Posted on 05/16/2005 2:07:19 AM PDT by Savage_Nation
CANNES — The last episode of the seminal sci-fi saga "Star Wars" screened at the Cannes film festival Sunday, completing a six-part series that remains a major part of popular culture — and delivering a galactic jab to U.S. President George W Bush.
"Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" was seen ahead of a celebrity-laden evening screening to be attended by its creator and director, George Lucas, and its cast, including Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.
Reaction at advance screenings was effusive, with festival-goers, critics and journalists at Cannes applauding at the moment the infamous Darth Vader came into being.
But there were also murmurs at the parallels being drawn between Bush's administration and the birth of the space opera's evil Empire.
Baddies' dialogue about bloodshed and despicable acts being needed to bring "peace and stability" to the movie's universe, mainly through a fabricated war, set the scene.
And then came the zinger, with the protagonist, Anakin Skywalker, saying just before becoming Darth Vader: "You are either with me — or you are my enemy."
To the Cannes audience, often sympathetic to anti-Bush messages in cinema as last year's triumph here of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" attested, that immediately recalled Bush's 2001 ultimatum, "You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror."
Lucas, speaking to reporters, emphasised that the original "Star Wars" was written at the end of the Vietnam war, when Richard Nixon was U.S. president, but that the issue being explored was still very much alive today.
"The issue was, how does a democracy turn itself into a dictatorship?" he said.
"When I wrote it, Iraq (the U.S.-led war) didn't exist... but the parallels of what we did in Vietnam and Iraq are unbelievable."
He acknowledged an uncomfortable feeling that the United States was in danger of losing its democratic ideals, like in the movie.
"I didn't think it was going to get this close. I hope this doesn't come true in our country."
Although he didn't mention Bush by name, Lucas took what sounded like another dig while explaining the transformation of the once-good Anakin Skywalker to the very bad Darth Vader.
"Most bad people think they're good people," he said.
The political message, though, was for the most part subsumed by the action and heroics the series — set "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" — is known for.
And for fans hungry for a last look at "Star Wars" elevated above the disappointing two other films that preceded "Sith," it was satisfying closure.
"Whatever one thought of the previous two installments, this dynamic picture irons out most of the problems, and emerges as the best in the overall series since 'The Empire Strikes Back,'" the Hollywood trade magazine Variety said.
The buzz meant the movie was the hottest ticket at Cannes this year. It also signalled the end of a cinematic era for a generation of filmgoers.
"Revenge of the Sith" is the last of three prequels to the landmark trilogy that burst onto the screens in 1977, 1980 and 1983.
It is in fact the middle episode of the epic story arc, explaining the events that led young Luke Skywalker to battle Darth Vader in order to save Princess Leia, before going on to vanquish the Empire.
Its success could be measured in the claps and smiles in the theatre, which were light years away from the tepid response engendered by the first two prequels, released in 1999 and 2002, widely panned for their boring exposition and wooden dialogue. (Wire reports)
Out of curiosity, was the 'spice' in Dune actually supposed to be a metaphor for 'oil' in the middle east
Very good points. Special effects are what caused me to almost work for his company. I left that industry completely about 10 years ago. Special effects are why I saw the first 5 and will see this one once its available on DVD. I would not however send a child to see this final episode. Confusing childrens sense of good and evil is probably the worse thing you could do for them.
Whenever I have trouble attributing a quote, I always go with Joe Biden.
Well, I believe Stalin was one of the first users of cinema to brainwash the masses.
That would be a great tagline.
The general theme of how a form of goverment can be destroyed by cynical leaders exploiting wars is not necessarily one that lends itself to a leftist critique of Republicans, though. After all, the leftist FDR did far more to destroy our Constitution than did any "right-winger" in American history, and he did it under the cover of war. The war may have been necessary, but the destruction of the Constitution wasn't.
FDR and LBJ are who I was thinking about when I watched Episodes I and II.
Star Wars movies are drivel, a bad joke, and a wasted afternoon.
I do not think any society as diverse as ours can remain a healthy republic regardless of its literacy or education. Except that a good historical understanding of democracy and the ideas it rests on, might give some intellectuals pause. I think most people are deluding themselves by insisting that Stalin and Hitler are mere aberrations on the road of democracy. If they were, how could Plato outline the course of democracy to tyranny so exactly.
Your point that we helped arm Hussein and are therefore responsible for his crimes is not a very strong one. I've already mentioned that Iraq received the great majority of its arms from Russia and France. The fact is we help arm a lot of countries to a greater or lesser extent. That in no way justifies the recipients of our arms the right to mistreat or murder its citizens or to invade other countries. We've sold arms to many countries, but how many of them have invaded other countries or started wars like Hussein did? If you sell me a gun and I go rob a bank with it, are you to blame?
'Hidden Meaning' is just another way of saying subtext. Andy Warhol eh? Art has been political roughly since Homer.
It is not only good, it is the correct state of Creation. However, Creation is fallen and this state can not be achieved until it is restored.
Shalom.
You make my argument for me. President Bush's statement didn't translate as, "Those who are not with us are ideologically aligned with our enemies." It translated as, "Those who are not with us are helping our enemies."
At some point you care. When push comes to shove you can't afford to.
I will agree with you on one point, the rhetoric does not serve unless lives are believed to be on the line.
Shalom.
Agreed. IMHO this has been aggravated by the rise of Television. Instantaneous images reduced to the basest level of humanity has done more than anything to remove the requirement of careful thought from the political process.
Shalom.
That I disagree with. It is true that Government is mostly a necessity because of The Fall, but it's clear to me God always intended hierarchies of authority. At the very least human biology argues for it in the form of the family. I would say rather that society's right to censure or punish defaulters through the auspices of government and its laws is the specific result and effect of The Fall on natural authority.
So it is your contention that he should have elaborated. I don't see why there needs be any "translation." The logical implication behind the statement is that states which do not support us are theoretical enemies. His speech implied some kind of action he was going to take. Your translation is to simplistic and obvious, if thats all he was saying the retort is, "yeah, whats your point?"
When I watched that speech I was in a room with some fellow conservatives and some democrats. At that line, it wasn't the conservatives who where pounding their fists on the table it was the dems. One of them grabbed me and said, "thats what we need to hear," and then something about being Christian but still believing in revenge or words to that effect.
Perhaps they are looking for some ideal simplicity in a world never meant to be simple. Man seeks elegance and symmetry, but symmetry need not be simple.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.