Annotated Bibliography; Research Paper.

Philips, Kendall: Controversial Cinema, "The Films That Outraged America"

Star Wars; A Review

The craft of cinema has been an ever-changing art form in our time. From the days of film noir, the calm veneer of Humphrey Bogart, to the silent films of the 1930’s. A film has always above all been about two things, to portray a story, and to entertain an audience. A film that is very dear to me is one that is undisputedly an American cultural icon, the aptly named, Star Wars. With just two words, not a lot of depth or detail behind them, but words that spark instant recognition.
            
The swish and hum of ignited Lightsabres, the shrill roar of a TIE fighters engines, and perhaps most notably, the coarse mechanical breathing of the Galaxy’s most feared Tyrant. Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith. In this story we see the black and white detail of good vs evil. The story’s Hero is a farm boy from a backwater planet, suddenly finding himself fighting a huge Empire with the help of a few friends and a wizened old teacher.             

The story Star Wars was created by the American film maker, George Lucas. He is considered an icon in independent film making for his films like Star Wars and American Graffiti. The cinematography of Star Wars was at the time of its release in 1977, groundbreaking. In terms of special effects, this film was second to save only a few. One that comes to mind was the 1956 title, The Forbidden Planet. He drew on other sources for inspiration as well, the old Flash Gordon series and Frank Herbert’s critically acclaimed science-fiction book, Dune.            

  The impact Star Wars had on the world was staggering. Before Star Wars, there was only Star Trek, considered a more “Purist” sci-fi experience, more technical and deep then Star Wars was. The difference was considerable. One did not have to understand quantum physics or the theory of relativity to be entertained by Star Wars, it was a more simple, fun space opera of sorts. The characters were accessible and near, not distant and deep. 
            

The story begins with a young boy on the desert world of Tatooine. He dreams of being a star-pilot, of exploring the Galaxy but is kept on the farm always for “One more season” by his Uncle. Fate takes a turn for him one day as two droids ( Robots) land on his doorstep. These two droids are the property of the Alliance to restore the Republic, more commonly known as “The Rebellion” an august body that struggles in its fight to bring down the evil Galactic Empire. Caught in a web of forces outside his control, that same fate turns tragic as Imperial Stormtroopers murder his Aunt & Uncle looking for the two aforementioned droids. With nothing left to keep him on the sandy planet of his home, Luke travels with Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi to aid him on his quest to destroy the “Death Star”. The Empire’s weapon of mass destruction, capable of disintegrating entire planets and other celestial bodies with a deadly energy ray. Throughout the journey, friendships are made and enemies are solidified. Our young hero ceases to be a naïve farm boy, and begins to take his first steps on the path of strength and wisdom as the first of the new Jedi Knight’s.
         

As we can see, this story is rich and very vibrant. It is a tale of heroism and villainy, and was delivered via a genre that until Star Wars had been dragging for quite some time. In addition to the screenplay, Star Wars is just as well known for a major part in any cinema, its musical score. Composed and orchestrated by the legendary John Williams. Already a world renowned composer, William’s had worked with Lucas’ friend Steven Spielberg for the film Jaws. He knew that the score had to be as epic as this film’s story, and he did nothing short of deliver, combining the perfect balance between power and subtlety. For example, the theme of the main heroine of the story, Princess Leia of Alderaan is soft and alluring. Conversely, the theme of Darth Vader and the Empire is loud and very much oppressive. One could easily make the argument that Star Wars would not have been the same without the musical touch of John Williams, whose work is just as recognizable as many of the characters.
         

In terms of acting and those who played the characters of the saga, it remains a hot topic for debate even all these years later. A few of the actors were by the time of the film, quite well known, such as British actors Sir Alec Guiness and Peter Cushing. Guiness, who was famous for such roles as Colonel Nicholson in Bridge on the River Kwai, was reluctant to do the part of Obi-wan. He was eventually swayed by Lucas’ with the argument “You would be just like Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings.” Cushing, who was well-known for roles such as Baron Frankenstein and Van Helsing, was slated to play the role of a lead officer of the Empire, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. Both did extraordinary jobs in the portrayal of their respective characters, bringing something to the table only veteran actors could offer.
      

Most actors in Star Wars were not well known, however. A good many of them got their first real start in the business with the film. Harrison Ford, who had played in the now cult classic American Graffiti, was still small time before landing the role of Smuggler, Han Solo. With such an impressive resume as Star Wars had, with a top notch musical score and screenplay, as an actor, one must prepare for certain complications. Several of the actors, including Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher were very open regarding their feelings on Lucas’ screen writing and direction of the films.
        

They cited his use of dialogue and character growth as being gaudy and cumbersome to the story. This was exacerbated by his frustrating tendency to leave actors in the dark pertaining to plot twists involving their characters, leaving them blind as to which way to go with the character in terms of acting. It is hard to argue against actors criticisms of Lucas when one considers this fact; many cite Episode V; The Empire Strikes Back as their favorite film in the saga. This film happens to have the distinction of being the “only” Star Wars film Lucas did not direct, leaving that responsibility to Irvin Kershner. Who clearly did a much better job.
        

I remember the first time I saw Star Wars, the original one. I remember going to see Episode I when it came out, the first of the prequel trilogy. I look forward to showing these movies to my children as my father showed them to me, sharing with them a saga that helped foster my love of film and science-fiction. Star Wars is indeed a cultural icon of our time. It is about the Hero in all of us, fighting the Villain in all of us. We all have imagination, and we all have dreams. If one thing is certain, Star Wars takes place in a Galaxy far, far away. The message it still resonates today in this age of film and technology, lives on within our minds.