Cannes 'Star Wars' Premiere Sparks Debate

AP ^ | 5/15/05 | AP

[edh]

CANNES, France — Without Michael Moore (search) and "Fahrenheit 9/11" at the Cannes Film Festival (search) this time, it was left to George Lucas and "Star Wars" to pique European ire over the state of world relations and the United States' role in it. Lucas' themes of democracy on the skids and a ruler preaching war to preserve the peace predate "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" by almost 30 years. Yet viewers Sunday — and Lucas himself — noted similarities between the final chapter of his sci-fi saga and our own troubled times.

[edh]

You've got to read this nonsense. Towards the end of this article, it almost appears that Lucas is comparing the modern day War on Terror and the resulting support of Congress of our actions in Iraq to Napolean, Hitler, and the Emperor in Star Wars. I just knew it was comming....

While I feel Star Wars provides a good depiction of what aspiring dictators can do in the event they should choose to capitalize on the general malaise of the electorate, never would I think that George Lucas would stoop so low as to indirectly compare George W. Bush to the evil "Emperor" character in Star Wars. I guarantee you that the libs are going to start comparing Bush to the evil Chancellor Palpatine (i.e. the Emperor) and that SW3 will get the highest of reviews no matter how horrible it is. From what I've been reading, it starts out with 15 minutes of excitement, 1h15m boredom, and 45m of what we've been waiting for.

Oh well, thoughts.....am I being stupid?

[Borges]

Two threads already going about this.

[Stayingawayfromthedarkside]

Next the liberals will start comparing themselves to the Jedi, but as we all know they would just hide behind their signs and maybe our troops. I hope the leftists don't ruin this movie for me.

[Anti-Bubba182]

I guess that is another movie I don't need to see.

Of course, Lucas will still make a pile. He has been in Hollywood too long, living in the big shot bubble.

I wonder what Obi Wan would think of Saddam. If Lucas could make the case that Saddam and Al-Qaeda are good guys, he should do so, instead of making snide political points in a piece of entertainment.

[Borges]

Lucas did no such thing. He explicitly said he had no such parallels in mind when writing this film several years ago.

[Anti-Bubba182]

"..several years ago."

How many? Bush has been President since 2000.

[Borges]

Back in the 70s they claimed various Vietnam analogies with Star Wars. Both pro and con. It's really a go nowhere argument. Lucas's work is a 'one size fits all' allegory.

[marajade]

"He has been in Hollywood too long, living in the big shot bubble."

GL is actually anti Hollywood. Does what he wants, tells studios to take a hike and lives and works in Northern CA.

[Zeon Cowboy]

This is all a bunch of bull. He's had the general plot for these prequels down since the original trilogy in the early 80s. No matter how much the frogs and the libs want it to be, this movie is not, nor was it created to be, an allegory for modern times.

"If you're not with me, then you're my enemy," Hayden Christensen's Anakin — soon to become villain Darth Vader — tells former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). The line echoes Bush's international ultimatum after the Sept. 11 attacks, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."
"That quote is almost a perfect citation of Bush," said Liam Engle, a 23-year-old French-American aspiring filmmaker. "Plus, you've got a politician trying to increase his power to wage a phony war."

LOL @ this idiocy. They're really getting desperate.

[Admin Moderator]

Please use the original headline when posting to help prevent dupes and also include full attribution. Thanks.

[nov7freedomday]

I personally think the series has been even handed, politically. I mean Jar Jar Binks was an obvious charactature of Al Gore :^)

[Anti-Bubba182]

Rick McCallum Talks 'Star Wars: Episode III'

Rick McCallum Talks 'Star Wars: Episode III'
[Friday, June 27th, 2003]
Producer Rick McCallum has been speaking with SMH about the
final ever Star Wars movie - Episode III.

[He] said yesterday that Episode III would be shot almost
entirely inside the studios from next Monday. The main shoot
would take 12 weeks, with Lucas returning for additional

filming over the next 18 months....

George Lucas Campaign Contributions

Sorry, plenty of time and motivation to slip a line in to further an agenda. Lucas is playing too.

"..Two lines from the movie especially resonated:

"This is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause," bemoans Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) as the galactic Senate cheers dictator-in-waiting Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) while he announces a crusade against the Jedi.

"If you're not with me, then you're my enemy," Hayden Christensen's Anakin — soon to become villain Darth Vader — tells former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). The line echoes Bush's international ultimatum after the Sept. 11 attacks, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.".."

[WoodstockCat]

excuse me, but how would you have written these two lines, have them fit into the stories that have been around since the 80's and NOT make them sound imperialistic to a bunch of escargo-eating, peace-at-any cost types in frogland?

[Borges]

These movies were written back in the 70s and he is just now getting to refine and film them. Like I said you can throw in 'Good vs Evil' analogies in stuff like this. Not being much of a SW fan I don't feel much inclined to defend it to tell you the truth. :-)

[Paul Atreides]

Liberals will take any scifi/fantasy flick and try to shape it into what they want it to say. They tried to make LOTR into a racist movie. You should have seen some of the crappy commentary on the Dune forums, comparing Shaddam IV to W, and trying to make it applicable to what is going on today, despite the fact that the book was written in the 1960s, and is a somewhat scathing commentary on JFK.

[I still care]

He thinks this way, though. He is a committed leftist. You can see it in the books. Then he conveniently twists a piece of dialog to have the audience draw the comparison between the bad guys and Republicans. Remember, "the leader is mired in baseless charges of corruption?" And he bore a resemblance to Bill Clinton.

The trade federation that was the villain in I was causing trouble because they refused to pay their fair share of taxes. Their leader was Newt Gunray. There were tons of these.

I have no doubt Lucas uses his movies to make political points.

[Paul Atreides]

"If you're not with me, then you're my enemy,"

It's funny; this line sums up the left philosophy, perfectly.

[marajade]

"You can see it in the books."

You do realize the GL has not authorized any of the novelizations right?

[FDNYRHEROES]

Jar Jar Binks...and Nancy Pelosi...I think I'm begining to see the connection....

[marajade]

I think you may have something there...