The People vs. George Lucas

The People vs. George Lucas

2010 "They gave him their love, their money and their online parodies. He gave them... the prequels."
The People vs. George Lucas
The People vs. George Lucas

The People vs. George Lucas

6.6 | 1h33m | en | Comedy

The passion the original Star Wars trilogy inspires in its fans is unparalleled; but when it comes to George Lucas himself, many have found their ardor has cooled into a complicated love-hate relationship. This hilarious, heartfelt documentary delves deep into Lucas’s cultural legacy, asking all the tough questions. Has Lucas betrayed his masterwork? Should he just have left the original trilogy alone? Is The Phantom Menace so bad it should carry a health warning? Utilizing interviews taken from over 600 hours of footage, and peppered with extraordinary Star Wars and Indiana Jones recreations lovingly immortalized in song, needlepoint, Lego, claymation, puppets and paper-mâché, above all this film asks the question: who truly owns that galaxy far, far away—the man who created it, or the fans who worship it?

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6.6 | 1h33m | en | Comedy , Documentary | More Info
Released: March. 14,2010 | Released Producted By: Exhibit A Pictures , Quark Films Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website: http://www.peoplevsgeorge.com
Synopsis

The passion the original Star Wars trilogy inspires in its fans is unparalleled; but when it comes to George Lucas himself, many have found their ardor has cooled into a complicated love-hate relationship. This hilarious, heartfelt documentary delves deep into Lucas’s cultural legacy, asking all the tough questions. Has Lucas betrayed his masterwork? Should he just have left the original trilogy alone? Is The Phantom Menace so bad it should carry a health warning? Utilizing interviews taken from over 600 hours of footage, and peppered with extraordinary Star Wars and Indiana Jones recreations lovingly immortalized in song, needlepoint, Lego, claymation, puppets and paper-mâché, above all this film asks the question: who truly owns that galaxy far, far away—the man who created it, or the fans who worship it?

