I Am Your Father (2015) Reviews

• Homage to the man behind the mask of Darth Vader

  abmart022015-10-10

  The directors of this documentary, who are Star Wars fans from his childhood, have done a good homage to actor Dave Prowse, the man behind the mask of Darth Vader. Through several interviews with people directly involved in the making of the original Star Wars trilogy the film discovers the reasons that affected the relationship between Prowse and Lucasfilm after finishing the shooting of the original trilogy. Fortunately the film provides different opinions about this matter. Last but not least, their homage also extends to other great film actors that played evil roles behind a mask.

• Truly a documentary about both the subject and the film-maker set against a background of injustice.

  stuartwfrouse2017-08-03

  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.

• Successful documentary

  doctor-694932017-02-10

  I'm amazed by the low ratings and unkind reviews this documentary gets. It seems a lot of people didn't get from this documentary what they wanted, which is indeed different from what I felt the makers intended. It's not only about 'the actor that played Darth Vader' or 'the man behind the mask', it is about a man who has worked six years on a job and did it extremely well, but who, till this very day, was not given the chance to finish his hard work to his own satisfaction, dictated by misunderstandings and prejudice with his employer. It is about how everybody sees this man deserves rehabilitation and recognition but does not receive it from his former employer. Every good documentary has a story line: it has a starting point, often posing some sort of goal, a middle part where it is attempted to reach that goal, often with the introduction of a new set of problems that need to be solved first, and finally a conclusion, where the goal is achieved or where the gathered information raises new questions. The dissatisfaction that you might feel about this particular documentary didn't come from the makers, it is just part of the story they tell. I might not be happy with the conclusion, but I am very happy I got to hear this story.

• The definition of a manipulative documentary

  jonas-kylen2017-12-15

  Every aspect of this documentary feels contrived and scripted. The filmmaker just inserts Prowse interviews and dramatic music for the sentimental punches he clearly wants us to feel instead of following the natural flow of the interviews. Early on, the voice-over of the documentary promises us a great story from the man behind the mask of Darth Vader but it never delivers. Prowse seems like a lovely man but in the end its not he who is the story here, the story is about this random filmmaker. The filmmaker asserts his own beliefs and takes the opportunity to fullfil his own childhood dream of shooting a Star Wars scene, which is supposed to be climatic but instead fizzles out in a nothing scene because where we are not allowed to see the scene itself. The filmmaker obviousuly cant show us his recreated scene for copyright reasons, but maybe don't center your entire film about it then?

• There is another...

  doctor132017-06-22

  Actor David Prowse played the body of Darth Vader in the original STAR WARS trilogy and was shocked when he learned that another actor's face was to be used during the famous unmasking scene in RETURN OF THE JEDI. Documentary director Marcos Cabata decides to rectify this mistake by re-filming his own version of the scene and surprising Prowse by having him play Anakin Skywalker. This is his intention, which he states at the film's beginning, then pretty much forgets about it until thirty minutes from the end. Between those two moments, we get an hour of Prowse's career history and him complaining about how George Lucas did him wrong. This documentary fails for several reasons: 1. The underlying theme/story here should have been the recreation of the unmasking scene with Prowse, but Cabata doesn't even tell Prowse about the offer until near the end of the film, and Prowse's reaction is anti- climactic, to say the least; 2. Cabata seems to be promoting himself as much he is telling the story of Prowse, and it's noticeable and irritating; 3. Once Lucasfilm realized that Cabata was making them out to be the villains of the piece, they refused to have anything to do with the documentary, and didn't give their permission for Cabata to re-shoot the scene with Prowse, so, with this being the film's main drive, once the reshot scene is shown before an audience, WE DON'T GET TO SEE IT. Cabot doesn't even show the audience's reaction to it!! Absolutely ridiculous and a major fail on his part, making me question the intention of the documentary in the first place. And finally, the main reason for Prowse's getting snubbed by Lucas, the doc ascertains, is because before EMPIRE STRIKES BACK was released, he revealed to a newspaper that Darth Vader was Luke's father. Prowse denies that he talked to any reporter or spilled any such information, and Lucas blocked him from future Star Wars events because of it. The film says that this is the only way the secret could have been spilled. However, I never read that article and I knew going in to the film on opening day, that Vader was Luke's father. How? Because the novelization of the movie was released BEFORE the film opened! Yet the documentary makes no mention of this as another way to exonerate Prowse. Only for the hardest of Star Wars fans.