Elstree 1976 (Star Wars Documentary on supporting actors)

[Skelatorious]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/832232974/elstree-1976

Seems like it could be an interesting documentary. A change from the norm at least!

 

[dascoyne]

Re: New Star Wars Documentary on supporting actors - Kickstarter

In for the Blu-Ray!

It would be refreshing to see a non-studio-hyped perspective from the trenches.

 

[Laspector]

Re: New Star Wars Documentary on supporting actors - Kickstarter

This could be good or it could be very boring. If it is limited to their SW experiences then fine, but I do not really need a to know about the childhood life of the guy who played Biggs, or the hopes and dreams of some grip or best boy.

 

[dascoyne]

Re: New Star Wars Documentary on supporting actors - Kickstarter

This could be good or it could be very boring. If it is limited to their SW experiences then fine, but I do not really need a to know about the childhood life of the guy who played Biggs, or the hopes and dreams of some grip or best boy.

Now you're getting me depressed.
but it's a good point.

I hope there's no 7 minute filler watching that 60 year old best boy playing a song that he wrote 30 years ago about Star Wars on his guitar.
I'd be depressed if I saw someone that guy living in squalor with a single shelf of toys he collected.

I'm going to see if the creator has done other works before I pledge.

 

[Treadwell]

Re: New Star Wars Documentary on supporting actors - Kickstarter

It seems it is finished; a UK screening is imminent, and some are getting their perks, but I came across a reference that there is some trouble concerning making a digitial download available backers in the US. The reference compared it to the Axanar situation. Is Disney giving these folks a hard time?

 

[Bryancd]

Re: New Star Wars Documentary on supporting actors - Kickstarter

This could be good or it could be very boring. If it is limited to their SW experiences then fine, but I do not really need a to know about the childhood life of the guy who played Biggs, or the hopes and dreams of some grip or best boy.

Rebel Force Radio discussed it this week. Sounds like it is a bit.....slow.

 

[Eyes Only]

it is a bit slow. I literally fell asleep several times and had to keep rewinding. I was looking forward to this too. A friend bought this and "I am Your Father" about David Prowse on iTunes and the David one was better than the Elstree one. Jeremy was the real highlight of Elstree for me.

 

[SVTStingRay]

great docu..........but prowse says that lucasfilm has banned him from celebration cons as well as disney weekends
........why....wasnt his beef with lucas not with disney

 

[Treadwell]

It is slow, but not in a "they don't know how to edit" sense, but in a "artistic choice" sense. Once you accept the pace it's pretty interesting. Unfortunately, it feels the slowest at the very beginning, which means some folks might give up right away; that opening takes its bloody sweet time.

Be sure to watch the end credits. I still don't know if that conversation was friendly or adversarial.

 

[Bryancd]

great docu..........but prowse says that lucasfilm has banned him from celebration cons as well as disney weekends
........why....wasnt his beef with lucas not with disney

LucasFilm as a company has the beef with him and it will never go away. He screwed himself and has to live with it.

 

[JediG60racer]

Kathleen Kennedy has far less ego involved than George. I'm sure if Prowse were actually to offer any sort apology for the public remarks he made 15 years ago, she'd welcome him back into the family gracefully. It's really his choice at this point to remain an outsider.

- - - Updated - - -

BTT, I thought the dialogue between extras and background actors over who was more important was very funny.
Totally reminded me of Guy from GalaxyQuest.

 

[d_osborn]

I enjoyed it! Interesting perspective/concept. There were some awesome ideas with the character/figure intros, reshot behind the scenes footage, etc.

IMO, don't go in expecting energy, excitement, and all of your biggest 'behind the scenes' questions to be answered, but it IS an entertaining doc. The memories about Lucas was funny, as was the thought of everyone on the scale of the production.


I thought the convention circuit drama made a few of the people look really bad and greedy. I can kinda see where they're coming from, but they surely can't expect to come across looking good after saying some of those things.

 

[darth_myeek]

I wonder if the blu-ray will have a ton of extras?

Yes, I am going to hell.

