The Unauthorized Star Wars Story

During filming of the first Star Wars, when midget actor Kenny Baker stepped into the beeping droid R2D2, he would often find taped up pictures of topless models on the faceplate, courtesy of those wacky practical jokers, the electricians. Life on Tattooine, I guess, is not that much different from life in a galaxy, far, far away, where similar immature behavior occurs rather frequently on a planet called Earth. This "unauthorized" story features not one clip (not even one frame) from any of the Star Wars films, no stirring John Williams' overtures, and very little commentary on the latest epic The Phantom Menace. What it does offer is new and recycled talking head interview footage with major and minor players, primarily from the original Star Wars cast and production crew, including George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels (C3PO) and Kenny Baker, as well as a visit to Lucas's hometown, Modesto, CA. True buffs will discover little new (or of interest) here, while casual viewers will, I suspect, be a bit disappointed by a Star Wars documentary with no actual Star Wars footage in it. Still, given the assured popularity of the title, the fact that real Star Wars cast and crew do appear in the video, and the inexpensive price, this one's a strong, optional purchase. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)