The scene towards the end of "Return of the Jedi" where Darth Vader is de-masked is iconic in the Star Wars pantheon. Once Star Wars went from "a franchise" to "a phenomenon", that scene was dug into even further and scrutinized for that fact that David Prowse, the man behind the suit for the first three episodes, was not the face shown (that of Sebastian Shaw) when Luke removes the mask. In "I Am Your Father", filmmakers Toni Bestard and Marcos Cabota set out on a quest to find out what Prowse is up to these days and perhaps even re-create that iconic scene...this time with him in the mask.
The reason this is a watchable documentary is because Prowse has been marginalized in the history of Star Wars, not welcome at many gatherings, reunions, and conventions. As such, he is a bit of a mystery that deserves a light being shed on it. I mean, this was the guy who played the actions of Darth Vader (perhaps the most iconic baddie in film history), and it takes an indy film director to find him? Hmmm.
That being said, there are two major problems with "I Am Your Father" that keep it at a middling star rating:
1. The filmmakers really take some jabs at George Lucas, many of which are not deserved. To put it bluntly, the Star Wars creators had every right to choose Shaw over Prowse, and they had their reasons for doing so. Rumors also abounded (with some proof to that effect) that Prowse would often talk to the press about movie spoilers before premiere dates, so that could explain how he was treated when Shaw was indeed chosen. Is it perhaps a bit low that Prowse isn't invited to any LucasFilm functions? Maybe. But to even insinuate that Prowse was "owed" his face in "Jedi" is a bit far-fetched.
2. A lot of the documentary builds towards the re-creation of the Prowse scene...and then the climactic moment isn't even seen! Maybe I missed something, but I felt rather let down that I didn't seen the entire re-creation of the scene.
Overall, while I enjoyed learning more about David Prowse in "I Am Your Father", it really deserves its three-star rating because of how it focuses a bit too much on old grudges/rumors that are "he said, she said" scenarios. The life of Prowse should have been the focus all along here, and when it is this doc shines.
