SXSW: a hung jury for 'The People vs George Lucas'

By Dan Carlson

I caught the first screening of “The People vs. George Lucas” at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival, but definitely not its last. The theater was at “capacity and then some,” according to a staffer from the Alamo Drafthouse on Lamar, and even with another screening set for later in the fest, at least one additional time was added. Clearly, the kind of people attending SXSW want to see this flick.

It's easy to see why, too: Alexandre O. Philippe's documentary is all about the “Star Wars” fan culture and the way that the generation of fans who grew up on the original film trilogy - let's say fans from ages 25-40 - have come to resent Lucas for his latter-day additions to the “Star Wars” canon and his seemingly endless tweaks to the original films. Because I have a heart and soul, I'm an original trilogy guy, and will raise my children as such.

However, the doc winds up a bit messy and spread out, and it's because Philippe tries to do too much. There's no clear hook for the film, merely an idea that's instantly grokked by geeks and usually ignored by others. The title also sets up the film to be a kind of trial of Lucas' life and works, and a couple of the (many, many) talking heads in the film are introduced with descriptors like “Witness for the Prosecution,” but the director never goes anywhere with this. It pops up briefly, occasionally, then is gone again. As a result, what could have been a structured examination of the way art affects culture and creators affect fans becomes a sprawling, disconnected experience. The courtroom gimmick is a fun one that plays into the furious desires of every nerd whose life was ruined by Jar-Jar Binks, but it's weirdly abandoned without another thought.

It's also interesting that Philippe mostly approached the tale from the point of view of the rift between Lucas and fans caused by viewers' displeasure of 1999's “Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.” That's all. Neither other prequel merits a mention or discussion, but more telling, the doc focuses on the emotional fallout while only occasionally dealing with the film's actual artistic merits (of which there are few) or narrative flaws (of which there are so many that one enterprising YouTuber created a jaw-dropping 70-minute takedown of the film). As a result, the film feels too much about the fighting without focusing on why the fight is happening.

Still, there are some interesting moments, especially when Philippe deals with Lucas' alienation and loneliness, and the twists and turns that have made him the marketing superpower he seemed to loathe as a younger man. The best questions the film raises are the ones about the director's refusal to issue original, theatrical versions of his original trilogy to compete with the new ones. The best answer is one that's never spoken: Deep down, Lucas knows viewers would likely want the old versions, not the ones he considers best. Even after all these years, he still doesn't know what people want.

Comments

[MC D-Lyte]

I love a Phantom Menace because Jar Jar Binks look so much like my wife who I love very much when a lights are off and she is naked.

But more than Phantom Menace I love a movie of Richard Gere being in love with Cujo who kills him and a review is here

http://tinyurl.com/y9qdsmg

[none295]

With Star Wars being over 30 years old, it would be extremely difficult to track down the people who had split with the phenomenon prior to the last 10 years, ie before the internet. There are fans who complained when Empire came out (Daddy, what?), then another bunch after Jedi and another set after the Thrawn book series, etc. ...but there are others who did make it through these ""Trying Times"" and appear in this doc. (assuming haven't seen it)

Then there are bigger questions like why in 2008 did George Lucas go to Congress and lobby for unrestricted internet access, while in 2005 he allowed a trade organization to coerce government to pass laws to send people to jail for seeing his movie online? and then in 2010 Lucasfilm has allowed someone (Star Wars Uncut project) to have the complete original film online? Times change and things progress, minds change, it would seem.

If your curious what the SW phenomenon looked like 5 years ago, or want more interesting but largly unanswerable questions, view some chapters of 'Thee Backslacpkping With Media'. A recomposite of the media released around the release of Revenge of the Sith which will have it's 5 year aniversary this May.

http://www.noneinc.com/tBSWM/tBSWM_Video.html
%20

[micro sd card]

in 2008 did George Lucas go to Congress and lobby for unrestricted internet access, while in 2005 he allowed a trade organization to coerce government to pass laws to send people to jail for seeing his movie online? and then in 2010 Lucasfilm has allowed someone (Star Wars Uncut project) to have the complete original film online?

[Softcialis]

I really appreciate the help! There is another post which seems to be
right-on that says the Wikipedia table you found is not reliable. If
you can find something else for me that is more reliable, I'd be
grateful. Thank you!

[generic viagra]

I love the shoes.I think the shoes is very important for the humans.
The platforms are aimed at two different sets of people. If you want ease-of-use on a hosted platform, TypePad may be a good solution for you. If you want infinite control over every aspect of your installation and templates, perhaps WordPress should be your platform of choice.

[generic viagra]

i like this part of the post:"Still, there are some interesting moments, especially when Philippe deals with Lucas' alienation and loneliness, " is very good

[t-shirt mafia]

Thanks for this article. I'll try to watch this documentary