Lucas: His Hollywood Legacy

George Lucas isan innovative and talented director, producer, and screenwriter whose prolific career spans decades. While he is best known as the creative mind behind theStar Warsfranchise, Lucas first gained renown with his 1973 filmAmerican Graffiti,whichreceived five Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture.
When Star Wars (1977) was released,the groundbreaking motion picture won six Academy Awards,became the highest grossing film at the time, andstarted a culturalrevolution that continues to inspire generations of fans. Three decades and countless successes later, Lucas announced semiretirement in 2012 and sold his highly successful production company, Lucasfilm, to Disney.Hisachievements have earned him the Academy's Irving G. Thalberg Award, the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award, induction into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame and the California Hall of Fame, and a National Medal of Arts presented by President Barack Obama.
Lucas: His Hollywood Legacyis the first collection to bring a sustained scholarly perspective to the iconic filmmaker and his legacy beyond theStar Wars films.Edited by Richard Ravalli,this volumeanalyzes Lucas's overall contribution and importance to the film industry, diving deep into hisuse and development of modern special effects technologies, the history of his Skywalker Ranch production facilities, and more.With clearly written and enlightening critiques by experts consulting rare collections and archival materials, this book is an original and robust project that sets thestandard for historical and cultural studies of Lucas.

Richard Ravalli is associate professor of history at William Jessup University. He is the author of Sea Otters: A History.