5757 / A Film by David Berry

“The best STAR WARS behind-the-scenes film material I’ve seen!” – One of the comments to the film

My cousin David Berry does not give out much information on this film he made in the 70s with a Super 8 camera. All David says on the Vimeo page hosting the film is “Crude home movies from the 1970s depicting activities at a certain location in the San Fernando Valley.” But there are over a hundred comments in the comment section to the film on the right of the Vimeo page.

What we are watching in this ten minute film is a behind the scenes film of the making of Star Wars by the legendary special effects team George Lucas assembled. They are working in some warehouse location in the San Fernando Valley of the mid-70s.

The film was hidden in David’s page on Vimeo. Maybe he mentioned it to me but I don’t remember. It has received comments from many in the film business on the right side of the page. I want to add my comments.

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My first reaction is that the film captures the youth and playfulness of the creative special effects people behind the film Star Wars. It was not a group working inside a studio but what looks like free spirits who have come together for this project and are genuinely have fun. This is the most important emotion I get from the film is people having fun. Mixed in with this are serious film shots of exploding space ships and models used in the film.

There is a scene where the crew is in bathing suits and sliding on a water slide. It looks to be a hot day (as it can be in the San Fernando Valley) and the special effects team is gathered outside the warehouse where special effects scenes in the film are being shot.

For those who saw Star Wars when it first came out are the only ones who can truly appreciate David’s 5757. As one commentator on the film notes, its the best behind the scenes film of making one of filmdom’s greatest brands and phenomenons.

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See David’s videos on his site.

(David won an Oscar in 1985 for Special Effects while working at George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic on the film Cocoon.)