PT Iconic Images: Favorite visuals of the PT

TPM: the Theed reactor duel.
AotC: Ths open warfare scenes we get between the clones and the Separatists. It's the perfect way to kick off the Clone Wars.
RotS: the opening space battle. Shows the Clone Wars at its climax.

 

Any shot with the smoke, dust, dirt, and fire of the Battle of Geonosis. It's become my favorite Star Wars battle.

 

I love the fact that you called him Vader. Too often people refer to him as Anakin until he gets in the suit.

My favorite would have to be the shadow of Anakin and Padme against the Lars homestead.

 

Of course. It's not what he's wearing that makes him a different character. Anakin died the moment Sidious knighted him as Vader, imo.

 

A thread in ST Spoilers is discussing Cinematic techniques. A discussion took place regarding the "framing of shots". I thought TPM had some marvellous "framing". Here is one with Padme just after she has said : "I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war".

 

"Best Framing" award -- for me -- goes to AOTC. It's a very "wide" movie, in my opinion, with very generous framings, and a lot of super-duper panoramic shots. The fact that Lucas was slightly restricted in his lighting and focal choices (due to the digital sensor/lens system) seems to have encouraged him to become even more spatially adroit in the second prequel episode.

I'm not putting TPM down, though. For me, its visuals go more toward a "storybook", or even a "postcard", look. Shots are a bit tighter and the whole colour/design scheme lends a slightly more juvenile quality. I was watching the Battle of Naboo recently and it hit me that every image makes for some immaculate "bubblegum sticker" picture -- only, all these images are moving, hurtling, toward you (or even away from you in some respect), with rippling colour, awesome cadence, and epic sound.

 

this:

 

I dunno. The framing of the original DVD release version of TPM was a bit cropped compared to the original theatrical version. This has been corrected since the Blu-ray and the most recent Blu-ray/DVD release. If you still get your Phantom Menace kicks from the original DVD, I recommend you upgrade because IMO it's vastly improved—the shots are much more panoramic and less "tight." More comparable to AOTC in that regard, IMO.

 

I can't upgrade because I don't have a Blu-ray player (stand-alone or integrated into my PC). And I have too little money to correct that right now. It infuriates me, actually, that DVD made a quick transition to the PC world, but Blu-ray seems to have taken forever to become mainstream in the same world. I bought the PC I'm using now, brand new, back in April, but it only has a standard DVD-ROM/writer drive. It's odd, since virtually all PC monitors are now high-definition (they were higher definition than DVD, even, when DVD-ROM drives became a common fixture), with resolutions of 1080p and even higher, yet in cheaper PCs (desktop and laptop), at least, you still can't find many with Blu-ray drives. Maybe that's changed in the past 6-8 months, but it wasn't the case when I looked in April, and I'm stuck with what I've got for now.

Anyway, rant aside, I *do* have a fairly crappy-quality Blu-ray rip downloaded from YouTube: heavily compressed, only in 320p, but it gets the point across. The framing is wider, sure, and I already looked up the matter when the "Complete Saga" was first released, but it's not so much wider that TPM becomes a new movie or anything. The framing of TPM, in my opinion, doesn't seriously rival AOTC's for width. If you want a good example of what I was talking about, I recommend the first scene in Palpatine's office. Lucas tries out some really wide compositions there: e.g., the reverse shot of Padme and the Loyalist Committee all bunched together with Mace and Yoda featuring as well. AOTC is almost super-wide in places, while TPM is generally more box-y. One style is not superior to the other, as such; I just think it's an aspect of AOTC worth noting.

As for that TPM Blu-ray transfer... it's botched. Not badly, perhaps, but it's not all that it could be, in my opinion. I'm aware that it suffers from heavy DNR in places (this was also quite noticeable and a little distracting when I saw TPM 3D -- which was clearly built from the same transfer) and also has had a fresh colour timing. Black levels also seem to have been turned up, resulting in an overly-bright and somewhat-flat image, especially on Tatooine. This stuff reaches a nadir in some of those last scenes on Tatooine: the scenes between Anakin and his mother. It seems that no-one but me cares about this, but go and find a copy of, say, a behind-the-scenes featurette (there's material up on YouTube) and note the rich colours throughout when film footage is used. If you can find the Tatooine stuff I'm talking about and do a side-by-side comparison, I can assure you that it looked FAR better before. On the Blu-ray, those final scenes between Anakin and his mother (particularly the indoor scene when Anakin is told he's been freed) look almost monochrome. They're way too brown, whereas before, they had a much deeper blend of subtle (and realistic) earth tones (soft oranges, yellows, greens, and greys). Really, really bad. Unfortunately, TPM was manhandled at some point after its theatrical release and still has yet to fully spread its wings.

