George Walton Lucas, Junior is one of the producing S, Réalisateur S and Scénariste S American S most important of the the United States, born the May 14th 1944 with Modesto in California. It is especially known to be the creator of the Saga Cinématographique Star Wars .

Biography

George Lucas is born the May 14th 1944 with Modesto in California where it passes all its childhood in the family Ranch of his parents. His/her father, George Walton Lucas, Senior (1913-1991), hold a paper mill (L.M Morris) and his/her mother, Dorothy Ellinore Bomberger Lucas, suffers from health issues which oblige it to regularly make long stays at the hospital.

The Lucas young person hates the studies. Fanatic of automobile races, it dreams to become one day pilot professional. In 1962, at the eighteen years age, it has a terrible car accident at the wheel of its FIAT Bianchina prepared for the local races. Its safety belt yields, it is projected out of its vehicle and leaves itself there miraculeusement. It remains in spite of very several days in the Coma and six months at the hospital. Left business and convinced that the destiny granted a deferment to him, it does not take again any more the wheel and goes back to the studies.

Interested by the Photography, it is registered with the the University of California of South (USC) of Los Angeles and, following a “error” of inscription of its share, is found in a course of cinema for which it develops a passion quickly. It carries out there short films like Look At Life , Freiheit , THX 1138 4EB , The Emperor and 6-18-67 , which indicate already its direction of cutting and the assembly, and for which it obtains the encouragement of its professors. Lucas also studies the Mythologie on which it is set; the influence of Joseph Campbell will be palpable besides in its later work.

After having gained a contest, it takes down a six months training course to the studios Warner Bros where it wishes to work in the department of animation. But this one just has just closed, it is found on only film in turning at the time: the Valley of happiness ( Finian' S Rainbow ), realized by Francis Ford Coppola. On this plate where the average age is forty-five years, the two “young people” quickly bind friendship and Coppola authorizes Lucas to be assisted with turning provided that this one finds “an good idea per day to him”.

George Lucas marries Marcia in 1969 and will make the adoption of three children: Amanda in 1981, Katie in 1988 and Jett in 1993.

In 1969, after having obtained its diploma, it Co-founds with his/her friend Francis Ford Coppola the production company American Zoetrope, in order to gain its independence with respect to the studios Hollywood iens. However, after the commercial failure of THX 1138 and in spite of the critical success of this first feature-length film left in 1971, it goes bankrupt with a debt towards Warner Bros and creates a new business: Lucasfilm Ltd.

In 1973, Lucas carries out its second film, American Graffiti , a highly autobiographical dramatic comedy in which it depicts the American youth of the beginning of the Années 1960. By offering its first role to a young actor, some Harrison Ford, it initiates a collaboration of most profitable.

After the success gained by American Graffiti , Lucas board over the scenario of the saga of Science fiction Star Wars which combines initiatory search, marvellous worlds, Mythologie and space combat. The project is presented to several studios before being retained by Twentieth Century Fox which grants to the realizer a budget of ten million dollars. To deal with the colossal quantity of special Effects necessary to creation of its intergalactic epopee, Lucas founds in 1975 the company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). But turning proves to be hard and Twentieth Century Fox seriously gives in doubt the commercial potential of this “film for children”…

The first shutter of the saga, Star Wars: episode IV - A new hope leaves to the the United States the May 25th 1977. It is a tidal wave without precedent with the Box-office, one of greatest successes of the history of the cinema. This film, in addition to being a true cinematographic revolution, is essential like an international cultural phenomenon. Having beforehand negotiated the rights of the continuations like those of the derivative products with Twentieth Century Fox, Lucas makes fortune and becomes one of most important and famous independent producers of the United States. It produces Star Wars: episode V - The Empire counter-attacks in 1980 and Star Wars: episode VI - The Return of Jedi in 1983. With its companies Lucasfilm Ltd. and Industrial Light & Magic, then by creating the companies Lucasfilm Ranges (LucasArts) in 1982 and THX Ltd. in 1983, it contributes to the emergence of new expertises and encourages the development of techniques of avant-gardists post-production.

