The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg—and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema
4.7 | 14 ratings
Price: 19.02
Last update: 02-16-2026
Product details
- Listening Length : 13 hours and 27 minutes
- Author : Paul Fischer
- Narrator : Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Publication date : February 10, 2026
- Language : English
- Publisher : Macmillan Audio
- ASIN : B0F9LSPYZJ
- Version : Unabridged
- Program Type : Audiobook
- Best Sellers Rank:#973 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
- Film History & Criticism
- Movie History & Criticism
- Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- Customer Reviews:4.74.7 out of 5 stars(14)
Top reviews from the United States
- June PriceThe people behind the mega-hit moviesWhile I'm far from a serious film buff, I found this both entertaining and quite informative. I have to admit that I've never given much thought to what shaped them. That they would know each other was certainly a natural assumption given the nature of the industry, though I never realized they met before fame really found any of them. Even more fascinating was reading about their initial, not necessarily well-formed concepts that led to their most memorable work. And, while I had some vague memory of Lucas being involved in a car wreck, I had no idea how much influence that would have. Same with Spielberg being bullied in school or Coppola's personal struggles with his health and being unable to walk for nearly a year while surrounded by a family of, let's call them, over achievers. Nor did I know who his roommate at UCLA was. Nope, not telling. You'll have to read the book. Grin. Needless to say, Spielberg's Jewish roots should have been a hint to us of where it would take him for one of his most remarkable movies and, no, not the one with the shark. Grin.
So, young and ambitious, struggling for recognition and success, while also chaffing under the then restrictions of film making, they met and became friends. Of course, they were also competitors with all that would mean, but the three of them certain changed movies as we knew them. I still remember leaving the theater after seeing Star Wars repeatedly mumbling "Wow!", totally blown away. While I never quite warmed up to Coppola, I certainly could appreciate the likes of The Godfather and know I've been surprised to see his association with movies like The Outsiders. Even more amazing, to read how long he'd pondered a war movie that ultimately became Apocalypse Now. Wonder how many avoided the beach after Spielberg's Jaws, while shaken by Schiendler's List? Or fell hard for Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones? Obviously I could rattle on endlessly but I'm reluctant to reveal too much because it all rather builds on each part. The comings together and apart and the reasons for it are all intriguing and give us insight into not just these three talents but movie making in general, too, so I want you to get the full scope as it builds.
Bottom line, I obviously thoroughly enjoyed this read. How they became friends and motivated and challenged each other was thought provoking. You'll get some intriguing behind the scenes looks at their movies, of course, a real perk. Thanks #CeladonBooks for this early look at an intriguing book that, shh, I honestly didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. Amazing to see how serendipity played such a role, too, from childhood trauma and events to the red carpet as they changed how we though of movies. - KimbokBehind the Scenes is always great!Coppola will always be my hero with The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. These virtual unknowns would all go on to be big! C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, Leif Garrett - HELLO! I’ve watched the movie fifty two thousand times or so… I’ve traveled to Tulsa and took the Stay Gold Movie Tour to filming sites and walked through THE HOUSE restored to the days of filming. I digress…
This entertaining trip down memory lane showcases three remarkable men whose movies shaped my childhood and beyond. From knowing each other before hitting the big time, to the who, what, when, and why’s that shaped their future was fascinating. Lucas was in a car wreck, Spielberg was bullied in school, and Coppola struggled with his health - did you know who his UCLA roommate was? Ha, not telling. How they motivated each other was amazing. And to top it all off, the behind the scenes look at their movies was fantastic! Ya, I loved it. - Audrey OaksHollywoodl've loved movies forever. Growing up, living near the Canadian border we had only 3 stations to watch on tv and they showed old movies for a lot of their content. Then came movies like Jaws, The Godfather and Star Wars and movies became a large part of our culture because of their imaginative creators. Thank you @celadonbooks for sharing The Last Kings of Hollywood by Paul Fischer with me. It published this week!
Ill "The untold, intimate story of how three young visionaries - Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven
Spielberg—revolutionized American cinema, creating the most iconic films in history while risking everything, redefining friendship, and shaping Hollywood as we know it."
i This well-researched book will be captivating to lovers of the 1970s and 80s movie scene. I loved the anecdotes and name dropping!
#starwars #movies #80s #cinema #hollywood - Tom RuprechtTerrific inside look at the best of movie!I loved this book. I was actually a little hesitant opening this open because these are such three massive figures in modern cinema that I knew everything there was to know about them. I've been reading about these guys and their movies my entire life. Well, Paul Fischer has done an amazing job creating an entertaining book with a slew of information I didn't know.
Fischer uncovers so many hilarious stories from film sets and their interactions with one another. The book mostly spans the 70s and 80s, so the number of legendary films that are covered is staggering-- Godfathers, Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones. Oh and I forgot E.T. The ability to live in that world again when these films were coming out and shaping our childhoods was a great feature of the book.
I also learned that Lucas behaved very badly towards Coppola over the years.