Posted on 05/17/2005 3:50:07 PM PDT by weegee
Revenge of the Republicans
Star Wars' Lucas draws parallels between U.S. politics and rise of the Empire
CANNES -- Star Wars is a wake-up call to Americans about the erosion of democratic freedoms under George W. Bush, George Lucas said yesterday.
Lucas, responding to a question at a Cannes Film Festival press conference, said he first wrote the framework of Star Wars in 1971 when reacting to then U.S. president Richard Nixon and the on-going events of the Vietnam War. But the story still has relevance today, he said, and is part of a pattern he has noticed in his readings of history.
"I didn't think it was going to get quite this close," he said of the parallels between the Nixon era and the current Bush presidency, which has been sacrificing freedoms in the interests of national security. "It is just one of those re-occurring things.
"I hope this doesn't come true in our country. Maybe the film will awaken people to the situation of how dangerous it is ... The parallels between what we did in Vietnam and what we are doing now in Iraq are unbelievable."
In the latest film, the Palpatine character takes over as ruler of the universe with the co-operation of the other politicians.
"Because this is the back story (of the Star Wars saga), one of the main features of the back story was to tell how the Republic became the Empire," Lucas said. "At the time I did that, it was during the Vietnam War and the Nixon era. The issue was: How does a democracy turn itself over to a dictator? Not how does a dictator take over but how does a democracy and Senate give it away?"
Lucas cited the Roman Empire in the wake of Caesar's death, France after the Revolution and Germany with the rise of Hitler as historical examples of countries giving themselves over to dictators.
"They all seem to happen in the same way with the same issues: Threats from the outside; they need more control; and a democratic body not being able to function properly because everybody's squabbling."
Lucas earned applause for his comments and then joined his actors Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman (who was shaven bald for a new movie role), Samuel L. Jackson, Ian McDiarmid and Anthony Daniels in a free-wheeling discussion of Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, which made its world premiere last night out-of-competition. This was before they all scuttled off to the Queen Elizabeth II where the Cannes brass presented Lucas with an awkwardly named honour called "the trophy of the festival." Some press conference highlights:
- On the competition films, Lucas said: "I'm lucky I don't have to compete with those films because I probably wouldn't win. It's nice to be able to have the film recognized without being in a contest. I'm not a big one for contests. Just being here is an honour."
- On growing up during her Star Wars experience, Portman said: "To play a character developing over that period of time, with your own age developing and your own self developing, is really an amazing opportunity. And to get to work with the same people every few years is also really lucky because it's always sad when you get to the end of a film to say goodbye."
- On having his mother see him dumped in lava in Revenge of the Sith, Christensen said: "Visually, just to look at yourself in a mirror, has quite an impact (Christensen was wearing a full-body burn suit). My mom just got to see the film and she was very disturbed by that. Watching her son erupt into flames is a little unsettling."
- On his big death scene in Revenge of the Sith, Jackson said: "I was pleased with my death. I asked him (Lucas) not to do anything messy and he didn't. Now I've had the Errol Flynn moment that I've always wished for since I was a kid watching movies. So I'm totally happy with what happened."
- On making Episodes VII through IX, Lucas said he never planned to do it, regardless of rumours to the contrary: "The original intention was to make one movie and it turned into three. That was really the end of it. It wasn't until about 10 years ago that it occurred to me to do the back story (and now it is over). The important thing is, if this is the tragedy of Darth Vader, it starts when he is 10 years old and ends when he dies. There really isn't any more story."
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Sharon Stone, looking fabulous dahling, flew into Cannes for a day yesterday to say next to nothing about shooting Basic Instinct 2, a sequel to her most famous role.
Asked if she was doing the film, which is in production in London, because she wanted to show how sexy she still is, Stone laughed and told the reporters crammed into a very small space: "No -- but thanks for asking!"
Stone said the European shoot and English director Michael Caton-Jones, appealed to her.
"As you know, I've always kind of flourished when I work with a European director. I've always felt freer when I work in Europe.
"Like the character, I have a little bit more experience now, so that's at once more free and a little bit scary."
Yeah - it's wishful thinking anyway that we can hurt George Lucas in any way. Whether he make a mint or not is no skin off his back.
A farewell flying f.u. to the fans.
He has said that he wants to make small films afterwards, that Star Wars was never supposed to become his life's work.
So be it.
There are better films that I haven't seen and some sequels that I still have not seen (including the second Back To The Future film).
There's time to see them and if I die before I do, so what.
The BTTF sequels were very high quality actually. At least compared to the usual standard for sequels.
I once wrote a paper in college about how "Aliens" was an anology for James Cameron's experiences in Vietnam.
Of course, I knew that Cameron was a truck driver at the time that I claimed he was incountry...
Got an A too.
Wasn't Nixon Lucas's original inspiration for Emperor Palpatine?
Cameron admiteed on the Commentary for it that he had a Vietnam analogy in mind.
"Why did he have to bring current politics into his movie?"
He didn't. Critics are reading them into it when its really not applicable.
I was wondering about that. I really wanted to see this movie. So I can go, relax, see it as entertainment and not get my knickers in a knot? Did he write the script with the intent to attack the Bush Administration?
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