PT Anakin and Shmi's Farewell in "THE PHANTOM MENACE"

I am drawing from what happened in the movies. You are drawing from what you have going on in that very active brain of yours.

 

I'm drawing from what happened in the movies too.

 

this is so unnecessary....

 

Anakin and Shmi's Farewell in "THE PHANTOM MENACE"...

...was ripped kicking and screaming from the heart of an after-school special.

 

That's cool. As long as it stays in the living room! I'd be worried if it made you get up, go to the neighbours and spontaneously hug them though...

 

August in general was excellent. Loved that in addition to the character's nurturing side with Anakin there was also this aura about her of a woman who had every right to despond yet instead simply (and bravely) acknowledged her reality. In many ways I felt like the scenes with Shmi and Qui-Gon were the first time in the series two truly adult characters were allowed to step into the forefront of Star Wars.

 

I think they nailed that scene as well. I also liked the "I will come back and free you, mom...I promise" line as well. I know AOTC was written after the fact, but in the element of the story, it was some nice foreshadowing.

the only thing I thought MILDLY dissappointing was that I felt the score could've been a bit more dramatic here. It wasn't bad, but I felt there was an opportunity to have had more.

 

I just saw TPM again (for the first time on Blu-ray), and this scene is definitely one of the most poignant/touching in the entire Saga - very well-done. When I first saw the scene in '99 I just knew that Anakin would probably not see his mother again, which made it all the more sad (the fact that Anakin had never had a father made the relationship with his Mom even more significant). It was also depressing to see a small child having to leave his mother and go far away. What made it all the more moving was knowing that his mother wanted him to have a better life, which is why she was letting him go (even though she hated to see him leave).

It's also interesting to note that in the years between EP I & II (and long before any EP II spoilers online), I was discussing the films with a friend, and they mentioned that they felt Anakin's turn to the darkside would have something to do with his mother....

 

didn't mind this scene actually,

"you can't stop the change anymore than you can stop the suns from setting"

very powerful moment,

one of the only few actually in TPM.

 

I don't think a heavily bawling Anakin would have been necessary . . . especially from a dramatic point of view. I feel that as a director, Lucas nailed that scene perfectly.

 

One of the few moments where Jake wasn't stiff. It was really emotional

 

The answers you are looking for are in John Ford's The Searchers.

 

This critique of AOTC has more details. Obviously, it being a kids' movie it doesn't say anything explicitly, but you can guess. As to why she waited for Anakin to come to her to die - I guess you have to accept it as being more dramatic. Shmi might have really hung on to her strength and then finally gave up.