AOTC Chapter 3: Return to Coruscant DISCUSSION

Until the release of ROTS on 5/19/05, I would like to discuss AOTC chapter by chapter on the DVD. There are 47 chapters to discuss over the next 8 months, excluding Chapter 1: Opening Logos, Chapter 2: Attack of the Clones and Chapter 50: End Credits.

Each discussion will last 5 days. At the end of 5 days, the following chapter will be posted.

Chapter 3: Return to Coruscant
DISCUSSION: August 29, 2004 - September 3, 2004
DVD TIME INDEX: 1:51 - 4:22

Synopsis:
Pan up from scroll. Padme's Senatorial Cruiser comes over camera at it approaches Coruscant. A Naboo Officer tells Senator Amidala that they are approaching the planet. The ship flies toward a landing platform in the midst of some murky fog. The ship lands. Captain Typho and a female pilot exit their N-1 Starfighters. Senator Amidala and entourage descend the ramp of the Senatorial Cruiser. Parts of the cruiser blow up. Senator Amidala and entourage lie unconcious on the platform. The female pilot rushes over to the senator and reveals herself to actually be Senator Amidala. The decoy, Corde, tell Amidala that she has failed her. Captain Typho tries to persuade Amidala to leave the platform for her own safety. She agrees. Senator Amidala, Captain Typho and remaining entourage leave the platform. END OF CHAPTER

Opinion:
This was a different approach to the beginning of a Star Wars movie with the Pan Up. I liked how Lucas ended TPM centered around Padme and began AOTC with Padme.

This added a new element of mystery to the saga. We don't know who tried to assassinate the senator. The original script called for Jar-Jar to be in this scene. We are grateful for this omission.

I liked the use of a decoy. It still ties into the fact from TPM that since Padme's in a political position, she needs to be protected. It's good to see that she does have piloting skills to add more depth to Luke, since both his parents can fly.

Every Star Wars opening has some tragedy and this is no exception. Very good scene.

 

The thing I enjoyed most about this scene was The ineteresting shot of Coruscant, and buildings protruding throught the fog/clouds.

This scene is also diffrent than the begining of other Star Wars openings, for the camra pans up insted of down.

 

I think the most interesting opening chapter in any SW film. The mystery and then the plot twist suddenly. I also like the music that comes on as we see the fog and the buildings.
Excellent beginning.

 

My only problem with that scene is when they are flying over the fog, it looks a lot more CGI-y than usual.

 

Worst acting in the whole movie.

[/$0.02]

 

I found two interesting things about the scene (amongst already what was mentioned), was the protruding buildings and one of them in particular shaped exactly (well to me anyway) like those Superdroids.

Second and my ultimate fav. would be the landing of the Senator's Starship at the platform, particularly when it seems to go above screen as if its ominously right over our heads. Awesome.

 

This was a different approach to the beginning of a Star Wars movie with the Pan Up.

Technically its a tilt not a pan that starts every film. And technically AOTC starts with everything upside down so it actually tilted down.

 

I was always a huge fan of the second shot of the cruiser blowing up, the pan out to show the wreckage smashing into an N-1 Fighter and knocking it over the side. I'm still not a big fan of the fog effect - the landing in TPM looked better - it looked like the actors were actually there.

It's a nice dramatic way of opening the movie - similar to TPM and ANH. My problem with it is it seems such a rehash from the first movie in terms of role - Padme may be a Senator, but she still uses doubles and travels in a silver ship. I think I would have rathered have her travelling in some conventional vehicle that is bombed.

 

very cool, i love the symbolism with the fog, and i would say that it's just good old fashioned sw acting style!

 

There are two touches in this scene that characterize the whole movie.

1. Pan up instead of down. This is the episode where everything's backwards. The rebels are the enemy; the proto-stormtroopers are on our side; the leader of the Republic is constantly lying and the leader of the enemies actually tells the truth. This is supported throughout the movie by the way Lucas compiles the shots (e.g. clonetroopers move "unnaturally" from right to left).

2. The clouds. This is the episode where everything is obscure. None of the characters (except Palpatine) really knows what's going on. The plot revolves around a mystery. In this very scene, Captain Typho (appropriately blind in one eye) declares that there was "no danger at all" a mere second before the assassination attempt. Yoda stresses that the Dark Side clouds everything - "Impossible to see the future is".

These are two brilliant touches that go unnoticed on the first viewing.

 

Thats really smart on yuor part man. Good job.

 

One thing I don't like about this scene is Cordé apologising and saying she failed, I don't like the acting there and I don't see how she failed, she took the explosion for the Queen and thats her job. Padmé should just have stood looking at her dead body and whispered her name looking distraught or something instead of getting there for her last few words (which happens later in the film anyway with Anakin and Shmi).

 

Padmé should just have stood looking at her dead body and whispered her name looking distraught or something instead of getting there for her last few words (which happens later in the film anyway with Anakin and Shmi).

Yet another one of GL's "parallels". Not only must the motifs be from movie to movie, they must be from scene to scene. Padme reacts by going to Palpatine's office and discussing matters. Anakin reacts by slaughtering an entire Tusken settlement.

 

I love Pamde's line, "I shouldn't have come back."

The way it's so emphasized and the way the music twists at that point, it's like she's talking to the audience instead of making a general statement. I love it when Star Wars does that kind of stuff.

The opening of TPM strikes me the same way, with the "monsters coming through the door" reversal thing. It makes me feel like I'm sitting in a theater, even on a TV screen.

