New hollywood's titans: a clash of visions and the price of genius

The 1970s witnessed a seismic shift in American cinema, birthing a new wave of filmmakers who shattered the old studio system. Paul Fischer’s new book, The Last Kings of Hollywood: The Battle for the Soul of American Cinema, meticulously dissects the rise of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Francis Ford Coppola—three titans whose ambition reshaped filmmaking.

A fractured generation

Fischer’s account doesn't shy away from the personal struggles that shaped these auteurs. Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg, all hailing from California film schools, carried the weight of outsider status. Coppola and Scorsese navigated the complexities of being Italian-American immigrants, while Lucas grappled with potential undiagnosed autism and Spielberg faced antisemitism. Yet, unlike many of their female contemporaries – from Stephanie Rothman, sidelined by the B-movie industry, to Nancy Dowd, who often worked under male pseudonyms – they largely escaped the sexism that plagued Hollywood.

The book highlights a shared yearning for creative independence. Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios, a chaotic hub of artistic energy, contrasted sharply with Lucasfilm’s focus on technological innovation. Spielberg, too, established his own studio, DreamWorks, though it never achieved the same legendary status as its rivals. However, the 1970s Golden Age's abrupt end, triggered by Michael Cimino's disastrous Heaven's Gate, casts a long shadow over Fischer’s narrative. The book largely overlooks this pivotal moment, failing to fully explore the broader forces that ultimately dismantled the old order.

The narrative vividly portrays the early careers of these directors, including a disastrous test screening of Coppola’s dystopian sci-fi film, THX 1138, which Warner Bros. executives deemed incomprehensible. This experience, Lucas later remarked, was akin to presenting the Mona Lisa and asking for revisions. The book meticulously documents the power dynamics at the heart of Hollywood, revealing the often-brutal realities faced by aspiring filmmakers and the precarious nature of artistic vision.

While Fischer offers a richly researched and engaging account, the book leans heavily on a