Watch I Am Your Father For Free

Really Surprised!

A Major Disappointment

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The producers had a great idea: find an irrelevant person that is well known in disguise and sell lots of tickets to the freak show in which we reveal you "the real person". Unpleasant way of presenting a human being, but the makers of this movie have to make a living too. It turned out freak show was the only part the producers were interested into.Darth Vader is a character created by Lucas. The script was written by several script writers. The costume was designed by two other people. There were several people manning the costume even if we restrict ourselves for the sake of argument to the original series. The voice is someone different. The stunts are done by a totally different person. The sounds were made by the special effects team. And the dishonest producers want the audience to believe their guy IS Darth Vader. They even bring in talking heads to say something about the acting. Acting? A human clothes hanger moving a big costume around? Not only that, but the world owes him recognition for his what? The guy got paid for his work and it was not charity.Sure the man was upset for not getting a bigger part. It's human. And the ego in every one keeps pointing out "you're the main character". But in this spirit why not make a documentary called "I Am the Janitor on the Star Wars set". Oops! Even the Star Wars name was out of reach for this production team.Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

Actor David Prowse played the body of Darth Vader in the original STAR WARS trilogy and was shocked when he learned that another actor's face was to be used during the famous unmasking scene in RETURN OF THE JEDI. Documentary director Marcos Cabata decides to rectify this mistake by re-filming his own version of the scene and surprising Prowse by having him play Anakin Skywalker. This is his intention, which he states at the film's beginning, then pretty much forgets about it until thirty minutes from the end. Between those two moments, we get an hour of Prowse's career history and him complaining about how George Lucas did him wrong. This documentary fails for several reasons: 1. The underlying theme/story here should have been the recreation of the unmasking scene with Prowse, but Cabata doesn't even tell Prowse about the offer until near the end of the film, and Prowse's reaction is anti- climactic, to say the least; 2. Cabata seems to be promoting himself as much he is telling the story of Prowse, and it's noticeable and irritating; 3. Once Lucasfilm realized that Cabata was making them out to be the villains of the piece, they refused to have anything to do with the documentary, and didn't give their permission for Cabata to re-shoot the scene with Prowse, so, with this being the film's main drive, once the reshot scene is shown before an audience, WE DON'T GET TO SEE IT. Cabot doesn't even show the audience's reaction to it!! Absolutely ridiculous and a major fail on his part, making me question the intention of the documentary in the first place.And finally, the main reason for Prowse's getting snubbed by Lucas, the doc ascertains, is because before EMPIRE STRIKES BACK was released, he revealed to a newspaper that Darth Vader was Luke's father. Prowse denies that he talked to any reporter or spilled any such information, and Lucas blocked him from future Star Wars events because of it. The film says that this is the only way the secret could have been spilled. However, I never read that article and I knew going in to the film on opening day, that Vader was Luke's father. How? Because the novelization of the movie was released BEFORE the film opened! Yet the documentary makes no mention of this as another way to exonerate Prowse. Only for the hardest of Star Wars fans.

Despite featuring some wonderful interviews and archival footage, I Am Your Father is ruined by the film-maker's senseless insistence on inserting himself into the film.The film has a fascinating story at its heart - that of David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy and remained remarkably unrecognizable despite playing one of the most iconic characters in all movie history.Yet the central story - that of David's all too human journey and disappointment - is elbowed out of the way so the film-maker can indulge in some wish fulfillment.While I understand the temptation for the film-maker to become his story, particularly given Star Wars' place in the Pantheon, the Michael Moore approach weakened the film and turned what should have been a richly poignant piece into just another ho-hum documentary. Pity.

The previous 2 reviews covered pretty much what I thought as well so I won't rehash any of that stuff. At the end of the credits it states "HE (Prowse) IS STILL WAITING FOR AN INVITATION TO ATTEND AN OFFICIAL STAR WARS CONVENTION"...well this is bogus because he was at the 30th anniversary 2007 Celebration 4 event in LA., the best STAR WARS con one can attend and thoroughly backed by Lucasfilm. It was not some unsanctioned convention set up at an empty Target store. I got his autograph two separate times (at that event) and both times he was miserable and left a bad impression on me. Perhaps it was this attitude that has kept him from any further official Star Wars events. That is only a speculation based on my own experience with the man. If it is true that Prowse was ostracized because of a 'false' rumour (years ago) that he leaked story plot lines, then he should be forgiven, obviously. But there is also proof that Prowse also likes to talk (back then) and did put forth a 'speculation' that Vader should be revealed as Luke's father (in 1977), which in fact we all know did unfold in the sequel in 1980. A total guess on his part but it does cross a line as a performer working within the series and Lucas did take umbrage with that faux pas on Prowse's part. Prowse' sour grapes at not being given the chance to be the actor under the mask when Luke pulls it off at the end of "Return", is just that, sour grapes. Far better actors have been replaced from a film during production, (Harvey Keitel from APOCALYPSE NOW, Eric Stoltz from BACK TO THE FUTURE, etc.) , it is not due to their lack of talent but that they do not fit that particular role as well as another performer. And lets face it, if Mr. Prowse was a stellar actor he would have been given better parts that do not require a big physique. He didn't join a theatre company and go on the road doing Shakespeare in his youth, he like many others we all know, but instead got into body building which became a ticket into film and TV work. He by-passed the usual tried and true route taken by 99% of the working actors in the world. Sebastian Shaw, who actually did the scene that Prowse covets, was an actor on stage since a child. Prowse's other gripe that his voice was replaced in the original trilogy is also based on the lack of dramatic punch his voice had at the time. Even the editors of Star Wars were shocked by the ill- suited voice coming out of Vader's mask on the dailies. If he wanted to be taken seriously as an actor then he should have spent less time in a gym and more time taking acting and voice lessons. Harsh but true.