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Palpatine in ESB/ROTJ

Discussion in 'Classic Trilogy' started by ZuluWarrior, Oct 31, 2005.

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  1. ZuluWarrior

    ZuluWarrior Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 11, 2005
    Seeing as how it's Hallowe'en, I thought I'd start a thread about possibly the creepiest Star Wars villain, Palpatine.

    I think that both versions work equally well, but for different reasons. The Palpatine in ESB seems much more inhuman (if that's possible for Palpatine), probably because they used a woman's face with superimposed chimp eyes. There's an unnerving quality to it; I couldn't quite place why it looked strange the first few times. I also think Clive Revill does an excellent job as the voice of Palpatine.

    Of course, McDiarmid's Palpatine was excellent. More than anything, I think he's a fascinating character to watch, thanks to the superb make-up work and McDiarmid's sinister facial expressions. Then, of course, there's his voice; it sounds like oozing evil. This version came along at the right time, I feel, just as Vader became less menacing. I'd argue that Palpatine is a more interesting character as well; before the prequels came along, we knew even less about him than Anakin Skywalker. His appearance in Jedi raised so many questions for me when I first saw the movie.

    But the question is, when you first saw ESB and ROTJ, did you realise Palps was played by two different actors? I have to admit that I didn't, but in my defence I was pretty young at the time. Also, does it bother you that there is an inconsistency between the portrayals?


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  2. DarthButt

    DarthButt Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 11, 2003
    This might be best suited here:

    First Impressions of Emperor Palpatine?

    Thats why this was fixed in the 2004 DVD's.
     
  3. ZuluWarrior

    ZuluWarrior Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 11, 2005
    Ah, cheers. I didn't see that thread.
     
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