The Art of Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith [Hardcover]

J. W. Rinzler (Author), George Lucas (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Star Wars: Episode III | Publication Date: April 2, 2005

Packed with breathtaking visuals created by a team of world-class artists, The Art of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith reveals an essential element of the climactic finale of the Star Wars film saga. For years, George Lucas’s handpicked group has labored feverishly to bring Episode III’s unforgettable creatures, exotic worlds, and mind-bending action to life. Together, they created character drawings, costume designs, droids and starships, planetary vistas, animation sketches, matte paintings, and animatics–every type of illustration imaginable.

This extraordinary volume unveils the best of their efforts: never-before-seen images–storyboards, models, production sketches, and ILM-generated art–that chronicle the fascinating journey from first draft to theater screen. Among the hundreds of brilliant pieces are images and anecdotes covering

• Darth Vader then and now–the new look of the ultimate Star Wars icon
• stunning conceptual looks at the climactic lightsaber duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi
• the evolution of General Grievous–the new face of evil–from initial sketches to ILM animation art
• fantastic full-color images of costumes, weapons, landscapes, and spacecraft
• intriguing insights from exclusive interviews with the artists, whose groundbreaking work brought Lucas’s ideas to life
• excerpts from Episode III’s inspirational Visual Script, created to help guide production through the film’s cutting-edge digital creations

For Star Wars fans everywhere, this treasure chest of images from the final, fateful Star Wars movie is a visual feast that promises hours of endless browsing pleasure.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The fab pics will send Star Wars bores into a foaming frenzy', Hot Stars --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Senior editor at Lucasfilm Ltd., J. W. RINZLER has overseen dozens of Star Wars books, including Mythmaking: Behind the Scenes of Attack of the Clones, The Visual Dictionary: Attack of the Clones, and The Cinema of George Lucas. Rinzler attended Parsons School of Design and New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Science. He settled for a while in Paris, where he taught art history and cinema for many years at private and public universities. As the associate producer for a video-game developer, he wrote the scripts for a number of educational titles. Rinzler returned to the States to become managing editor of GamePro magazine and published a number of articles on the industry. He is the author of The Making of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Rinzler lives in Petaluma, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey Books (April 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345431359
• ISBN-13: 978-0345431356
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #854,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great! But be warned, the script is NOT in the US version!, April 21, 2005

By 

litemakr (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Hardcover)

Fantastic, beautiful book. Full of gorgeous artwork and pictures. The only reason I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because for some inexplicable reason, the script is NOT included in the US version. However, the complete illustrated script IS included in the UK version, which I bought from Amazon.co.uk. I can't imagine why this was done, it is a real disservice to the US market. I highly recommend getting the UK version even though it will cost a bit more than the US version.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Force is always with the "Star Wars" series art books, May 13, 2005

By 

Fruit Loop (Down South) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Art of Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Hardcover)

Packed with behind-the-scenes info, storyboards, early concepts, and the full shooting script, the "Art of" books have captivated Force Fans since the "episode 4" in 1977. The only flaw with this one is that there are script excerpts in this version and not the full version, as in other "Art Of" books. One hopes this will be rectified in future editions. Still, as captivating as the film version! Must-have for hardcore fans and film students!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Force Is Strong In This Book, August 13, 2008

By 

Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Art of Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Paperback)

Length:: 0:25 Mins

Putting this book down is difficult after you flip through a few pages. There are hundreds of pieces of conceptual art and beautiful paintings. It is apparent right from the start that George Lucas only hire the best artists for his movie.

The art genre is science fiction. You'll see a lot of concept art on cityscape, robots, planets, costumes, creatures, architecture, props and characters relating to the Star Wars movie. This book is all about art, you won't see any movie stills.

There are two versions of the book. The one with the movie script has 272 pages. The one I'm holding has only 224 pages.

Design concepts are explained for the characters and set. There's not much text but enough. The level of detail, effort and creativity displayed by the artists is simply marveling. This genre is really a playground for artists to explore with their imagination.

For Star Wars fans, there's no reason not to get this book. For artbook lovers, especially those who like sci-fi, this book should be on your shopping list also.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)