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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Star Wars for International Audiences--Calling All Non-U.S. Fans :-)

Discussion in 'Star Wars Community' started by Pensivia, Jul 25, 2013.

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For non-U.S. posters in this thread: Where are you originally from?

  1. Europe

    6 vote(s)
    50.0%
  2. Latin America (Mexico, Central America, South America)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. Canada

    2 vote(s)
    16.7%
  4. Australia or New Zealand

    3 vote(s)
    25.0%
  5. Africa

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  6. Asia

    1 vote(s)
    8.3%
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  1. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    In this thread, I'm interested in hearing from our international JCF'ers on any aspect of SW they can think of. Here are just a few possibilities for discussion:

    --If English is not your native language, do you prefer to see SW films/TV shows in your first language (dubbed? subtitled?) or in English? (and why?) Can you think of any funny dialogue "mistranslations" that have occurred when the films have been translated into your native language?

    --Do you think SW fandom is more common or more rare in your country? (Obviously, I think it's pretty common in the UK and some other non-U.S. countries, and generally popular in many different countries overall, but maybe some more than others?) Do you know many other SW fans from your country? (other than ones you have met here on the JCF)? (Not talking just "casual fans" here, but people who are really into it with collecting or costuming or going to special SW events/conventions etc.)

    --We know that George Lucas was interested in trying to create characters and storylines that would be rooted in certain basic types of mythological traditions common to many cultures. Are there any of your country's particular ancient myths/legends/folklore that you think relate closely to any aspects of SW?

    --What aspects of SW films (if any) seem particularly "American" to you to? particular characters? dialogue? etc.

    Those are just a few ideas--I'm sure the wonderful SWC can come up with other interesting angles I haven't thought of...Basically I'm interested in any internationally-oriented type of contribution:) (Non-U.S. posters: please also vote in the country poll above.)
     
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  2. MOC Vober Dand

    MOC Vober Dand Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 6, 2004
    Good idea JCP. :) When time permits I will respond to this in a manner befitting its original post.

    In short though, I'm a long time SW fan from New Zealand.
     
    Pensivia likes this.
  3. Hando

    Hando Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2013
    1) Being English - no such luck on this one.

    2) To be honest the internet introduced MANY fans to one another, true collectors and fans of all guises and forums were great! And then everyone went to Facebook and its all gone a bit Pete Tong for me lately. :(
    Shame really but groups I've been involved in have all disbanded and people have either moved over to FB or just lost the passion of late. In my short time on FB collectors forums all became ULTRA competitive and lost the sense of community, driving people away.

    3) Oooo, loads and loads. The Arthurian legends and many general myths and legends of the UK. Wizards, Hero's, Grand Villains etc. Small town nobody rises up to become the hero of the Galaxies greatest adventure, the fall of an insurmountable evil empire its all there. :)

    4) Drag racing / Pod Racing ;) or "The American Dream" is realised in SW. :)
     
    Pensivia likes this.
  4. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Interesting... I think GL even says in one of the audio commentaries that the whole pod racing sequence (from the scene where Ani shows the pod he's always tinkering with to the other kids all the way through the race itself) was tied to his sort of "Americana-esque" memories of growing up around that sort of thing in his hometown in Modesto, CA, which of course connects it to his film American Graffiti as well.

    The idea of the "American Dream" thing is interesting, too...I'm always curious how people in other countries view that concept. I had not thought of the AD angle to SW before, but yeah, it definitely fits!
     
    Hando likes this.
  5. Hando

    Hando Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2013
    Tbh Pennie they are probably theories I have read / heard / seen and hence had imbedded in me by someone of far higher intellect, lol.
    I know GL is renowned for his love of speed and I'm sure I've seen it somewhere that was a link between himself, Harrison and Mark.

    Strange thing is thinking about it further didn't Mark get his ESB "wounds" from a car crash, Harrison got his chin scar from a car accident (though I think he was only pulling out of his drive or something) and didn't George also nearly do himself in in a car accident. Some of this could be very far from the mark though.
     
  6. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Hmmm...yes, very interesting, Hando, and thinking about the idea of the "drag racing" element of TPM being associated with "Americanness," I found an interesting short (1-pg) article on "GL and California car culture." The article includes a newspaper photo of what GL's car looked like after the accident, which happened when another teenager was trying to pass him at high speeds. Here's an interesting quote from the article:

    "California was an early leader in the modern American fascination with the power and art of the automobile. Hot rodding began to form as a favorite southern California pastime by the late 1930s. Model T's and A's were 'souped up' for greater performance as the local landscape provided ample testing ground. ...Early rodders in California were able to perfect their rods and push them to their limits because they had easy access to flat, dry lake beds in unpopulated desert areas, a relatively safe environment for high-speed runs that were almost impossible to find in the rest of the country. The weather helped too. Topless and fenderless roadsters weren't very practical in the Pacific Northwest or northern New England."

