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Straight from the Force's Mouth: The Autobiography of Dave Prowse
Everyone has heard of Darth Vader, the infamous Star Wars villain we all love to fear, created by George Lucas and brought to life by Dave Prowse MBE, but people may not be so familiar with the story of the multi-talented man behind the mask. It required someone exceptional to turn a helmeted costume into the principal character in the highest grossing film series in cinema history - that someone was Dave Prowse. The towering, physical presence of the 6ft 7" bodybuilder was ideally suited to personify the intimidating Darth Vader. Straight from the Force's Mouth takes us behind the scenes of Star Wars and documents how this extraordinary man took on the role of the menacing central character to creating one of the most iconic villains in cinema history. In this book of memoirs, Dave shares his journey from disadvantaged child and poor student to champion weightlifter and international film star. The Dave Prowse story is one of determination and hard work and in this honest account ...
- GenresNonfiction
470 pages, ebook
First published August 14, 2011
6 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 28, 2014
Getting all the Star Wars stuff out of the way first is a great idea as it means he can concentrate on al the interesting stuff that happened to him in his career, where else can you get chapters describing how Stanley Kubrick and Russ Meyer work as directors, or what it was like to work for Hammer the first time it was around. Also has a lot of fascinating details on the world of bodybuilding and weight training that you might not start out being interested in but will be by the end of it.
A lot better than it should be.
A lot better than it should be.
December 10, 2016
Great autobiography by the one & only David Prowse, aka Lord Darth Vader, about his life, the people he's met and worked with, and of course his Star Wars experiences. He also signed it for me! Awesome guy! The Force is with him and his book!
January 15, 2021
I was really only interested in reading his experience of acting in the Star Wars movies, as I imagine a lot of his fans are (and hence the title). The first third of his book is about this before he goes onto describe the rest of his life in the remainder of the book.
It does provide some interesting insight and perspective on playing his most famous role. There seemed to be an issue in that George Lucas appeared to regard him more as a tall person filling a costume - he even gave him the choice of playing Chewbacca or Vader. Prowse saw himself as a bodybuilder who was now an actor of 15 years experience and was frustrated when they would use his stuntman for scenes that he could film himself, and also when Darth Vader made 'guest appearances', but it wasn't him in the costume. He felt like he owned the character which is why he always signed his autographs 'David Prowse IS Darth Vader', but the truth is that he wasn't and I don't think Prowse ever came to terms with that.
It does provide some interesting insight and perspective on playing his most famous role. There seemed to be an issue in that George Lucas appeared to regard him more as a tall person filling a costume - he even gave him the choice of playing Chewbacca or Vader. Prowse saw himself as a bodybuilder who was now an actor of 15 years experience and was frustrated when they would use his stuntman for scenes that he could film himself, and also when Darth Vader made 'guest appearances', but it wasn't him in the costume. He felt like he owned the character which is why he always signed his autographs 'David Prowse IS Darth Vader', but the truth is that he wasn't and I don't think Prowse ever came to terms with that.
February 5, 2022
Quite literally the story of the man behind the mask.
A gentle and engaging read of a varied and extraordinary life well lived.
Set around two instantly recognizable characters (Darth Vader and the Green Cross Code Man), he gives us a great insight into his character, dedication and focus - despite multiple setbacks - and into what makes him tick.
Peppered with lovely anecdotal stories of the many famous people he knew and worked with, this is a good book to read, and very enjoyable.
A gentle and engaging read of a varied and extraordinary life well lived.
Set around two instantly recognizable characters (Darth Vader and the Green Cross Code Man), he gives us a great insight into his character, dedication and focus - despite multiple setbacks - and into what makes him tick.
Peppered with lovely anecdotal stories of the many famous people he knew and worked with, this is a good book to read, and very enjoyable.
April 9, 2016
I'm a Star Wars fan,which is why I bought this book.I was really hoping for more behind the scenes of the Star Wars movies than what tis book offered.I found this book for the most part boring as I have no interest in bodybuilding.The title of the book is misleading.David Prowse as far as I'm concerened is realy only popular for playing Darth Vader.
September 15, 2015
Great book
This is a great book to learn about the man behind the movies greatest Villain, Darth Vader! I wish they would have gave him a cameo in Star Wars VII, even if it was just the singer in a Cantina!
This is a great book to learn about the man behind the movies greatest Villain, Darth Vader! I wish they would have gave him a cameo in Star Wars VII, even if it was just the singer in a Cantina!
February 20, 2012
dull in places as i'm not into weightlifting, body building or cars, bit weird in places too.
August 6, 2012
A good insight into the man behind the mask and his life. Dave comes across as naive at times, which has been portrayed as arrogance ... you will have to decide which side you think he is.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews