I Am Your Father

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove) 01/04/2018 at 18:18 • Filed to: TIL

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Being sick, I was scrolling through Netflix and came across a little documentary called I Am Your Father . It’s about the life of actor David Prowse, centered around his involvement with Star Wars . Though kind of somber in tone, I found it worth watching. The film maker always thought Prowse got screwed by not being allowed to play Vader the moment he was unmasked, and he set about arranging a re-filming of that pivotal scene in ROTJ with Prowse in it, even though Lucasfilm denied permission for it.

Some things that struck me: Prowse is actually better known in England for his public service work for street crossing safety (he was honored by the Queen). Star Wars is very important to him, and the snubbing he perceives he has had from Lucas and Lucasfilm clearly hurts him. Also, I am now convinced that he could have done Vader’s voice himself. When his ripped off the line, “You are part of the rebel alliance and a traitor!”, I was sold.

Fun bit of trivia: his son James tells how after ESB came out, he was nicknamed Luke by the kids at school.

50ford500 > Chariotoflove 01/04/2018 at 21:26

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I started watching that a while ago and never finished it but I got far enough to see he really did get shafted in the whole deal. I’m guessing it’s worth finishing up from your post though.

Chariotoflove > 50ford500 01/04/2018 at 22:39

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I think it is. Prowse is essentially exonerated from the main thing that got him on Lucas’s shitlist, namely spilling the beans on Vader’s death to the media before ROTJ release. The film is part documentary, part investigative journalism, and part fan fiction.

Should Prowse have been allowed to shoot Vader’s final scene? Depends on your point of view. This film takes the position that the actor deserved the recognition that came with putting six years of hard work into making the character come alive. On the other side, there was the argument made that Prowse didn’t look old enough to do the part at the time, necessitating the use of someone older like Sebastian Shaw. The other argument is that an actor is hired to do the job as contracted and defined by the director. Fame and recognition are not required to be supplied by the film’s makers beyond listing the appropriate credit. Regardless, I would argue that Prowse was treated shabbily by not being clued in to the director’s and producer’s intentions. Their behavior was unprofessional at best.