Fonte: Badtaste.it
How did you discover Star Wars? What was the influence of this franchise in your life and in your career?
My first memory of STAR WARS harks back to watching THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK on the big screen in Geneva, Switzerland (my home town). I was eight, and it profoundly affected me—just as it affected every single kid of my generation. It’s hard to define exactly how profound an impact STAR WARS had on us then. Did it shape our moral universe, our way of looking at the world? To a certain extend, I’d say yes, it absolutely did. In any case, I think it’s safe to say that when STAR WARS came out, there was nothing like it out there, and it blew people’s minds. It changed movies, and it changed the world; and for this, how can we not be grateful for George Lucas? Career-wise, I’ll probably say the same thing that most filmmakers of my generation will tell you: STAR WARS is probably the reason why I’m making movies today. I’m not particularly interested in making STAR WARS fan films, and I want to stress that THE PEOPLE vs. GEORGE LUCAS isn’t a fan film per se. It’s a documentary examination of a truly singular cultural phenomenon, and it’s really more about the dynamic between George Lucas and the public than it is about STAR WARS.
How the idea of this documentary was born? What was/is the reaction of Lucasfilm? Did they accept your work or are trying to stop you in any way? And how did you get on your documentary the producer Gary Kurtz?
I first had the idea to make this film approximately three years ago, but it really came to life during the summer of 2007 while we were in Texas working on several other projects with our crew. Robert Muratore (our Director of Photography and one of our Producers) seemed really enthusiastic about making this film, and he’s the one who convinced me to move forward with it. And now, here we are!
A few years ago, I made a documentary about Klingon speakers, and I was exposed to STAR TREK fandom, which I think is very different from STAR WARS fandom in many ways. I don’t want to generalize, of course, but there’s a strong sense to me that STAR TREK fans, almost universally, tend to idolize Gene Roddenberry–not in a sectarian sense, of course; but you don’t really hear STAR TREK fans say anything negative about Gene Roddenberry or what he’s created.
George Lucas fans, on the other hand, tend to have mixed feelings about him. Put two of them in a room together, and they’ll start arguing about the Special Editions, Boba Fett, R2-D2’s ability to fly in Episodes I-III, whether George Lucas owes them a DVD release of the restored Original Trilogy, INDIANA JONES 4, HOWARD THE DUCK, you name it! George Lucas fans love to argue and complain about George Lucas. Google the words I hate Gene Roddenberry, and you’ll find all of four hits. Google I hate George Lucas, and 1,240 hits come up! That’s a staggering stat; but how does one explain it? On the one hand, I think it’s the fans’ way of expressing their love for a franchise that continues to defy expectations, and a universe that has defined (or redefined) their childhood’s mythos. That said, I think it’s also their way of reacting to what George Lucas has come to represent. There’s definitely a sense out there that Lucasfilm has turned into a kind of evil empire, and, while I don’t believe that to be true, I think that George Lucas has given the fans plenty of reasons to complain, and it’s a unique and fascinating popular culture phenomenon, which I felt needed to be explored in a documentary.
As I said earlier, my childhood was certainly hugely influenced by his work, so claims that I’m an outsider who wants to make a buck off of George Lucas’ back are preposterous. I’m personally fascinated by the ambivalence of the relationship that the fans have with him and with the universes he’s created. Our title, of course, comes across as antagonistic, and I have this to say to the fans who are in full support of George Lucas and Lucasfilm: read the information on our website, and don’t assume that our film will favor the side arguing for the ‘prosecution’. In fact, for every argument that the ‘prosecution’ will make, we’ll offer a balanced counter-argument for the ‘defense’. Ultimately, while we may not solve world peace with this film, we aim to reveal the passionate side of George Lucas’ fans, and examine, through their testimonies, the numerous and valid contentious issues that people around the world seem to argue about on a daily basis.
