Star Wars: The Original Trilogy

Bitch.

Probably the best Star Wars scene.

Lazenby. wrote:

I think if there was ever to be a black Bond who I would accept, it would be circa 1980 Billy Dee ;)

Makeshift Python wrote:

Bitch.

I wouldn't kick him out of bed....

:oops:

Then again, I'd much prefer this:


In that time and place, of course. Calista Flockhart can have old man Harrison Ford..... I just want Han Solo.

lalala2004 wrote:

Calista Flockhart can have old man Harrison Ford..... I just want Han Solo.

Well that's the real trick, isn't it? And it's gonna cost ya somethin' extra.

One of the few things I like seeing in the prequels.



I certainly wouldn't kick her out of the bed.

Lazenby. wrote:

It will always be the best Star Wars film because Lucas didn't have any input apart from doing what he does best which is:

Lazenby. wrote:

The one movie in the entire series - and what I know of the extended universe - worth some of the hype.

This is probably an odd feature to find so attractive, but I really love her shoulders....

I wonder if Portman would be as popular if she used her real surname - Hershlag.

"The things I would do to that Hershlag."

Hershag?

Lazenby. wrote:

Best movie of all time and worth all of its hype and some. The following review from IMDB sums up my opinion more-or-less, though I do love the original more than he seems to.

"Nostalgia may play a part in the reason I love The Empire Strikes Back so much, but there's far more to it than that. This film has a fully realised sense of escapism, wonder and adventure that wasn't quite nailed in the first Star Wars film. I'm not a huge fan of Episode IV, I think it's relatively clunky, wooden and dated, but let's not talk about that; Episode V is where the Star Wars universe really blossomed and became something truly special. George Lucas' limitations as a director and writer of dialogue have thankfully been sidelined this time round; here we have a different director and new scriptwriters who take the genius of Lucas' imaginative story and enhance it with rapid-fire pacing and brilliant comic-book melodrama.

This has often been praised as the best of the Star Wars films, and I agree entirely with this opinion; as all exposition was dealt with in the first film, Empire gets down to business almost immediately. As there's no loose ends to tie up (leave that for Return of the Jedi), it ends with an astounding cliffhanger that has rightly gone down in cinema history.

What makes Empire stand out is its darkness; the full-blown optimism of the first film's happy ending pushed aside for deepening conflict, worsening odds and a greater awareness of the sheer power and evil of the Dark Side of the Force. Saying that, optimism is here too; as Luke undertakes training from Yoda, the Jedi Master, who hopes his new young apprentice will learn the ways of the Good Side and not become seduced into evil as Darth Vader did. Meanwhile, after a breathtaking assault on their temporary home base of Hoth, the Rebels are forced to separate, with Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbecca and C-3PO flying through asteroid fields, taking sanctuary in a mysterious cave and finally seeking refuge in the spectacular airborne Utopia of Cloud City, where Solo is reunited with his old friend Lando Calrissian.

As for Darth Vader, his quest to find Skywalker, for reasons unknown, is bordering on the obsessive; is there something about Luke we don't know? Why is he destined to meet Yoda and become a Jedi? As previously mentioned, Empire is dark; it begins gloomily and ends with merely a glimmer of hope after a finale of tragedy, betrayal and revelation.

Empire's atmospheres are bleaker than anything seen in the Star Wars universe to date. The ice planet Hoth is barren, desolate and so cold at night you could freeze to death. The swamp planet of Dagobah, where Luke receives training, is a sinister, brilliantly gloomy world of forests, bogs and murky rivers. Even Cloud City is revealed to sit atop of a world of limitless space and bleak emptiness.

The action is often superb; the battle on Hoth is probably the best aerial fight sequence of the entire trilogy, though it's possible that Jedi's concluding space battle outdoes it. The asteroid sequence is exciting, funny and wonderfully backed by a classic John Williams score. The final half-hour is a fantastically dramatic crescendo of high drama; Luke and Darth Vader's light sabre duel is a superb sequence, brilliantly staged and lit, very powerful and the culmination of the film's darkness.

Another scene of great power occurs on Dagobah, where Luke enters a cave of horror and is confronted by a surprise visitor, leading to an even bleaker twist of events. There's absolutely nothing in the first Star Wars film that even comes close to the power of this moment, it's arguably George Lucas' strangest, most unsettling moment in any of his films.

Yet, despite the fact that Empire is the darkest Star Wars film, I also find it to be the funniest. Han Solo is splendidly grouchy, and wonderfully played by Harrison Ford. C3PO's campiness is hilariously taken to the logical limit, while Yoda is a glorious new addition to the cast of characters; his early scenes are extremely funny. Darth Vader has developed a wickedly nasty sense of humour; his penchant for killing off unsatisfactory lackeys becomes shamefully amusing. I love the scene where the computer operator tries to keep his cool in the background even as Vader's telepathically choking the commanding officer right next to him.

Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams and Alec Guinness play their roles without a hint of irony, as it should be. Escapism can lazily be delivered with a knowing wink, which can be a cop out when the creators don't have the imagination or the verve to create a truly convincing, sweeping world of wonder. The puppet-work on Yoda is pretty amazing, even to this day. I just don't think of him as a puppet, more a real character. Frank Oz's voice work is just perfect, effortlessly switching to playfully mischievous to wisely dignified. Mark Hamill as Luke is less of a bland, wet fish as he was in the first film; here he has actually has conflicts, both inner and outer, to deal with, and he handles the job nicely, especially in the ending.

