The pod race was a blatant rip-off of the Ben-Hur chariot race

..... and a poor one at that. The chariot race is to this day, the most difficult scene ever lensed. William Wyler had just one take to get it right. Today, a scene like that would be impossible to recreate. George Lucas used cgi for his version. Nothing beats the real thing. Naturally, I was underwhelmed. The creatures, and the pods themselves looked confusing. The Tatooine desert provided a bleek, uninteresting backdrop. The pod race itself was boring. Jar Jar's irritating cheers for Ani made matters worse. The only true "money scene" of Episode I was the Kenobi/Maul duel.

 

One man's rip-off is another man's homage.

Where exactly do you want this discussion to go?

 

George Lucas has tremendous admiration for the Ben-Hur director. He has a sense of Hollywood history. His "homage" doesn't fit-in the saga, however. Whenever I watch TPM, I fast-forward the pod race.

Friends do say it sounds great in 5.1 surround. Perhaps one day, I'll play the dvd on a home theatre system-- paying particular attention to the pod-engine sounds.

Mr. Lucas should continue to innovate, not copy. He should push the envelope, without constraining himself. With that being said, copying the chariot race was too tall an order.

 

Is it any difference with remakes or music you hear? Everything is copied from somewhere. SW being for kids, who cares?

 

I could never imagine skipping the podrace. To me it is one of the most fun and interesting action sequences in the Saga.

 

I'm with DarthMaul here... not necessarily because Lucas is paying homage/ripping off Ben Hur, but because I felt this was a completely extraneous scene, one added - NOT to further the plot (I mean, come on, two Jedis having to wait upon the outcome of an outback race to complete their mission) - but rather to provide an action scene, where:

a) there was absolutely no doubt on the outcome of the race, either before or during the race
b) the scene served no dramatic purpose, neither adding tension/complexity to the plot or providing any important resolution

The plot was bended to include this scene - this scene doesn't arise from any natural plot progression at all.

SORRY: DarthBinks, not DarthMaul

 

Oh my, give me a break. If that's so, then Days of Thunder copied of off Le Man's since they both had to do with racing.

 

I disagree. The podrace does a LOT to establish and develop Anakin's character, Padmé's character and the attachment between Anakin and his mother. There IS a progression to the podrace. I do not see it as the film being bent to fit the scene.

 

........Maybe if Jar Jar's irritating cheers for the future Darth Vader could be edited out. Also, the flatulence of the camel-creature pre-race failed to set the proper tone. Snip-snip these parts. I wonder if the Phantom Edit does this?

 

Those details have nothing to do with the overall podrace. Sounds like a case of not seeing the forest for the trees.

 

Strilo - You say the podrace does a LOT to establish and develop Anakin's character, Padmé's character and the attachment between Anakin and his mother. Exactly what are you referring to?

In my book, the podrace establishes Anakin:
a) is a good pilot - something that doesn't need to be established until the climactic end battle of the film.
b) he has some force properties - already established by Qui-Gon, and further established at the Council
c) he doesn't give up - well, okaaaay...

Padme cheers him on. That's not exactly character embellishment. THhe attachment between Anakin and his mother, if I remember correctly (and correct me I'm sure you will if I don't) is never a stand-out feature in the pod-race.

 

If we were to start skipping scenes that were direct lifts from other movies, we'd also have to skip...

- the entire Battle of Yavin (World War II movies, "The Dam Busters" being a big one)
- the celebration at the end of ANH ("Triumph of the Will")
- Anakin approaching the Tusken Camp ("The Searchers")
- Anakin and Padme's walk-and-talk chitchat on Naboo in AOTC ("Lawrence of Arabia")
... and others.

Personally I like the extended homages.



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

Not too mention ANH being a blatant rip-off off Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress.

 

>>Not too mention ANH being a blatant rip-off off Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress.

The first draft of Star Wars was very similar to Hidden Fortress. What made it to the screen is very different.


Back to the Pod Race.......unlike Ben-Hur it had Jawas!

 

It really isn't, from "borrowing" shots to the storyline - it's very similar to the Hidden Fortress. Of course it has it's difference but so do the podrace/chariotrace

Lucas even comments on it on the HF dvd

 

I have the DVD. I would never make the connection between the two storyline wise (like I said the first draft on the other hand is very similar).

I can see the driods/peasants link and the medal ceremony possibly.

 

Princess in trouble, a general that guides them, 2 comedic peasants, looking out at the sun in desperation, have her home burnt & losing her parents, a fight between 2 former friends, shall i go on ?

 

Now the home burning is from the Searchers......don't get your Lucas ripoffs confused

 

Hmm i'd say the Anakin search for his mom in Clones is from the Searchers, i guess you can count that one too.

Either way, Star Wars is filled with Lucas borrowing from all kinds of old movies from all kinds of genres.

Guess that's why it's so universal.

 

Yes he does and yes it is.

You're right about AoTC and the Searchers, but Luke looking at his burning hut with the wind blowing is right out of the Searchers also.

A pleasure having a civilized discusssion with a fellow fan.

 

Indeed.

Attack of the Clones also borrows from AK's Seven Samurai (probably my favorite movie ever outside of SW), but not so "blatant" though.

 

SW has several homages/rips, and perhaps this is one of them, but I wouldn't say it is obvious. The context of the chariot race is very important -- and very different than the context of the podrace.

 

Didn't George Lucas say somewhere that he wanted to reference the chariot race from Ben-Hur in one of the documentaries on The Phantom Menace DVD? In anycase, it's not a rip-off, it's a homage! It's a blatant homage of the Ben-Hur chariote race. Erm...yes.

 

Just skip it if you don't like it.
I sometimes skip the whole Tatoonie thing. It looks like they leave Naboo and arive on Coruscant without stoping. In that version the kids a stowaway I guess.

As for the homage/rip off thing: Certian scenes are similar to previous movies, and that sometimes makes them a homage, it sometimes is subconcious influence, and it's sometimes the only way for a scene to go.

Now for the definition of Rip-off, watch the movie Kull. In that movie they do a word-for-word and action-for-action copy of the ESB Vader/Lando scene. And they do it badly.

 

Yeah, I'd term it an HOMAGE, not a rip-off. Every movie copies other movies, basically. If each director had to come up with something totally new before they could film it, we'd soon be left with no new movies. And I thought the Pod-race sequence was a pretty darn good sequence. Granted, though, the Ben-Hur race is one of the greatest sequences of all time and was probably more difficult to film.