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Cast

George Lucas , Mark A. Altman , Ahmed Best

Director

Robert Muratore

Producted By

Exhibit A Pictures , Quark Films

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Reviews

Pierre Boulang Moreau This was a very interesting and kind of emotional doc to watch. As a big Star Wars fan, I like most other Star Wars fans, have felt at least a little burned by George Lucas on a few occasions. I can mostly forgive those things since he has also done so many great things via his stories. I don't hate the prequels, but they are certainly not as good as the originals. They have their fair share of problems, but I still find enjoyment in them and I'm still thankful for what he has give the world. I look forward to future films, now that it has been taken out of his hands and is being stewarded by Disney moving forward.
Phil Hubbs This is THE documentary film any Star Wars fan would want to watch if they have ever pondered whether the big George Lucas has been correct in his tinkering. Its not just the constant fiddling that is questioned though, the much talked about prequels are also questioned along with the way the big GL has changed as his fame and fortune has grown since 1977.To put it bluntly this documentary is brilliant stuff and NOT just a GL bashing exercise for fanboys I must stress. This is a very well made argument against the big GL for his tinkering and decisions that are covered by fans from all other the world. Not only fans I might add but big name stars such as Simon Pegg and director Francis Ford Coppola along with others from the media and effects world, all add their views. Even the last Indiana Jones fiasco gets a once over as fans despaired from the mighty fedora wearing hero's humiliation.From watching this film you do see (with much video evidence) that Lucas has indeed changed. A man who was once proud to fight the establishment has now become the establishment. A massive money making machine with yes men/women at his beck and call and no other input but his own. Its a shame to see but very evident that the story of how Anakin became corrupted by the dark side in the Star Wars franchise is in fact the story of Lucas. Lucas became a dark lord as did Anakin and some say that the success of Star Wars destroyed Lucas as a film maker.This documentary is extremely interesting it must be said. You do discover many gems of information such as a letter from the PR department of LucasFilm stating that the original negatives of the classic trilogy were permanently altered when the SE editions were made!! Also ironically we find that Lucas himself testified before US Congress against the colourization of black and white films back in 88, stating that it would be even easier in the future for old negatives to be replaced by new versions. It would be a great loss and that history must not be rewritten! Jesus the hypocrisy.The main controversy of this film is the SE editions and why Lucas continues to play with his films when there's nothing wrong with them in the first place. The arguments are strong and could go on forever but it has to be said that at the end of the day the films belong to history now. The reason why Lucas wants to change the films is obviously because he is a different man from way back in 77. Of course he wants to change it, any director could change their old films when they look back on them because people change and look at things differently in time and with age. But in general people don't do that (hopefully) because they are products of their time, a moment in history that should not be altered. It would be very easy to spruce up old out of date movies and make them all flashy with modern effects (CGI), but of course then it wouldn't be the same original movie. Gary Kutz (Star Wars producer) points out that the films work because of their limitations, the lack of money, the use of basic effects and lack of high-tech gadgetry. These are all reasons why the original movies were so great and innovative, especially for the era. People had to be inventive and use their skills, the same could be said for so many classic films across all genres but you wouldn't dare go back and crowbar in CGI bits or replace whole sections or peoples performances. I think GL forgets about all the folk that made his dreams a reality when he hacks away. He created the idea, the story, but he didn't create all the effects, models, sets, costumes, weapons etc...There were many many people who contributed a lot of skill and hard work to create Lucas' vision.This is the main crux of the documentary and its very very well presented with lots of footage from the movies along with homages...not needless bashing. The originals have been released on DVD of course back in 06 but they were very poor copies plopped onto DVD with no love or attention. We still await good cleaned up versions like Ridley Scott did for 'Blade Runner' or Spielberg with 'E.T.' or even Gilliam with 'Brazil'. Of course there are plenty of Star Wars fans that voice their opinions which some won't agree with, its an argument that both sides will never feel satisfied with but at the end of day everyone still just about respects and loves Lucas for his visual opus. They just wish he would leave it be.10/10
John Gafsi I really like this documentary...because I am a Star Wars fan. If you aren't one, DO NOT watch this movie because you won't be able to connect with it. This movie's audience is for Star Wars fans only...period. And since I am a die hard fan of SW, this movie appealed to me personally. It also made me tear up a bit (not because of the movie but because of the strong connection I have with the films).Yeah, I know, nerdy stuff, but it is worth it. If you simply do not want to spend the money on watching this movie, email me at: xfirerushx@gmail.com And I can help you watch this movie for free.I watched the movie for free and after I finished watching it, I simply do not think it is worth the money, even though this movie can be bought pretty cheap or rented on Youtube for 4 bucks.But really, I liked this documentary. If you like Star Wars or facsinated by the antics of George Lucas, check it out.
Michael_Elliott People vs. George Lucas, The (2010) **** (out of 4) I must admit right up front that I'm not a fan of the STAR WARS series. I thought the first three films were very good to excellent but I'm not part of the fandom. As for the most recent trilogy, I will admit that I stopped after the second film but I do eventually plan on hitting the third. When I heard about this documentary the first thing that came to my mind was that a bunch of angry fans had made a movie where they were going to sit around and talk about how evil George Lucas is. Boy, was I wrong and in fact this documentary is one of the most entertaining and well-made that I've seen in a very long time. Whenever I discuss this series with fans, I'm always confused as to what the big deal is about the series, the alternate versions or the hated shown for Lucas. After viewing this film I can say that all of my questions were answered and as a casual viewer I must say that this film did wonders in regards to explaining everything. There are several moments where fans scream and curse Lucas but thankfully the film isn't just a bunch of angry people letting loose. Instead we get a pretty smart documentary that covers a wide range of topics including a very heated one about who these films actually belong to. Many people say the artist should make the film that he wants to and the "work" is "his" but that opinion certainly isn't a very popular one when it comes to this series. That topic is debated as is how big the "Special Edition" versions really are and if anyone should be upset with them. Of course, the person who hurts Lucas the most is Lucas himself. Back in 1988 he testified about how B&W films shouldn't be colorized and that the "original versions" should always be on display. Then, it goes without saying, he has pretty much taken away the original versions of these films. THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS not only debates the SW series but we even see the fan hatred due to the fourth Indiana Jones film. Throughout the film we get all sorts of clips from fan movies, which I found pretty cool and it was really interesting seeing how Lucas never used legal action against people using his characters (ask a Prince fan about his various lawsuits over fans using what he "owns"). I'm sure the debate could go both fans but as a casual fan I think this documentary is a must see for fans, people like myself and even those who hate the series.