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auraloffalwaffle

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23-Jun-2006
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6-May-2011
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Post
#233961
Topic
What did the Prequel Trilogy need?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233961/action/topic#233961
Time
The Uncle Owen storyline deserves development, I agree.

The first question to answer is, perhaps, was he always on Tatooine or did he move there?

I like the idea of him moving there more than him always being there. His answer to Aunt Beru, when she says of Luke: "he has too much of his father in him" is: "That's what I'm afraid of." I take this forward to indicate a history with Anakin and a knowledge of what he has done and/or what he has become. I like the idea of Owen going to Tatooine to escape Imperial attention and, particularly, the attention of his brother.

Owen has a different surname to Anakin but Luke maintains the surname of Skywalker, so we can conclude that he is Anakin's half-brother and not just using the name of Lars to hide from the Empire.

So, Shmi married a widower called Cliegg Lars who had a son called Owen. Cliegg owns a farm and they go to live there.

I'd like to make Owen older than Anakin. I'd like Owen to be like his father, which would be devoted to his work, satisfied with living off the land and suspicious of getting involved with the affairs of others. In this setting, Anakin's desire to become a pilot with the Republican forces would be guaranteed to cause conflict within the family. If he then came home with Obi-Wan, who tells them that Anakin has a promising career as a Jedi Knight ahead of him, I think the rift would be as wide as it could get.

Perhaps a battle between Republican and Imperial forces on the planet would destroy the family farm and Shmi and Lars with it. This would leave Owen (and Beru) needing to go somewhere to start life all over again. A planet which is at the farthest reaches of the galaxy might look pretty good at that point, especially if neither side seems to have much presence there. I'd like to see a scene where Anakin and Obi-Wan come to what is left of the farm to find Shmi and Cliegg Lars dead. Anakin tries to get Owen & Beru to come with them but Owen wants nothing more to do with them.

That would be the last we see of them until after Luke & Leia are born and Obi-Wan comes looking for them. He tracks them down on Tatooine. Needless to say, his arrival is not greeted with much enthusiasm by Owen. Obi-Wan tells them what has become of Anakin and asks them to take the baby under their care. Maybe we could see that Owen and Beru are unable to have children of their own and accept.

Anakin does not know where Owen & Beru live, does not know that Luke & Leia exist and the twins have been split up, to make them harder to find. Obi-Wan becomes Old Ben, the strange, old hermit on the Jundland Wastes. Luke becomes the farm boy. Leia becomes the freedom-fighter. Anakin becomes the baddie. The stage is set for the OOT.
Post
#233895
Topic
Expecting too much of George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233895/action/topic#233895
Time
Originally posted by: zombie84
Few artists have the consistent longevity of say Scorsese or Speilberg.


I am of the opinion that neither of these filmmakers are the creative forces they used to be. But that rather adds to that side of the argument, doesn't it? Few artists consistently make work that is proclaimed as their best. In fact, I'd be hard pushed to think of any. I think Luca$h should be credited with coming up with the initial concepts of SW and working his ass off to make sure that ANH got made. I would be unwilling to give him much more than that, though.

How about this: Luca$h fought hard to become independent from the Hollywood system but, in so doing, Luca$hFilm became just like the studios he wanted to leave behind.
Post
#233724
Topic
Expecting too much of George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233724/action/topic#233724
Time
Originally posted by: Mike O
his desire to deny fans the SEs.


You might wanna edit that post, Mike!

Luca$h may have come up with the screenplay and directed ANH but, as discussed elsewhere, there were many people with him (Ralph McQuarrie, Gary Kurtz, John Mollo, Joe Johnston, John Dykstra, Ben Burtt, Richard Chew, Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas and many more) that shaped Luca$h's material into what people saw on 25/05/77. You can't lay it all at Luca$h's feet, like you would with a true auteur filmmaker. The reason that we have a shit PT is that Luca$h has been convinced that he is an auteur when he really never was.
Post
#233717
Topic
What did the Prequel Trilogy need?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233717/action/topic#233717
Time
Okay, I'm resurrecting this thread, as I thought it was great. So there.

Also, I thought of something to make the Padme character much more interesting. What if she is also fighting on the side of the Jedi in the Clone Wars? Let's face it, in the PT she's no Princess Leia! So:

Originally posted by: auraloffalwaffle
Obi-Wan comes to Padme to tell her what has happened. At first she is furious with Obi-Wan and accuses him of killing Anakin because of jealousy but, eventually, comes to accept that he had to do what he did. Now, I would like to see, over the course of this story, that Padme and Anakin live together until he goes off with Sidious. A few months after he goes she finds out that she's pregnant. After the "death" of Anakin she returns home. Shortly after that, we hear of Imperial forces, led by Lord Darth Vader, scourging all systems of all remaining Jedi and their relatives and known supporters. Obi-Wan comes to her just before Vader does. She has had twins, a boy and a girl. Obi-Wan withholds from her that Vader is Anakin. He tells her that Vader will kill her and her children if he finds them. He convinces her of Vader's ability to sense the children and persuades her that, if they were separated, it would make them harder to find. He tells her that Anakin had a brother and he'll take one of the children to him. He tells her to take the other child with her to Alderaan and seek refuge with the Organas and, if anyone asks, the Organas should say that the baby is theirs. Padme will then have to make the agonising decision of which child to take with her and which to send with Obi-Wan. Well, we know the outcome of that one.

