George Lucas On Trial

Interview: Alexandre Philippe, Director of The People Vs. George Lucas.

Not so long ago, there were only three Star Wars movies. Anakin Skywalker was a badass in a mask, not a hipster in a hairdo. The force was still mysterious (like ESP) not measurable (like your cholesterol). Then: Anger! Hate! Prequels! Fans felt betrayed.

The dark side fell over the first wave of Star Wars aficionados. A younger generation took ownership of new Star Wars stories told in serial form: The Clone Wars. Episodes IV-VI were called old-fashioned. Too slow. Who's right? Documentary filmmaker Alexandre Philippe took it upon himself to engage both the empire that Lucas built and the rebellious fans who thumb their blasters at its recent output.

GCD: Some say that George Lucas did fans a favor by making crappy prequels, in that people who had made Star Wars a lifestyle were forced to move on to other things. Do you agree?

Alexandre Philippe: That's interesting. On one level, that might be true. But on another level, one might think that because he made the prequels, we're not willing to let go of the original trilogy. Case in point are the reviews from Red Letter Media. Eleven years later, a 70-minute review of Episode 1 can generate millions of hits on YouTube. That shows you, on some level, we want to let go, but we won't anytime soon.

GCD: What was your primary goal in making The People Vs George Lucas?

AP: It was important to me to approach this from an objective perspective. I'm a fanboy on the one hand, but I'm first and foremost a documentary filmmaker. There's a unique dynamic between George Lucas and his fans, and it's unlike anything in popular culture. It's a disfunctional relationship. The big question we ask is what went wrong? We don't spare George. But we don't spare the fans either. We also approached the issue with respect for what George Lucas has accomplished. We didn't want to make a George Lucas-bashing movie. It's been called a twisted love letter to George.

GCD: Did you attempt to contact George Lucas for the film?

AP: Yes. When we launched our website in 2007, the first people we contacted were Lucasfilm. We invited them to participate. They've been very courteous. Their official response is that they welcome the debate, but they didn't feel that it was appropriate for them to participate.

GCD: The film has generated tons of buzz but doesn't yet have distribution. Do you think that's a commentary on documentary features' ability to play to wider markets?

AP: I can't say anything just yet, but there are very exciting plans ahead for the film. The demand for it is growing, thanks to our reception at festivals, which has been overwhelmingly positive. We're looking at a few offers right now, and want to make the film available to the widest possible audience around the world.

GCD: You're a fanboy. What element of pop-culture do you follow closest?

AP: I'm sorry to say at this point, I'm over Star Wars on some level. I'm interested in Japanese stories, Godzilla in particular. Which, surprisingly, can be very expensive. I've got a couple of Japanese Godzilla releases, which are harder to find these days. They're mostly made in China now. The original film is my favorite, followed closely by Godzilla Vs. Mothra. I love the retro look. It's very fifties, which works for me.

AP: George has said that making documentary films is the best way to prepare for making narrative films. Would you like to cross over?

GCD: Right now, I've got some other documentary projects on my slate. I've also been developing a few narrative features. The struggle is finding funding, but that's part of the challenge of filmmaking, and I enjoy that challenge. I have a couple of westerns, I have a dark psychological thriller, and a few animated films I would like to make as well.

AP: While you were traveling, did you meet any fans that frightened you in their opinions or behavior?

GCD: The one thing I didn't welcome were the death threats we received.

AP: You got more than one?

GCD: Totally. Oh yeah. Which, you know, shows a certain amount of passion...

AP: That may be the most diplomatic response to a death threat in history.

GCD: (Laughs) That's true. I have had to be very diplomatic in the making of this film. I turned it around, and asked most of these individuals to participate in the film. Most of them apologized immediately, and some of them even submitted footage to us for inclusion in the film. There was one individual in particular that got scary. It got too creepy. And we did have to get the police involved. In the end, the guy thought we were trying to destroy Star Wars and George Lucas's good name. We tried to explain many times that we were approaching the issue objectively, but he got caught in a loop and just couldn't see our perspective. Otherwise, I have to say what makes our film is really fun is that there's a lot of passion in it, on both sides. I think George Lucas should be proud that he generates so much enthusiasm and debate, even to this day.

Forward to a Buddy Invite a Buddy