ALL SCI-FI

Bud Brewster · Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:44 am Post subject:

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Maurice, I can't thank you enugh for your incredibly well-written and highly enjoyable post. You not only expressed opinions that I completely agree with, you did it with one amazing piece of writing.

And best of all, you pointed out something about Star Wars that has troubled me since I first saw The Empire Strikes Back, along with all the sequels and prequels which followed.

The Spike

Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the Imperial Army as it seeks to rule the Galactic Empire. An old Jedi Knight by the name of Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi may just be hers, and the rebels only hope. Teaming up with farm boy Luke Skywalker, scoundrel Captain Han Solo, and a couple of quirky droids, Kenobi sets off on a mission that could well shape the destiny of the Galaxy, and all who dwell within it.

Back in 1977 I was but a wee 11 year old boy, weened on films from all genres by my movie loving parents, I had no idea that Star Wars was to have the same impact on me as Jaws had two summers previously, where yet again I found myself queueing around the block for two whole hours to see a film in a one screen theatre. My love of cinema firmly cemented, Star Wars was the start of a love affair that lasts to this very day.

As the years have rolled by and my love of cinema has taken on more in-depth and serious tones, I have come to realise that Star Wars proves to be a far from flawless picture. Certainly its detractors do point to some frayed acting and call the plot structure a jazzed up good versus evil axis, while the charge of George Lucas referencing many prior pictures most assuredly stands, but really do those things matter? No they do not, because Star Wars opened up a new world of cinema, something of a portal to youngsters such as I, it got people talking and debating about the merits of model work in films (which is of an extraordinary high standard here), it nudged film makers to explore being bigger and bolder in their approach, and crucially, above all else, it got film goers hungry again, a hankering for more please if you may. Now it has to be said that all that followed 20th Century Fox's historic blockbuster didn't run with the baton, in fact most pale into comparison on impact value, but for better or worse (depending on the discerning viewers peccadilloes), Star Wars stands as a bastion of adventure laden entertainment.

It is by definition one of the most successful films in history. George Lucas perhaps didn't know it at the time, but in what was to become an almost operatic anthology, he didn't just make a movie, he created a whole new world seeping with style and rich texture. Almost as amazing as the success of the series, is how it has become part of modern day pop culture, anything from religion to everyday speak has at some time or another referenced Lucas' baby. Ultimately, though, it's one single thing that made (and still does make) Star Wars so great, it's that it has the ability to lift the audience into a rousing united feel good cheer; and that is something that few films can ever lay claim too. In 1977 it was an awe inspiring event to watch in the theatre, now here in my middle age it's an event that is like hugging a dear old friend, a friend that I know will never ever let me down no matter how many times I turn to it. 10/10
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The quality of mercy is not strnen.

Gord Green · Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:39 am Post subject:

Spike, you said it just right!

There are films before STAR WARS...Some really great ones....And there are films after STAR WARS...A few really good ones...BUT STAR WARS is the watershed!

Great analysis!
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

The Spike · Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:59 am Post subject:

Bud Brewster · Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 9:49 am Post subject:

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I completely agree with Gord! Very Happy

A deeply personal message like yours which shares your feelings about a movie and its effect on your heart and mind is my favorite kind of post!

Spike, seeing your name this morning on all the new messages you added to All Sci-Fi really started my day off right! We hope you'll share more such posts in the near future — and any other type you chose.

Bud
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Eadie · Galactic Ambassador Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 1695

We have an old laser disk of Wizards (1977) which has the original trailer for Star Wars.

It states that the movie takes place " … 10,000 years from now … "
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Art Should Comfort the Disturbed and Disturb the Comfortable.

The Spike · Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 7:58 am Post subject:

johnnybear · Mission Specialist Joined: 15 Jun 2016 Posts: 441

Star Wars and not A New Hope after they retitled it years later, but it is still my favorite of the franchise! My son prefers Empire, but what does he know?
JB

Bud Brewster · Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:11 pm Post subject:

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I agree with you, JB! Shocked

The original Star Wars (and the feeling we all go when we first saw it) can never be captured again. Sad

When we first saw that incredible movie, we were young, we were eager . . . and we were suddenly shocked by a cinematic experience we'd hope for our entire lives! Shocked

The story, the characters, and the astounding special effects combined to fulfill all our dreams of a sci-fi adventure that topped everything we'd ever seen before!

But when The Empire Strikes Back came out — and then Return of the Jedi — we realized that we had grown too old for a big budget Flash Gorden serial.

