[Lord Aquaman]

It has been said that Alec Guinness so greatly disliked working on Star Wars that he actually came up with the idea to kill off Obi-Wan and turn him into the ghost as a means of limiting his involvement in the sequels (though how he could possibly have known there would be sequels is debatable, since so many people involved in the project thought it was going to flop). It has also been said that in the years following Star Wars that he would refuse to answer fan mail related to Star Wars and would not discuss it with fans and once, allegedly, he made a little boy cry 'cause he reprimanded him for saying he'd seen the trilogy a thousand times or something to that extent.

Ironically, George Lucas, Harrison Ford and pretty much everyone else who worked with Guinness on Star Wars have always said nice things about him, saying that he was a great actor, always professional and always working hard (Ford says Guinness actually helped him find an apartment to stay at when he arrived in England for the studio filming). This leads some to theorize that he didn't hate the films so much as he hated the fandom, that he had a fairly wide range of films under his belt and it aggravated him that the generation that followed him only knew him for a role in what he saw as an experimental film.

The question is, despite his seemingly flawless portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi, should someone else have played Obi-Wan instead of Alec Guinness? And if so, who? (Toshiro Mifune maybe?)

[Just your average movie goer]

It doesn't matter if the actor liked the role or not ~ the only thing that's important for us as the audience is if the actor did a good performance. And Alec Guiness was absolutely wonderful as Obi Wan. I wouldn't even want to think about someone else in the role.

Alec Guiness didn't like Star Wars much. I think he may even have hated it. He said something like that in his autobiography. And I guess, why would he like it? It's a flick for children and young adults. I don't think many people of his age would have been really interested in it.

[HK 47]

As far as I've heard Guiness was pissed off because a lot of people thought Obi-Wan was the pinnacle of his acting career. The Star Wars fans simply didn't know what he had accomplished earlier and he felt that there were many other roles he'd rather be remembered for. I also read that he eventually came to at least accept his Star Wars role for what it was years later.

I can't think of anyone to replace Guiness, he's simply too good. But who knows, there is bound to be more special editions...

[CowboyCurtis]

I wouldn't/couldn't replace Guiness with anyone else. I know Lucas had toyed with the idea of Mifune.

As for the death of Kenobi, I had always thought it was Marcia Lucas who had suggested Lucas kill off Kenobi because he was just...useless... at the end of the film; which was a brilliant choice...

But it makes me wonder how much Marcia had helped hammer the script together with suggestions? I mean, she was the closest one to Lucas when he was writing it. I mean, just compare the script of ANH to the script of TPM. Did the same guy write them? Maybe Marcia wrote ANH... Heh! Conspiracy time. No, seriously, if she had, she would've sued his ass long ago, and we wouldn't have the prequels... damn.

[Despondent]

I'd believe it.

[Just your average movie goer]

I think you're onto something, Cowboy Curtis. Marcia could have been the stablising influence on Lucas that kept the quality of his films high.

Remember, the first thing he made after their divorce was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

So the moment she was gone, he went from the pinnacle of his achievements to the lowest depths he ever fell to.

And yes, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is far worse than the prequels. The prequels are stupid, this is true. However, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is nasty and truly horrible as well.

[Lord Aquaman]

I think you're onto something, Cowboy Curtis.  Marcia could have been the stablising influence on Lucas that kept the quality of his films high.

Remember, the first thing he made after their divorce was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. 

So the moment she was gone, he went from the pinnacle of his achievements to the lowest depths he ever fell to.

And yes, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is far worse than the prequels.  The prequels are stupid, this is true.  However, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is nasty and truly horrible as well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I read that the reason "Temple of Doom" came out so nasty was because George Lucas was trying to "purge" himself of the frustrations he was feeling going through the divorce. Director Steven Spielberg has admitted in retrospect that the film went too far (I read Harrison Ford went the same way).

However, I cannot and WILL NOT believe that TOD is worse than the prequels. I know its a bad film but there's no way its worse than TPM and AOTC.

[Despondent]

OT:

" Star Wars is as good a movie as 2001: A Space Odyssey or the Godfather"


PT:

"The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones are better films than Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom "

[CowboyCurtis]

However, I cannot and WILL NOT believe that TOD is worse than the prequels. I know its a bad film but there's no way its worse than TPM and AOTC.

I prefer TOD over the PT's. Sorry Despondent. You don't like it because of Capshaw, right? I can understand that, but Lloyd, Portman and Hayden are pure poison next to her.

[Just your average movie goer]

No, here's the thing. As shitty as the prequels are, as far as I remember, no-one got the heart ripped out and were then burned alive. No little children were whipped by large adults, six times their size. And Mola Ram, possibly one of the most revolting, charmless villains in the history of cinema, didn't make any appearances.

So, I'll say this again. The Temple of Doom and the prequels are all stupid movies. But The Temple of Doom is nasty and horrible as well.

A nasty, unpleasant stupid film is always worse than a merely stupid film.

[HK 47]

Kali-ma, Kali-ma, Kali-ma! Shakti day!

Crappiest Villains Ever, courtesy of Something Awful.com

Even though Mola Ram made it into the list I don't find The Temple of Doom quite as insulting as the PT.

[Just your average movie goer]

It's not as insulting but judged just as a movie in its own right, it's still worse.

However, I am pleased that Mola Ram made that list. He deserves it.

[Despondent]

However, I cannot and WILL NOT believe that TOD is worse than the prequels. I know its a bad film but there's no way its worse than TPM and AOTC.

I prefer TOD over the PT's.  Sorry Despondent.  You don't like it because of Capshaw, right?  I can understand that, but Lloyd, Portman and Hayden are pure poison next to her.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, no, no. They all suck, each in their charming, get-out-of-here ways.


My point was that in 1977 when Star Wars came out, the general public was instantly proclaiming it an all-time classic and picture of the year.

Still, the prequel people can't explain why the TPM or AOTC are better than TOD.

[Chefelf]

That list is pretty great. I agree FULLY with the first four: 10. Mola Ram (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), 9. Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
(The Fifth Element), 8. The Architect (The Matrix: Reloaded), 7. The Merovingian (The Matrix: Reloaded). I havne't seen any of the other movies but I can only assume that those are good pics as well.

God damn, I hate the Merovingian.

[Lord Aquaman]

That list is pretty great.  I agree FULLY with the first four: 10. Mola Ram (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), 9. Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
(The Fifth Element), 8. The Architect  (The Matrix: Reloaded), 7. The Merovingian (The Matrix: Reloaded).  I havne't seen any of the other movies but I can only assume that those are good pics as well.

God damn, I hate the Merovingian.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think we ALL hate the Merovingian, an effeminate, smugly self-satisfying prick if there ever was one (what I would have given to watch him get his ass kicked). The Architect and Donald Sutherland's "Phone Booth Caller" character also suck. They should add the Joss Ackland villain from "Lethal Weapon 2".