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Topic:
Acting in Star Wars
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THRAWNFAN
Registered:
Mar '07
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Date Posted:
10/10/07 8:25am
Subject:
Acting in Star Wars
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Pretty much all of us here are SW fans, why the hell would we post here if we weren't. However, being a star wars fanatic "plays" on different levels. One aspect I'm sure we are all interested in is how SW qualifies as genunine art, and good acting is critical to a good film. This thread is for analyizing the acting. For the most part, I think its really good. Mark Hamill doesn't get nearly as much credit as he deserves. He brought alot of subtly that Hayden Christensen never could. You can tell that he is good at heart, but is prone to imkpatience and recklessness. I think he conveys this very well. When he finds out Vader is his dad, he actually did make me believe like it was the absolute worst news he ever could of heard, and its tragic in that sense. He loves adventure, but doesn't care about the ramifications, as you can see in ANH. Not forr one second did he think "maybe there was a few innocent people aboard the death star". His thinking is somewhere between just an kid who just wants adventure and a terrorist
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Master_Starwalker
Registered:
Sep '03
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Date Posted:
10/10/07 8:34am
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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I thik Mark's great in the OT and that the best examples of this are the scenes where he's talking to Yoda. If Mark had been unable to sell that the Muppet he's talking to and getting no responses from(he couldn't hear Frank Oz under the set) was a wise Jedi Master Empire would have been a disaster.
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anakinandpadmedoomed
Registered:
Jun '07
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Date Posted:
10/10/07 12:57pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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I think luke's acting was the best given what the above poster wrote.
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Darth_Drachonus
Registered:
Oct '05
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Date Posted:
10/10/07 1:11pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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The acting is horrible in all of the films, all of them. But there are moments when individual stars shine through: Ford when he's about to be frozen in Carbonite, Hamill, talking to the muppet without getting responses from Oz, Fisher kissing her brother..both times. :P Prowse when he cuts off Luke's hand..Ian's great through out, but that's just Ian for ya.
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GrandAdmiral_Frank
Registered:
Aug '03
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Date Posted:
10/11/07 1:32pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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I like the expression on Alec Guiness' face when Luke says that Artoo was looking for him. James Earl Jones executed the voice of Vader flawlessly.
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jedimasterbac
Title: Fan Sites Manager
Registered:
Jun '04
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Date Posted:
10/11/07 2:17pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
- Date Edited:
10/11/07 2:19pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
jedimasterbac
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I agree with Drachonus, somewhat: the acting from most of the main characters in all of the films is horrible. Exceptions to this, in my opinion, would be Neeson, McGregor, Guiness, Ford and Diarmid. I'm not counting JEJ, since you couldn't see him.
THRAWNFAN posted:
He brought alot of subtly that Hayden Christensen never could.
Obviously you've never seen Hayden Christensen's eyes.
THRAWNFAN posted:
When he finds out Vader is his dad, he actually did make me believe like it was the absolute worst news he ever could of heard, and its tragic in that sense.
Personally, I've always found that scream to be incredibly corny.
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deltron_zero
Registered:
Feb '02
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Date Posted:
10/11/07 2:20pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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i think the acting is hit and miss in anh and rotj, but it's pretty much excellent throughout esb. i can't think of a single cringeworthy scene in that film. "no! that's impossible..." gets made fun of a lot, but the emotional intensity of that scene is actually handled really well.
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RedSeven
Registered:
Jun '07
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Date Posted:
10/11/07 2:48pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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Mark's acting was awesome in all three trilogy movies!
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morpha2
Registered:
Aug '05
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Date Posted:
10/11/07 3:14pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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deltron_zero posted:
i think the acting is hit and miss in anh and rotj, but it's pretty much excellent throughout esb. i can't think of a single cringeworthy scene in that film. "no! that's impossible..." gets made fun of a lot, but the emotional intensity of that scene is actually handled really well.
+1. The script had a lot of gravity and it's pretty clear that the actors sunk their teeth into it moreso than in the other films.
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Master_Starwalker
Registered:
Sep '03
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Date Posted:
10/11/07 3:45pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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deltron_zero posted:
i think the acting is hit and miss in anh and rotj, but it's pretty much excellent throughout esb. i can't think of a single cringeworthy scene in that film. "no! that's impossible..." gets made fun of a lot, but the emotional intensity of that scene is actually handled really well.
