George Lucas

December 23, 1996

Despite the fact that George Lucas has not directed a film in nearly 20 years, he has been a major influence on the filmaking world for over three decades. He has produced such films as the Indiana Jones and Star Wars trilogies, as well as Paul Schrader's Mishima and the animated The Land Before Time. Born in Modesto, California on May 14, 1944, he graduated from the University of Southern California and gained much of his filmaking experience from the University film school. In 1968, he began a long collaboration with director Francis Ford Coppola, when he served as an intern on Coppola's Finian's Rainbow. Coppola would later provide support for Lucas' first film, THX-1138 (1971). This throwback to George Orwell's nightmare world of 1984, the movie was an extended version of a award winning short Lucas made during his days at USC.

Lucas became disheartened when Warner Bros. took the film out of his hands, re-edited it and gave it a limited release. It would gain a cult status in later years, but at the time, THX-1138 was a box-office failure. His next film, once again co-produced by Coppola, would be far more succesful. American Graffiti (1973), a nostalgic look at one night in the life of a group of Teenagers in 1962, became a smash hit for Lucas and one of the highest-grossing (and most popular) films of the decade. The gross accumulated by American Graffiti allowed Lucas to make his most important film work to date, Star Wars (1977). Heavily influenced from the popular Space opera stories of his boyhood (including a touch of Flash Gordon), Lucas' last film as a director became one of the third highest grossing film of all time. It also revolutionized special effects and gained a place in history as an internationally cherished classic. As the film star ted to gain popularity, Lucas made his decision to leave directing, mainly because of the huge undertaking he took on with Star Wars. So, he became a producer, a job he says he highly enjoys. His work as a producer has been just as impressive as his directorial work (see beginning of article).

Recently, Lucas announced that he was indeed planning to finish the Star Wars series (the original trilogy was only three parts to a truly epic nine-part saga) and has made claims that he will even direct one of the upcoming chapters. It is something he has not undertaken since the first film. Lucas has also been behind the authorization of books and comic books based on the Star Wars saga, which will undoubtably extend the popularity of the films and Lucas for many years to come. Wish you luck, George.

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