In anticipation of A Disturbance in the Force releasing on December 5 from a galaxy far, far away, September Club and Giant Pictures have debuted the official trailer for the acclaimed documentary. Created to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the most infamous story in the history of Star Wars, the documentary chronicles the making of the bizarre (and buried) “Star Wars Holiday Special” as well as a specific bygone era of 1970s event television.
From the filmmakers behind Napoleon Dynamite and Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, A Disturbance in the Force chronicles the story behind the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. In 1977, Star Wars became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry, and forever changed how films were sold, made, and marketed. In 1978, filmmaker George Lucas was talked into cashing in on the Star Wars craze by producing a holiday variety TV special. What could possibly go wrong? ANSWER: Everything…
CBS aired the two-hour “Star Wars Holiday Special” during the week of Thanksgiving and it was watched by 13 million people. It never re-aired. While some fans of the franchise are aware of this dark secret, this bizarre two hours of television still remains relatively unknown among the general public. Simply put, the documentary will answer how and why the “Holiday Special” got made.
Produced by September Club with Giant Pictures handling digital and home entertainment distribution, there will also be a chance to experience A Disturbance in the Force in select screenings across the US, UK and Australia ahead of its digital and home entertainment launch on December 5 on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu.
Patience you must have until you can witness “hilarious secrets behind Star Wars’ iconically awful Holiday Special” (The Daily Beast) when the documentary arrives on digital platforms, DVD and Blu-ray on December 5 via Giant Pictures, so to tide you over we’ll leave you with the aforementioned trailer which we’ll sure will leave you feeling the force.
A Disturbance in the Force is available for pre-order now on Apple TV here. You can also visit the official website here for screening details.
