With virtually any program that embraces the spirit of a holiday, whether it’s a sitcom or a variety show, by exploring iconic elements of any season celebration, the project will return on an annual basis. In the case of the infamous The Star Wars Holiday Special, however, the 1978 broadcast of the project was met with such negative reactions, it was never shown again, much to the surprise of the writing team responsible of bringing the special to life. An exclusive clip from the documentary A Disturbance in the Force highlights the surprised reactions of the writing team in regard to its attempted erasure. You can check out the clip above and see A Disturbance in the Force when it hits Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on December 5th.
Per press release, “September Club and Giant Pictures bring home A Disturbance in the Force on December 5th from a galaxy far far away to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the most infamous story in the history of Star Wars. The acclaimed documentary made its debut at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival and chronicles the making of the bizarre (and buried) Star Wars Holiday Special as well as a specific bygone era of 1970s event television. Discover the ‘hilarious secrets behind Star Wars’ iconically awful Holiday Special‘ (The Daily Beast) when A Disturbance in the Force arrives on digital platforms, DVD, and Blu-ray on December 5th via Giant Pictures.
“From the filmmakers behind Napoleon Dynamite and Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, comes A Disturbance in the Force, the documentary about 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, A Disturbance in the Force can also be experienced in select screenings across the US, UK, and Australia ahead of its digital and home entertainment launch on December 5th on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu.”
A Disturbance in the Force hits Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on December 5th.
Will you be checking out the documentary? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!
