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Episode I Revisited Watching The Phantom Menace after seeing Revenge of the Sith

#1 User is offline   Chefelf Icon

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Posted 18 November 2005 - 10:37 PM

I did a stupid thing today: I watched Star Wars: Episode I. It's not my fault... it was a post by the forums' own Kurgan X that got me thinking. I realized I hadn't seen The Phantom Menace since prior to writing my Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace over four years ago.

After watching the movie I decided to watch some special features. I remembered a rather disturbing feature featuring George Lucas in 1994, sitting in his office to start writing the story for Episode I and proclaims, "All I need is an idea."

Watching this featurette again I noticed an interesting thing. As Lucas talks about the story, the camera pans around his office, pausing on his book shelf. I grabbed a screenshot for your enjoyment:



Note the fifth book from the left with the blue binding: "Telling Lies." Interesting. Especially since the later documentaries in the Episode III DVD seem to highlight Lucas's ability to tell lies. For example:

"Darth Vader became such an icon of evil in the first film, Episode IV, that that icon of evil sort of took over everything much more than I intended. If it had been one movie that wouldn't have happened, he would have been revealed to be this pathetic character at the end of the movie but now by adding Episodes one, two and three people begin to see the tragedy of Darth Vader as what it was originally intended to be. And I like the idea that the person you thought was the villain is really the victim and that the story is really about the villain trying to regain his humanity. It's really the story of Darth Vader's redemption."

C'mon, George. Just admit it. Admit that Darth Vader was not always supposed to be the hero. It's okay. We won't hate you any more for admitting it. It's okay to make up some things along the way. We promise. There's really no need to lie about it. There's no need to say that Darth Vader was not intended to be this icon of evil. C'mon! Look at him!

On another note, there is no tragedy of Darth Vader. There is no point in the prequels where one feels sympathy for Anakin and the choices he's made. There's nothing tragic about it. Darth Vader ceases to be an icon of evil and turns into an icon of stupidity. Selfish, reckless stupidity.

Lucas then goes on to watch an early silent film where some guys run on top of a train. He sits there in awe of this movie which is almost exactly like the droid factory scene from Attack of the clones.



That explains a lot.
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#2 User is offline   Paladin Icon

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Posted 18 November 2005 - 11:17 PM

Not a bad critque, Chef. I honestly admit, while I never care to watch Episode I again, I really have to admit that George seems to be out of line with reality. What's the point of constantly making up explainations and excuses like that? Just admit it and give it a rest. No you didn't make it all up in the 1970's, since if you had, it would never have turned out to be this way. All that stuff in the 1970's that you made were your trial scripts for the original Star Wars and that's it. Oh yeah, I know that the hero was originally intended to be Mace Windu (and that name is used for a character in TPM), and I know he was originally intended to fight Sith at the very beginning, but just give it a rest by now. Be a man for once.
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#3 User is offline   Jordan Icon

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Posted 18 November 2005 - 11:27 PM

Brilliant. TELLING LIES - LOL!

Nice eye chef!!!!!!!!!! I never spotted that one before.
Oh SMEG. What the smeggity smegs has smeggins done? He smeggin killed me. - Lister of Smeg, space bum
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#4 User is offline   Zatoichi Icon

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Posted 19 November 2005 - 01:01 AM

Hey, another book title that is there. I'm suprised you didn't see this, it is the third from the right with black binding. The title is WAR
Apparently writing about JM here is his secret weakness. Muwahaha!!!! Now I have leverage over him and am another step closer towards my goal of world domination.

"And the Evil that was vanquished shall rise anew. Wrapped in the guise of man shall he walk amongst the innocent and Terror shall consume they that dwell upon the Earth. The skies will rain fire. The seas shall become as blood. The righteous shall fall before the wicked! And all creation shall tremble before the burning standards of Hell!" - Mephisto

Kurgan X showed me this web comic done with Legos. It pokes fun at all six Star Wars films and I found it to be extremely entertaining.
<a href="http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/cast/starwars.html" target="_blank">http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/cast/starwars.html</a>
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#5 User is offline   jariten Icon

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Posted 19 November 2005 - 04:05 AM

So, did you like Episode 1?
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Posted 19 November 2005 - 08:54 AM

Fascinating. Silly George Lucas, no need to show off your book collection.
Want a Tarot reading?