In the Years 1980, it produces other great popular successes like the trilogy Indiana Jones , realized by his/her friend Steven Spielberg, or Willow of Ron Howard, then takes part in artistically ambitious projects such as Mishima of Paul Schrader or Tucker of Francis Ford Coppola. But it essuie also some commercial failures which shake its empire: Labyrinth or Howard… a new race of hero . In addition, its expensive divorce with Marcia Lucas in 1983 obliges it three years later to resell its company of image processing of synthesis Pixar with Steve Jobs, which to him has been just made évincer company Apple.

1999 mark the return in large pump of Star Wars to the cinema, and that of George Lucas on the seat of the realizer, after twenty-two years of absence. With Star Wars: episode I - The phantom Threat , Lucas initiates one second trilogy, by which the action precedes the first chronologically. Will follow Star Wars: episode II - The Attack of the clones in 2002 and Star Wars: episode III - The Revenge of Sith in 2005.

In 2006, George Lucas has launched out in the production of very awaited fourth shutter of Indiana Jones, delayed for several years for lack of one scenario “to the height” and because of the difficulty in reconciling the schedules charged with the other project superintendents with the series, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford. It also joins again with Star Wars by announcing two televised series in phase of pre-production: the first will be devoted to the Guerre of the Clones in Animation 3D and the second will be located chronologically between Star Wars: episode III - The Revenge of Sith and Star Wars: episode IV - A new hope (Star Wars) .

According to the magazine Forbes , George Lucas points with the 243 {{E}} place of largest personal fortunes of planet 2007 with 3,6 billion dollars.

Sources of inspiration

  • the televised series which it looked during its childhood.

  • Flash Gordon, of which it considered the adaptation before even writing the adventures of Luke Skywalker, without however succeeding in obtaining the rights of them.
  • films produced by the National office of Film of Canada (ONF), like 21-87 of Arthur Lipsett, 60 Cycles of Jean-Claude Labrecque, just as the work of Norman McLaren and the documentary ones of Claude Jutra.
  • the Tale S and Legend S, the Mythology, the Sociology and the Ethnology which he studied as well as Eastern spiritualities: Bouddhisme, Taoïsme, Confucianisme, but also Manichéisme, Zoroastrisme, etc
  • It is impassioned of Sanskrit, which explains why it used this language for the words accompanying the main theme by Star Wars: episode I - The phantom Threat ).
  • fast cars, racing cars and races of cars in general, which it systematically integrates in its films in a form or another.
  • Its car accident in 1962 which revealed in him a particular dimension of the perception of the life and its intuitions that it associates with “the Force” of the Star Wars .

Catalog of films

Realizer

Short films

  • 1965 : Look At Life

  • 1965: Freiheit
  • 1966 : Herbie
  • 1966 : 1:42: 08: In Man and His Because
  • 1967: THX 1138:4 EB
  • 1967 : The Emperor
  • 1967 : Anyone Lived in has Pretty How Town
  • 1967: 6-18-67
  • 1968 : Filmmaker
  • 1969: The Making off “The Rain People”

Feature-length films

Scenario writer

This title is disputed to him for part of its work. To note, according to some, the characterized plagiarism of Foundation of Isaac Asimov which the universe Star Wars constitutes, “relationship” not recognized by the interested party. Actually, Lucas, precursor of post-modern recycling, took as a starting point a considerable sum of works and classic authors: Tolkien, Frank Herbert, Alex Raymond, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa… This accumulation of references (without significance other than with the third degree) however is put at the service of a personal and original work.

Assembler

Actor

All the appearances of George Lucas as an actor are in fact only Caméo S.

Executive producer

Associated producer

Others

Summary of the sagas

Star Wars (Star Wars)

Indiana Jones of Steven Spielberg

Nominations and rewards

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