Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and author Paul Fischer for the advance reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

The studio system in Hollywood grew out of a need to have large buildings in which to build sets. This was true from the early films through the late 1990s. This also put creative control in the hands of a few who decided what Americans wanted to see. That studio system began to fall apart as the CGI revolution entered the film industry. In between the old days of the studio heads and the CGI revolution, there was a time when a group of directors pursued filmmaking their way and created some of the best-known films from the 1970s onward.

The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg, and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema recaptures that lightning-in-a-bottle time when several directors who are now considered legendary tried to force the studios to change and do things their way. To a certain point, they succeeded. However, what they will be leaving behind is a far cry from the independent, creative vision they had initially.

This book focuses on the three names in the title, but there are others here who became legends around the same time, such as Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma, who also play a role in this book. Led mostly by Francis Ford Coppola, these directors wanted to be able to tell the stories they wanted to tell, not what the studios were dictating to them. Coppola especially had a dream of a studio where directors would be free to get more creative. He and Lucas were good friends for quite some time. Both were visionaries, but neither ended up creating the place they envisioned when they were younger.

For Coppola, it seems the big problem was dreaming too big and not managing money properly. If you know the Walt Disney story, he prospered in what he did thanks to the financial acumen of his brother, Roy. If Coppola had had a Roy Disney, he might have been able to pull it off. His America Zoetrope films still exist, but it’s hardly the grandiose studio and creative outlet of his dreams. George Lucas was one of his early protegees. The two had a great friendship early on, which was fractured over disputes about Apocalypse Now and Star Wars. Lucas seemed to think that Apocalypse Now was his film, while Coppola thought he was owed some of Star Wars‘ profits. With Lucas’ track record, I’m not sure he was the right director for Apocalypse Now, and Coppola might have a case for having buoyed Lucas for a percentage of the film, a deal that Lucas reneged on.

The details in The Last Kings of Hollywood make it very interesting. Some of the stories I had heard before, particularly about Lucas. Much of the information in here was new to me. It seemed like Lucas could spot the problems with Coppola’s vision and turned his creative partnership to Steven Spielberg, who was much more his speed. Spielberg was the up-and-comer to Coppola’s and Lucas’ longer experience trying to make the films they wanted to make. Coppola is probably best known for The Godfather films, yet he directed them reluctantly.

The audiobook is narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett, who does a good job. He tries to get the right inflection in his voice to sound like each of the directors when they are quoted. He doesn’t succeed in this. Lucas, especially, I found nearly laughable. However, it made it easy to distinguish who was talking and what point of view I was getting throughout the listening. If you like audiobooks, this is a good way to listen to this book.

The Last Kings of Hollywood is a great book about the history of filmmaking. It’s hardly complete. Although it’s an honest portrayal of the people here, there are some issues these directors have had over the years that are not addressed. It’s more of a rosy picture, although it does deal honestly with many of the failings of these men as humans.