PM me, we'll talk.
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#7 User is offline   jariten Icon

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Posted 23 November 2005 - 11:18 PM

QUOTE
C'mon, George. Just admit it. Admit that Darth Vader was not always supposed to be the hero


when did Lucas ever say that?
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#8 User is offline   Sagacity Icon

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Posted 24 November 2005 - 12:33 AM

His early drafts of THE STAR WARS don't say Vader was a hero.

This post has been edited by Sagacity: 24 November 2005 - 12:36 AM

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#9 User is offline   barend Icon

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Posted 27 November 2005 - 04:28 PM

QUOTE (Zatoichi @ Nov 19 2005, 01:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hey, another book title that is there. I'm suprised you didn't see this, it is the third from the right with black binding. The title is WAR




.... I saw it. smile.gif
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#10 User is offline   Despondent Icon

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Posted 27 November 2005 - 08:43 PM

Glad it's good for something.
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#11 User is offline   Darth Player Icon

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Posted 20 December 2005 - 11:38 PM

If you read The Great Gatsby in English or American Lit class in High School, you'll recall a character called Owl Eyes, an older guy with bushy eyebrows (hence the name) who comments to the narrarator, Tom, that the books in Gatsby's library are all fine volumes yet they're uncut (back in the day, printings were done on a very limited basis, usually for the rich, who would have to cut the pages loose from one another as they read the book, you may have come across this in a book or magazine once when the pages were attached, since four or eight different pages are printed on the same sheet then bound together on oen volume). The implication was that Gatsby was all show but no substance, that he had an impressive library but didn't read the books in them (you wouldn't have stacked a library back then with all new books like that, the convention at the time was that you shelved the stuff you read, hence books you knew something about). The guy was a phoney, stuffed shirt, etc. Lucas most likely got his in modern times when cutting was done by a machine and was something that the average person didn't have to deal with since they're printed in larger numbers for a wider audience and are cheaper than in Gatsby's day, but I submit that Lucas is an empty flannel shirt, emptier than Gatsby was.

At least we know where he got the WAR! from. He couldn't even come up with that on his own......
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#12 User is offline   diligent_d Icon

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Posted 27 December 2005 - 06:11 PM

QUOTE
And I like the idea that the person you thought was the villain is really the victim and that the story is really about the villain trying to regain his humanity. It's really the story of Darth Vader's redemption.


Yeah, the poor "victim" chokes and kills his own men left and right. Not supposed to be an icon of evil? Please.
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Posted 27 December 2005 - 07:01 PM

[Shakes head at the Book called "War"] He just shouldn't have written these prequels himself (I know, I know, Johnathon Hales...blahblah). He really needed help. He really did. [Sadly shakes head again]

I don't understand how Lucas saw Vader as "pathetic." Maybe he was to a degree in ROTJ because he didn't get to do too much, but I never once in my years of watching the OT thought, "Gawd, Vader is so pathetic."

He redeemed himself in ROTJ. How is that pathetic?

This post has been edited by CowboyCurtis: 27 December 2005 - 07:04 PM

Flying Ferret

Battle for the Galaxy--read the "other Star Wars"

All I know is I haven't seen the real prequels yet.
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#14 User is offline   Giff Icon

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Posted 02 January 2006 - 09:59 PM

Is Telling Lies even a real book?

I'm sure Google could tell us the answer, but I'm much too lazy to search.

If it turns out that its not real, then I'd have to say that George Lucas is quite the ham.
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#15 User is offline   KurganX Icon

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Posted 24 January 2006 - 11:09 PM

It's real.

Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage

by Paul Ekman.

Amazon.com is selling a revised updated edition from 2001.
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