AOTC: Editing "Mistake" Actually Deliberate?

I agree with Hundall.
Lovely shot. Bad poetry.
ANAKIN: Yeah, I'm on this "Heroe's Journey" I guess you could call it. Umm. I'm a little embarrassed to ask but...

JAWA: *Sigh* You take the I9 South till you reach...

Yes, he was originally being directed to the slain farmers, but in the movie nothing suggest this. That particular shot also isn't very deserving of the swell of DotF. It's Jawas. Oh well. It doesn't ruin anything for me. I just don't like the poetry behind it.

I also think it was a bad cut when we go to Obi-Wan. The wipes don't always wipe to a completely different story. In ANH, we go from 3PO and R2 to 3PO wandering the desert. Same planet, same character, but music starts. I too thought it was Anakin as we had just seen him pass some similar enough looking rock structures. The music was also winding down from DotF from the previous scene with the drums.

We're not alone. Lucas thought it was a bad cut as well. Or rather, fine cut, but a bad sum of the previous parts. He mentions in the Making of RotS book that he wants each environment to look distinctly different as possible because last time (AotC) the designs resulted in a confusing cut.

 

It never confused me.

 

*shrug*
*Gives you a cookie?*

You usually add more than that...
*Recharges your battery*

 

That's probably because of your big brain.

However, since even Lucas acknowledges that it was a confusing cut...

...I won't beat myself up too much for being momentarily confused.

 

I never thought there was no editing mistake in these two scenes. In fact, I could tell when the scene switched from Tatooine to Geonosis, or vice versa. But since both scenes were probably filmed not far from each other, judging by the rock formation of each scene.

I saw nothing wrong in Anakin asking the Jawas for directions. Considering his emotional state at the time, why do so many expect otherwise? Why is it when a character act in a less-than-perfect manner, people pass it off as bad writing on the filmaker's point?

 

We shouldn't have to read the book to explain the movie. The way it is presented in the film, Anakin sets off to look for Shmi, consults the Jawas and then finds the Tusken camp. It's not unreasonable to assume that he was asking them for directions to the Tuskens.

Well, I'm of the school of thought that believes that the "Chosen One" should be able to find his mother without resorting to asking directions from the local lowlife. He's been having images of Shmi in pain from across the galaxy - but then he can't find her when they're both on the same planet?!

 

Are you saying that he should have been able to feel Shmi's pain AT ALL TIMES, because he's the "Chosen One"? Aren't you being a little dogmatic?

 

Anakin is metaphorically being drawn in by the feminimity of Naboo and attaching himself to Padme whilst Obi Wan's earlier masculine tendencies ("Jedi business, go back to your drinks!" plus swagger) are being amplified by his presence on the masculine and withdrawn world of Kamino.

Actually, it's Anakin who says the line "Jedi business, go back to your drinks!", NOT Obi-Wan.

 

Not dogmatic. But when I heard about how Anakin was a "powerful Jedi" and a "cunning warrior", I just didn't imagine him losing his way and having to ask the Jawas.

(I didn't expect to see Obi-Wan call into a diner to get help from a short-order cook either, but that's another story!)

 

Here?s my take on this ?asking directions? issue.

Anakin takes the swoop bike and traverses in a particular direction. Anakin knows his mother IS alive and in that direction.

But exactly pinpoint where she is, is not that simple. So what?s important is to know that she IS alive. Granted it isn?t clear exactly what he is asking the Jawas (movie wise). I also think its likely there are other Tuskens camps.

But when he reaches the right Tusken camp, he knows EXACTLY which tent his mother is in.

 

It's not illogical that he asked for directions to "wherever" (and mind you, if you have to read the novel to understand that IS bad editing) - it's that adding that shot it is anticlimactic to the frenzy of the search and the emotion behind the music.