Overall, The Empire Strikes Back is a remarkable example of screen entertainment; it has the proper sweep of a real space opera, it has confidence, imagination, beauty, humour, excitement and a truly brilliant story. It may very well be the best blockbuster movie of all time. "

James. C wrote:

Probably the best Star Wars scene.

It's definitely up there. Personally I prefer Han and Leia's byplay as well as Vader's utter badassery in Empire.

James. C wrote:

Probably the best Star Wars scene.

I agree completely James! Williams really knocked it out of the park with this scene. The most memorable part of the Original Trilogy IMO.

Put me down for that. Always gives me goosebumps, that scene.

I'm sure one day Lucas will ruin it by having a four-armed CGI comic relief character randomly standing in the background.

Just hurry up and get this thread on to the next page. Clicking on "Star Wars" to be met by that Hayden picture..... WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE????? :evil: ;)

James. C wrote:

Probably the best Star Wars scene.

To me, it's like Branagh's version of the "St. Crispin's Day" speech from Henry V. The composer is pulling all of the weight.

The scene following it is better. Vader's mask is almost forlorn.

To be honest, any scene from Empire is better than any scene from Jedi by default.

If we're talking about scenes that are just great in general, without requiring the context of the film around it, the trench run is a surefire contender for "Best Editing Ever."

Lazenby. wrote:

Just hurry up and get this thread on to the next page. Clicking on "Star Wars" to be met by that Hayden picture..... WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE????? :evil: ;)

The last ever post on KTBEU was made by me and it was about the Prequels.

I want everyone to know that.

My favorite scene in Jedi is probably the moment when Vader grabs the Emperor and chucks him down the reactor shaft. That whole sequence was very satisfying emotionally and just about made up for other parts of Jedi where the tone wasn't quite right. The scenes I look forward to the most out of all the films are the asteroid chase sequence ("We can still out maneuver 'em!") or Vader dominating Luke at the end of Empire.

Is anyone, at this point, more offended by the Special Edition changes to the originals than the prequels? I know I am.

I guess it's because the prequels are their own containment tank, but the SE stuff is ruining something that I actually enjoy.

Still, we'll always have Caravan of Courage. And the sequel, where the "lovable" family all get horribly killed in the first 5 minutes.

I can see that. I'm still waiting for good, pre-SE copies of them. The SE changes actually do prevent me from enjoying the film, because I can't just watch the movie and forget. I'm constantly reminded of how much of a greedy piece of shit George Lucas is and how he slowly and methodically destroyed his creation.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

Lazenby. wrote:

Just hurry up and get this thread on to the next page. Clicking on "Star Wars" to be met by that Hayden picture..... WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE????? :evil: ;)

The last ever post on KTBEU was made by me and it was about the Prequels.

I want everyone to know that.

See. You loved them right to the bitter end. ;)

God only knows what my last post was. I know what it was gonna be, though. I was gonna ask "What's coming?", having spent about half an hour looking through the site wondering what on Earth the big change was after you got that cryptic message.

FourDot wrote:

The scene following it is better. Vader's mask is almost forlorn.

That's one of the things Jedi pulls off brilliantly, not only in that scene, but throughout the film IMO, yet it's still something the film seems to get little credit for. Sure, Vader may not be all badass throughout Jedi as he is in Star Wars and Empire, but to be fair, he can't be pure badass at this point, given where the story absolutely needs to go. I love how, with almost every passing scene, the mask seems to be slipping further and further to the point where, during the initial capture scene with Luke, there's so much inner conflict being revealed there that the mask may as well have fallen clean off. It's extremely good storytelling visually, physically and verbally; For a start, you've got the location - a bridge, it's perfect. Both characters are heading towards the point where they could go, or be forced to go, either way. They end up stood in the middle, Luke trying to pull Vader one way, Vader "trying" to pull Luke the other. What makes it all the more compelling is that Vader is resigned to having to try and pull Luke the other way, to the point where the conflict within him seems so palpable that the mask seems to become almost transparent. When they've walked half the length of the bridge and stopped, Luke turns his back on Vader, he wants to address his father, not the machine, and only when he makes his final straight-out plea does he have the courage to turn and try to direct his words through the mask he's looking at. Vader even pointlessly ignites Luke's lightsaber, seemingly just to try and change the subject. He doesn't want to go there. And, when it dawns on Vader just how powerful Luke may now have become, and that the Emperor will likely see this too and consign him to the same fate as Vader, Vader turns his back in resignation, regretful acceptance, helplessness. He's so in thrall to the Emperor that he seems completely powerless now to avoid Luke following suit. He can't look at Luke now when talking about Obi-Wan. When Luke states that he'd be killed before turning sides, Vader seems to switch off the man and answers with the machine. When Luke gets closer and starts aiming through the mask again, Vader allows the man inside one last sincere statement of regret before calling in the troops to relieve him from the confliction taking over. He's a conflicted wreck once the doors have closed, his son's parting words gnawing away at him. He starts to walk but stops, he needs to pull himself together. He wants out of his conflict, and somehow it's written all over his... mask. It's one of the very best scenes in the series, IMO.