 

FWIW, the box set I linked to is a Blu-ray/DVD combo set, so it has the latest versions of the movies on both Blu-ray and DVD.

 

I'm a Brit. On Amazon.co.uk, I can only find this DVD-only version:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Prequel-Trilogy-Episodes/dp/B00E0NHP9M/

Boooo!

 

Even though I hate The Phantom Menace, it had some beautiful visuals. The palace scenes on Naboo are gorgeous.

Others that stand out:

The design of Kamino with the crashing waves
The Wookie planet

 

The clones coming to a sudden stop behind Ki-Adi-Mundi, with the camera beginning at their feet, as they turn on their general.

 

Iconic Images From the Prequels

Let's face it, over time, the Star Wars Trilogy has been embedded into pop culture. Most people who haven't even seen the movies can identify Yoda or Vader without hesitation. The same series spawned many memorable quotes as well, probably the most-notable being "may the Force be with you."

So as we look to the prequels, not as much time has passed, and I'm curious as to what pieces of these movies have become a part of pop culture so far.

To start, I'll say that I think the most recognizable image to come out of the prequels is Darth Maul. His snarling, tattooed face can be attributed to Star Wars by many who've never seen the movie. His double-bladed lightsaber is also something that's lived on.

The appearance in general of Jedi Knights has been cemented by The Phantom Menace; the most iconic aspect being the Jedi robe (we had previously only seen Ben wear one in ANH and Luke had a similar cape in ROTJ). The padawan braid is also pretty well-known.

Some things people often attribute to the OT have actually originated in the prequels. Correct me if I'm wrong, but physically Force-pushing an object (specifically, a Battle Droid) first occurred in The Phantom Menace.

I've also seen the Vadering meme catch on, although Vader never lifts anyone up while choking them with the Force in the OT; this was done in Revenge of the Sith by Dooku.
That's all I've got for now.

Mod Edit: Merging with Favorite Visuals of the PT.

 

I picked each of these images because they each represent an iconic turning point in the PT.

Obi Wan and Qui Gon VS Darth Maul - This is the moment in the PT when we get our first big Jedi VS Sith duel, and what a duel it is. We get our first double bladed lightsaber, and all 3 Saga colors are represented in this one duel. It's the duel that makes Obi Wan Kenobi the Jedi Master of Anakin Skywalker.

Yoda VS Dooku - This is the first time in the Saga we get to see Yoda using a lightsaber.

Operation Knightfall - "A young Jedi by the name of Darth Vader. He was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil. He helped the Empire hunt down and murder the Jedi." Here it begins, the beginning of the end for the Jedi Order in the Old Republic. As Darth Vader leads the 501st up the Temple steps to exterminate every living Jedi inside and seal Vader's allegiance to the Empire that lasts to his redemption.

Sith Eyes - Anakin Skywalker is no more, consumed by Darth Vader as revealed Anakin's once blue eyes are burned away.

Declaration of a New Order - "....the Republic shall be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire!" The moment that the entire PT has led up to, Palpatine declaring the Empire.

Vader Choking Padme - This is the first moment that we see Darth Vader using his infamous Force Choke, and it's against his wife, no less. It's the action that causes Padme to lose all faith in her husband, and the act that Darth Vader regrets for the rest of is life.

Darth Vader VS Obi Wan - The duel that we see master forcibly pitted against ex-student which leaves Darth Vader permanently encased in his iconic black armor.

Darth Vader... Rise - Darth Vader has now been permanently imprisoned into the armor that he wears for the rest of his life, the armor that has become one of the most famous visages in cinematic history.

Birth of Imperial Might - The three master planners, Tarkin, Palpatine, and Vader, all together on a Star Destroyer bridge overseeing the construction of the Death Star. This one scene is like a window into the ominous future of what to expect for ANH.