    The part in bold definitely sounds similar to the Tatooine setting of the pod race, doesn't it?

    Now, as for Harrison's accident, yes, you are right that was due to much less dare-devil type of incident. Here's a funny interview clip of Ford from 2010 describing the accident and the resulting now-famous chin scar to David Letterman (the part about the accident starts at about 5:05):



    I don't know much about Hamill's accident. I think I read somewhere that he never really officially came out with all the details about that, but I could be wrong.
     
    Hando likes this.
  7. MOC Vober Dand

    MOC Vober Dand Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 6, 2004
    English is my first language so there's no issue there re Star Wars viewing. We tend to speak English English rather than American English, which is significant in some situations, but I don't think when viewing Star Wars is one of them.

    Star Wars was absolutely massive here in the 80's. As a kid growing up, the number one thing was Star Wars and number two was fresh air. There are a number of very hardcore fans in New Zealand and we have our own outpost of the 501st Legion. They're a great bunch of people and turn up in all kinds of places, keeping SW visible and doing good things. There are a few pretty serious collectors even in the smallish city in which I live. So I'd day SW fandom s alive and well in Aotearoa.

    I'm of European decent, but if you're talking traditional New Zealand folktales etc which differ from other European countries, you'd be looking at traditional Maori folktales. I can't claim to be an expert there, but most of what I know tends to focus on tales to explain natural phenomena. Someone else may be able to expand on that.

    American-ness? Hmmm. ANH feels like a Western to me. It's black hat v white hat, Han Solo is basically a cowboy in space and there's that sense of a frontier to be conquered isn't there? It feels equally like a Kurosawa film though, which isn't surprising considering the director's influences. ROTJ feels like a 1980's BBC production when I watch it now. It just feels completely different to me. TESB is unique for me. It doesn't remind me of anything other than itself. I think there's a universality to it. The PT feels a lot like a Hollywood blockbuster to me. I think the advent of CG has led to a certain homogeneity amongst the big budget, action-based films of modern times.

    The drag racing thing I agree with. Harkens back to that era in the US in which GL grew up. Not sure if that was quite as distinctive, at least in art, in other countries.
     
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  8. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Yeah, Han is definitely such the [face_cowboy] figure, isn't he? I've always heard about Kurosawa, but I think the only film of his I've seen is Dreams. Need to check some of his earlier stuff out for sure.

    Interesting...what feels "BBC"-ish about it to you? (If you can put your finger on it...)

    Yeah, I definitely agree about the overall effect of CG on that type of film. The PT still felt so "Star Wars-y" to me that I responded to it differently than I do most Hollywood blockbusters (my usual response is indifference...I just don't go to see a lot of the "big" action-oriented movies that come out), but actually my "fear" about the SW franchise going forward is that, without GL, it will become more and more "generic-feeling" in this way. I felt that way about both of the Abrams Star Trek films. I've always been somewhat of a Trek fan (though certainly not to the level of my SW fan feelings!), and even though those films were entertaining to me at the time, and I definitely had pre-existing fondness for most of the main characters, ultimately the films just seemed "generic" to me (lacking that hard-to-define quality of "heart") and they are not the kind of films I'm interested in owning or rewatching again later. Let's just hope my "fears" turn out to be unfounded!
     
  9. MOC Vober Dand

    MOC Vober Dand Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 6, 2004
    Hidden Fortress is worth a look if you like SW.[face_cowboy]

    Yes, the PT does retain it's SWish-ness, I agree. I didn't mean blockbuster-like in terms of being big and dumb. Just that most of the big budget CGI films of recent times all have a certain 'I'm massive' feel to them. They search for expanse, whereas I always feel that ANH and TESB are quite intimate films.

    The BBC thing is hard to put a finger on. May need someone with more technical knowledge. It's not so much the content of the film as just what it looks like now. Hmm, that's not very helpful is it? :confused:
     
    Hando likes this.
  10. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Ah, yes, I see what you mean, and I def agree about that "large-scale" vs "intimate" feel. [Side note: I'm really curious to see what I will think when I watch the OT again. I think I've mentioned before I'm working my way through them on blu-ray after having finally bought a blu-ray player and larger TV this year. I haven't watched any of the three OT films in their entirety in quite a long while.]

