A fine example of the work done by fans who were inspired by Star Wars: Photo Courtesy Robert Muratore
There are so many quality films that are part of The 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, one of them had to stand out as the most fun. Mind you, there are some films that I have not seen, but The People Vs. George Lucas at The Ford Amphitheatre on Wednesday night took that title for me as the crowd was just raucous, laughing and having a killer time all night, I mean, my stomach was hurting the next day. But within this fun and entertainment is a meticulously constructed participatory documentary that sheds light on perhaps the most amazing cultural phenomenon of the 20th century, Star Wars. For those of you in Europe or in Washington D.C., I have also been covering The Edinburgh International Film Festival as well as AFI/Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival where The People Vs. George Lucas will be screening on Sunday June 27th at 17:30 local time for Edinburgh and 5:45pm local time for D.C. You will not be disappointed if you are a Star Wars fan of any kind, no need to be a "geek" to enjoy this documentary work of sheer genius by Director Alexandre O. Philippe, Producer/DoP Robert Muratore, their crew and the many fans who contributed to this wild form of filmmaking. Look for an interview soon where Philippe and Muratore talk with me about that and more.
The killer setting at The Ford Ampitheatre enhanced what would have been a brilliant experience anyways, but when you are sitting in a canyon just after the sun has gone down in Southern California, you can't help but feel you are in the right place on the earth at that moment. Well, aside from the manic helicopter that flew overhead a few times before the film, which, while Philippe and Muratore were introducing the film, prompted Philippe to quip "Is that Lucasfilms?" Just brilliant stuff. Then the movie begins, and seriously, it was a magical journey into the heart of fandom and why the creation of stories still holds a high place of regard in our culture.
The brilliance that is left to right Robert Muratore and Alexandre O. Phillipe: Photo Couretesy Robert Muratore
As a filter for the chaos, Phillipe siphons the good bits into a tale that explores the fundamental question of who owns Star Wars. As any reasonable person can see, of course, legally George Lucas owns this franchise, however, a reasonable person can also see that without the fans, Star Wars would have ended with Epsiode Four: A New Hope. So do the fans have a right to complain and want more from Lucas than has been delivered in the new "trilogy", should Lucas release the original versions of Star Wars, or does he have the right to only allow the revised versions of the films to be produced (you know, Jabba The Hut walking alongside the Falcon with Han), and should Lucas be burned in effigy for Jar Jar Binks, or for allowing Greedo to suddenly get off the first shot on Han?
These questions and more are answered by some of the most passionate fans of the series, but more importantly, the fans are able to participate in this film. The creators took submissions for the film from fans, over 600 hours worth of footage, combing through every minute that was submitted, and implementing the incredible magic created over the years about this ultimate saga. It was said in the film that there is probably about 100 Star Wars fan films for every one Dr. Who fan film, the next most popular film for fans to reimagine as it were. Using these parts and combining them with brilliant interviews with the likes of the hysterical Todd Hanson of The Onion, as well as other Star Wars related content like George Lucas' ridiculous interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show (giant head, perfectly trimmed beard, oodles of arrogance, the film moves well beyond just a great collection of information. A compelling story with a central narrative, peaks and valleys, and real stakes that emerge, taking the audience on a journey of laughter, contempt, absurdity, and most of all entertainment that leaves one feeling fortunate that someone has taken so much care and time to above all, fairly examine the phenomenon that is Star Wars fandom, delving deeply into the arguments for both sides of this debate.
No caption here, I mean, just look: Photo Courtesy Robert Muratore
It's pretty easy to stir up sentiment in Star Wars fans, but it seems Philippe has struck a real chord with this piece, finding a cataclysmic rift between creator and consumer that one would think could doom the franchise forever, but as this film proves, the fans always seem to want more, holding out a primordial hope that Lucas still has a work of genius like the original films displayed. I am not sure about that, but you never know. I mean who knew that someone was going to make a Star Wars film more entertaining than any of those in the new "trilogy". I certainly did not, but with The People Vs. George Lucas, Philippe may have done just that.
Edinburgh, Scotland and those of you in Washington D.C., do not miss out on this amazing experience, as you can be the self proclaimed biggest Star Wars fan ever or someone who feels it is the bane of their existence, and both parties will most definitely enjoy The People Vs. George Lucas because it is just great filmmaking. Be sure to check out the website for the film, linked below, for more information on upcoming screenings that may be near you, including the screening tonight at EIFF which is at 17:30 local time and at Silverdocs in D.C., the screening is at 5:45pm local time. Check the EIFF website and the Silverdocs website for more details. If you are interested in following along with the coverage of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Film Festival, Silverdocs and other film festivals in the future, you can receive these articles directly as they are published by clicking on the “Subscribe” button at the top of this piece. You can also follow me on Twitter by searching for ericshlapack or by clicking the link below.
For more info:
The People Vs. George Lucas website
The Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival
AFI/Discovery Channel Silverdocs
My coverage of EIFF
My coverage of LAFF
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