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RotS: Secret Keeper Edition (* unfinished project *)

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So, when I get Sith on DVD (legaly ) I’m gonna try and make a version that keeps the whole ESB secret a secret! I can only see 2 ways of doing this:

  1. Luke is not named by Padme. Also Yoda says nothing, Obi-wan just says he will take him and watch over him. then no scene on with the Lars family. This leaves Luke just a new character in ANH.

  2. Anakin is never called Vader, and there is no ‘birth scene’ he is just picked up by Palpy and we know nothing of what happens next. This way Vader is new in ANH and we know nothing about Anakins Fate.

Anyone got any other ideas? and which one sounds better?

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the other thing would be to remove leia all together, keeping the mystery of the "there is another..." line

FINISHED:
The Sith Revealed - A Scrapbook
Episode III The Video Game - The Movie
24: The Missing Day
Star Wars - The Interactive Board Game DVD
Battlefront - Journal of the 501st
The Clones Revealed

email me for details daveytod AT btinternet DOT com

 

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I make no secret of the fact that I'm no fan of the PT. However, both your suggestions 1) & 2) above would improve RotS. The secret(s) would still be pretty obvious, even to a new viewer, before ESB, but the slight element of mystery would help the audience to enjoy the revelations when they came, rather than (ahem) feeling they were just watching a previously told story.
I also like daveytod's idea. Taken together, these three would help remove some of the worst moments of RotS, namely: the two "birth" scenes (the twins and Vader), Leia on Alderaan and Luke on Tatooine.
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It's not going to work. You're going to find that out about 5 minutes into making your first change, that you can't do it. Mostly because even if you DO somehow manage to seamlessly edit out all mentions and foreshadowings of Anakin's transformation into Vader--Ben still gives it all away in Episode IV. The surprise is dead right there.

That's not taking into account how hard it's going to be for you to chop out all the "Birth of Vader" sequences from the climax and not make it look and sound like crap. I'm sure you could technically DO IT, but it would be nigh unwatchable. You can't "Fix" the Prequel Trilogy to ensure the twist in ESB is perserved. The only way that twist stays preserved now is to show them in release order, to someone younger than 10, who hasn't heard the secret in a joke or on the playground. Other than that, you're lost.
The Best Show You've Never Heard
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I have to agree with The Bizzle, I dont think you can do it without making it an unwatchable mess.(though If you can prove me wrong it would be interesting to see..)
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Didn't Magnoliafan say he was attempting something like this in his edit?

http://i.imgur.com/7N84TM8.jpg

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He'll fail too. You can't help but not to. That's not a crack on his editing skills, but the Prequels, by nature, are designed to take the "surprise" element away from the revelation. I mean, you can try and chop up Ben's speech in the hut to Luke, but you're just going to hamstring that particular scene, which is one of the 3 or 4 most important scenes in the WHOLE SAGA actually, especially in terms of tone and acting. To take a scalpel to that just so that the twist in Episode V is maintained is throwing baby out with the bathwater. And again, that's really the only way you can make "preserving the twist" work. Don't worry about Episode III, you gotta figure a way to re-edit EPISODE IV and not cock that sequence up. And since the whole POINT of that sequence is to educate Luke about his father and use his father's legacy to lure Luke into joining the Jedi, you can't really chop any of that out without totally kneecapping the dramatic drive of the WHOLE MOVIE at that point.

Plus, untangling all the birth/death crosscutting in the final act of Episode III is just a mess. I guarantee the flow would end up choppy as hell.

I don't understand why it's such a big deal to "preserve the secret" anyway. Again, the best way to do that is just show whoever it is you're planning on showing these to, in their theatrical release order. And even then, there's no guarantee they won't already know. That twist is such pop culture trivia at this point I know people who have NEVER seen Star Wars and know that Vader is Luke's dad. The movies seem to stand up just fine without the "oh SHIT!" factor in V, and editing Episode III to regain that seems futile. You won't get it back. It was lost in 1980. And besides, that twist isn't really the point of the movies, it's not the fulcrum the whole balances on. It's a very important point, yes, but the movies work whether or not you're actually SURPRISED by the announcement.
The Best Show You've Never Heard
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I've seen (heard) some of his work, and it's quite good. I'm looking forward to the finished peoduct.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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See, I don't think there's anything wrong with knowing Luke is Anakin's son if you can dissociate Darth Vader from Anakin. If we think he dies at the end, rather than having us see him become the Darth Vader from the OT, that may be all it takes. As for why Ben would say that Vader killed Anakin in ANH, we might think it's to cover up the fact that he killed him.
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As for why Ben would say that Vader killed Anakin in ANH, we might think it's to cover up the fact that he killed him.