Yep.
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"Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous." - Bill Moyers
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DARTHLARS
Registered:
Mar '02
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Date Posted:
10/11/07 6:30pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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I'd say that it is the way the heroes interact and complement eachother that makes an impact, more than any individual performance.
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Jedi_Keiran_Halcyon
Registered:
Dec '00
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Date Posted:
10/11/07 9:05pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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Darth_Drachonus posted:
Ian's great through out, but that's just Ian for ya.
I actually thought Ian ruined the Emperor in RotS...hammy as hell, and without the sweet Scottish accent the had in Jedi. And don't get me started on the ESB DVD's monotone-cue-card Emperor.
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Vortigern99
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
10/11/07 9:38pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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The chemistry among the three leads in 'ANH' is invigorating, at times hilariously funny, and is part of what made the film so successful, a cultural touchstone. Their obvious affection for one another shines in their eyes -- even (especially!) when they're bickering -- and invites the audience to share in the fun.
In ESB the material demands more from the performers, who prove themselves up to the task of deepening the story, and changing the mood and tone from the frothy fun of 'ANH' to something more emotional, something at once darker and more romantic. It also showcases the individual acting chops of each of the three leads, especially Hamill, who delivers the performance of his career in what is arguably the defining role of the Saga.
ROTJ gives us an awkward blend of the previous two styles: fun and deep. The performers seem to be straining to walk the line between two diametrically opposed tones, never dipping too deeply into the darker waters plumbed in ESB, and never quite reaching the giddy heights of frivolity and zest achieved in 'ANH'. Ford's performance is hammy and unconvincing -- the worst of his long career -- while Hamill is oddly effeminate, if more textured and subtle than the other actors, and Fisher seems hoarse and ragged at the edges.
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THRAWNFAN
Registered:
Mar '07
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Date Posted:
10/12/07 6:40am
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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Vortigern99 posted:
The chemistry among the three leads in 'ANH' is invigorating, at times hilariously funny, and is part of what made the film so successful, a cultural touchstone. Their obvious affection for one another shines in their eyes -- even (especially!) when they're bickering -- and invites the audience to share in the fun.
In ESB the material demands more from the performers, who prove themselves up to the task of deepening the story, and changing the mood and tone from the frothy fun of 'ANH' to something more emotional, something at once darker and more romantic. It also showcases the individual acting chops of each of the three leads, especially Hamill, who delivers the performance of his career in what is arguably the defining role of the Saga.
ROTJ gives us an awkward blend of the previous two styles: fun and deep. The performers seem to be straining to walk the line between two diametrically opposed tones, never dipping too deeply into the darker waters plumbed in ESB, and never quite reaching the giddy heights of frivolity and zest achieved in 'ANH'. Ford's performance is hammy and unconvincing -- the worst of his long career -- while Hamill is oddly effeminate, if more textured and subtle than the other actors, and Fisher seems hoarse and ragged at the edges.
Thats pretty much what I wanted to say but couldn't. TESB really makes the series, it makes ANH a better movie. I think its funny how on IMDB, Empire is ahead LOTR:ROTK. While I love the LOTR novels, the films were only ok to me. I just think its really cool how after only 4 years ROTK is being forgotten, while Empire has stayed pretty consistently in the top 10 for years. Episodes 4 and 5(and the novelization of ROTS) are definatly the defining mythology of this generation
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skyysoblue
Registered:
Jul '05
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Date Posted:
10/13/07 4:55am
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
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I always thought that the acting, or all of the subtleties that go into acting, declined as the number of special effects increased. Fortunately, Lucas basically discovered Harrison Ford. Had he gone with an average actor in that role it would have been very apparent. As in most science fiction films, the acting typically gets panned. But I think the acting really helped star wars and not just the skills of the three stars but also those who did not get the benefit of talking to build character (Ken Baker in R2 for example)
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Alpha-Red
Registered:
Apr '04
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Date Posted:
10/13/07 5:15pm
Subject:
RE: Acting in Star Wars
- Date Edited:
10/13/07 5:16pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Alpha-Red
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What exactly do you define as good acting though? Like, do you want the actors to fulfill what you think is the ideal way the character should behave?
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