Instant Favorite.

I wanted to but couldn't!

best movie i've ever seen.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

For years and years I've read in the press and on the internet about the strained relationship between actor David Prowse and the people at Lucasfilm LTD, mainly George Lucas. What could Mr Prowse possibly do to completely be BANNED from anything Star Wars related for the rest of his life? Did he beat Lucas with a baseball bat? Apparently, it was much worse: Mr. Prowse had a tendency to talk to the press and give "inside scoop" on movies that were supposed to be top secret. I know Hollywood has something like a "non disclosure" agreement, where they literally "warn" actors, staff, crew members and directors from "spilling the beans" on an specific production. Stuff like "Game Of Thrones" surely has it as well as the newer Star Wars films, but back in the late 70s, there must've been something like that, right? Well, apparently not. Mr. Prowse argues that it was not him who spilled stuff to the press, he never did. A massive production like a Star Wars film has an amazing number of staff, crew members, secretaries, actors, and so forth. So why does Lucasfilm insist it was Mr. Prowse? And even if he DID spill the beans, little it did to stop "The Empire Strikes Back" and "The Return Of The Jedi" from becoming colossal box office hits.Spanish director and certified Star Wars geek, Marcos Cabota, made it a quest to finally know WHY Lucasfilm distanced itself from actor David Prowse, now in his 80s. If Lucasfilm was so angry at Prowse, why not replace him completely? The final major blow to Prowse came at the end of "Return Of The Jedi", when Vader finally gets unmasked. It was Prowse who the fans wanted to see, no some old crummy British actor. I felt cheated as a fan, but the most cheated person was Prowse himself. "He looks too young to be his father". Wait a second! Isn't Darth Vader in his late 40s? Wasn't Anakin Skywalker in his early 20s when he turned to the dark side to become Darth Vader? What kind of lame excuse is that??? For the mere 3 lines that actor Sebastian Shaw (Darth Vader unmasked) uttered, those same lines could've been uttered by Prowse, but NOOOO, it HAD to be someone else. Lucasfilm has even admitted that they didn't want Prowse's face at the end. Too young I ask? Have you heard of Dick Smith? Rick Baker? Rob Bottin? Special make up maestros that could've gotten the job done with outstanding ease and turn Prowse into an older, battered man.The only thing I regret not seeing is the supposed reenacted scene from "Return Of The Jedi", where Luke takes his father's helmet off to reveal the human Anakin Skywalker. Director Marcos Cabota kindly asked Lucasfilm permission to shoot this scene, to which he was given a resounding NO. Marcos went ahead and shot the scene anyway, with David Prowse revealing himself from beneath the helmet. The scene was shown to an exclusive number of people, but NOT to the audience of this documentary. So many "rubbish" takes on Star Wars float on the internet that I don't think Lucasfilm has given all of them their OK, so why this one in particular was given a no? Was it because of David Prowse being in it? Lucasfilm was never available for comment on the documentary.Not showing that filmed scene kind of waters everything down about this documentary. Still, I had a lot of fun watching it, and you get to hear the opinions of people who were in the high ranks of Lucasfilm when the original trilogy was in theaters: Gary Kurtz, the associate producer, Robert Watts, executive producer, Ben Burt, sound FX engineer, Kenny Baker, R2D2, etc. There were no Mark Hammill, Carrie Fisher or Harrison Ford interviews, to share their views on the matter, which is sad (unless all of them hate Prowse as much as Lucasfilm hates him).I was actually expecting a boring affair but was entertained and Spanish director Marcos Cabota did this documentary out of sheer respect and admiration to David Prowse, the one and only TRUE Darth Vader!

