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Elstree 1976
UK 2016
produced by Hank Starrs, Steve Milne, Christian Eisenbeiss (executive), Robert Hornak (executive), Costa Theo (executive) for Canal Cat Films, The Works, Verax Films, British Film Company
directed by Jon Spira
starring Paul Blake, Jeremy Bulloch, John Chapman, Anthony Forrest, Laurie Goode, Garrick Hagon, Derek Lyons, Angus MacInnes, David Prowse, Pam Rose
written by Jon Spira, music by Jamie Hyatt
documentary Star Wars
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
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In 2016, when Elstree 1976 came out, one was pretty much
thinking with endless re-issues of the film, DVD extras, endless YouTube
videos that discuss every frame of the movie, and the resurgence of
interest (that had hardly wande in the first place) with Star
Wars: The Force Awakens, everything had been said about the
original Star Wars from 1977 already ... and Elstree 1976
finds that small patch of land that has so far been overlooked, that being
coverage of the background and bit actors as well as those hidden under
masks for the entire movie (most prominently Dave Prowse as Darth Vader
and Paul Blake as Greedo) - many of them virtually unknown even if they
have their own action figures -, and how they got their roles in that
movie that many of them believed to be a low budget movie (even though
that's claimed a lot, Star Wars really was not from the get-go, an
estimated $11 million was quite some cash back then - and is rather much
for a "low budget" indie to this day!), what they did until then
and where it got them. And perhaps most interestingly, how they dealt with
their latter-day fame - thing is, when they signed up, none of them (and
nobody else) could have even imagined what a phenomenon the Star
Wars series would eventually turn out to be, and that all of
them would be celebrity guests at conventions, no matter how small their
role might have been (though obviously, some fared better than others). Now
basically, for the avid lover of Star
Wars, this movie will be another part of the puzzle they love
to assemble, and it's made by someone who obviously loves the series - and
hey, some of the behind-the-scenes shots alone are awesome, giving one a
whole new perspective on the movie. More importantly though, this one also
works with those only moderately interested, as it also delves into the
lives of those out in the acting world trying to make it and not totally
succeeding, painting a very vivid picture of that scene, with all its
pratfalls even. And I have to state again here, some of the
behind-the-scenes footage in this movie is just priceless, especially for
its unpolished look that clearly shows that when they were shooting the
original Star Wars, they had no idea what they were going for yet. So
yeah, totally worth a watch for not only the hardcore Star
Wars-fan.
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