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An open letter to George Lucas - CHRENKOFF
Chrenkoff Blog ^ | May 17, 2005 | Chrenkoff

Posted on 05/17/2005 1:18:48 AM PDT by Question Liberal Authority

Dear Mr Lucas

This might be a good opportunity to thank you for many hours of entertainment that your two "Star Wars" trilogies have provided for me with. I'm not one of the "Star Wars" fanatics, but I've watched the five films so far several times over the years. I most fondly remember watching the first trilogy in the late 1970s and the early 80s at the movies, when I was a boy living in the then communist Poland. Your space saga of Luke Skywalker and his fight against Darth Vader, the Empire and the Dark Side has proved as big a hit on the other side of the Iron Curtin as it did in the West.

You might be aware that all of us who saw the "Star Wars" trilogy throughout the communist world saw it as an entertaining, yet still nonetheless powerful commentary on the current world events. We simply couldn't escape the conclusion that the militaristic and freedom-crushing Empire with its legions of stormtroopers is a futuristic version of the Soviet Empire, which had conquered and enslaved hundreds of millions of people like myself. For us, of course, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and all the others fighting to restore the Republic were brave oppositionists and freedom fighters in the truest sense of the word. Like the Western movie goers, we too cheered when the Death Star was destroyed (twice), but whereas for our counterparts in the Free World this was just a great cinematic climax, for us it embodied the hope ("A New Hope", if you pardon the pun) that one day the specter of totalitarianism will vanish and we will be free again.

Apparently, however, we were wrong - we didn't read your movies correctly.

I noted with interest your recent remarks in Cannes:

"Star Wars" director George Lucas says that although he wrote the original film during the Vietnam War, his six-part saga could apply to the war in Iraq.

"In terms of evil, one of the original concepts was how does a democracy turn itself into a dictatorship," Lucas told a news conference at Cannes, where his final episode had its world premiere.

"The parallels between what we did in Vietnam and what we're doing in Iraq now are unbelievable.

"On the personal level it was how does a good person turn into a bad person, and part of the observation of that is that most bad people think they are good people, they are doing it for the right reasons."

Yes, we were very wrong indeed - to you, the Empire was the United States of America, and if that's the case, then the brave rebels could only be all those people around the world fighting the American Empire - the Castros, Che Guevaras, Ho Chi Minhs, Pol Pots, and by extension, the Brezhnevs and the Mao Tse Tungs of this world. You, of course, live in the Free World, and as such you have the right to believe that your country is the most powerful force for evil operating in the world. But just for the sake of completeness and historical accuracy, can I just mention that whatever the sins of the United States - and I certainly understand well enough that no country is perfect - your rebels, both when fighting for power and when finally in power, ended up being responsible for the death of tens of millions and enslavement of hundreds of millions; the Luke Skywalkers and Han Solos of the last century gave us gulags and re-education camps, terror famines and political prisons; they institutionalized cults of personality, stifled every human freedom and impoverished whole nations.

May I also add that whatever your thoughts about the United States and its supposed descent from a democracy into empire, had the Rebels won, you would have never had a chance to film a critical allegory on your own government. At best, your artistic output would have consisted of short features about the 150% increase in the wheat harvest, and at worst - if you had stayed true to your conscience - you would be dreaming your "Star Wars" trilogy from behind bars.

Over the course of the last three years, the United States and her allies have managed to depose two truly despicable regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and today are trying to bring the gift of freedom and democracy - things that you enjoy every day probably without giving them much thought - to tens of millions of people who have never known them before. You might well think that Anakin Skywalker's painful transformation into Darth Vader is somehow a perfect analogy for the political journey of George W Bush, but I have a sneaking suspicion that movie fans in Baghdad will have already recognized Darth Vader as one of their own - with a moustache rather than a black helmet. He, too, had two children, although they didn't turn up quite as cute as Luke and Leia. They names were Uday and Qusay.

I will still go and see "The Revenge of the Sith" when it opens in Australia in a few days' time, and I will not stop enjoying the other five films just because I read their message differently to what you intended.

