Just picked up the book The Cinema of George Lucas by Marcus Hearn.
This is an amazing look at George from birth through Episode 3. The author divides up his life into various sections including: birth through USC, Student Films, THX-1138, American Graffiti, ANH, ESB, ROTJ, “The lost years” (my quote, not his) and the Prequels.
Besides the tons of personal pictures, there are some interesting shots from his films. He’s also included shooting schedules and other nifty bits for many films. And there are descriptions of each film that help with his more obscure student works. There are also interviews with folks I haven’t seen interviewed for a Lucas biography.
Very throughly researched. It’s HUGE; weighing in at a solid 4.5 pounds. And, thus far, it’s proving to be an enjoyable read.
Just resist opening the last 20 or so pages of the book and you can avoid any Episode 3 spoilage.
It’s priced at a quite reasonable $50 for a book that’s so large and printed on such high quality paper. (Of course, you can get it cheaper almost everywhere.) A worthy investment for any film buff and almost every Lucas fan.
