Documentaries on the making of movies have existed long before Star Wars, but as the first big blockbuster franchise of the modern era of cinema, fans have been more interested in its production than in most. Just how much can we learn from these docs, though? And are they worth watching just for a glimpse at the craftsmanship behind our favorite series of space operas, or are they also decent films in their own right? Let’s go through them all and see.
The Making Of Star Wars (1977)
In the beginning, we got more of a special than a traditional documentary, as C-3PO and R2-D2 host a bunch of behind-the-scenes clips from a spaceship set that looks stolen from Doctor Who. It’s cute, but there’s too much of that structuring device and too much preview material and interviews with the actors. Eventually, there are some worthy looks at the animation done for the holographic chess set and the lightsabers, the miniature effects for the space battles, and how matte paintings work. Narrated by William Conrad and directed by future International Documentary Association co-founder Robert Guenette, The Making of Star Wars is a primer that just barely gets under the surface of how the movie came together.
I give it just two pretend Death Stars out of five: 🌑🌑