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)
You can look at the series as a democratic republic fighting to overthrow a totaltarian dictatorship.
the Viet Nam war (never mind it was demonrats who got us into that war and made it into the "quagmire" they are always whining about)The most mismanaged war in history. Johnson and his clique had a criminal disregard for the lives of US soldiers.
Yoda...is that you? I knew you were real!
OMG NO!!!!!!!!!
No 7,8&9! Hasn't he done enough damage? For pity's sake, no! Let the public imagine their own 'rest of the story' post ROTJ. Lucas' version deteriorated into a PC nightmare.
And the 'novels'---really, really bad fanfiction sanctioned-to make money- by the LFL corporation. I'd burn them, but they'd pollute the air. Zahn is a hack and the other 'novelists' are followers of the hack.
I am the same way. However, in this instance I am going to watch it because I like Star Wars.
Yeah. Johnson was probably one of the biggest scumbags in American history, and it's no surprise he was a dem.
LOL...talking in universal code.
Well, when it comes to scifi, I put my political blinders on, and I'm as conservative as they come. I just hated the idea of RA Salvatore dropping a moon on Chewbacca's head....
Its not supposed to be SciFi with the bells and whistles like Star Trek is... Star Wars is Space Opera, sort of a Passions in space, whose related to who and who helped who and who ****ed who.
btw, is James Earl Jones going to be doing Darth Vader's voice in Episode III?
I couldnt help myself :)
Johnson was probably one of the biggest scumbags in American history, and it's no surprise he was a dem.Johnson and Carter. The two worst. Compared to those two, Clinton was just a juvenile delinquent getting a bj in the back of the room in history class.
I believe Johnson was pure evil, while Carter was (and IS to this day) just an ignorant, stupid, naive, pacifistic DOLT.
Hard to believe they named a nuclear ATTACK sub after him, isn't it?
***********
Not only were they bad, they were so boring as to be unwatchable.
In one of the original Star Trek episodes an alien race asked Kirk and Spok to help them understand our concept of good and evil. They resurrected President Lincoln and some Vulcan hero to join Kirk and Spok. They resurrected 4 evil villains from Earth and Vulcan history to fight against them.
At first, Kirk refused but the aliens put the Enterprise in danger so Kirk and Spok joined the fight. The Vulcan hero tried peace negotiations but was killed. The band of three finally engaged in hand-to-hand combat against the bad guys and won.
At the end, the alien said something like this to Kirk: "The methods and tactics you used were the same as those of your enemy. What's the difference?" Kirk asked what the alien had offered the bad guys to get them to fight. The alien replied, "What they wanted most, power."
Kirk said, "You offered me the lives of my crew."
Good guys and bad guys don't often have different methods and tactics available to them. Their motivation and approach to the use of those tactics distinguishes them. And anyone who can't see the difference between creating peace and stability through oppression and creating peace and stability through freedom doesn't know their Star Trek.
Shalom.
What is it about the modernization of the world that has caused truth to suddenly become compatible with lies? Whatis it about the modernization of the world that has caused injustice to suddenly become compatible with justice? What is it about the modernization of the world that has caused evil to suddenly become compatible with good?
True, there are areas where there is nuance, but that excuse is far too often used to justify a weak spine, or worse, a pragmatic hunger for power.
Shalom
Stuck to? As opposed to introduced? Perhaps I missed something in the first 4 movies.
Shalom.
Good remembrance, and a very good post.
Well history is theoretically on their side on that one. No democracy in history has ever pulled itself out of a downward spiral. Once the ideal of radical egality is mentioned it cannot be expunged from the collective psyche. Even so called conservatives use socialist rhetoric these days, if for no other reason that they have no choice; for once democracy was accepted as the common currency of our political debate it is unavoidable. To achieve power you must say things that will appeal to the masses (hence the “if your not with us” line, which has never really been backed up and was merely an attempt to appease the masses).
Democracies all die, either from outside conquest or internal, but it is a forgone conclusion, thats why the founding fathers did everything they could to limit democracy here in the states. For they knew that democracy is no friend of liberty, and will likely lead to expropriation (socialism).
The problem with the, poorly named, liberals is they believe that because socialism is a natural result of the egality, which is inherent in the very idea of democracy, it is thus good. A dictatorship of the proletariat (assuming that they are the majority) is as true a democracy as you can get. Our society is free precisely because it doesn't give into the philosophy that democracy can only be just in a radically egalitarian system. But egality is still the idol of the democratic ideal, it's even paradoxically on the FR seal on the main page next to the mutually exclusive principal of liberty.
I'm very sympathetic to the causes of my favorite progressive artists.
I go out of my way not to force my cold-blooded right-wing capitalist beliefs and money upon them.
Fight the Power!
:-)
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