I was in a bar in Nova Scotia when I first heard about this film. A friend of mine, someone who fully engages in his fandom for all things Star Wars, Horror and Conan the Barbarian mentioned over a pint of Guinness about this documentary concerning David Prowse called "I am your Father" and how he had been roundly and seemingly unfairly 86'd from the official Star Wars community. At that point I realized for the first time that "yes, of course.. he's not been in attendance at any of the Star Wars Celebrations". It seemed baffling, a white wash of an actor who played such an iconic character. I did not see this film until back in England and unceremoniously noticing it on Netflix gave it a click.What you have with "I am your Father" is not so much "a" documentary as two documentaries intertwined which tell a sad but also uplifting story of fandom, betrayal and ultimately redemption. Sort of. One story is that of Dave Prowse, his career, bodybuilding, Hammer Horror monster, cast as Darth Vader (and The Green Cross Code man at the same time) and how over the years and through misunderstanding, gossip and press intrusion his relationship with LucasFilm soured and he was ostracized from the George Lucas fold.The other story is that of a die-hard fan and an exploration of that fandom. Wanting to be close to the art, the artist, the players that you feel so close to. With that the director Marcos Cabota becomes part of the story, a sort of gonzo documentary if you will (in the Hunter S Thompson sense) with his actions affecting the plot and how the arc of Dave Prowse's relationship with the character of Darth Vader will eventually reach a better conclusion, rewriting history in a sense.What I sincerely appreciated about this film was that it was clear the film maker was genuinely a fan of Star Wars and of Dave Prowse and his portrayal of Darth Vader. This film didn't set out to tell the definitive story of David Prowse and his career (although I think it did a very good job of exploring his trajectory) but to reveal the trouble that can come out of something so wonderful. And how a seemingly innocent and well meaning actor can be treated poorly by the capricious nature of a gigantic media company. You leave the film I believe hoping that George Lucas would at some point see it, make amends and that Dave Prowse's own story would end with redemption in the same way that Darth Vader had its closure at the end of Return of the Jedi (Spoiler... and more about that scene in a moment).The director himself wants to recreate the end of Return of the Jedi with Dave Prowse in Darth Vaders death scene instead of the original actor. I had always found it baffling that they didn't use Dave Prowse as he had more than a passing resemblance to Mark Hamill and could have very well passed as his father with a little aging make up. As for the West Country accent... well that too could have been worked on. The intention of the director to recreate this scene speaks to the level of his fandom and for any massive fan of Star Wars, who wouldn't want to recreate scene or work directly with an actor in a shot for shot remake. And with the intention of righting a perceived wrong this adds to the veritable brilliance of the idea. Now this I can imagine with many people would seem self indulgent, making the director too much the focus and could even be seen as exploitative, but I would disagree. It for me solidifies fandom, completes the circle and gives Dave Prowse the chance to finish his work as that great character. All in all this is a documentary well worth watching if you are a star wars fan or just a fan of cinema in general. There are glimpses into the inner politics of film making/ marketing (it's a ruthless business by all accounts) and the power that LucasFilm holds. It does nothing to tarnish the love and adoration fans have for Star Wars but gives you insight into the life of an actor and thoroughly decent gentleman who could have been treated a lot better and deserves to be front and centre when it comes to Star Wars lore.

The scene towards the end of "Return of the Jedi" where Darth Vader is de-masked is iconic in the Star Wars pantheon. Once Star Wars went from "a franchise" to "a phenomenon", that scene was dug into even further and scrutinized for that fact that David Prowse, the man behind the suit for the first three episodes, was not the face shown (that of Sebastian Shaw) when Luke removes the mask. In "I Am Your Father", filmmakers Toni Bestard and Marcos Cabota set out on a quest to find out what Prowse is up to these days and perhaps even re-create that iconic scene...this time with him in the mask.The reason this is a watchable documentary is because Prowse has been marginalized in the history of Star Wars, not welcome at many gatherings, reunions, and conventions. As such, he is a bit of a mystery that deserves a light being shed on it. I mean, this was the guy who played the actions of Darth Vader (perhaps the most iconic baddie in film history), and it takes an indy film director to find him? Hmmm.That being said, there are two major problems with "I Am Your Father" that keep it at a middling star rating:1. The filmmakers really take some jabs at George Lucas, many of which are not deserved. To put it bluntly, the Star Wars creators had every right to choose Shaw over Prowse, and they had their reasons for doing so. Rumors also abounded (with some proof to that effect) that Prowse would often talk to the press about movie spoilers before premiere dates, so that could explain how he was treated when Shaw was indeed chosen. Is it perhaps a bit low that Prowse isn't invited to any LucasFilm functions? Maybe. But to even insinuate that Prowse was "owed" his face in "Jedi" is a bit far-fetched.2. A lot of the documentary builds towards the re-creation of the Prowse scene...and then the climactic moment isn't even seen! Maybe I missed something, but I felt rather let down that I didn't seen the entire re-creation of the scene.Overall, while I enjoyed learning more about David Prowse in "I Am Your Father", it really deserves its three-star rating because of how it focuses a bit too much on old grudges/rumors that are "he said, she said" scenarios. The life of Prowse should have been the focus all along here, and when it is this doc shines.

Another reviewer incorrectly attributes the dubbed voice of Vader to that fine actor, Edward James Olmos. It was, in fact James Earl Jones who voiced the part. This documentary, although well intentioned was clearly hamstrung by being unable to use any clips from the first two Star Wars movies. It seems obvious that when Lucasfilm realized they were being painted as the villain they refused to grant permission. As a result, shadowy images of the main characters appear, hardly a replacement for the real thing. Prowse parlayed his body building skills into "big men" parts, mostly in low budget British horror movies and the part of Vader was a major one but hid his features behind a mask for the entire screenplay. In effect, fame without recognition. The young director felt that Prowse was robbed of a chance to BE Vader and be recognized, so he gathered a team to recreate the "death scene" where Vader, unmasked and dying utters those oft quoted words "Luke, I am your father". Once again, almost certainly due to copyright restrictions we are denied the chance to actually see the finished product, which rather defeats the whole object of the exercise.