The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films [Paperback]

J.W. Rinzler (Author), Laurent Bouzereau (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 20, 2008

From Raiders of the Lost Ark to The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The man with the hat is back–in the definitive behind-the-scenes look at the Indiana Jones epic action saga.

When George Lucas and Steven Spielberg put their heads together to create a no-holds-barred action-adventure movie, bigger-than-life hero Indiana Jones was born. The rest is breathtaking, record-breaking box-office history. Now comes an all-new Indiana Jones feature film: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Here’s your chance to go on location for an up-close, all-access tour of the year’s most eagerly anticipated blockbuster, as well as the classics. The Complete Making of Indiana Jones is a crash course in movie magic-making–showcasing the masters of the craft and served up by veteran entertainment chroniclers J. W. Rinzler and Laurent Bouzereau. Inside you’ll find:

• exclusive on-set interviews with the entire cast and crew of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, including Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, and John Hurt–plus director Steven Spielberg, executive producer George Lucas, screenwriter David Koepp, and the incredible production team that built some of the most fantastic sets ever.

• hundreds of full-color images–from storyboards, concept paintings, and set design schematics to still photos from all four films with candid action shots of the productions in progress

• an in-depth chronicle of the making of the first three Indiana Jones movies–Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade–including transcripts of the original concept meetings, cast and crew anecdotes, production photos, and information on scenes that were cut from the final films

• never-before-seen artwork and archival gems from the Lucasfilm Archives

• and much more!

Don’t miss the thrilling new movie or this definitive making-of opus. It’s as essential to fans as that trusty bullwhip is to Indy!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J. W. Rinzler, executive editor at Lucasfilm Ltd., is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Making of Star Wars, as well as The Art and Making of Monster House and Creating the Worlds of Star Wars, which he co-authored with visual effects supervisor John Knoll. J. W. Rinzler lives in Petaluma, California.

Laurent Bouzereau is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and author. Born in France, he now lives in Los Angeles, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (May 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345501292
• ISBN-13: 978-0345501295
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 1 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Movies > Industry
  • #67 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Movies > Genre Films

More About the Author

Born in Lakewood, New Jersey; grew up in Manhattan/NYC and Berkeley, CA. Fell in love with old monster films, such as Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as Robin Hood and other adventure movies. Presently executive editor at Lucasfilm.

Have recently finished an animated short film, Riddle of the Black Cat, which will be showing at the Buffalo Int'l Film Festival this fall.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This brings you right onto the movie set November 1, 2008

By Parka TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Length: 0:35 Mins

This is probably the best making-of-the-movie book I've read so far this year.

A lot of effort must have been put into research. Considering when the first Indiana Jones movie was shot, I'm very impressed by how they manage to document all this information.

The book is about the production process of the 4 Indy movies, up to the Crystal Skull. The narration explains in great detail all the events that happen behind the scenes. It's filled with lots of interviews. Read from how Spielberg came up with Indy's name to the last day of shooting Crystal Skull where Harrison Ford gave Shia LaBeouf a signed hat.

Reading the book is like working on the set itself. For that, it's worth the price alone.

There are hundreds of high resolution production photos. Several art illustrations were put in also, such as posters, storyboards and set designs. There are 300 pages in this 15-inch (screen measurement) book.

For fans of Indiana Jones, this will be an immensely satisfying book. For non-fans, this book will still impress. This book is that good.

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

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Fan's Book! May 29, 2008

By Martin A Hogan HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

I am a huge fan of the "Indiana Jones" series, even though I was slightly disappointed with the most recent film. However, this `coffee-table' style book is a classic keeper! Authors J. W. Rinzler and Laurent Bouzereau piece together all the information any fan could want. From the inception where George Lucas and Steven Spielberg first start the process to the final sequel, there's a ton of information here. It's almost comical the way the storyboards are so carefully and accurately drawn and then filmed. The chronicling of the initial three films is a lesson in production where you get the inside scoop from Spielberg, Lucas and the cast and crew, especially the last ("Crystal Skull") film. I particularly liked the section on "deleted scenes" as some seemed like a good idea and others were just plain silly. This book would make a great present as well.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!! May 25, 2008

By S.A.

Format:Paperback

This is an amazing and extremely comprehensive account of the making of all four Indiana Jones films - complete with all sorts of tidbits, stories, interviews, sketches, notes, letters, and tons of photographs, etc. The author did a magnificent job compiling all of the information into this book - you can almost feel like you were right there with the crew when they were filming these movies. I think this book is a bargain for the price Amazon is offering it for. You will not be disappointed - this is truly a book for the fans of Indy and fans of filmmaking.