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J. W. Rinzler
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Howard Kazanjian: A Producer's Life Kindle Edition

by J. W. Rinzler (Author), Marcia Lucas (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 67 ratings
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A captivating exploration of the life, work, and insider insight of legendary film producer Howard Kazanjian

Howard Kazanjian, a film producer whose career spans 50 years, has collaborated with Hollywood legends such as Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Sam Peckinpah, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas, and worked on such classics as The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Return of the Jedi. Complete with personal anecdotes from the front lines, and coupled with rare archival photographs, this full-length biography tells the story of Kazanjian’s rise in Hollywood and takes us behind the scenes of the producer’s role in some of the biggest blockbusters in film history. 
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  1. Print length
    360 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Cameron Books
  5. Publication date
    September 14, 2021
  6. File size
    45002 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J. W. Rinzler, former executive editor at Lucasfilm Ltd., is the author The Making of Star Wars, The Complete Making of Indiana Jones, and The Star Wars, the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel, adapted from George Lucas’s original rough draft. Marcia Lucas is an Academy Award–winning film editor who’s worked on such legendary films as Star Wars, American Graffiti, Taxi Driver, and Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0992SSQRR
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cameron Books (September 14, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 14, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 45002 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1951836189
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 67 ratings

About the author

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J. W. Rinzler

J. W. Rinzler

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Former executive creative for 15 years at Lucasfilm, Rinzler wrote and directed an animated short "Riddle of the Black Cat," which was shown at numerous film festivals, including the Montreal World Film Festival. His adaptation of George Lucas's original rough draft became "The Star Wars" graphic novel and was a #1 New York Times best-seller.

Born in Lakewood, New Jersey; grew up in Manhattan/NYC and Berkeley, CA, J W Rinzler fell in love with old monster films, such as Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as Robin Hood and other adventure movies.

His historical-fiction novel ALL UP, a thriller about the first Space Age, from World War II to the Apollo 11 mission, will be out in July 2020.

"All Up is an exceptional book that takes the reader beyond the usual descriptions of the challenges and achievements of the first Space Age, by describing the human reality behind the extraordinary efforts of intelligence and will that made it all possible. Imagine if we could meet Wernher von Braun, Jack Parsons, and Sergei Korolev, and hear them speak about their lives, their failures and hopes and their eventual successes. That is the story told in All Up, a timely contribution at the moment America is seriously considering a return to the Moon, and a valuable guide to the stunning voyages to come."—Dr. Jacques F. Vallée, computer scientist, winner of the Jules Verne Award for science-fiction

“With its fascinating personalities that only Rinzler could describe, ALL UP can’t be put down.”

—David Mandel, Emmy–award winning writer/executive producer, Veep & Curb Your Enthusiasm

“Hang on for the jet-propelled ride of your life. You won’t want to stop till you find out how it all comes out!”—Roy Thomas, writer/editor, member Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
67 global ratings
A must have for cinema enthusiasts; pages 333 and 334 are wall framing worthy.
5 Stars
A must have for cinema enthusiasts; pages 333 and 334 are wall framing worthy.
I love cinema, this book is a Director's journey. It is a fascinating topic for me. Lots of picture, it's like "the making of" many movies. Star Wars fans looking for Marcia Lucas quote, you can find it on pages 333 - 334.
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Top reviews from the United States

Doug Maddox
5.0 out of 5 stars Howard Kazanjian: A Producer's Life is a terrific read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2021
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Howard Kazanjian: A Producer's Life is a terrific tale of a true life story of both navigating the Hollywood and Independent film systems! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Howard's biography. It is a must read of both fans of some of the movies you made; Indiana Jones, Star Wars, American Graffiti 2 and movie makers alike. The Hollywood studio system and growth and importance of the independent film making world come together is Howard's life journey. Thank you Howard for telling us the behind the scenes of your life as a film maker and your relationships with other film makers like George and Marcia Lucas and Alfred Hitchcock! Best, Douglas B. Maddox, DBM Films
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Brandon Wainerdi
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly an indispensable book for any fan, Star Wars or otherwise.
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2021
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I had been looking forward to this book for over a year, and it did not disappoint. Mr. Kazanjian is a great example of an untold hero in the making of some of your favorite movies. The parts that stuck out to me, even more than his time on EMPIRE, JEDI, and RAIDERS (some of my favorite movies of all time), were actually during his early days in Hollywood ... working right along side Alfred Hitchcock and a whole host of classic cinema legends.

