Saga What's your favorite small detail from the Saga?

I've got nothing to do, so to continue from my last post...

ESB
- The music as Han arrives back at the base at the start. This moment seems very unique to ESB.
- Leia's look to Han the first time you see her in the movie. Speaks volumes.
- Luke pulling the saber to him out of the snow. Great moment.
- An AT-AT posing awkwardly as it shoots down a speeder.
- Luke's crash-landings from inside-cockpit pov.
- Luke seeing the Millennium Falcon fly away just before he gets in his X-Wing. Very symbolic of the space between Luke and the other main characters in this movie, and the last time he will see Han until ROTJ.
- The pilot falling out of the destroyed Tie during the asteroid chase.
- Luke's look at R2 when he spits out the swamp water.
- Yoda's "feel like what?" and generally mischievous antics.
- Leia turning off Threepio. I actually like Threepio in ESB though.
- Luke's flip over the log.
- "I feel cold... death." Mark Hamill is a great actor.
- Vader pulling the gun out of Han's hand.
- "And I will return. I promise." Warm because you know it's true.
- Music as Luke walks through the hall after just arriving on Bespin.
- "The lift up to the carbon Chamber and "But you are not a Jedi yet."
- Luke eagerly lighting his saber.
- Luke being sucked out the window.
- Luke's reaction to Vader's revelation.
- Vader's disappointment at the good guys' escape.
- Luke testing his robotic hand.
- The ending is amazing.
ROTJ
- The Imperial officer's nervousness at Vader's arrival.
- R2's beeped reaction to the Gammorean guard.
- Disintegrated droid.
- Luke's general confidence in Jabba's palace.
- "And don't forget the droids!"
- "And then you will bring him before me" (about Luke) paralleling Mace's TPM line (about Anakin) "Bring him before us then."
- Mon Mothma's actor looking freaked out by the Calamari guy.
- Vader and Luke sensing each other above Endor.
- The Emperor tapping Luke's saber as he taunts him.
- Luke looking at his robotic hand and coming back from the brink of turning.
- Anakin's funeral.
Maybe some of these aren't small details, but I watch these movies too much.

 

It cool that this we see this Sith Warrior with the voice of an aristocrat but the look and demeanor of a vicious demon.

 

No, I mean it seems like a big deal to me, not just a little background detail!

And like you, I also preferred Han shooting first. Though the Blu Ray release is at least the "best" version of Han not shooting first yet.

 

Some of mine:

ESB:

During the Hoth battle, a retreating Rebel soldier get shot in the ankle by an AT-AT (OUCH!)

ROTJ:

In Jabba's Palace, a tentacle grabs C-3PO and a Gammorean guard slaps it, and you hear an "Ow!" noise coming from its owner

Mon Mothma's momentary pause of contemplation after the "Many Bothan spies died to bring us this information" line.

 

My favourite is the way Qui Gon holsters his lightsaber when fighting battle droids in Theed - he turns it off heaps fast as he puts it on his belt. Completely unnecessary and absolutely pimp.

 

In Ep I:
When Maul is revealed to Gunray and Haako, they slowly glance at each other like "Ooooh crap;" the moment is perfect!

In Ep III:
Seeing Cato Neimoidia

In Ep IV:
-The mouse droid running from Chewie
-The dinner scene at the Lars Homestead, and the Cantina scene - just adds a bit of "real life" to such a foreign universe, and, I think, really allows the audience to connect with the film.
-"I can't see a thing in this helmet!"

In Ep V:
-Luke's disgusted reaction to virtually everything on Dagobah. Just those little winces and doubletakes. It shows just how uncomfortable and exotic his settings were, and adds to the already saturated emotional level in the film.
-Piett's small glance back at Ozzel when he falls to floor from being Force-choked
-"I feel terrible!"

In Ep VI:
-Han's interactions with the various Scout Troopers
-The various camera angles, timing, and lighting used to make Darth Vader's otherwise austere helmet display a genuine "expression" ofinternal struggle, as he's watching his son slowly being killed.
-The fact that Vader asks Luke to help him take his "mask" off, as opposed to "helmet;" a helmet protects, a mask conceals
-At the funeral pyre, Vader/Anakin is cremated in his armour, and the mask is shown burning, showing that it's Darth Vader who has died, rather than Anakin Skywalker, who, instead, has been reborn into the Force (complemented by the symbolism of the fire, itself).

 

- Tusken Raiders camped out on the track (followed by their iconic battle cry)
- The Gungans fighting against the droids in the background of the battle
- "This party's over" followed by the simultaneous ignition of hundreds of lightsabers
- Dooku looks genuinly sad after defeating Anakin and Obi-Wan
- Obi-Wan notices Anakin's saber, and picks it up as he walks away
- The aliens in the Cantina and their different tongues. The body language really communicates their thoughts well.

 

Never thought of that, really nice.