Breaking the forth wall (sorta) is awesome when done correctly.

 

The scene also changes the dynamic on Coruscant - action actually happens there! It's not just on the far flung planets.

 

Not to get off topic, but GL defines it as a pan. Check out the TPM: Illustrated Scrrenplay and the AOTC screenplay in the Art of AOTC. I'm still learning technical screenplay terms.

 

Tilt is a term developed to help people differentiate it from a PAN. A PAN is a horizontal movement, a TILT is a vertical one.

HOWEVER - there is nothing wrong with using PAN to describe a vertical movement whatsoever. It's not rocket science, after all

 

Agreed! Coruscant always looks beautiful, expecially seen from space. You imediately see this is a very special world.
I must say I am not too fond of the acting in this scene, but I love the somber mood, and the Naboo ship is so incredibly corgeous.

 

Just to chime in........

Its already been said, but its a perfert openning for the movies. Everything is upside down and cloudy AOTC.

The Darkside clouds everything.

 

This scene was a mixed bag for me. Some of the visual elements were outstanding but the acting was not as convincing as I would have hoped. The reversed opening shot was fresh and unique, and also reflective about the nature of the film, and the galaxy itself. I really admire the designs of the Naboo technology so it was nice to see the starfighters again, and the WW2 bomber design for the royal starship was very cool. Being able to see Coruscant once again in a different light was also a nice touch, and the effects shots (barring the overhead of the skyscrapers, which looked a little too fabricated but nothing too bad) were very realistic.

The shot of the fighters landing through the fog conveyed such an eerie feeling, and gave the impression that there was an unsettling threat looming. The starships explosion still got quite a jolt out of me like the Radiant in TPM, but it's good to know that this will be the last time one of the films opens with a docked ship being blown to bits

The scene's true downside was the quality of the acting. While it wasn't exaclty horrible, it just didn't seem natural enough. Corde's death seemed a bit overplayed, but Padme's reactions and facial expressions were convincing.

The scene fufilled its purpose in establishing a threat to Padme's life, and setting the tone of mystery and unseen danger that the film carries further throughout its progression. It was visually fresh, yet simple...not one of my favorite Star Wars openings but decent in its own right.

 

I love the fog - as a few people have mentioned, it is, quite physically, the cloud of the Dark Side - you can't quite tell what's going on, but you just have a feeling something is wrong. This theme is continued with the use of the handmaiden/double - even the assassin cannot quite see clearly, and makes the mistake of killing the handmaiden rather than Padme. The use of the double also begins the theme of duality in this movie, where a lot of characters have two sides to their nature - Padme is torn between being a Senator and her love for Anakin; Anakin between being a Jedi and being with Padme; Palpatine is Chancellor and Darth Sidious; Dooku is separatist leader and Sith Lord; Yoda is a little old man and a great warrior; Jango is cold-blooded bounty hunter and loving father, etc. etc. All the characters' roles are being defined in this movie, and this begins with Padme and her handmaiden. Perhaps this also shows where the movie ends up - Padme starts the movie, not in a Senatorial gown, but in a starfighter, a war machine - she then goes on to fight in the Battle of Geonosis. With the scenes that were cut out, we never see Padme really doing her duty in this movie and addressing the Senate. Padme perhaps finds her true role in this movie - not as a Senator, but as a fighter on the front line, and as a wife to Anakin (Artoo is in her fighter, just as he was in Anakin's fighter in TPM - she's already connected to him at the start of the movie).

The music's great in this scene, and as GL says on the commentary, it's cool that Artoo is the first main character to get a close-up - so much of the story is told from his POV. The whole atmosphere of the opening scene is one of mystery, which really sets up the whole movie wonderfully well - the overpowering feeling in this movie is one of mystery, uncertainty, danger and mistrust, and the first scene is perfect in setting that up.

 

it seems to go above screen as if its ominously right over our heads.

I like how you used the word ominious. it is quite fitting for this entire movie, actualy.

Even if we hadn't seen the movie, we would be able to feel the ominoud presence; feel that something bad is just arround the corner.


1. Pan up instead of down. This is the episode where everything's backwards. The rebels are the enemy; the proto-stormtroopers are on our side; the leader of the Republic is constantly lying and the leader of the enemies actually tells the truth. This is supported throughout the movie by the way Lucas compiles the shots (e.g. clonetroopers move "unnaturally" from right to left).


If you think about it though, you realise that there are only two things truly backwards:

1) Us

2) The Jedi.

We are viewing the republic and teh clones as the good guys, mostly because of the Jedi and the PoV of the good guys, esp in this movie, if you think about this, you'll realise that in this movie we were almost entierly focused on the PoV of the good guys and the republic, this is was to strengthen our good picture of them, while at the same time, if we were to be seeing both sides, our opinion of the goodness of the republic has gone way down since TPM. We all know that the Republic is going to be transformed into the empire, and for all we know, the first of the rebel recruits will be former seperatists.

EDIT: So when are you ging to start the Chapter 4 Thread? Or are you eventualy going to change this thread into that.

 

Thank you for all your participation in CBC (Chapter by Chapter). AOTC Chapter 4: Chancellor's Meeting DISCUSSION will be made available 12:00 AM EST. Although the discussion timeframe has passed, you may still discuss this chapter at your convienience. However, we will be moving on to the next chapter.

-Moleman1138

 

Good scene I enjoyed it because it was such a twist.