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The People vs. George Lucas To Premiere At SXSW

Posted by Soulskill on from the bringing-balance-to-the-nerdrage dept.

skatepark builder writes "David Prowse, the 74-year-old actor who has enjoyed a long and varied career filled with roles such as Darth Vader (Star Wars Episodes IV, V, and VI), is starting 2010 off with two major accomplishments. His victory over colon cancer earlier this month means he'll live to see his top billing in a film premiering next month at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The People vs. George Lucas is a documentary attempting a balanced examination of the love/hate relationship Star Wars fans have developed with the filmmaker and his work over the past three decades. Director Alexandre Philippe distances his film from the one-sided fan rage films that lambaste Lucas, even though the title would suggest otherwise. According to the trailer, The People vs.George Lucas exposes the full spectrum of opinions on Lucas, including those like Prowse, who still refers to him as a 'master.' Philippe captures these opinions through filmed interviews, but perhaps more interestingly, he crowdsourced the commentary by soliciting fan submissions over the internet. The clips seen in the trailer appear to be funny, highly inspired, and are probably more concise than the recently released 70-minute YouTube evisceration of Episode I."

8 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. He still hasn't seen royalties from ROTJ by SOOPRcow · · Score: 4, Interesting

    http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6024677.ece Pretty sad that they're even able to make that argument.

    1. Re:He still hasn't seen royalties from ROTJ by blackraven14250 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You know, I might be able to see them making the argument very early on. It's the fact that 30 years later, with the movies still selling copies, they haven't exceeded their original numbers given 30 years ago when they said "no money for you, we didn't exceed the X dollars it cost to make the film". Any additional expenses later on, such as marketing costs, remastering costs, etc., should not be allowed to factor in when this guy's royalties are calculated, so that he's guaranteed to get something once the original number for cost is surpassed.

  2. Re:A fandom i'll never understand by Jackie_Chan_Fan · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I think Lucas really fucked up the new trilogy, but I could never hate the man or ever think less of him. I know he has done so much for film making, not just in investing in technologies/techniques/artists/pioneers... but also by inspiring many filmmakers, children, adults.. .etc

    I just think the guy has plenty to be proud of. If he hasnt earned your respect before Episode 1.... well you should really reassess your opinion of the man. I think he's done plenty to be placed in high regard.

    Yes, Jar Jar sucks dick. Poor Jake Loyd was a bad casting decision. Natalie Portman wasnt even good. and "NOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" was just silly...

    But come on.. The guy is George Fucking Lucas! :)

    BTW I think the biggest problem with the new trilogy is that George was surrounded by a lot of yes men who were the "happy to be there" kind of folks. I dont think any of them had the balls to say "george.. uh... that sucks" when making the new films.

    Film making really is by committee. It takes lots of input, some fighting and some gut checking... I suspect too many people were just happy to be apart of history making, rather than trying to make history.

  3. How about space opera that doesn't suck? by Animats · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Look, everyone agrees Lucas should have stopped after three films. The Star [Wars|Trek|Gate|Craft] franchises have been done to death. Now a rehash of "Dune" is in production. Please.

    At least we have James Cameron's "Avatar". Cameron is a master of production value. He spends a lot of money, but it pays off. Unfortunately, everything he does looks too much like a "Terminator" movie.

    A film based on David Weber's work might be an improvement. But Hollywood would go for "March Upcountry", not the Honor Harrington novels.

    Of course, the fundamental trouble with space opera is that it's no longer a plausible future. Space travel hasn't improved much in 40 years.

    1. Re:How about space opera that doesn't suck? by hey! · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think Lucas nailed space opera in "Star Wars" (now retro numbered as "Ep IV"): the sense of wonder, the exuberant, don't look too closely at the seams where I stitched the archetypes together pacing. In large part its because he didn't have the budget or time to make it smooth and show you all the details. You'd see something just long enough to be interested (the Benny Goodman clarinet players in the cantina) then cut away before you had a good look.

      But he couldn't keep it up.

      Genres come and go in movies like any other kind of fashion. Once Hollywood turned out western after western. Most of them were dreck, a few are among the best and most thoughtful movies ever made (*The Searchers*). Space opera went from a new, full-blown maturity in Star Wars Ep IV to decadance in record time, driven by technology and vast amounts of money funding people who *could* be creative, but not on somebody else's hundred million dollar budget.

      If there is any hope, it's in the kind of people who make fan films. Bad as they are, they aren't ashamed to take risks because everyone *knows* they're probably bad.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  4. No, your kids did NOT love them. by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Episode 1 is now 11 years old, meaning your kids should be teens by now. Do they quote the movies? Has it seeped into every part of culture? Is it everywhere you can look?

    The toys you remember did NOT come out directly after the first movie, a lot of the merchandising you dismiss so easily came out DECADES later and was gobbled up. It is what makes Star Wars still the biggest earner out there.

    The entire proof that the prequels sucked can be found in the fact that TWO MMO's have skipped the era. Bioware wanted to do Star Wars, but were so desperate to stay away from the fall out that they invented an entire new era set so far apart (thousands of years) that they could completly distance themselves from it.

    If you study movies, Star Wars: A New Hope, must be included. It MIGHT be a simple story but its impact on society was enormous. If it had not been for Star Wars we would never have had Star Trek: The Motion Picture, but rather a new series. (Okay, so that is another thing we can blame lucas for).

    Kids now quote the Matrix, Lord of the Rings, etc. Episode 1 was just another blockbuster, made a lot of money but it has no lasting impact. It is the difference between Michael Jackson and McHammer... who?

    I enjoyed the blackhole as a kid too, but for the life of me I could not quote anything from it or even name the characters.

    My mom took me to see the first movies and she enjoyed them herself. Did you enjoy them? Really? The bit with the small droids on the fighter aircraft? Then there is no hope for you.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  5. Re:Cancer of the what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    But for both you only find out with a finger up your butt!

  6. i wonder.. by jarong · · Score: 2, Interesting

    i was indifferent about star wars growing up until i read dune. and then after thinking about it, realized that george lucas had ripped off a lot of his ideas from frank herbert. now i can't really enjoy the films at all. i wonder if there will be any commentary in the movie about that?