 

[DizzyStrmtroopr]

*comic book guy voice*
worst. documentary. ever.

basically nothing happens besides something about a guitar until the 20min mark when prowse starts talking about how he started bodybuilding. I don't think star wars (let alone movies) was actually mentioned until about 45mins in. the editor(s) should've lead with bullock and put in some snippets of him throughout to keep our attention. I get that its primarily focused on actors the public has never heard of, but it loses relevance throughout the whole thing. and what was up with the troopers in the FX armor on the thumbnail? I didn't even see them in it at all. youd think thered be some reenactments of something to say "in case you forgot theres a couple things about making the movie in here". I think if they hadn't focused on star wars to appeal to us nobody would have watched a documentary about movie set extras in the first place.

 

[robstyle]

The thumbnail FX trooper actors are actually good friends of mine. They did the part as a favor used in the promotional teaser.

 

[Funky]

Kathleen Kennedy has far less ego involved than George. I'm sure if Prowse were actually to offer any sort apology for the public remarks he made 15 years ago, she'd welcome him back into the family gracefully. It's really his choice at this point to remain an outsider.

- - - Updated - - -

BTT, I thought the dialogue between extras and background actors over who was more important was very funny.
Totally reminded me of Guy from GalaxyQuest.

So what's the full story. I knew there was a falling out but I never heard why.

 

[SpaceMind]

So what's the full story. I knew there was a falling out but I never heard why.

Dave Prowse could never keep his mouth shut. He gave away spoiler after spoiler to the public. It got so bad that Lucas had to give him his own scripts that were completely inaccurate. Then, by Return of the Jedi, his profit percentage was reduced to almost nothing because of the mass story leaks. If you read the recent, incredible, making of books it tells the whole story throughout each book as the problems with Prowse progressed. Lucasfilm and Fox were keeping score of leaks. I can't remember if it was Empire or Jedi where it shows the studio notes of leaks. It was something like this:

Ford: 1
Fisher: 2
Hamill: 1
Prowse: 19

Those are not the exact numbers but it is very close from memory.

That gives you an idea as to why he was progressively "forced" out of the family over the course of the three films. Now, if there was something he did AFTER Return of the Jedi, I am not aware. However, everything is clearly stated in the Making of Books.

Here's a funny bit of it for me personally, I had bought the making of books but I hadn't read them yet. I had Dave Prowse sign the Empire one. Little did I know the information that it included about him. I am sure he is aware but he didn't say anything to me when I had him sign it.

As others have mentioned, and from what I read, he has done it all to himself and he constantly "wonders why." He posts on Facebook from time to time about how he has not been invited to Celebration, yet again. Stuff like that.

If anyone has additional details, or cares to pull the actual exact information from the books, post up.

Now, as far as the topic at hand, Elstree... could have been better. The intro was brutally long and tough to get through. I watched it yesterday on Netflix. I knew nothing about it. I just came acrossed it while browsing. I watched it right away. It was just ok.

 

[Treadwell]

The funny thing about Prowse is it's like it's a different Dave when it comes to Lucas. In every other publicly visible aspect, he's incredibly warm, charming, personable, putting-at-ease. It's like he saves the darker part of himself for this one subject.

Just as an outside observation, not like I personally know him or anything. But have met him two or three times, and he was nice as can be.

 

[Treadwell]

He has softened over the years in the telling about being overdubbed. Back in the day, he acted like it was a broken promise, but now acknowledges that when George said "we'll rerecord it later", it was Dave's own assumption that it would be done using HIM.

He's also a lot more complimentary about James Earl Jones than he used to be.

 

[SpaceMind]

The funny thing about Prowse is it's like it's a different Dave when it comes to Lucas. In every other publicly visible aspect, he's incredibly warm, charming, personable, putting-at-ease. It's like he saves the darker part of himself for this one subject.

Just as an outside observation, not like I personally know him or anything. But have met him two or three times, and he was nice as can be.

He has softened over the years in the telling about being overdubbed. Back in the day, he acted like it was a broken promise, but now acknowledges that when George said "we'll rerecord it later", it was Dave's own assumption that it would be done using HIM.

He's also a lot more complimentary about James Earl Jones than he used to be.

Agreed. You can tell that it is a struggle, healthwise, for him to be as accommodating to the fans at his booth. VERY nice guy. He goes out of his way.