70’s Pop Culture Meets Galaxy Far Away

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MOVIE REVIEW
A Disturbance in the Force
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Genre: Documentary
Year Released: 2023
Runtime: 1h 27m
Director(s): Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak
Cast: Kevin Smith, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Seth Green, Bonnie Burton, Taran Killam
Where To Watch: Fantasia 2023 Film Festival – World Premiere July 29, 2023; for more information visit www.fantasiafestival.com

RAVING REVIEW: In the cinematic cosmos, a peculiar entity exists, an enigma nested within the expansive STAR WARS lore – the STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL. This television special symbolizes an advertising venture dating back over four decades. The sole broadcast in 1978 aimed to hype up the audience's curiosity for the forthcoming sequel, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, scheduled for a 1980 release. The show, an assortment of eccentric music numbers, comedy sketches, and peculiar dance routines woven around Chewbacca's efforts to celebrate Life Day, a traditional Wookiee holiday, produced a spectacle so unnerving that it could give the infamous Jar Jar Binks a run for his money. Yet, the enigma surrounding its creation continues to captivate the fans.

STAR WARS attracts a broad spectrum of followers, from casual movie watchers to ardent enthusiasts who consume everything the franchise offers, from animated and live-action spin-offs to literature. A degree of familiarity with the STAR WARS universe, such as The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, is necessary to appreciate recent additions like The Mandalorian fully. Although outside the official canon, the holiday special draws fans to its quirky charm, often leading them to seek unofficial copies without official releases. I, too, succumbed to this bizarre allure a few years ago. (yep, I own the “unofficial” burned DVD, the only one in my 4,000+ disc collection)

A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE is a brainchild of Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak that exploits the notorious holiday special as a springboard into the labyrinth of marketing gambits, viral content phenomena, and the unexpected series of events that culminated in the creation of the holiday special.

The documentary opens with a recent interview where talk-show host Conan O'Brien cheekily probes Harrison Ford about the holiday special. Ford's comically uneasy denial underscores how, even after decades, those who took part in this still grapple with its awkward legacy. Nowadays, the special's cringe-inducing awkwardness morphs into a guilty pleasure for audiences eager to witness the jarring dissonance between 70's pop culture icons such as Bea Arthur and Harvey Korman and the original STAR WARS cast. The holiday special took the mingling of 70s variety show extravagance and aggressive STAR WARS merchandising to an entirely new level. Through their documentary, Coon and Kozak make a compelling case that despite the final output being a train wreck, as described by some, it was an inevitable circumstance of the times.

In the aftermath of the original STAR WARS movie's booming success in 1977, George Lucas found himself in a predicament. Although the merchandise was selling like hotcakes, Lucas wanted a sequel (and more.) The problem was how to keep the public interest alive until the 1980 release of the sequel.

A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE takes us back to 1977, tracing the seismic shift STAR WARS brought to the film industry. Instead of merely basking in the original film's glory or the subsequent triumphs of the original trilogy, the documentary focuses on STAR WARS's enduring influence on film production, marketing, and sales. It spotlights the STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL as an offbeat attempt to keep the excitement brewing between A NEW HOPE and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

The 70s were replete with specials featuring STAR WARS characters. Shows like Bob Hope, Donny, and Marie had embraced STAR WARS-themed parodies. Given the era's penchant for variety and the urgency to keep STAR WARS in the public consciousness, the concept seemed feasible. The results were from a perfect storm that found the special battling through every unperceived hurdle.

Despite Lucasfilm's concerted efforts to scrub the holiday special from memory, it continues to leave its indelible mark on the STAR WARS universe. Fans still commemorate November 17, 1978, as Life Day, occasionally referenced in modern parts of the Galaxy Far Far Away.

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[photo courtesy of SEPTEMBER CLUB]

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