New Doc ‘A Disturbance in the Force’ Digs into the Infamous ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’
The television event George Lucas would rather we forget is the topic of a new documentary – A Disturbance in the Force.
On November 17, 1978 a disturbance in the force was felt. In an effort to capitalize on the new phenomenon in a way only the 1970s could, CBS aired the Star Wars Holiday Special. It was the first time fans had seen the heroes and villains from a galaxy far, far away since for nearly a year. Expectations were high, but the clunky story about Life Day was so bad that it never aired again. George Lucas asked that no one talk about it again. It has since become one of the most infamous chapters in the franchise’s history.
This new doc from the team behind Raiders! digs into why the special was made and celebrates its awfulness. Seth Green, Weird Al Yankovic, Kevin Smith, Taran Killam, and others weight in with their memories.
A Disturbance in the Force Details
The doc is directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak.
In 1978, George Lucas decided to capitalize on the Star Wars craze by producing a holiday variety TV special. What could possibly go wrong? Answer: Everything… From the filmmakers behind Napoleon Dynamite and Raiders! comes a disturbance in the force, a documentary about the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.
The doc debuts at this year’s SXSW – hopefully it’ll make it to a streaming service or digital soon, so the rest of us can see it.