    I understand the difficulty. I can't even explain exactly what I mean by saying that the prequels seeming decidely "Star Wars-y" enough for me--even though one of my fears about Ep VII is that it won't feel enough that way!

    Btw, do you kiwis have a gov't-sponsored equivalent to the BBC there?
     
  11. Hando

    Hando Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2013
    Yip, thats probably it - hit the nail on the head with the lake beds.

    That man just oozes cool - and theres another American'ism', yes us Brits can play baddies, thinkers and this and that but I can't think of an English actor that could pull the Han and Indy roles off so well. That role cries out for an American, for me anyway. Look at that dude in Serenity - Han Solo. The Shatner character in the new Star Treks - Han Solo. Its hard to describe but I know what I mean. [face_laugh]

    Oh, and definitely watch Kurosawas 'Fortress . . . its very much Star Wars. Look at all of the Japanese influence as well thinking about it "Han", "Obi", Vaders Samurai Helmet, the Aikido fighting styles etc etc
    (But thats all for another thread!)
     
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  12. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    ...maybe identifying that somewhat elusive quality of "Americanness" is sort of like what a U.S. Supreme Court justice once famously wrote in a ruling about attempting to come up for a definition for "obscenity": we can't necessarily completely define it, but "we know it when we see it" [face_laugh]

    Edit: and I definitely agree with you about Ford's "cool" factor...as they say, "guys want to be him, and girls want to date him..." I can still remember all my Han Solo and Indiana Jones posters covering my bedroom walls during my teen years in the 80s[face_love]
     
    Hando likes this.
  13. MOC Vober Dand

    MOC Vober Dand Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 6, 2004
    We have a state broadcaster but its not like bbc. I.e. it's full of reality tv and unfomercials!
     
  14. Hando

    Hando Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2013
    In many ways he is Star Wars for me as a kid. "Chewie get us out of here!" "FLying through space ain't like dusting crops boy" "What an amazing smell you've discovered"
    Yeah I still want to be him, lol! [face_laugh]

    Sometimes the BBC is a bit like that. . . . don't get me wrong they make AMAZING TV buttheir news is very blinkered being "state" controlled. [face_shame_on_you]
     
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  15. Arie

    Arie Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2013
    Star Wars dubbed in my native language would be unintentionally hilarious! While I would enjoy a Tagalog version of Star Wars for comedic purposes I'd rather stick with the English so I wouldn't be laughing the whole time. The films have never been translated to my native languages but you can here some Tagalog words from the Ewoks.

    Star Wars is very popular in my country. I've seen Storm Troopers walking around in my college campus more than once!

    I'm no expert but the myths in my country are more of the "scare your children to keep them from going out at night" rather than the mythical warrior and heroes that the SW universe has.

    Definitely the Pod races and Han Solo's cowboy vibe!
     
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  16. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Hi, Arie, and thanks for your interesting reply! I had to look up "Tagalog" as I had not heard of it...so I guess that means you're from the Phillipines, right? :cool: Actually, I had always wondered about the native language(s) there even though I knew that English is also widely spoken in the Phillipines.

    I didn't know that the Ewoks use some Tagalog words...do you know/remember any of what they are saying in Tagalog in those scenes? (Speaking of non-English languages used in SW, I noticed there's another new thread about what Nien Nunb is saying in Kenyan in ROTJ...). I'll have to look up Tagalog on YouTube as I'm curious to hear what it sounds like now:).

    And, welcome to the boards! I love your avatar--Darth Vader is letting his inner "flower child" show...I think Padme would definitely approve!;)
     
    Arie likes this.
  17. Arie

    Arie Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2013
    No problem Pensivia!

    My memory may be faulty but I think it was when 3CPO wa being worshipped. I definitely heard " Ayon! Puno daw to!" which translates to "There! This one is the leader!"

    There was another scene I think where an ewok was killed and another ewok said something like " Wala na, Patay!" which means " It's over! Dead!"

    Thank you for the welcome! Not even Vader can resist the allure of the flower crowns! Maybe we can pretend Padme made it for him ;)
     
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  18. Hando

    Hando Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2013
    Wow - some Ewok trasnlated thats made my day. :)
     
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  19. Arie

    Arie Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2013
    Glad to hear that Hando! Now you can add some Ewokese/Tagalog to your vocabulary.;)
     
    Hando likes this.
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