Why do people complain about toilet humor in TPM, yet tolerate it in LOTR?

Here's my take on this.

First, for the sake of full disclosure, I will freely acknowledge that the TPM fart is the worst moment in SW history thus far.

(Assuming we don't take EU into account, mind you... otherwise I might have a thing or two to say about the Holiday Special.)

There is a similar bodily function joke in the Extended Edition of LOTR:FOTR. It takes longer to set up than TPM's and lasts longer. (EDIT: In fact, I would even say it calls attention to itself, perhaps even more so than the eopie fart.)

It may well be the worst moment in the whole movie (possibly tied with Galadriel's outburst or the dwarf-tossing joke).

If I could re-edit TPM, I'd cut the fart joke.

If I could re-edit FOTR, I'd cut the fart joke.

However, neither ruins the movie for me, and I frankly have better things to talk about besides them.

I agree completely with everything Adam says here. He said it as well as I could have, so I simply repost his comments.

Cheers Adam!

 

Look carefully and you'll see a midget in the Cantina - he's at the bar at one point reaching for a drink. An outtake from the film had this midget (billed as 'Flash Gordon') getting into an argument with a bird-creature on stilt-legs. They take it outside & face off Sergio Leone style - but 'Flash' just runs away, right between the bird-creature's stilt legs.

In the DS there were all sorts of gags, like A troop of Storm Troopers marching by and our heroes simply putting their guns behind their backs and whistling until the STs were past.

I forget the rest but there was some other weird stuff in there. The issue is from late 98 or early 99 and has Ewan McGregor on the cover - it had a pull-out poster of Ewan as well.

Also GL always wanted what he calls 'whacky' humour in SW. Before it was even in production he was citing Roland Topor, Jean 'Moebius' Girard and other surreal sci-fi comic artsist of the 70s as key influences on what would one day be SW.

 

Thanks for that

Wow... that woulda been a reeeeal different movie. I can definitely see some wacky antics happening on the Death Star. Besides the ones we have, I mean...



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

I'm glad he left that out we don't need the stormtroopers to seem stupid as well as blind...they aren't smart anyway but, still

 

I've watched ANH since the last time this thread was up top. I could definitely see how some of that kind of weird humor could fit in. Heh heh heh.

I think it's for the best that he didn't put it in though.

I wouldn't have minded ONE crazy Death Star gag.



Also... is it just me, or does anyone here think that "He doesn't like you / I don't like you either" was intended as a running joke, but we only saw it twice due to editing? We got it from Threepio and Evazan.



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

There's the quality of the gag-value, not just the humor-level value.

What's the difference between Benny Hill or Are You Being Served and Penelope Keith or The Good Life/Good Neighbors. Both groups have sex jokes, but one is funny, and the other is crude.

 

For those who have read the LOTR books, and therefore put up with Tom Bombadil, the fart jokes in the TPM and FOTR movies no longer seem like that big of a deal.


Rick McCallum loves you!