Genius, master craftsman, screwdriver in hand, pioneer of technological wonders in the 70s, the George Lucasis itself a chapter in the American film industry, essentially making science fiction another dominant genre of cinema and attracting millions of young audiences.

Looking at a period photo, with Lucas next to the most important directors of his generation, the De Palma, Spielberg, Scorsese and Coppolamemories come, when we thought that cinema could escape the established standards of the studios, the technocrats’ obsessions with profits and commercialization of the product, the business of manipulating the public and propaganda films, for the “American dream”, the lonely American hero, the discrediting of any different voice or the appearance as a danger to anything that does not have the approval of Hollywood or even the Pentagon.

And if Coppola, first in the series, made us talk with “The Godfather”, Spielberg lifted us up with “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and cut us off swimming with “Jaws of the Shark”, Scorsese dismembered the “American dream” with “Taxi Driver” and De Palma going, a little later, one step further to demolish the “dream” with “Marked”, Lucas showed us that the imagination cannot be limited even to the stars .

George Lucas, who happily turns 80 years old (May 14, 1944), ten years ago, made the decision to leave the LucasFilm production company he founded, to sell it to Disney and return, as he declared, to his favorite garage, along with his saws and hammers, in order to make films about his hobby, to experiment, not to worry about whether they will be released in theaters and whether they will do tickets. Yes, the man who knew better than anyone how to fill cinema halls, how to make billions from his films and productions, was leaving the film industry.

But wasn’t he the first to essentially give up directing right after the phenomenal success of his trilogy? “Star Wars”limiting himself to production and simultaneously developing his business activities, which made him the richest man in cinema?

A decision, which on the one hand indicated his intelligence in making money and on the other hand, his distancing from cinema as an art form – something that stimulated the well-known and timeless questioning about the 7th Art. Bad lies, this decision of his will be vindicated to a great extent, especially in Hollywood. A close friend from his student days, Spielberg, from renovator of American cinema, great storyteller and master of direction, evolved into an Oscar hunter and reconciled to the American heavy regime, Coppola was sidelined, while De Palma was forced to shoot on mostly blockbuster adventures and thrillers, however, always maintaining his directorial skills – of course there is also the famous “Carlitos Affair”, one of the best films of the last decades, with which he proved how great a director he is.

However, let’s get to know Mr. George Lucas a little better, who as an active film actor had a short career, until the mid-80s (the parenthesis of the “Star Wars” trilogy 1999-2005 can be taken as a prelude in his career), devoting his creativity to other ventures that have earned him a fortune of over $5 billion.

Disneyland and the crash

George Lucas was born in 1944, shortly before the end of World War II, in Modesto, California, to parents of German-Swiss descent, but also a remarkable mixture of England, Scotland, Holland and France.

His family attended Disneyland’s first week of operation in 1955, where little Lucas was enthralled. Crazy about comic books, science fiction and related TV shows like “Flash Gordon”, he will start making amateur films from his teenage years. Somewhere there he got the craze for racing cars and the idea of ​​becoming a racing driver. However, a very serious accident he had, with his car ending up in a tree, will interrupt his dreams and lead him to the cinema. At the age of 19, he will find himself attending directing courses at the University of Southern California, where he will meet Steven Spielberg.

A friendship that still lasts, while they also collaborated on his hugely successful adventures Indiana Jones, where Lucas had undertaken the production, while he was among the screenwriters of the films. Remarkably, he will also meet Coppola during his internship at Warner.

Star Wars

In 1977, a landmark year for Lucas, he showed a half-finished copy of the film titled Star Wars to a few friends and associates – including Spielberg and De Palma. The film lacked some effects and some battle scenes, which had archival footage from World War II. After a few months the film will premiere.

The bet with Spielberg

At the time, Spielberg was shooting the big-budget, Lucas-produced Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Lucas was frustrated as he could not find sufficient financing and even made a bet with his friend, confident of the box office success of Spielberg’s film. Whoever won would give the other 2.5% of the winnings. History solemnly disproved him. Spielberg may have made 40 million dollars from his friend’s film, but Lucas pocketed the incredible amount of a billion, since “Star Wars” had only cost him 11 million!

Revolutionary techniques

Using revolutionary techniques for the time, with party effects, the script, a combination of science fiction and epic, the non-conformist at the time Lucas would enchant with his inspiration and create armies of fans, especially young people, who have since been the main reservoir of commercialism in cinema. Having excellent partners by his side, such as Gilbert Taylor in the photo, the John Williams in their music and cast Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness and the then still unknown, Harrison Ford, will build a film empire. The next two films to follow would do about the same financially for Lucas, who almost immediately quit directing, just continuing to make money.

And “philanthropist”

Today, George Lucas is enjoying life, sitting on the billions he made from his first three films and his business ventures, becoming an icon for cinema from an era that seems quite distant. At the same time, a man who knew better, even from directing, to make money and today can afford to add to his resume, next to the director and producer, and the “philanthropist”, like several famous billionaires.