His story is wonderful and the lessons he imparts are invaluable. (And I have said nothing yet about the Marcia Lucas aspects of this book! A must-read.)
One person found this helpful
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Rachel George
5.0 out of 5 stars Book with more gossip than behind the scene of star wars trilogy and Indiana jones flicks.
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2021
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Great bio for current and future filmmakers. I read d through the book pretty easily and the story content behind the camera with Sam Peckinpah, Alfred Hitchcock, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Charlie Sheen, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and George Lucas are stories that have never been told before.

The Marcia Lucas (know as Lucas' ex wife) forward seems to be creating buzz that she has always deserved. Her voice and thoughts are spread out throughout the entire book. She played such an important roll in the original star wars series and herself is an incredible filmmaker.
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Scott C
5.0 out of 5 stars Marcia Lucas speaks!
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2021
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An excellent chronicle of the on set nuts and bolts of filmmaking history starting in the mid 1960s. This also contains the extremely rare and unexpected first hand account of Marcia Lucas relaying her experiences as well as her contributions to "The Star Wars" saga. Fantastic stuff!

Highly recommended
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Ineabelle Rodríguez
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for cinema enthusiasts; pages 333 and 334 are wall framing worthy.
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2021
Verified Purchase
I love cinema, this book is a Director's journey. It is a fascinating topic for me. Lots of picture, it's like "the making of" many movies. Star Wars fans looking for Marcia Lucas quote, you can find it on pages 333 - 334.
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Ineabelle Rodríguez
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for cinema enthusiasts; pages 333 and 334 are wall framing worthy.
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2021
I love cinema, this book is a Director's journey. It is a fascinating topic for me. Lots of picture, it's like "the making of" many movies. Star Wars fans looking for Marcia Lucas quote, you can find it on pages 333 - 334.
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David M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Hooked From Page 1
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2021
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A wealth of industry information and anecdotes. Once I started reading it I found it difficult to put down. Kazanjian's journey from film student to producer of blockbuster films is filled with advice and lessons for current filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers alike.
5 people found this helpful
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Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars Informed!
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2022
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Still learning about all these great movies and the hardships to get them on to the screen
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Classics Lover
3.0 out of 5 stars More About Lucasfilm than Kazanjian
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2022
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This is purportedly a biography of Howard Kazanjian, but after covering the earliest part of his career as an intern and assistant director, it loses focus on its subject once HK gets involved with Lucasfilm. The whole thing veers off into the internal politics of Lucasfilm and George Lucas's personality, endless minutiae about the construction of Skywalker Ranch and studios, Lucas's marital problems with Marcia Lucas, and just about everything except Howard Kazanjian himself. In the end, the reader has little sense of who Howard Kazanjian is, what kind of producer he was or is, how good a producer he was or is, what his own sense of himself as a filmmaker might be, his relative position in the industry . . . indeed, the book is really about Lucasfilm. Even Marcia Lucas chose to make the foreword more about herself than about Howard Kazanjian! With friends and colleagues such as these, and a biographer who can't be bothered to focus on the subject of the biography, poor Howard Kazanjian just disappears and becomes a cipher about a third of the way into the book. Perhaps someone will eventually write the biography of Howard Kazanjian that this was supposed to be.
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Top reviews from other countries

Derek Boyes
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly visceral account of this amazing producer’s career!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2023
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It's been a while since I read a book about this generation of filmmakers. I forgot how incredibly inspiring it is. It brought back vivid memories of my early days of excitement and awe, trying to navigate a career in this magical, mystical industry. I still envy all of them (Howard, George, Steven, Marcia, Ben, Frank, Kathleen, Kurtz, Francis etc.) for being young filmmakers at such an exciting transformational time in Hollywood.

