When people think about documentaries about films they usually stop with “behind the scenes” type documentaries that tell the story of the production of the film. There are many great Star Wars documentaries to choose from including The Making of Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX (1980), and A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010).
In addition to these Star Wars documentaries, there are some films that focus on creature making, re-imagining of special effects, toy marketing, the digital revolution, and Star Wars fandom in general. For any fan of cinema, and especially fans of Star Wars, here are five documentaries that delve into various aspects of the impact of Star Wars plus one documentary to look forward to in the near future.
#1 Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Available on the Star Wars Blu-Ray Set and the Star Wars Digital Collection
Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi offers both a look at the making of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and the artistry involved creating the creatures in the film. Narrated by Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams Classic Creatures gives life to the artists hiding behind the puppets to bring them to life and the actors inside the creature costumes and monster masks.
For Star Wars fans who cringe at the site of the CG version of Sy Snootles Classic Creatures is sure to bring back fond animatronic memories. The film focuses on both the creation of creatures in Jabba’s palace (including Jabba himself), the ewoks in Endor, and everyone’s favorite Calamarian Admiral Ackbar. Classic Creatures also takes a look at movie creatures from the past and present giving viewers a brief history of monster makers throughout the years.
#2 Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys (2014)
Available to rent or buy via Vimeo
It’s hard to know just how big of an impact Star Wars toys had on the success and staying power of the original trilogy. The documentary Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys interviews both the people who made the original Star Wars toys and many people who have spent a large portion of their lives collecting them.
Because Plastic Galaxy looks at toys from both the creator and user viewpoints, it offers insight both into movie fandom and the toy business Star Wars actions figures changed forever. For many people collecting and playing with Star Wars toys was their way to make the movies they loved a part of their lives. For the toy makers the Star Wars films presented them with challenges and successes beyond their wildest dreams. The history of the toys revealed in Plastic Galaxy is a unique and entertaining view on the history of Star Wars.
#3 Anatomy of a Dewback (1997)
Available on the Star Wars Blu-Ray Set and the Star Wars Digital Collection
To appreciate (for better or worse) the changes made to the original Star Wars trilogy in the Special Editions look no further than Anatomy of a Dewback. This short documentary takes a scene from Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope with stormtroopers and dewbacks and shows the enormous amount of work and thought that went into the “upgrades” for The Special Editions.
The film includes interviews with ILM artists and effects experts and shows various stages of the visual effects process, including behind the scenes clips from the new footage shot for Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Anatomy of a Dewback also includes interviews with the archivists who found and cleaned the original footage and look into the Lucasfilm film and prop archives.
#4 The People vs. George Lucas (2010)
Available on Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes
The People vs. George Lucas is an entertaining film for anyone who grew up with the original trilogy, or anyone too young to have seen the pre-Special Edition versions of Star Wars and has no idea what long-time Star Wars fans are so mad about. The documentary interviews dozens of fans and film critics who discuss the disenchantment many of them have experienced with the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas. The film explores the two major thorns in Star Wars fan’s sides – Lucas’ refusal to make the original version of the episodes IV-VI available to the public and the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Depending on who views the film, The People vs. George Lucas can be seen as a film about the importance of film preservation, the ego of an artist who has become the very thing he once despised, or fandom gone very, very wrong. Even if you don’t agree with the quite one-sided arguments that the film discusses, The People vs. George Lucas does a brilliant job of showing what a huge effect Star Wars has had on so many people.
#5 Side by Side (2012)
Available on Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes
Is a documentary produced and narrated by Keanu Reeves must-watch Star Wars viewing? Absolutely. Side by Side examines the science, art, and impact of digital filmmaking with interviews of filmmakers who both embrace and reject the digital revolution.
George Lucas is not surprisingly one of the main filmmakers interviewed in Side by Side as he has been a champion of digital production and distribution for years. Lucas had his hands in countless early digital editing and visual effects breakthroughs. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace included some effects shots filmed on an HD camera and was projected digitally in a small number of films in 1999. Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones was shot entirely on a HD camera for its release in 2002 – a huge digital leap of faith at the time. Whether or not you like the digital effects used in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the technology breakthroughs they represent are an important milestone in cinematic history.
Side by Side does an impeccable job of describing the difference between film and digital production and the giant leaps digital production has made in the last two decades. This is a must see film for any movie lover.
But wait, there’s one more documentary set to release later this year that also looks like it will belong on any Star Wars documentary list. . .
Bonus #6 The Prequels Strike Back
Releasing later this year. You can get an advanced digital copy of the film by supporting their Indiegogo page.
The Ministry of Cinema has successfully funded their Kickstarter project to produce a documentary taking a look at the ever-controversial Star Wars prequels. The filmmakers promise a fresh perspective on the trilogy of films that inspire love, hate, and every emotion in between for Star Wars fans.
The Prequels Strike Back has an impressive list of experts in line to appear including film historians, psychologists, and archaeologists. It also promises to take a look at the Star Wars Ring Theory which author Mike Klimo describes as “How George Lucas used an ancient technique called ‘ring composition’ to reach a level of storytelling sophistication in his six-part saga that is unprecedented in cinema history.”
How could any Star Wars fan resist?
The Cantina Cast
The wretched hive your Jedi Master warned you about!
Follow Amy on Twitter @amyrichau and read more from her at the Denver Sports Community Events Page.
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