The cult classic short George Lucas in Love is being released for the first time on iTunes today, courtesy of Level Film.  Taking place in 1967, the film follows George Lucas (Martin Hynes) as he struggles to finish his screenplay “Space Wheat,” before a fellow student (Lisa Jakub) with an iconic hairstyle and other quirky characters provide inspiration for his space epic as we know it.

Directed by Joe Nussbaum, George Lucas in Love was produced in less than two months and shot in just two days.  The short quickly made a splash across Hollywood after premiering on the morning of May 24th in 1999, with a VHS copy ending up in the hands of the iconic filmmaker himself.  The tape went on to become the top selling video on Amazon, even beating out Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace.

Going on to play during Midnight Madness at TIFF, this is a sharp and delightful parody of Shakespeare in Love that is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.  Filled with great sight gags and clever throwbacks to the classic characters, George Lucas in Love packs a lot into the brief running time of just nine minutes, and remains a must see for all Star Wars fans.

George Lucas in Love is highly recommended and well worth a couple of bucks on iTunes.

-John Corrado