Saga Obi-Wan Kenobi: Ewan McGregor vs Alec Guinness

Both were great.

 

This.

Although I got bit of a mancrush when Ewan is involved.

 

Alec was nominated for his performance in SW though...

 

Probably the reason for some of his more "grumpy" comments about SW/SW fans...

 

Much as I like Alec Guiness...

Ewan McGregor made me an Obi-Wan fan.

 

McGregor, because as far as I know he wasn't a **** to a fan asking for an autograph and would only give it if the kid promised to never watch star wars again.


As for why Jedi wear robe that are almost indentical to a moisture farmer. Jedi are warrior monk who wear humble clothing to attempt to blend in. It works well until they have to pull the saber. Some choose to wear other types of clothing, but the robes are default setting for Jedi.

 

I love them both, but Ewan is one of my all time favorites.

 

I voted for Alec just because I feel like he represented the "old mentor" archetype very well. I do like Ewan though as the younger Obi-Wan, I wouldn't have wanted any other actor to play Kenobi in the PT.

 

Use the Force Luke!
One of the best lines in ANH

 

no I think the best line is - 'if you strike me down i will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.' I am a great fan of the character and of the actors, I cannot choose to vote,....

 

All of Obi-Wan's lines in the OT about the Force were amazing.
Obi-Wan talking to Vader in ANH was good but there is something about the relationship between Luke and Obi-Wan that made the whole end of the Battle of Yavin so amazing to me. Felt kinda mystical to me you know? I could feel the relationship between Luke and Obi-Wan throughout the OT better than the relationship between Anakin Obi-Wan.

 

oh yes completely, but I really do love the scene in Obi Wans house too, at first, (and Ewan was one of my fave actors b4 SW) I did not think he could make me believe he was a younger Alec but I really did, i love the 'hello there' to Grevious in Ep3...two towering performances of the fantasy/sci fi genre, and at least one of them really liked it!

 

McGregor was really good but prefer Guinness.

 

i really cant choose, Guiness for delivery of lines, Ewan for a nigh impossible job of creating a younger imprint of him

 

oh yes completely, but I really do love the scene in Obi Wans house too, at first, (and Ewan was one of my fave actors b4 SW) I did not think he could make me believe he was a younger Alec but I really did, i love the 'hello there' to Grevious in Ep3...two towering performances of the fantasy/sci fi genre, and at least one of them really liked it![/quote]

Wow...at first I though that said the "love scenes in Obi Wans house.." and I was all like "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttt......"...

Well anyways, I have to go with Sir Alec Guinness....and not because Ewan McGregor is bad as Obi Wan, I think he is terrific! I think it's a tribute to him that we even have a debate like this since the original ANH role is so dang iconic....

 

James Arnold Taylor

 

McGregor did a very good job of portraying the young Obiwan in a way which matched Guinness's portrayal. Sir Alec, however, is the original and the best Obiwan imho. The man had gravitas.

 

I enjoyed Alec Guinness' work, but Ewan McGregor did a fantastic job in my opinion. He had to put his own spin on the role, but ultimately wind up adopting the mannerisms and speech patterns of the obi-wan established by Guiness. It was a great job of taking the character as his own but putting enough of Guinness in there for us to see continuity.

 

Both for me

 

Absolutely gotta be Sir Alec Guiness, though Ewan McGregor's portrayal is often one of my favorite things about the PT.

 

They were both great, but I don't know if anyone in either trilogy gives a better performance than Guinness.

 

He's since said that, on reflection, it was a very apt title due to it's Flash Gordon qualities and admitted regret at his initial reaction (foolishly, Lucasfilm forgot to inform the actors prior to the announcement and it left any who were making public appearances at that time, such as Ewan, off guard). I had the same reaction to the title (as did many). It just took a little while to settle. As did 'The Empire Strikes Back'.

I actually have an interview recorded with Ewan when he's only just seen a screening of AOTC shortly before it was taped. During the interview, he is beaming. He's like an overexcited kid. Over and over again he states "I love it!" and "I thought it was excellent!" and talks about how he can't wait to shoot Episode 3. I did have this video on a now deleted youtube account but I should probably upload it again. It's great. His enthusiasm is genuine and sincere. There's also been the candid moments during documentaries ('The Long Way Round') where he's seen quoting Obi-Wan lines and taking time to visit the Star Wars set in Tunisia. He really loves the franchise.

Yes, he did say he thought TPM was "a little flat" and that quote was taken out of context by the media and really exaggerated. He has explained and justified it several times over. He was also disappointed that the set wasn't quite the theme park the 7 year old in him thought it would be when he accepted the film (this was pure naivety on his part). But he's justified all of that when questioned further, without ever insulting the films. He's a pretty off-the-cuff guy anyway. He shoots from the hip and will often say things without proper consideration. He's on record as saying how he loves being in the PT in the sense that they were the first movies his kids (and indeed other kids) could watch him in and has often remarked how much he enjoyed being part of the whole experience. Watch his excitement when he tells stories about how kids come up to him and ask "did you really cut Darth Maul in half?!" He certainly has no regrets at all about accepting the job, and on the whole, his positive comments far outweigh any negative ones (those of which he has made are really no different to the kind Mark Hamill made about being on the Dagobah set during ESB). Harrison Ford actually spoke more disparagingly about the PT (and also ROTJ) than Ewan ever did, yet few people come out criticising him.

 

I remember a TPM-era interview in which he also explained that it was his first foray into FX-heavy work, and it was much, much harder work than he realised it would be. Working against blue or green screens with barely any set, and attempting to interact with characters who might be an actor in civvies or a crew member holding a marker for the eyeline (or just the marker itself) simply wasn't what he was used to.

The media onslaught would have been something new to him, as well. It's not surprising that an exhausted actor best known for indie films might have made the occasional comment that wasn't the same old 100% positive spin.

 

d_arblay

" He's a pretty off-the-cuff guy anyway. He shoots from the hip and will often say things without proper consideration."

Yep, that pretty much hits it. Having watched the couple of series that he did riding around certain parts of the world on his motorcycle he came across a decent, genuine and very ordinary (as in un-pretentious) individual. He does appear to have genuine affection for the Star Wars 'franchise' (I hate the term, it's so....corporate).

 

Both were outstanding as Obi-Wan. I personally thought Guinness's performance was better, especially as a mentor persona. But Mcgregor did very well playing a young Jedi who was still maturing emotionally and growing comfortable in the role of a teacher rather than a student.