 

One from TPM: when Maul knocks Obi-Wan off the catwalk, Qui-Gon responds by doing the same to Maul. Even better, he does it with a combination of a hip check and a pimp slap.

And a couple from ANH: first, when Chewie first enter the Falcon's cockpit, there are a couple of dice hanging above the control panel. (Pity they weren't seen again, and they weren't fuzzy.) Second, during the flight from Tatooine, when the warning light flashes about the deflectors and Luke points at it, and Han slaps his hand away.

 

The shadows of the battle droids in Theed, before they get pounced on by the Jedi.

 

They shoulda taken some pot shots at him. "Not so scary now, are you, raisin head?"

 

I'll have to watch for this next time. If that's there, that's pretty awesome. Like he sort of recognized the face but couldn't put his finger on it.

Assuming all of the gestures and body language was Hayden's idea, I don't think he gets enough credit for doing his homework. His "Don't ask me to do that" finger point in ROTS was a perfect Vader-ism.

It really is. That little bit of acting alone makes the "certain point of view" excuse work wonderfully.

This is also a stand out moment for me. Luke's eyes going a little crazy right as he beats Vader to the ground is chilling.

 

I, too, liked the patience and meditation of Qui-Gon in that scene. I'm not entirely sure why, but it added some respect for his character.

 

I like that Boba Fett's red-numeral chest readout first appears on the Falcon cockpit door; and that he has the same dent in his helmet that Threepio did in ANH; and that his whole character seems to be a conflation (maybe a conflagration) of the visual identities of nearly every character introduced before and after him (his helmet is a dead ringer for Artoo and the homestead igloo, suggesting a cyclopic kinship with the Death Star - Lucas seems eager to make the connection more obvious by matching Artoo's blue-silver colour scheme with Jango's, as well as giving both characters symmetrical rocket boosters). People like Kevin Smith have really damaged the conversation around Boba Fett, it's not just that he looks cool, it's that his appearance centers him in all visual conflicts. What other Star Wars character or object manages to be green, red, blue, and yellow all at once? He's practically the saga's harlequin, keeping the primary colours of the story seperate in his costume unlike the Jedi he imitates/despises who combine all colours into neutral browns (and are we now meant to consider those padawan braids?). His 'death', aping the Emperor's, is more like a mythical consignment to the underworld. If we take Threepio's words at face value poor Boba is en route for a millenia of Sisyphean torment in the belly of a bio-senate rotunda.

I think that's cool.

 

Boom! Solved a huge plot point there. People were wondering how Vader could have not recognized R2, but now it makes sense!

 

I like how Anakin sits down on Padme's bed during the AOTC scene where she's packing. Even though he's a young man dealing with his crush the motion is not driven by sexual tension or innuendo, but rather reminiscent of ghost Obi-Wan wearily sitting down on a tree stump while he "confesses" to Luke in ROTJ. Really makes me feel for the character given that he's already carrying something like an old man's burdens despite being 19 or 20 years old.

 

TPM:
Qui-gon b***h slaps Maul. I LOLd.

ANH, ESB, & ROTJ:
C-3P0's silver leg. I think it stands out from the golden plating and it looks nice.

ROTJ:
There's this little disco/dance music Max Rebo is playing on the sail barge. I can't find it anywhere on YouTube, and I had it stuck in my head for at least a week.

 

Don't know if you're still interested in finding it on Youtube, but if so, try beginning at about 24:47 (this is just an audio upload not the clip from the movie)...or maybe you don't want to hear it lest it get stuck in your head for another week! To me, parts of that track have a very "80s" sound (which is not a criticism by any means--I was a teen during that decade and still love 80s pop!).

 

ESB

Piett when enters Vader's quarters to tell him that the Falcon has entered the asteroid field he gets the unpleasant surprise/honor of the back of Vader's head. His expression is that of revulsion at the sight of white skin with some nasty scars. This expression quickly leaves when the camera sounds him again. Whether the nervousness in his voice is because he's giving bad news or the fact that he isn't sure if he's going to live after seeing underneath the mask.

When Vader uses the Force to rip Han's blaster from the latter's hand. Han has what appears to be a shocked and horrified expression on his face.

 

Yes, this little detail adds a lot (in hindsight, as you say) to that scene. I wish there had been even more such "perfect" tie-ins (accidental or not) between the PT and OT like this. (And less problematic lines/details in the OT that are due to Lucas not having yet planned certain later elements...lines/details that then have to be "explained away" with elaborate theories not clearly supported within the films themselves.)

Love this idea! Fits much better with Padme's last conversation with Anakin in ROTS.

 

Also in ESB when Luke is serving himself a bowl of Yoda's stew or mush on the second dip Luke tastes it, makes a face and dumps the dipper back into the pot.

 

ANH

When the two torpedoes Luke fires enter the exhaust port you can see the damage that Red Leader's torpedoes did.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

"The Starman and Moon Goddess."