Even worse was the fact that the maker of the first Star Wars movie — George Lucas — had grown too old to make movies for the aging children in us all . . . and the aging child in himself. Sad

And so, the magical moment had passed . . . but we all tried to deny that we could hang on to our golden youth while watching those great sequels!

Meanwhile, George Lucas made movies for his own advancing age, and we kept trying to watch them with the disparate hope that we could recapture the wonder and awe we all felt when we first watched Star Wars in 1977.

Sadly, that was impossible.

And so, folks . . . please try not to criticize the sequels which don't give you that bygone "buzz". After all, Thomas Wolf was right when he said, "You can't go back home."
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Bud Brewster · Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 11:25 am Post subject:

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Here's another highly enjoyable video by astrophysicist Michael Siegel, in which he analyzes Star Wars - A New Hope. He praises its virtues and he points out its flaws . . . respectfully. Very Happy

Enjoy! _

__ Astronomy in Movies: The Vision of George Lucas

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Pow · Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 11:53 am Post subject:

DYK that Kurt Russell auditioned for the role of Han Solo with William Katt who was auditioning for Luke Skywalker? I could see both actors doing a terrific job in those respective roles.

"I auditioned for Luke with Kurt Russell as my Han Solo. I thought we did a helluva job. Why didn't George Lucas pick us," Willaim Katt joked.

"To be honest, I think Kurt Russell has always blamed me for him not getting the Harrison Ford role. "I saw Kurt a few years back, and he said something about it. I said, 'Kurt, you've done okay. You've done pretty okay!' -----------------------------------------------------------------
Sidebar: Burt Reynolds reported that he was approached about a role in Star Wars. I'm guessing as Han Solo, but Reynolds wasn't interested at all as he has said that he dislikes science fiction.

How about Al Pacino, one of the finest actors we have? Yep, he was given the script to read for a role, but he declined saying he could not make any sense of it.

Krel · Space Ranger Joined: 19 Feb 2023 Posts: 190

Composer Mike Verta has figured out a way to restore "Star Wars" and convert it to 4K. He doubts it will ever be done because it is very labor intensive.

Every time a print is struck some information is lost, but it is not the same information, it is different in every print. To put it simply. if you layer multiple prints, you can fill in the missing information.

His video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3W_O-tp0_g Be warned it is LONG, running 3:23:41. I thought it was interesting and worth watching.

David.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 10:09 pm Post subject:

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The gentleman on the video presented some fascinating info abut the degradation of film negatives and the prints stuck from them.

I didn't realize there were shots in the original version of Star Wars that were so degraded they were removed from the film!

I first saw Star Wars during its initial release in New York City when my wife and I flew up there on my employee passes while I was baggage handler for Eastern.

We arranged for an old friend who lived in New York to take us to the best theater that was showing it — one that had stadium seating in a large auditorium, with stereo sound which included speakers in the front and rear.

Few theaters in Atlanta had stereo sound back in 1977. But the popularity of Star Wars caused several theaters to have new sound systems installed, Very Happy

The first one to do this was a run-down theater which frequently showed soft core porno. But they shut down for several days and installed a Dolby sound system, then they placed a full-page ad in the Journal-Constitution which boasted about how Star Wars was now playing in stereo!

Their strategy was so successful they were able to restore the run-down theater and start showing newly released features after a long run of Star Wars! Cool

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

orzel-w · Galactic Ambassador Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1875

Some things that were changed by "upgrading" to CGI effects in the re-released editions of the series didn't really help IMHO.

One such was at the Mos Eisley spaceport as Luke and Ben were on their way to the cantina. As the camera follows the twosome walking along, some alien creature passes across the screen in the foreground. But this creature, whatever it was, is so tall that all we can see of it are its knees and a little of its legs above and below the knees. Genius! The audience is focused on the main characters, so the creature is essentially a throwaway. In the "upgraded" edition the aliens are dumped in our faces en masse, an overkill eliminating the delight of that original discovery.

Another instance was the scene in the desert where the storm troopers were searching for R2D2 and C3PO after their escape from the star destroyer. In the background, just beyond the top of a sand dune, sits a storm trooper atop some huge lizard-like beast. Not moving; just sitting there, serving backdrop duty, waiting to be noticed. In the "upgrade" we have to go up to the top of the dune and get full exposure of the beast-and-trooper ambling about. No subtlety wasted there!

How did Orson Welles put it? "The absence of limitations is the enemy of art."

I was disappointed that the YouTube videos linked earlier under All Changes Made to Star Wars: A New Hope had been taken down. They would likely have included the shots I'm speaking of.
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WayneO
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