Elstree 1976 is a documentary that focuses on the lives of the Canadian and British actors who appeared in small parts in Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope. Elstree 1976’s foundation is embodied by Dabbs Greer’s quote, “Every character actor, in their own little sphere, is the lead.” Elstree 1976 has an egalitarian heart, but may have a smaller audience.
Elstree 1976 divides its segments thematically. Each actor discusses childhood, what made that actor decide to become an actor, how that actor got involved in Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope, the experience of working on what they thought was a little independent film and what the actor’s life was like afterwards.
I would have preferred if Elstree 1976 divided into segments devoted to each actor’s story because I was not familiar with any of them and had a hard time distinguishing them as the documentary progressed. My mother lost interest fairly early in the film. Elstree 1976 left a lot of questions unanswered. Why did Darth Vader get banned? Why did the self-proclaimed least ambitious actor have the most successful career and an Olympian offspring?
If Elstree 1976 has any broader appeal, it is for children who can’t even imagine what they may want to do in the future. Most of the featured actors could not imagine a life in the arts and theorized that even if they could, their classmates would have ridiculed them. And yet, here they are. Otherwise unless you are a hardcore fan of Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope, you should probably skip Elstree 1976.