Lucas: His Hollywood Legacy

George Lucas is one of the most successful filmmakers of all time. Edited by Ravalli (history, William Jessup Univ.; Sea Otters: A History), this volume explores Lucas’s cinematic contributions in essays written by scholars and specialists of film, art, history, literature, and philosophy. Their essays discuss his collaboration with Steven Spielberg on the Indiana Jones films and Lucasfilm’s pioneering work with THX sound and Industrial Light & Magic visual effects. They consider the heroic women in his films who often wind up objectified, the negative fan reaction to his special editions of the original Star Wars trilogy, and the infamous prequel trilogy that’s been referred to as “a good story poorly told.” One essay explores the corporate relationship between Lucas and Disney, whereas another one examines the “Lucas-Spielberg Syndrome,” in which critics blamed the two directors for the decay of cinema. The best essay, Michael Kaminski’s “Marcia Lucas: Her Life and Hollywood Legacy,” is about Lucas’s first wife, a key figure for most of his films before their 1983 divorce, who was essentially erased from history. While the collection is often interesting, it feels like an outline for a larger work.