Star Wars [VHS] [1977]

What's interesting about this video is also what makes it seem amateurish at first: it is neither endorsed nor authorised by 20th Century Fox or Lucasfilm. The result: a montage of interviews with everybody of importance to the Star Wars world--from George Lucas and Liam Neeson to Samuel L. Jackson and Harrison Ford, with intelligently written voice-over narration, and a unique exploration of Star Wars and Star Trek together. This is at once an homage to the Star Wars trilogies and a documentary of its sci-fi precursors, from silent film to Star Trek.

Since this collection of interviews isn't authorised by Lucasfilm, you won't find footage of the Star Wars movies here, although you will find terrific snippets from sci-fi milestones such as Fritz Lang's Metropolis. A youthful Carrie Fisher talk about the interplanetary appeal of the original Star Wars, while a 20-years-older Fischer talks about the films' fairytale-like grasp across generations. Young and older Harrison Fords and Mark Hamill give interesting perspectives as well; the video also sports one of the longer interviews recorded with the man inside C-3PO.

Besides the actual cast and crew of the Star Wars movies, including The Phantom Menace, there are interviews here with stars as fans, famous people who love the movies as much as anyone: Sharon Stone, Gary Busey, Hugh Hefner, Magic Johnson, Christina Ricci and William Shatner. A fun and provocative look through uncensored interviews across the spectrum at all that is Star Wars, worthy of any fan's archive, this is a must for any serious collection. --Erik Macki