George Lucas

October 10, 2016
Biographer Jones (Jim Henson) exhaustively chronicles the life and movies of George Lucas, arguably America’s most successful filmmaker. The creator of two enduring franchises, Star Wars and Indiana Jones, he sold his company, Lucasfilm, to Disney for $4 billion in 2012. The author chronicles Lucas’s story, from his upbringing as the son of a prosperous stationery store owner in Modesto, Calif., to his career as a filmmaker who took on the Hollywood studio system and won. From the beginning, Lucas’s goals were independence and control. Jones cites this obsession in seemingly every major decision Lucas made, to the point of repetitiveness. The greater part of the book tells in granular detail how his films were produced: from initial concept and scriptwriting, to casting and location selections, to the filming and, most importantly for Lucas’s process, the editing. This minutiae may lose the casual reader, but Jones is more successful at explaining Lucas’s many contradictions: an aspiring avant-garde filmmaker who made blockbusters, a pessimist who loved fairy tale endings, an introvert in the most collaborative of arts, a man with a professed uninterest in money who became a billionaire. Jones also proves Lucas’s singular legacy is well deserved. He revolutionized all aspects of filmmaking, particularly visual effects, sound, and merchandising. Photos. Agent: Jonathan Lyons, Curtis Brown.

Starred review from October 1, 2016
A sweeping, perceptive biography of the influential director. Jones (Jim Henson: The Biography, 2013, etc.) sets the stage for this impressive biography with a short prologue set in 1976. Lucas was in the Tunisian desert starting his 84-day shoot of Star Wars. The weather was terrible, and sand got into everything. The machines, including R2-D2, wouldnt work, and the studio was stingy with funds (at that point, Lucas pledged to always control the money). About a year before the release date, Lucas was certain the movie was going to be terrible. Jones extensively researched, unauthorized biographyhe wasnt able to interview key people, including Lucaslays out in luscious detail the path Lucas took to become one of films most successful directors. Born in Modesto, California, in 1944, he grew up in the 1950s and loved comic books, TV serials, and building things. A mediocre, bored student in high school, he managed to get into the University of Southern California. When he discovered their film school, he fell madly in love with [film], ate it and slept with it 24 hours a day. He also met Francis Ford Coppola, who helped him get his student film, THX 1138, made into a movie. He also helped him make the popular American Graffiti, which provided Lucas with much-needed money. He could now focus on his Flash Gordon thing, Star Wars. Jones wisely eschews unnecessary plot summaries to focus on where the ideas for Lucas films came from and how he wrote them and how he dealt with studios and contract negotiations, funding, casting, filming, and marketing. This in-depth portrait of the modest and audacious Lucas, a brilliant and enigmatic technological wizard, and those who were crucial to his successhis editor wife, Marcia, Stephen Spielberg, Haskell Wexler, Garry Kurtz, John Milius, John Dykstra, Harrison Fordis never less than fascinating. Masterful and engaging: just what Lucas fans and buffs, who love the nitty-gritty of filmmaking, have been waiting for.

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Starred review from November 1, 2016
Maestro biographer Jones (Jim Henson, 2013) tackles another brilliant entertainer. The world knows George Lucas as the filmmaker who brought us Star Wars, one of the most iconic Hollywood franchises in history, but as Jones' in-depth, fascinating, and even gripping exploration reveals, Lucas is much more than a gifted storyteller. In fact, writing has never come easy to the Northern California-raised Lucas, who immersed himself in editing and directing while studying at USC. He started out making such stand-alone films as THX-1138 and American Graffiti before getting caught up in the idea of a grand space epic, an optimistic fairy tale to counter the disappointment and depression bogging down America in the 1970s. But it isn't just Lucas' movies that are visionary; so, too, is his business acumen. By retaining the licensing rights for Star Wars, he paved the way for lucrative toy deals and maintained creative and monetary control over the sequels. With Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, and Pixar, Lucas has created hundreds of jobs, and his friendships with fellow auteurs Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg led to dynamic collaborations, including the popular Indiana Jones franchise. Jones digs deep to limn the highs and lows of Lucas' career and life, capturing his drive and innovation in crisp, sparkling prose. Masterful and essential for film and pop culture enthusiasts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016

The original Star Wars films rank among the greatest and most lucrative films of all time, with sales of Star Wars-related merchandise having raked in more than $27 billion. Kicking off J.J. Abrams's reboot, 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens has proved to be one of the highest-grossing films ever. And then there's the Indiana Jones series. So this biography from author Jones, who did a thorough job with the New York Times best-selling Jim Henson: The Biography, should have lots of readers. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2016

The life and work of the visionary filmmaker and mogul is explored in this unauthorized biography by Jones (Jim Henson), who not only follows George Lucas's successes and missteps as a director, writer, and producer, but also investigates his acumen as a businessman who rebelled against the Hollywood system and forever changed the way films are produced, distributed, and experienced. Jones finds in Lucas's early life themes that would shape his future, including a need for creative independence and a teenage enthusiasm for design and drag racing that would inspire works as diverse as American Graffiti and Star Wars. The tone is admiring but evenhanded: Lucas's innovation, philanthropic interests, and loyalty to friends are emphasized, but so is his need to assert total control over projects, which sometimes affected his personal and professional relationships. Well researched and comprehensive--Lucas's 2012 sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and the release of The Force Awakens are both covered--the biography gives fans a chance to understand the man behind so many magical movie moments. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers of modern biographies, film enthusiasts, and Star Wars aficionados. [See Prepub Alert, 6/6/16.]--Sara Shreve, Newton, KS

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.