George Lucas (Virgin Film) [Paperback]

Jim Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2010 | Series: Virgin Film

Starting with his time as a film student, this is a critical journey through the films Lucas has directed and actively produced. It encompasses his abstract early works such as 'Look at Life' and '6.18.67', the mainstream successes of 'American Graffiti', 'Star Wars', and 'Indiana Jones' and the record-breaking 'Star Wars' prequel trilogy. There is also an extensive section detailing other projects in which he has had a hand, such as Paul Schraeder's 'Mishima', Haskell Wexler's controversial 'Latino' and Francis Ford Coppola's 'Tucker: The Man and His Dream'. This is an indispensable reference to the work of George Lucas - the mogul, the mythmaker, the one-man brand and the most successful independent filmmaker who has every lived.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The secret to film is that it is an illusion' George Lucas

About the Author

Jim Smith was the co-author of Soul Searching: An Unofficial Guide To The Life and Trials of Ally McBeal and Virgin Film books on Tim Burton and the James Bond films, and author of Manhattan Dating Game: An Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Sex and the City. He has written about television for a variety of publications and is also a regular film reviewer, also writing features for Film Review.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Virgin Books (March 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753507552
• ISBN-13: 978-0753507551
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,805,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars light but well researched, December 18, 2003

By 

D. H. Richards "ninthwavestore" (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: George Lucas (Virgin Film) (Paperback)

This is a fairly academic (but not strictly so) approach to the films of George Lucas. As the author states in the introduction it is not a biography, but rather looks at each major films Lucas has been connected with, exploring the creative process, major themes and other aspects. The book, it seems, it aimed at film students mainly, giving brief overviews of different parts of the production process (scripting, casting, production). It also looks at major themes, the tendency of Lucas' films to go "forwards/backwards" in the story line and the use of music.

I am not sure exactly who this book is aimed at. Film school student may find the book a little thin on details, casual fans will find it a little dry. There are plenty of tidbits, trivia and anecdotes, but since the book never decides if it is aimed at the general public or USC grad students, it tends to be unsatisfying. Smith also tends to come off as a Lucas apologist. Sometimes he is correct in pointing out the impossible problem of pleasing rabid fans and snooty critics, but at other times he seems to be arguing that Lucas is just "misunderstood," to me a sign of a weak argument.

Smith has obviously done his homework, and his notes about the multiple versions of the film are interesting with out resorting to trainspotting. Speaking of which, his distinctly UK viewpoint is sometimes interesting for it's removed objectivity, but also can get in the way when he must cross cultural barriers to understand the very American Lucas.

Good launching pad for the discussion of Lucas' work, it makes a case that Lucas' main contribution to film has been technical not narrative.