But if in your mind, it's the United States that has slowly transformed itself into an evil Empire, and therefore, logically all those who stand up to it are our story's true heroes, than I have to say that the Dark Side is very strong indeed, and I have crossed over a long time ago. If America is the Empire, then please prepare a black helmet and uniform for me too.


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Books/Literature; Music/Entertainment; Politics; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: chrenkoff; communism; georgelucas; starwars

1 posted on 05/17/2005 1:18:48 AM PDT by Question Liberal Authority
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To: Question Liberal Authority
As it turns out, George Lucas is dumber than dirt and completely clueless about political and historical realities. If he can mistake his own country for a monster, one has to question his judgment about everything else.

Perhaps his riches will provide him with some comfort in his dotage, but where does he go to buy a reputation for being an honorable and intelligent man?

Moron.

2 posted on 05/17/2005 1:28:41 AM PDT by snarks_when_bored
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To: Question Liberal Authority

Dear Mr. Lucas:

As I go to Iraq to defend the very freedom you express by making politically charged motion pictures in the tadition of your now-acknowledged souls mates, Leni Riefenstahl and Michael Moore, I feel I speak for all my brothers and sisters in arms when I say:

STFU.

Yours,

Sarge.


3 posted on 05/17/2005 1:37:31 AM PDT by Old Sarge (In for a penny, in for a pound, saddlin' up and Baghdad-bound!)
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To: Old Sarge

LOL!

God be with you, Sarge.


4 posted on 05/17/2005 1:42:14 AM PDT by Question Liberal Authority (Newsweek Lied! People Died!)
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To: Old Sarge

Hey, bud, be careful over there! And thanks for your service to your country and your fellow citizens.


5 posted on 05/17/2005 1:42:24 AM PDT by snarks_when_bored
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To: Question Liberal Authority
Yeah, Lucas' attitude is very disappointing, although not really surprising given the anti-American leftist kooks he is surrounded by constantly .

At first I had no plans to go see this movie, even though I really loved the Star Wars and RotJ, (and ESB wasn't too bad), because the last two were barely watchable despite the charms of Natalie Portman.

Then I heard some pretty positive reviews, and figured "what the heck, I'll go see it". But after hearing what he has said, I'm back to not going to see it.

When are the people in the entertainment industry going to learn to just shut up about politics completely? If they have any talent at all, they are better off just entertaining. Keep their politics private and they will make a lot more money.

6 posted on 05/17/2005 2:10:02 AM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: Question Liberal Authority
Another way to look at this is that Lukas is smart to walk into France and say, "Look! I made a movie about how you folks are the Luke Skywalkers and Han Solos, and the US is the evil empire." And, he goes on to sell millions and millions of tickets.

Remember only three nations, apart from the US, support the US war on terror - India, P'peans, and Australia. He needs to sell tickets - plain and simple.

7 posted on 05/17/2005 2:18:46 AM PDT by USMMA_83 (Tantra is my fetish ;))
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To: Question Liberal Authority

A lot of heat has been generated because of the reference to the “if you aren’t for me you are against me” line. I thought it was a Biblical reference, but lately I have learned that President Bush was the originator.


8 posted on 05/17/2005 2:33:14 AM PDT by R. Scott (Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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To: USMMA_83
He needs to sell tickets - plain and simple.

Making a good movie will do that, you don't need pandering.

9 posted on 05/17/2005 2:43:35 AM PDT by this_ol_patriot
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To: this_ol_patriot

What if he knows its not a good movie....


10 posted on 05/17/2005 3:24:55 AM PDT by USMMA_83 (Tantra is my fetish ;))
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To: USMMA_83
What if he knows its not a good movie....

Like a man he should take it.

11 posted on 05/17/2005 11:48:07 PM PDT by this_ol_patriot
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To: Question Liberal Authority

Amen!


12 posted on 05/19/2005 7:41:52 PM PDT by StarfireIV (Cleverness is no substitue for true intelligence)
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