So it’s important for those who want to send us their footage to be passionate, and just as important for them to be articulate. I don’t care if they swear, stage a debate or an interview with action figures, or wear a stormtrooper outfit, as long as they make compelling arguments, and support them with concrete examples. That’s why we chose a mock-courtroom style for our website. At the end of the day, we want the fans to make their case; and the fact that we’re getting all kinds of tapes, shot at different resolutions on primarily less than professional equipment, will stylistically create an interesting mix of images. I felt that this documentary lent itself particularly well to this unique format (which will be challenging for us in terms of post-production), which, in a way, will reflect the unique mixed-bag style of the YouTube culture. Of course, we’re also conducting our own celebrity interviews in high-definition, which will create an interesting juxtaposition—both in terms of style and content.
To answer your other questions, we haven’t had much interaction with Lucasfilm at this stage—only with Steve Sansweet, Head of Fan Relations. He’s been very kind to us, basically acknowledging our right to make this film; but a year ago, they didn’t seem too keen on participating. I hope this will change. We’ll probably wait until we have a rough cut to approach them again. I personally think it would be really terrific if George decided to step up and answer some of the most pressing questions that millions of fans have wanted to ask him for so long. Needless to say, we’re willing to fly anywhere at any time to talk to him, and we’d love to talk to a number of folks at Lucasfilm and ILM as well.
As far as Gary Kurtz is concerned, we actually got the opportunity to talk to him through Anna Higgs, our UK producer, who arranged the interview. He was extremely gracious and insightful. We basically talked for approximately 90 minutes, and (needless to say) we’re keeping his best material for the film itself. It’s also important to note that, while we were in London, the BFI opened their archives for us, and you can see in the trailer that we were allowed to film the original STAR WARS continuity script, which includes polaroids from the production that have never been seen before. Furthermore, Ann Skinner (who was in charge of continuity for the film) was there with us, and she took us through the entire script. It was a ‘reunion’ of sorts, and we feel extremely privileged to have been the very first to film this. So our film will have wonderful surprises for STAR WARS and George Lucas fans as well.
Was it difficult to have people talk about George Lucas? Did you perceive some fear from any of the people you have contacted?
Absolutely. And I think that’s a shame. There are a number of people who clearly have something to say and who regretfully turned us down because of how fearful they are of him. Now that we’re about to approach the likes of Kevin Smith, Seth Green and Joss Whedon, it will be interesting to see who (if any of them) actually gives us the light of day. Don’t get me wrong: I understand this fear. They’re probably wondering: why should we trust these guys? In a sense, I think that’s how Michael Moore has damaged the reputation of documentary filmmakers, because now people are afraid to speak for fear that their words will be used against them. We just want to get people’s honest opinions, and they have to realize that this isn’t a George Lucas ‘hate fest’-far from it. We need as many positive comments about George as we can get, and hopefully, some celebrities will understand what we’re trying to accomplish.
What is your favorite movie directed by Lucas and why? What is your opinion about his latest works, in particular the new trilogy and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?
My favorite George Lucas film is, without a doubt, STAR WARS. It may not be a better film than THX or AMERICAN GRAFFITI, but come on! It’s STAR WARS! And like most fans of my generation, I personally have many issues about his latest work. I think he’s become less interested in storytelling, and, as Gary Kurtz told us, he’s now likely more compelled by the ‘roller-coaster ride’ that a movie can provide. It’s not a value judgment. But I think it’s safe to say that George Lucas isn’t the same filmmaker now than he used to be in the seventies and early eighties. And this evolution is certainly something that will be explored in our documentary.
What is, in your opinion, the most important gift Lucas has provided to the audience and what, instead, is the worst damage he has done? What is the worst choice he has done with Star Wars?
He gave our generation something to dream about, and the fact that we’re still dreaming and talking about it 30 years later is a testament to his genius. Kids today love the new trilogy, and so I think that his ability to relate to kids is his greatest gift. But… I think he should perhaps have been more aware of what his original fans were hoping to see in episodes I-III. That said, it’s very difficult to criticize him on this particular point, because I think the fans’ expectations were also way too high after so many years of waiting and waiting for Episode I to come out. But I think he gave us a confused piece of storytelling, which, on one level, caters to kids (and George himself acknowledged that the new trilogy is directed at kids), but is also far too convoluted and politically engaged to be a kids’ movie. So the result is a hybrid beast that most adults hated with a passion. And I think that cemented his ‘fall from grace’, if you will. I’m not one to give advice to George Lucas; but if you ask for my personal opinion, I think he should have collaborated with better writers on the new episodes, and he should have given an opportunity to other filmmakers to direct his films.