So, Obi-Wan seeks out the Lars family and, eventually, tracks them down on Tatooine. He gives up Luke into the care of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru and then puts some distance between himself and the homestead. Padme and Leia settle down with the Organas on Alderaan. And, for a few years, that's it. Then, I think, either Vader or some other Imperial officials find out who Padme is. Leia is protected by the pretence that she is the child of the Organas. Padme refuses to cooperate and Leia sees her mother get killed and that sets her on her course to become leader of the Rebellion.


Now, that's all well and good, but we need Padme to be a more interesting and strong character. So, how about she's part of the forces fighting with General Kenobi and Anakin? She falls for Anakin and they get together and she marries him. He fucks off with Sidious. She finds out she's preggers and, because she can't fight, she goes home. She has the bairns and then starts to prepare to go back to the war. Before she leaves, the Clone Wars end with the Empire victorious. Lord Vader starts his cleansing of the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan comes to Padme and he goes off with Luke to track down Anakin's relations and Padme goes to Alderaan with Leia, putting herself under the protection of the Organa household. Unfortunately, you can't keep a good girl down and she joins the Rebellion. It is because of this association that the Empire track her down, along with her associates, and kill her. Leia grows up with this and becomes the feisty freedom-fighter that we know and love!

To pick up on something another poster said, perhaps this could be the reason for Alderaan becoming (at least as far as the Empire could see) a pacifist planet. Maybe the Empire's campaign against the Rebellion there and subsequent retribution against the citizenry would turn them right off fighting and declare themselves peaceful.

Oooh! How about Alderaan being a pacifist planet all the way through the PT and the Organas are the ambassadors for peace to the Empire? Padme disagrees with their pacifism and goes off to fight with the Rebellion, leaving Leia with the Organas. She returns frequently to spend time with her, but she doesn't want to lead the Empire there so always makes short visits. After a few years, the Empire latch on to her. She thinks she's given them the slip, comes back to Alderaan but the Empire catch her. Leia sees her led away, Padme makes a break for it and they shoot her. Maybe Vader could have dispatched the squad to catch her, telling them to bring her to him alive. When the commanding officer returns with a corpse, we could see some ESB-style discipline from the big guy.

Thoughts?
Post
#233698
Topic
Expecting too much of George Lucas?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233698/action/topic#233698
Time
Originally posted by: JediRandy
If he didn’t “possess the mind” they why are people still talking about SW 30 years later? Was ANH a fluke? Did he get lucky?

He didn’t possess the mind to create the art that you wanted to see. That’s it. Disagree with his choices all you want, but he made the movie he wanted to make.


ANH was created and imbued with qualities that gave it longevity by many more artists than just Luca$h. He was just the one that Luca$hed in.

And Luca$h still hasn't made the movies he wanted to make. Count on it.
Post
#233644
Topic
george lucas is so stupid!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233644/action/topic#233644
Time
Indeed. There is at least one other unit the same as C-3PO on the blockade runner at the start of ANH, he meets another on Cloud City in ESB - I think the conclusion must be that these are not rare units.

What is to be lamented is not that Owen did not recognise C-3PO but that we are asked to accept that Anakin built him in the first place. I feel that this was a lazy introduction for such an iconic character.

I feel it would be much more interesting to have C-3PO and R2-D2 together from the start and have the suggestion that they are, in fact, much older than any of the principle characters (with the notable exceptions of Yoda and The All-Powerful Sarlacc), as, indeed, machines can be. Keeping them as our guides through the saga would work much better, don't you think?
Post
#233641
Topic
Original Trilogy DVD Article in Total Film
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/233641/action/topic#233641
Time
Originally posted by: Yoda Is Your Father
How will they be able to tell which versions people prefer if they are sold together? Selling them seperately would be a far more useful way of telling which versions the fans want.


I reckon that, because of the above, we must conclude that this is not the reason for the September release.

Luca$hFilm know that the OOT will sell on DVD and I think that they are using the inclusion of the OOT to make yet another re-release of the 2004 SE DVDs saleable.

And I will none of it, sirrah!!
Post
#232747
Topic
Top Ten Favourite Movies
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/232747/action/topic#232747
Time
I invite everyone to post their top ten favourite movies of all time!

Now, I want to make it clear that this is a top ten of the films that you could watch any time, no matter how you're feeling, and enjoy them. This is NOT a top ten of the BEST movies of all time! I think 'Raging Bull' (1980) is incredible but I find it a very difficult film to watch, therefore I wouldn't include it in my list. You see?

Your 'Desert Island Reels', if you will!

No TV shows, TV movies, games, books, paintings, sculptures, tapestries or multimedia installations!
Mine are all feature films, but I see no reason why documentaries or shorts couldn't be included.

Also, feel free to change your mind any time! My favourite movies change from time to time, so I imagine most other people's do too!

I've done mine in chronological order, as I don't rank these above / below each other:

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
Star Wars (Original Theatrical Cut! ) (1977)
Planes, Trains And Automobiles (1987)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Shadowlands (1993)
Dead Man (1995)
Heat (1995)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Fight Club (1999)
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)