THERE IS GOOD IN TRIVIA-PACKED BIOGRAPHY OF GEORGE LUCAS
With “Rogue One’s” release around the corner, a new book takes a look back at the creation of the original StarWars and the man behind the insanely popular movie franchise.
“George Lucas: A Life” ( Little, Brown, 472 pages) is an unauthorized biography drawing mostly on quotes taken from various interviews with the iconic filmmaker and pulled together by author Brian Jay Jones (“Jim Henson”). While it may just be a refresher for hard- core Lucas fanboys, for more casual moviegoers the book offers a lot of interesting trivia and insight into the quiet, enigmatic genius who hated working in the very studio system that led to his biggest hits.
The bio goes back to Lucas’ Modesto, California, roots growing up on hot rods and rock ‘ n’ roll— both of which were mined for his 1973 breakthrough “American Graffiti”— plus his prodigious stint at the USC film school. “A Life” examines all his major works, though it doesn’t spend a whole lot of time on the Indiana Jones films he did with Steven Spielberg, and really gets going when Jones digs into Lucas’ six “StarWars” movies.
Through quotes from actors and crew alike, as well as the persnickety director, Jones begins with the first “StarWars” movie, chronicling problems with special effects, the many drafts of the story, what would ultimately influence it ( including the Vietnam War) and other aspects that worked their way into Lucas’ legendary 1977 masterpiece.
Many of the on- set stories and pieces of trivia ( i. e., the Millennium Falcon earning the nickname “Porkburger”) have been told before but are fun to revisit, and in that way “A Life” makes a nice complement to StarWars actress Carrie Fisher’s new memoir “The Princess Diarist,” which recounts her tryst with co- star Harrison Ford.
Doing those kind of big- budget movies would ultimately involve a lot of sacrifice— mainly because Lucas was such a control freak— but he showed an insane amount of foresight as he negotiated the merchandising deal that would net him billions during his career. ( Lucas stepped away from the franchise when he sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012 for $ 4 billion. The last “StarWars” feature he directed was “Episode III— Revenge of the Sith” in 2005.)
Jones goes deep “inside baseball” when it comes to filmmaking techniques and industry minutiae— though movie nerds will eat those parts up.
More interesting is Lucas’ on- again, off- again friendship with Francis Ford Coppola, Spielberg and other filmmakers he saw as both pals and competition, and his behind- thescenes struggles with the studio higher- ups who saw him as a talented nuisance. While Lucas’ reserved and brusque demeanor both helped and hurt him in his public and private life, his never- wavering commitment to being himself is what’s most fascinating about the book and the man.
“Lucas changed the way audiences watched — and rewatched— movies,” Jones writes, and until we get a tome from Lucas himself, “A Life” is a solid read about a fiercely independent, unforgettable American filmmaking icon.