WATCHING SW IN SEQUENCE

Thank you TDC! It is trippy to be hearing your generation having such an experience! I still wonder if Star Wars fan shift is going to be a big cause for a generation gap between Gen Xers and Yers and the next gen kids.

Also, thanks to whoever put up the list of TPM dialogue discussing the Force. I'd never processed just how much more subtle, yet still effective, the description of the Force is in TPM. And yet Obi-Wan's dialogue in ANH still works because he's introducing it to Luke. I have a new appreciation for TPM's dialogue and plotting.

 

Same here. Although I always thought TPM writing was great its nice too see from those subtle moments how the force is explained throughly by the end of the film. And I remember reading a post by a guy the other day who was saying how Lucas was a big fan of the seven samurai because you were thrown itno an exotic world that you didnt understand and how that was a style he tried to emulate.

 

I once watched all 3 of the OT in a day...but I will never watch them in order.

I will always watch ESB last...it is my least favorite of all of the Saga

 

I have watched the first five in order, and it DOES very much make sense. The change/look of the galaxy from Menace to Clones is quite dramatic, and that will be MUCH more dramatic in Episode III, I think.

The movies are meant to be veiwed in numerical order, and thats how I will see them. It's a Saga! The Godfather in a galaxy far, far away

 

The Godfather actually went back in time to tell the story of the father--Vito Corleone-- of the protagonist Michael in the second installment. Also a valid way to depict a narrative that has been successful in film.

 

Tun_dot_com, I have a question for you. Since a lot this Star Wars is faily new to you. Did you already know before you saw the Classic Trilogy that Darth Vader is Luke's father?

 

Yes, it would be interesting if you knew the ESB "secret."

This kind of leads me into my question, I'll throw out to you guys. I have a five year old daughter. She has seen bits of the OT, but doesn't really know the story. She knows of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, the droids, Darth Vader, Yoda, and "old" Obi-Wan, but doesn't know relationships or anything. When I got TPM on video (and later DVD), I decided to show her the films in order. She (and my two year old son) really enjoy them. She has seen TPM and AOTC (except for Shmi's death. I feel this would be a little too much for her. I just told her that Anakin is too late and she dies, and that when she is older, she can see the scene. I tried to scene skip Jango's death, but missed the button - I was particularly worried because she saw Boba witness it. But she seemed to handle it alright. Maybe because it's just a guy in a helmet).

Anyway, back to my point. I was going to wait and let her see Episode III next and then the OT. I thought it would be neat to see her reaction in the theater when she finds out Anakin becomes Vader. However, she'll be eight by the time Episode III comes out and I'm afraid she'll find out before then. I am almost certain as Episode III comes closer, the media will say, "this is the one where we see Anakin become Vader." Not to mention friends at school may tell her. So I was thinking I'll show her the OT this summer (she'll be six). Do you think I should hold off until Episode III, or let her see the OT first?

As far as my views on the subject of order for me personally, I'll stick with numerical order. But, I think I've seen valid points, the Force and Jedi seem like they should be understood at the beginning of TPM. And the Qui-Gon/Watto interaction works best AFTER seeing Obi-Wan do it in ANH. And as far as "the death of me" line, it changes from an inside joke to foreshadowing (not a bad thing, though).

 

It's a shame you couldn't have held off having kids for a year or two, Jedi

I agree, you are in a bit of a hole with this one. I think you should show the OT to your daughter, this Summer. By the time she's 8, she will easily be able to take in the reviews, advertising, etc.... Which will be geared towards Anakin becoming Vader.

At least this way she will still get the surprise of Vaders revealation, and hopefully she will want to see what causes Anakin's fall to the darkside in Episode III.

Let us know what you decide, and how it all goes.

 

I thought that the post with all of the force dialogue from TPM was really good. One particular exchange, in my opinion, explains the force pretty good for just being Episode I.

Shmi: He has....

Qui-Gon: ...special powers.