 

There's no way anyone could possibly know that from watching the movie alone. As it is, with
"Duel of the Fates" dominating the soundtrack and Anakin racing across the desert looking like the devil himself, it feels odd to cap off such a build up with Anakin passively talking to couple of Jawas. I think it would have been more satisfying and less editorially confusing if the scene had ended with Anakin racing towards the twin suns then wiping to Obi-Wan on Geonosis. At least then, the sense of anticipation would be greater because we're leaving Anakin in action rather than literally standing around.

 

Exactly. I didn't like this moment, but hadn't even thought about how logical it was for Anakin to ask for directions.

I can easily see this for Anakin.
For example compare Naboo to Tatooine in AoTC. Being with Padme on Naboo makes him more attached to his emotions. He is eventually led to Tatooine through his dreams, where he is now more susceptible to what is going to happen because of where he just came from.
You can easily see the contrast in Anakin's environment on Naboo with later on Tatooine. He becomes closer to Padme in a Utopian type environment, where he makes the comment (that many people cringed at) "I hate sand. It's coarse, rough... and it gets everywhere." Then he is thrust out of that into a desert environment where he looses his mother.

Obi-Wan on the other hand remains pretty consistent throughout the movie IMO. I don't see any real effect on him after visiting Kamino, besides some new suspicions perhaps.

 

It's not illogical that he asked for directions to "wherever", it's that adding that shot is anticlimactic to the frenzy of the search

I don't see any problem with it. There's no one he's fighting to show the "frenzy". Anakin is a Jedi and shows that he can control himself (as he should). He takes it in his stride first. Once the pinpoints Shmi's location, he's still composed..until his mother dies in his arms.


emotion behind the music

Its STILL there. He's fighting his "demons" so to speak, but still he's a Jedi- That is very important-He already shown how composed he can be if he wants to a la "these are good people Padme, you'll be safe". There's no need for him to go ballistic (physically) yet.

 

There are a few things that bug the hell out of me (although it is a bit ridiculous to be so emotionally bothered by small "mistakes").

I don't know if anyone noticed this, but in the very first scene of AOTC, which happens to be the very first scene with real people and not CG, one of Padme's aides/officers looks RIGHT INTO THE CAMERA as he turns to walk away. Its right after some other officer says something like: "We are now entering Coruscant's atmosphere. We will be landing shortly." Seriously, look at the extra next to him. HE LOOKS RIGHT INTO THE CAMERA. FIRST REAL SHOT OF THE MOVIE. ARGH!

So when the infamous editing "mistake" came around, it was easy for me to accept it as an actual ERROR or OVERSIGHT. I mean, one of the first things you learn in film school (or acting school) is to NEVER LOOK INTO THE CAMERA (unless it is SPECIFICALLY required to do so).

This isn't some shot with 400 extras. There are only 3 people on screen, one of which (Cordé) has her back turned to the camera. How could the director, camera man and the editors NOT notice this?

 

Oh, great!

I never noticed this before.

Now I'll notice it EVERY TIME I watch the film!!!

Thanks a lot!!!

 

Oh CRAP! Sorry.

MODERATORS! Please put a Spoiler Warning or something before my post so that I don't spread this any further!!!!!

 

Oh, don't worry about it. I'll just get you back by pointing out the scene in ROTS...

...when Obi Wan delivers baby Luke to Aunt Beru and opens his cloak in the wide shot and again in the close-up.

*try not noticing that after you've been made aware of it*

 

You know that there aren't any spoiler for the movies anymore, right?

 

In the fire place scene the acting was good, but alot of the lines were taken out. In editting the film they took out alot of dialogue to shorten the picture, you take out action to shorten the picture not the dialogue! All AOTC needs is a dialogue editor!!!!

 

Intriuging speculation...but I maintain the change from Anakin to Obiwan was a poor edit.

Even if the intention in the editing process WAS to make us think that we were still watching Anakin when we had really swithed to Obiwan....I still think it was a poor cut, because it doesn't do a v. good job of completely fooling viewers [note the numerous "I wasn't confused" comments].

So while agree that the intention of the cut may have been to mislead the audience mometarily, it doesn't change the fact that it was poor editing.

In either intended case, the editing wasn't clear - it didn't sucessfully lead the audience in the intended direction.