Binary Sunset - Easily one of the most iconic shots from the OT is foreshadowed upon with Owen, Beru, and baby Luke watching the twin suns set over the Tattooine landscape.

 

Podracing is iconic.

Vader's birth with the shot of him taking his first breath and the smoke dissipating.

Palpatine's deformation.

Duel of the Fates, but especially Maul appearing from behind the blast door, with "evil daubed on his face" as one viewer nicely put it: http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/re-watching-phantom-menace.html

Yoda and Dooku battling it out.

Yes, the lava battle from ROTS.

The senate chamber being wrecked.

The awkward kiss between Padme and Anakin at the lake retreat.

Jar Jar running about all over the grassy plains.

Watto.

The end celebration on Naboo.

Palpatine overseeing the clone troops and the warships at the end of AOTC.

The wedding of Anakin and Padme.

Order 66.

Anakin taking his first steps to becoming Darth Vader in that Tusken tent, lit by the amber-brown glow of the fire.

The Neimoidians -- or, at least, their accents.

The red dress that Queen Amidala wears in her first appearance holding court.

Threepio getting mixed up and marched into the heat of battle and his silly puns.

Mace Windu and his purple saber.

Battle droids.

Chrome starships and laser guns.

Jango Fett and the clones.

Anakin building C-3PO and the early skeletal look of him.

Padme in white.

Padme in black.


All that stuff is pretty iconic, I'd say.

 

There's something familiar about this place.

 

Don't have the pic but: Anakin shedding a single tear as he looks over the outlook of Mustafar. Signifying how disgusted he us at what he has become, but there is no turning back from this point.

 

It's also a notable example of Anakin giving himself or some mysterious "other" the "evil eye" -- which, curiously enough, Mace earlier did, in the same direction, to Anakin, when Anakin says, "You can't!" as Mace was about to execute Palpatine, saber at the ready.

 

The Phantom Menace in 3D. It was different. Peculiar. I for one enjoyed it as an experiment; non-essential but nonetheless fascinating on its own accord. At the very least it serviced the visuals handsomely. In any event, I was just happy enough to see the film again on the big screen, and further jazzed that Episode II & III would soon follow. It wasn't until some time later that the notion of a stereoscoped Attack of the Clones really began to sink in, and with it a growing anticipation for the already weirdly elegant, anamorphic bent retooled in such a way that would emphasize all those unique vistas that Lucas and Co. had achieved, amongst other stranger elements of that film as a whole. Alas, this was not meant to be, and likely never will be. Something tells me that Disney/Kennedy are "too cool for school" on all things the Prequel Trilogy. This bummed me out. Recently, however, I purchased a View-Master, along with a 3 reel, 21 frame set of Attack of the Clones.

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The result is like glimpsing an alternate timeline that is quite tantalizing. A tiny View-Master frame is no match for a cinema experience, yet one can definitely get a sense of how the film in question would astound with a three-dimensional warp. The following image is one that can be enjoyed amidst the View-Master set.

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I chose this image specifically for the use of depth already inherent in its design. In 3D this Sword-and-Sandal/Harryhausen inspired set piece takes on a whole new life; the vast arena enlivened with actual space and distance, with Obi-Wan a mere 30 paces from your theater seat. Much of it framed at a ground level POV, this sequence truly would have left audiences standing in the center of this spectacle event. Lucas' adherence to classical framing and staging -- avoiding any M. Bay swirling camera trick chaos -- coupled with his deft touch for an evenly measured, editorial shot-flow allows one to not just read, but drink in the scale of nearly every individual image on its own. Therefore, similar to The Wizard of Oz, I can think of very few modern movies that would benefit in 3D to the degree of Attack of the Clones (the Prequels altogether), giving a kind of 'cinema gallery' treatment to its storyboarded imagery.

 

A "blink and you'll miss it" moment, but this is probably the 'coolest' lightsaber move of the saga, that still makes my inner 12-year old self smile:

 

He's probably done that trick so many times and lost so many robes and shirts in the process.

 

I love that bit too. And the first shot, just of the shadows of the marching Battledroids. Brilliant

 

When the day comes where media technology fully merges with clothing accessory, this will be my first GIF-shirt.

Come on, science!