Who of the people speaking in your documentary has described better Lucas so far and what did he/she say about him?
Well… that’s a very difficult question to answer; because to answer it accurately, I’d have to claim to understand Lucas, and he is one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of entertainment. I think that George Lucas is like CITIZEN KANE. That is to say he is like all of us—a complex human being who cannot be defined by anyone. But he is also the sum of what people say about him, and that’s why we’re attempting to collect as much evidence from as many points of view as possible to provide our own interpretation—not of who George Lucas really is, but of the public’s perception of who he might be and what he means to them.
What is the suggestion you would give to George Lucas to win back the love of the fans? Do you think he should pass the franchise to some young director and dedicate his time to something else?
I think that may be part of it. Many people are disappointed that he still hasn’t made the personal, experimental films that he’s claimed on many occasions he really wants to make. One certainly wonders: what’s holding him back? He has the money, the resources, and the audience. Clearly, he must be under a lot of pressure to make more STAR WARS or INDIANA JONES films, because these are huge money makers-no matter how good or bad they turn out. Part of me tends to believe (as much as I hate to believe it) that he’s afraid to move beyond STAR WARS. I think he probably wonders if he’s truly capable of it. And I think he should realize that millions of his fans do believe he is. And what an event that would be—to finally see a new kind of George Lucas film! So I think he’s like Luke in A NEW HOPE at the moment. He needs to learn to trust The Force. Because it’s always been pretty strong with him. Also, I think he should participate in our documentary. Truly, he has nothing to fear. And I do believe the fans would interpret it as a really cool gesture on his part to say “hey, okay, I acknowledge the fact that many of you have a lot of criticism for me, and let me tell you why I did what I did.” It’s not about humiliating him. That would be arrogant. It’s about bridging the gap between George and his fans, once and for all.
Is there something you find worth mentioning to our readers about your work?
I actually started my career as a playwright, and graduated from the Dramatic Writing Program at New York University. That’s where I learned to write screenplays. One thing led to another, and these days, I find very little time to write, because I have so many projects to direct. I’m still the Director of the Screenwriting Program at Lighthouse Writers in Denver, and I’ve been coaching screenwriters for years.
My work has been rather eclectic, I suppose. I’ve directed several corky documentaries, and made some very serious films as well. My latest two shorts, LEFT and THE SPOT performed extremely well on the festival circuit; and if you see them, you probably won’t believe they were made by the same team behind THE PEOPLE vs. GEORGE LUCAS. For instance, LEFT is a lyrical short film devoid of dialogue, inspired by Bergman, Tarkovsky and the works of Andrew Wyeth; and it’s about the grief resulting from the loss of a loved one. We premiered it at the Montreal World Film Festival, and it went on to screen at 36 international film festivals, won several awards, and will be released on three DVD collections around the world. It’s been a great success for us, and it has paved the way for other films we’re currently working on. I was also second-unit director on a new feature doc about the Tibetan struggle for freedom called WHEN THE DRAGON SWALLOWED THE SUN (http://www.whenthedragon.com), and that trailer should be released very soon as well. Finally, I’m the creative director of my own company, Cinema Vertige (http://www.cinemavertige.com), which I run with my wife Vanessa, who produces every project we make. I can’t stress enough that every project we undertake is a passion project. We pour our heart and soul into every film we make, and I think it shows in the finished product. We’re obviously quite busy with so many projects on our plate, but I think it’s safe to say that THE PEOPLE vs. GEORGE LUCAS is our main ‘baby’ at the moment, and it’s been nice to see fans around the world responding to it with so much enthusiasm. So we appreciate your efforts to spread the news about our endeavor throughout Italy, and we look forward to receiving more films and rants from Italian fans in the months to come.
You can send your contributions to The People vs. George Lucas by visiting the officiale site and following the instructions, while you can find the official trailer in HD here.
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