishments in the film industry, including the formation of Industrial Light & Magic, Skywalker Sound, and LucasArts.
The book is lavishly illustrated with many images that have never or rarely been seen, such as stills from Lucas's student films made at the University of Southern California, material from the director's cut of his early science-fiction film THX 1138, and production shots and behind-the-scenes photos from, among other films, the very first Star Wars film, the beloved classic American Graffiti, the Indiana Jones adventures - and the forthcoming Star Episode III Revenge of the Sith (to be released on May 19, 2005).

Genres: Star Wars, Nonfiction, Film, Biography, Media Tie In

264 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jon Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-read, 17 years later, one that is particularly one-sided in its praise of George Lucas. I’m not so blind in my enjoyment of Star Wars anymore, but my awe at the art of filmmaking is every bit as pure and engrossing as it used to be.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 2005 (just before “Revenge Of The Sith” came out), this follows George Lucas’ career right from the beginning and also delves back further, into his childhood and teens. I’ve read a lot about Lucas so there wasn’t much to learn in those early years but Hearn goes into great detail over the Zoetrope-era and that was fascinating, as was his coverage of the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies. The span of years where there wasn’t much output (mid-80s to the mid-90s) is well handled and the first two prequels are covered thoroughly but a bit too gushingly (as if Hearn had a bit of editorial control exerted on him). As is typical with later Lucasfilm affiliated books, Marcia Lucas has been fairly successfully airbrushed out of George’s history (personal and cinematic) here and, aside from a couple of mentioned, she’s only begrudgingly acknowledged in a couple of photos. Speaking of the photographs, there are a lot of them and most are excellent - the little thumbnail ones are a bit hard to see but the bigger images (quite a few rare ones too) are well reproduced and only let down by some poor photo captioning, where easily identifiable people are mislabelled or ignored altogether. I enjoyed this a great deal (I’m a big fan of Lucas) and would recommend this though with the caveat that there are better works (“Skywalking” by Dale Pollock, for one, which doesn’t even rate a mention in the bibliography) available.

[Jay Gabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unapologetically hagiographic, The Cinema of George Lucas helpfully connects the dots across a career that's included relatively few directorial credits and a lot of behind-the-scenes influence. Hearn had access to cool archival material and original interviews, but as a visual experience the book is hampered by a frustrating design that makes many photos essentially thumbnail-sized.

[Eric Gilliland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent volume on the cinema of George Lucas. Lots of great photographs and insight into his work.

[Super Friend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book with some interesting behind the scenes info. A little too much glazing of Lucas though. Also, reading this years later after Disney bought Star Wars is both hilarious and sad.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read about one of the amazing filmmaker’s in film history.

[Gwern · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like any authorized, lots of interesting details, gorgeous photos, and thorough with the glaring exception of zero critical thought or criticism or appraisal (except, perhaps, for brief discussions of how Lucas wrote the _Star Wars_ movies drawing on friends and acquaintances, a system which seemed to break down for the prequels - with dismal results).

[Samantha Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know that he was from Modesto, I didn't know that he was a silly kid with a camera at some point in his life, I had no idea that he had a hard time writing screen plays. It's informational and inspirational if you want it to be.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

[Grant Gibney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read especially for star wars fans and Indiana jones loved it.