The latest entry in the Star Wars saga, The Force Awakens, screens Wednesday here in the Philippines and we're going to be all on that. I'm honestly more of a Trek guy but one of the very first posts on this blog was about Episode III, so that's ten years of (non) waiting for this film. (Did 2005 me enjoy Episode III? It appears I did.)
Before we get into the meat of the matter, let's talk about documentaries and media featuring the trilogy we have all come to know and love (and the other trilogy that we didn't love as much.)
Empire of Dreams is a documentary about the original Star Wars trilogy. It has a ton of behind the scenes stuff regarding the creation of the first three films of the trilogy. Most of the running time is devoted to setting up the first film in the saga, A New Hope (known to most as simply 'Star Wars.') In a way, Star Wars is pretty much an independent film. It was made by a young director new to the scene, and it was made with almost total creative control, limited only by budget and time constraints. Yet it was a troubled production right from the start, as few people believed in the film and its success, and numerous troubles popped up even right at the first day of shooting.
You can see in the film how Hollywood shaped Lucas into a filmmaker who was fiercely protective of his work, leaving the Hollywood studio system and becoming his own studio so that he could create what he wanted. Restrictive union regulations, executive meddling with his previous feature films and a clash of old filmmaking traditions and new helped force him to this parting of ways, and the financial success of Star Wars and the subsequent films in the original trilogy made this possible.
Yet the Original Trilogy is not Lucas' vision alone; he was supported by many people who helped create his saga. The incredible folks at ILM (who pioneered a lot of science fiction special effects for the next 4+ decades), screenwriters such as Lawrence Kasdan and directors such as Irvin Kershner helped shaped the trilogy through their collaborative work to what it is today.
Other highlights include screen tests for actors auditioning for the trilogy, which includes Kurt Russell (!) and numerous test and alternate shots. The film is narrated by Robert Clotworthy, aka Jim Raynor from the Starcraft video game series.
If you're looking at one of the most comprehensive documentaries of the saga's creation, this is it.
Up next: Lucas and his oft-divided fanbase.
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