The first commercial public film screening took place in 1895. Now, over a century and a quarter later, the movie industry has gone through remarkable and beneficial changes in business structure and has achieved technological advancements revolutionizing films. They are making not just works of art, but substantial amounts of money as well. How these two goals will coexist cannot be predicted with any certainty. However, the state of the industry, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, is not at the end or even at the beginning of the end. But it certainly could be at the end of the beginning.

THE LAST KINGS OF HOLLYWOOD revolves around three enormously gifted men who somehow were able to convince the film industry to accept their artistic talent in ways that previously had not been standard practice. George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg would be responsible for Star Wars, The Godfather and Jaws, three of the highest grossing movies of the 1970s. Lucas and Star Wars have become a freestanding film enterprise, resulting in sequels, prequels, spin-offs and a worldwide culture. Spielberg and Coppola are not far behind.

"Through exhaustive research and interviews, Paul Fischer has documented how the trio began their journeys as directors, while at the same time becoming friends.... [THE LAST KINGS OF HOLLYWOOD is an] exceptional biography."

Through exhaustive research and interviews, Paul Fischer has documented how the trio began their journeys as directors, while at the same time becoming friends. This is a wonderful story of how Hollywood was transformed from a studio-run enterprise to an era of individually created independent blockbusters.

In 1967, Lucas and Coppola started working together at Warner Brothers. Lucas, a young film student graduate, assisted Coppola, whose first movie for the studio was Finian’s Rainbow, a musical starring Fred Astaire. The two soon departed and opened their own independent studio, American Zoetrope.

Spielberg got his start at Universal Studios. He was more conservative at the beginning and chose the security of a lengthy contract that included working on television shows. In fact, he directed the premiere episode of the long-running Peter Falk series “Columbo.” He ended up lobbying studio executives for the chance to direct Jaws, which was based on the bestselling novel by Peter Benchley. The movie was a huge success and launched Spielberg’s career.

This book would not be complete without a detailed discussion of the three films that brought Lucas, Coppola and Spielberg to the top of their profession, as well as their numerous other movies. For fans who want specifics about how some of the greatest modern films came to the screen, Fischer has produced an enjoyable and enlightening reading experience.

Present-day Hollywood is vastly different from the studio era that, despite its shortcomings, still had enough talent to create many of the classic movies that occasionally still appear in theaters and are available on streaming services. Fischer expresses concern over the industry’s changes and current financial structure.

THE LAST KINGS OF HOLLYWOOD concludes with details regarding the difficulties of Lucas, Coppola and Spielberg in the years after their great successes while observing that their films live on. It is a much-deserved tribute to their work and achievements, masterfully depicted in this exceptional biography.