The Cinema of George Lucas [Hardcover]

Marcus Hearn (Author), Ron Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

Marcus Hearn analyzes Lucas's journey as a director over four decades whose groundbreaking technical achievements and creation of enduring modern mythologies have forever changed both film and science fiction. as well as his 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, material from the director's cut of his early science-fiction film, production shots from, among others, the first Star Wars film, American Graffiti and the Indiana Jones Adventures. and behind-the-scenes photos from his films. With its wealth of new information and compelling illustrations, The Cinema of George Lucas is an essential volume for every fan and film enthusiast.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The life and career of the one-man cinematic revolution that is George Lucas gets a lush visual treatment in Hearn's frankly adoring and uncritical coffee-table book, though there's plenty of smart text underpinning the artwork as well. The first two of the book's eight chapters are best, covering Lucas's childhood and student filmmaking days at USC, which culminated in the 1971 masterpiece THX 1138 and 1973's iconic American Graffiti. Hearn deftly portrays this heady period in Lucas's life, in which the director was furiously experimenting with the form and working inside the short-lived San Francisco filmmaking collective American Zoetrope with pals Francis Ford Coppola, master editor Walter Murch and legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler. This section is elaborately illustrated with photographs, publicity stills and script excerpts, and the photos of young Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss and Lucas himself will amuse fans. Once Hearn begins to delve into Lucas's rise into the cinematic stratosphere with Star Wars, and the creation of his mini Hollywood in the Bay Area, however, the book fails. Hearn's worshipful tone doesn't allow him to satisfyingly explain how this long-haired rebel turned into the mini-mogul that he is today. Still, this is a crucial addition to the libraries of not just Star Wars aficionados but all lovers of modern cinema. (Mar.)

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–With this impeccably constructed coffee-table book, movie aficionados have the opportunity to explore 20th-century science fiction and American culture through the work of an immensely talented director. Film clips, scripts, and interviews help readers to review his vast output. Hearn describes Lucas's childhood, his college filmmaking career at USC, his work with the American Zoetrope collective of San Francisco, his friendship with director Francis Ford Coppola, the making of the classic coming-of-age film American Graffiti, and more. The volume includes photographs of Harrison Ford, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, and Billy Dee Williams; reproductions of film posters and publicity stills; and the action-packed, movie-shooting schedules of Star Wars and the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, as well as a history of Lucas's educational foundation. Although the book is highly readable, the author sometimes dips into sentimentality and hero worship, and he only briefly discusses the director's movie-business enterprises (Lucasfilm, Ltd., Skywalker Ranch, Industrial Light Magic, and LucasArts), known as the San Francisco Bay Area's mini Hollywood.–ayo dayo, Chinn Park Regional Library, Prince William, VA
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First Edition edition (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810949687
• ISBN-13: 978-0810949683
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 11.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #488,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous George!, March 16, 2005

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C. Sutter (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cinema of George Lucas (Hardcover)

Just when I thought Charles Camplin's GEORGE LUCAS: THE CREATIVE IMPULSE would be the most beautiful book ever produced on Lucas's career, along comes Hearn's THE CINEMA OF GEORGE LUCAS which, style-wise, aesthetically and visually, blows the former out of the water! A biography and a visual history (many photos never seen before) of the life and career of STAR WARS mastermind George Lucas, this coffee table-esque masterpiece should be the prototype for potential works on Spielberg, Kubrick and Scorsese...these guys all deserve the deluxe treatment after so many years of incredible talent and entertainment! For all STAR WARS, THX-1138, GRAFFITI and Lucas fanatics in general, this hefty beauty will make a very worthy addition to your book collection, not to mention offer readers with a detailed glimpse into the mystery man behind The Force. The text offers information that not even Lucas junkies would know and, as a graphic designer, I was most-impressed with the layout of this entire book...the original delays on its publication were put to excellent use! Most enthusiastically recommended!!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chapters chronicle Lucas' life, imagination, and creations, April 9, 2005

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cinema of George Lucas (Hardcover)

The Cinema Of George Lucas is a lavish coffee-table book exploring the production process and cinematic talent behind the classic science fiction phenomenon of "Star Wars". Featuring an inside look behind the scenes of the hotly anticipated "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith", The Cinema of George Lucas is filled cover to cover with full color production illustrations, photographs, concept artworks, and much more. Chapters chronicle Lucas' life, imagination, ideas and creations from 1944 to the present day, in this superb collector's treasure and ideal giftbook for Star Wars fans everywhere.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable!, November 14, 2005

By 

BigFan (Orlando, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cinema of George Lucas (Hardcover)

This book is filled with rare and beautiful images from the Lucas archive. If you're interested in George Lucas, there is no alternative. The story is pretty good, although a little limited. If you combined the images from this book with the detailed story in DROIDMAKER (subtitled- George Lucas and the Digital Revolution- which i just read straight through and LOVED), I think you'd have the perfect Lucas book. Still, i highly recommend this.