User reviews

I went into watching this documentary thinking that it would be merely people, albeit famous ones, chatting away at how watching Star Wars as a kid changed their life. I was fortunately mistaken, as it turned out, in spite of the first couple of misleading minutes, to be an attempt at explaining the immense popularity of the saga, and a fairly successful one at that. It is suggested herein that everyone can find something to relate to, in the two trilogies, spiritually, emotionally and personality-wise. A mass of ancient mythology, as well as historical facts and religious ideas are uncovered in various scenes, characters and themes. Whether placed there with intent or not. Many of these explored connections are interesting, and several border on downright fascinating. Rather than revealing what they are here, I urge you to seek out this special for your own viewing. It is briefly touched upon that there are details in the new trilogy that could be construed as echoing that of recent US politics, specifically Bush Jr., but the one person who comments on the existence of such denounces it as being improbable that they were intentional. The editing is nicely done, if they got perhaps a tad overexcited about the use of split-screen at times(with that being said, the vast majority of the usage of such was effective). The film-makers(and others) who appear add more than one might expect. It's remarkably well-paced, I don't recall being bored for a second, and I don't normally go for documentaries. I recommend this to any fan of the franchise, and anyone interested in the deeper levels, whether they are fans or not. 7/10

Saw this last week on the history channel, and all I can say is wow. There are so many connections between the star wars films and true events in our history that it is astonishing. Whether Lucas connected them on purpose or whether is irrelevant. Watching this documentary made me realize how symbolism is EVERYWHERE in the movies, especially revenge of the sith.

Palpatine as the snake in the garden of Eden and Mustafar being a version of hell, and several connections to Greek mythology are explained and explored. The classic story of hero-turned-monster is explored in other stories. The Empire parallels the Third Reich during World War II, and who could forget Anakin's "If you're not with me, you're my enemy" said in almost the exact same way by George W. Bush.

There are many more things that resemble each other, so watch this documentary to watch them all.

I DVR'd this documentary for my son who is Star Wars crazy, but watched it to make sure the content was appropriate. Well! I could not stop watching it and then I made my husband sit down and watch it as well. I am a fan of the Star Wars movies and pretty informed. They were an integral part of my childhood. I must admit that I was less enamored of the first episodes than I was of IV-VI. HOWEVER, this documentary explained the genesis (I use that word deliberately)of those stories in such a way that I need to see them again to view them through this new filter.

Ken Burns is such an amazing film maker and this is no exception. I was FASCINATED by the historical, cultural and religious connections he drew between the Star Wars characters and stories. It reinforces why the series has such a profound effect on our culture even to this day. I remember standing in line for hours to see Episode IV in Westwood, CA. Now I am watching it again with my children and seeing it through their eyes as I first saw it, but also as an adult with a much more informed eye thanks to this documentary.

I would really like to purchase the documentary, but can't seem to find it. Is it available for purchase?