“One more fine technician for the Dream Factory”? George Lucas’s Early Film Career, 1964–1971 .

This essay traces George Lucas’s development as a filmmaker from his arrival at film school in 1964 to the 1971 release of his first feature THX 1138. It follows his decision, also in 1971 but prior to the release of THX, to commit to a semi-autobiographical project about teenagers that would eventually become American Graffiti (1973). I discuss the thematic and stylistic characteristics of Lucas’s early film work in the context of his shifting outlook on his career, his professional networks, box-office trends, and transformative changes in the American film industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]