Thats actually pretty plausible considering the look/pause Guiness gives when almost 'winding-up' to tell about Vader. Also, ADM said that he would try and tackle this as well, so hopefully between everyone working on this concept, something good will have to come out of it.

<a href="http://www.bynkii.com/archives/2005/05/i_hates_lucas_i.html" title="www.bynkii.com/archives/2005/05/i_hates_lucas_i.html" target="_blank">.Truth.</a><br /><br />"Mmm....starcruiser crash!"

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we might think it's to cover up the fact that he killed him


Except WE already know different. And future audiences aren't going to be that dumb that they're not going to go "hey...wait a minute. Young jedi named Darth Vader? That he TRAINED? he never trained anyone but Anakin. Who, coincidentally, lost a lot of his limbs and swore loyalty to the Emperor in the last movie...nah, Obi Wan is just trying to cover up for killing Anakin, that's all it is."

That's not plausible. Ben gives away the secret in Episode IV to anyone who's seen the first three. You have to be VERY WILLFULLY ignoring what's going on by that point to fall for that sort of editorial misdirection. Or not paying any attention at all.

The Best Show You've Never Heard
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It's not pessimism, it's analytical thinking. There's a difference between optimism and daydreaming. I'm just pointing out all the stuff you're going to have to knock holes in and then spackle over, and unless you want a wall made entirely of spackle, there's not too much that can be done to preserve the twist via a fan edit, especially since the movies have been proven to work WITHOUT the surprise factor entering in.
The Best Show You've Never Heard
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Here's the deal. It would be awesome if it was set up from the beginning to have the secrets kept secret, but the real point is this:
Even though the movies are numbered 1-6, the real watching order is still 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3. Do you think it was an accident they were filmed in this order? It's sort of a big flash back to see how you got there.
Heck there's still the 7, 8, 9 that may or may not happen. The original plan was 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9.

As crazy as GL is now, he USE to be a real sharp filmmaker.

Once he falls on his face as the "serious" art-film maker he's "retiring" to be, he'll film 7, 8, and 9 to pay his bills and stroke his ego.

Dr. M

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You could not remove the spoiler completely, but you could make it go unnoticed for a slightly unattentive viewer by removing the obvious pieces and transforming the rest into hints. However, I think the lowering of the mask is one of the more powerful scenes in the film, so I would keep it in my own edit.

I would keep the birth but replace the sound with a voice-over of Obi-Wan, Yoda and Bail if a suitable dialogue can be found. Perhaps also cut the shots of Padmé's face as she names the babies.

I would also cut or shorten the Vader-naming, only because it is so hideous.
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While I think that The Bizzle may be right and the twist may not be able to be preserved successfully, I applaud Ell (and MagFan and ADM) for the time and energy he will have to put into this project. It's as good an idea for a fan edit as any other and constitutes a bona fide entry into one of the two main subjects of this forum. The prequels don't make sense as they are now, so why not try alternatives. Even if it's not perfect, Ell and others will no doubt enjoy watching it. So I say good luck to you.
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You have to be VERY WILLFULLY ignoring what's going on by that point to fall for that sort of editorial misdirection. Or not paying any attention at all.


Or being only 7 years old & watching it in this order with this version...

<a href="http://www.bynkii.com/archives/2005/05/i_hates_lucas_i.html" title="www.bynkii.com/archives/2005/05/i_hates_lucas_i.html" target="_blank">.Truth.</a><br /><br />"Mmm....starcruiser crash!"

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I give 7 year olds more credit than that

The prequels don't make sense as they are now

Oh, they make sense. it may be a haphazard, dramatically flat sense most of the time, but there's no real confusion. At least no more than the original trilogy. As a matter of fact, the biggest "Whahuh??" sequence in Star Wars is the rescue of Han from Jabba. What the hell IS Luke's plan there? There is none. Trying to make logistical sense out of that plan is pointless

Even if it's not perfect, Ell and others will no doubt enjoy watching it.


If only that kind of accepting, almost apologetic mindset was applied to people who watched the prequels, right?

The Best Show You've Never Heard
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Oh, they make sense.

Midichlorians?

Luke: Leia, do you remember your mother? Your real mother?
Leia: Just a little bit. She died when I was very young.
Luke: What do you remember?
Leia: Just... images really. Feelings.
Luke: Tell me.
Leia: She was... very beautiful. Kind, but sad.
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Another way to possibily preserve the secret would be to imply that Anakin was killed by Vader in the Jedi Temple. Of course, I'm not sure exactly how to do that, but it might be possible. The whole "young pupil of mine before he turned to evil" might be taken in the same vein as Yoda being the one who trained Obi-Wan.
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The whole "young pupil of mine before he turned to evil" might be taken in the same vein as Yoda being the one who trained Obi-Wan.

Don't get me started.