Despite being a Star Wars and Indy fan since childhood and reading nearly everything that was ever published on the making of these films, I was surprised to realise I knew very little about Howard Kazanjian. I knew his name from the credits of Raiders and Jedi, but that was about it. So when I discovered the brilliant J. W. Rinzler had published this Biography just before the author's tragic passing, I ordered it straight away.

I was genuinely excited for Howard, reading about his opportunity to apply for a formal entry into the old 'Hollywood' system through a rare apprenticeship scheme that was the first of it's kind - seeking applicants outside of the traditionally closed system.

His fast learning curve and eventual promotion through the traineeship was testament of the young man's passion, dedication, character and talent - How he learned to navigate Sam Peckinpah's ruthless temperament and unscrupulous delay tactics on set was genius and undoubtedly gave him more than the necessary humble and trustworthy demeanor to quickly become Hitchcock's confidant on set and later a close trusted friend. What an amazing life already ...and he hasn't even got to work with George Lucas yet!

I was fascinated by how much input and influence Howard had with the Lucas family. For example, it's the first time Marcia Lucas has ever truly been recognised in a publication, for her influence and creative contributions to Lucasfilm and Star Wars. The fact that Howard is still close friends with both George and Marcia so many years after their divorce, I think is also testament to his fair, kind-natured character. The way Rinzler writes these accounts, is so immersive, that you feel like you were with them in these pivotal iconic moments in movie-making history. I feel like I know them all as good friends.

The shock surprise in the book was the awkward replacement of Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz during the production of The Empire Strikes Back. I always wondered why he was dropped from the trilogy and had no idea Howard was the uncredited replacement on Empire. I actually met Kurtz once at a London convention, while I was working on The Phantom Menace. Even then he came across as a little arrogant and self-important. Howard on the other hand, is described by his peers as more humble and approachable. Above all, he was clearly a master at controlling costs, accommodating unforeseen expenses, without ever going over budget or over schedule - Raiders is the perfect example of this and for me, stands as one of the most resourceful, efficient and well managed films ever made.

I wish I could have watched Howard in his prime ...and Robert Watts, Norman Reynolds, Douglas Slocombe, and Spielberg etc, etc. I guess I have to be grateful I got the incredible opportunity to be George Lucas' continuity girl (with the hairy legs) for three days on the Phantom Menace '98 pickups. That for me was a 'magic moment' in my career. Despite this, I hoped, like Hitchcock was to Howard, that George would take me under his wing and train me as his padawan filmmaker. Unfortunately he was far too reticent and focussed on the job in hand for that.

I was surprised to read Howard visited George on the set on The Phantom Menace at Leavesden. I might well have seen him, but just not known who he was. There were many others visitors to set, including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Ron Howard. I even got to chat with Nathan Hamill, entertain Amanda Lucas (who used to hang out in the office) and watched Sofia Coppola and Keira Knightley acting as as handmaidens before their respective filmmaker/leading actress careers.

To conclude, this was such an enjoyable and inspirational read but with a slight melancholy ending, in the fact that nothing lasts forever. The sudden divorce of Marcia and George was genuinely heart-breaking to read and by all accounts, ended a decade of pure magic, as the tight-knit 'Lucasfilm family' were reluctantly forced to go their separate ways. It was most definitely the end of an era. None of them ever really found that same level of success and fulfillment back in the increasingly unscrupulous 'Hollywood' system. As a young rebel team, they were unstoppable - and this fact can't be underestimated. Yes, George pioneered filmmaking on so many levels, but without his close-knit team, he would never have attained the success that he had. I have been searching for my own 'Delfilm' team since I started making films in 1993, but have never had the fortune to find such a pool of talent able to excel in the areas I am weak in. At 50, I'm still hoping!
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indysean1971
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for Indy fans.
Reviewed in Italy on December 14, 2021
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Interesting book about the career of Howard Kazanjian and his involvment on the Indiana Jones and Star Wars sagas.
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Matt B
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, unique read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 25, 2024
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Fascinating incites and a must read for fans
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