The People vs. George Lucas - DVD

Content: Oh, what were those times when the name George Lucas stood for pure cinema magic, which has provided a happy glow in the eyes of millions of fans. Especially the Star Wars films, but also Indiana Jones have left a lasting mark on the entertainment industry and have lost little of their fascination to this day. But with the release of the Special Editions of the original Star Wars trilogy, the first clouds began to gather in the fan sky. Many were disappointed by the newly added computer effects and the decision to let Greedo and not Han Solo shoot first in the legendary Catina scene caused a loud outcry among fans, which still resounds today. But it wasn't until Episode I hit theaters and with it Jar Jar Binks that many fans' love for George Lucas turned into intense love-hate. Fueled by endless discussions on the Internet, the whole thing now takes on incredibly grotesque forms that can only be described as completely exaggerated.

Director Alexandre O. Philippe tries to get to the bottom of the difficult relationship between George Lucas and his fans in his documentary The People vs. George Lucas. On the one hand, he shows why Lucas holds on so intensely to the fact that he alone decides how his films should look like. Bad experiences with the influence of studios on his early films make this quite understandable. On the other hand, it also makes clear why the anger of many fans is justified. It is interesting to note that George Lucas, of all people, has gone to battle against black-and-white classics being colorized afterwards, as this would destroy an important cultural heritage. For his own films, on the other hand, he sets completely different standards and changes them, no matter whether he harms their memory with it or not.

Filled with sometimes very interesting, sometimes entertaining and then again very whimsical interviews and numerous clips from various fan films, the documentary dives deeper and deeper into the universe, which seems to become more and more absurd. For example, when the changes Lucas made for Star Wars are compared to potential changes in the Bible and even more absurd analogies are made, it becomes clear that some fans really do go too far in their anger. At the same time, however, there is an attempt to fathom why the rage was able to build up to such an extent, which is extremely interesting, especially from a psychological point of view regarding the effect of new media.

It's especially nice that the documentary, which keeps spraying nasty venom from both sides, ends up striking very conciliatory tones. Because no matter what has happened in recent years, the fact remains that George Lucas gave the world Star Wars - and that alone is reason enough why you can't really be mad at the man. A very entertaining documentary, which can not only be recommended to Star Wars fans! Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: While the numerous fan contributions, which are shown in the documentary, are sometimes in not exactly exhilarating quality, the actual interviews can be seen and heard quite well. The picture is largely clean and sharp, the sound well mixed, so that the interviews sound well understandable from the speakers. However, the sound is only available in the original English, but German subtitles can be switched on.

Extras: Who got after the documentary desire for more, which is well served with this double DVD. For already the first disc has to offer, in addition to the main film, three extended interview sequences with Dale Pollock, Todd Hanson and Gary Kurtz with a total running time of just under 80 minutes. But that's not all. There's over two hours of additional material on the second disc. Among them are four in-depth interviews with director Alexandre O. Philippe. While there is some overlap between the individual interviews, overall they have quite a bit of very interesting information to offer about Philippe's intentions, the interviews, fan reactions, and work on the documentary.

The bulk of the extras on Disc 2 are the Fan Submissions, which were only excerpted in the film and can be enjoyed in full here. Qualitatively, the fourteen submissions vary widely, but the Star Wars parody with eggs (!), the short film The Trial of Han Solo, or the Star Wars in 15 Minutes performed by an amateur theatrical troupe definitely have some entertainment value. Overall, the Fan Submissions make it clear just how much George Lucas' films have fueled fan creativity, even if the anger over changes to the original trilogy, over the prequels, and over Indiana Jones 4 always shines through here.

A clip about the original Star Wars continuity script and a 40-minute George Lucas poetry slam round out the varied bonus material, some of which is very entertaining and creative.

Conclusion: The People vs. George Lucas is an entertaining documentary that attempts to illuminate both sides of what has mutated into a love-hate relationship between Star Wars creator George Lucas and the fans in recent years. It's extremely entertaining and, at times, extremely bizarre. The double DVD presents the documentary in a decent technical realization and also has plenty of worth seeing extras on board. All this makes this disc a good addition to the Star Wars Blu-Ray box set, which freely omits criticism of the numerous changes to the original trilogy. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp