PT Weird, Trippy Detail in AOTC

AKA Subtle and Precise Visuals

Well, there are MILLIONS (from a certain point of view).

But I thought I'd start a thread to share one I've just noticed -- and maybe fellow fans would like to contribute their own, now that the Blu-rays are out?

This one concerns Yoda. Or, more accurately, perhaps, the window ledge BEHIND Yoda, as he's delivering his rebuke to Obi-Wan in the final Jedi Council scene in AOTC.

Watch really carefully. In typical prequel fashion, the digital/virtual camera is engaged in one of its slow push-ins: the voyeuristic signature of George Lucas' prequel art (now also in ROTJ! Kinda!). When the shot of Yoda begins, you can see Yoda, his chair, the facade behind both, and part of the window, through which come Mustafar-like hellish blacks and oranges. At the start of the shot, we can see a small slither of this ominous Coruscantian visage, plus the moodily-illuminated edge of the facade paneling, all the way across the frame, in the lateral plane. But as the camera pushes in, this slither is shaved away, frame-by-frame, until, in the final frame, after Yoda has ruefully intoned, "Begun the Clone War has", we see the faintest speck -- a mere pixel or two (of the remainder of the illuminated edge of the paneling) -- the INSTANT before the film cuts -- yes, cuts; not wipes -- away. "And they blow you up! BOOM!"

I find that detail exhilarating. I am not saying it has any "greater meaning", per se, but the technical precision of it -- a subtle visual lyricism -- well, it blows my mind. Other cool details to notice in that shot, in my opinion, include the trapezoid shadow on the facade, and a crescent moon highlight along the raised lip of Yoda's chair (shadows and crescent moons -- very big in the PT). This, for me, is when Lucas' art really begins taking on sublime qualities, far beyond discussions of literary themes, acting and dialogue, favourite music passages and the like (not to disparage those discussions; they have their place).

So, yeah, I expect these comments to be blown off by a cynic, and the Star Wars world is in no short supply, but to reiterate, this thread is for fellow fans. So, please, tell me what you think of my observations here, if you like, and I sincerely implore you to share your own (and I sincerely hope you do).

 

I'll have to check that out tonight. For some reason, this BluRay release makes me especially interested in Attack of the Clones, and almost totally disinterested in the other SW films.
Maybe because its the one Episode that got the most changes. What is your take on the Master Yoda edit? Have you watched the BluRay yet?

 

I gave some thoughts in the Blu-ray thread -->

http://boards.theforce.net/star_wars_saga/b10456/30885339/r31906722/

I can't really say too much more about it until I have sat down and watched the Blu-rays for myself.

Unfortunately, I won't be owning them before Christmas.

It all depends on when I can afford a new PC/all-in-one entertainment system. Currently, I'm saving for a digital SLR camera. I got interested in photography last year, after acquiring a mobile phone with a really great camera; in part, I'd also say that watching and studying Star Wars, and the visual art of George Lucas, has something to do with it. Ideally, I'd buy my new PC first, and THEN the camera, but I like being awkward, so it's going to be the reverse. Hopefully, I'll take a short break from Star Wars soon, then it'll all hit me like new (well, almost) when I finally buy the Blu-rays and give them a spin.

I hope, wherever people are, provided they're not in the UK, they're thanking their lucky stars. Here, we've been hit especially hard by the current economic crisis, and a ton of stuff is skyrocketing in price (our petrol prices, alone, are more than double what people pay in the States), and a news report from the last twenty-four hours indicates that economic growth has been revised downwards, and there are mounting fears of another recession. As much as I'd like to own Star Wars on Blu-ray, it's not my first priority right now. I'm going to treat myself to a nice camera, sure, because that's a creative outlet for me; on this occasion (and not for the first time), Star Wars will have to wait.

* * *

Anyway, this isn't a woe-is-me thread.

Esoteric details are more apt to be apprehended in high definition, I'm pretty sure. So, there's some enticement for people here, given that the Blu-rays have just come out and a lot of people have been, and still are, watching them at the moment. On the other hand, having access to standard definition material is no excuse.

I think Episode II is a visual feast; and may, in some sense, be the "centerpiece" of the PT (it is, after all, the middle installment). One thing to look out for is the II symbol in Star Wars. Actually, it's merely two parallel lines, but "II" is an interesting approximation/augmentation -- not unlike the "II" of "EPISODE II" (in fact, JUST like it!); and Episode II is also the first movie, in order-of-production, to be shot digitally, an

 

AOTC got the most changes? Like what?

 

The horrible shot switch at the end of the duel.