Shmi: Yes

Qui-Gon: Thats why he appears to have such quick reflexes. Its a jedi trait.

[a few lines later]

Qui-Gon: The force is unusually strong with him, that much is clear.

These lines tell me, even if I had never seen a SW movie before, that a jedi is someone who has powers and quick relexes.

So, when during the lightsaber fight at the ebd of the movie and Obi-Wan is leaping great heights and Darth Maul force throws the battle droid to open the big door, people should know that this is because jedi have special powers. So, when you see them doing things that normal people can't do, it should all make sense then. And all because of Shmi and Qui-Gon's conversation. Its not rocket science to figure out what is going on. A few simple lines of dialogue can do it.

 

Nope never. It was actually a great shock.

Although, I think I vaguely remember being told this fact, I forgot about it when I was watching ESB.

The only problem with the OT I have, is that there was less of a personal Vader. Since the entire saga is supposed to be about him, I really wished we knew how Anakin/Vader was feeling about Padmé, his son, the emperor, etc. I really didn't care for Luke, Han and Leia. I was glad that Luke brought Anakin back, but in the end, it was Anakin that I cared and always will care about.

It's just a shame that Anakin is the center of the story, and then he just becomes some evil Lord with no personal feelings, which were abundant in Episode I and II.

 

Wow, this is really interesting! You didn´t care about the main characters of the OT because you started out with Anakin and Padmé. Makes sense.
This would be why some people don´t care for Anakin and Padmé, because they started with the OT.
According to the Empire magazine, though, GL has confirmed that he recorded some new scenes for the OT while filming AOTC and that he will do even more while filming EpIII. Maybe some of those scenes are Vader/Sidious scenes?

Thanks to those who appreciated my "Force dialogue"-post!

 

I wish. I really want to know Anakin/Vader on a personal level in the OT...It just doesn't flow well, when we are constantly aware of Anakin's feelings, and then we go into the OT, and he just becomes sort of a minor character, in a sense that we don't get to know him on a personal level.

 

Another thing...Obi Wan and Anakin/Vader seemed to be really unimportant in the OT. You saw Ben in ANH, but in ESB and ROTJ, you just saw him as ghost form, and having very few scenes.

And for Anakin, you don't even know that his name WAS Anakin until ROTJ, when Luke says "I know that you are my father Anakin Skywalker" or something like that. I think that's just another reason why you need to watch it in order. Also, You also have no idea how Vader became a Sith Lord.

"Seduced by the dark side" doesn't cut it for me. HOW did he get seduced, WHY did he join the dark side? All these questions left unanswered in the OT...
I also think the entire OT is weakened by the fact that you don't know Vader/Anakin on a personal level. He is the whole reason why Luke does what he does in the OT. If you know the stuff about Anakin from the PT, you would understand Luke's desire to know his father and become a Jedi.

 

I'd also like to thank you guys for actually understanding, instead of just dismissing my views on the OT as wrong because they are negative. It's frustrating to even argue with people who won't even listen to your arguements. But you guys are awesome, thanks.

 

Well, the point of a discussion is listening to other points of views even though you don't agree with them.

I myself find your viewpoint fascinating just because it is completely different to mine.

If we all agreed, then this would be pretty boring, wouldn't it?

 

Lol good point spike. But other people on this board don't seem to understand what a discussion is.

 

It definitely works a whole and it does have the feel of an epic novel. And I dont agree with Spike_Speigel.

" If you begin with TPM you are thrown into a world of Jedi and the Force and there is little explanation of what in the name of heck both are."

But I can ignore that because it would be kind of annoying in seeing Obi-Wan explain it all over again to Luke. Qui-Gon tells Anakin a little about the Force and anyone can understand the role of a knight in a world or galaxy. Speigel is right about the "Jedi mind trick" but that is a minor detail that kind of sparks the imagination.

I do agree with Lars_muul. Seeing Luke go through his troubles with training reminds you of Anakin if the movies are shown 1-6.

ANOTHER THOUGHT: If the saga were two acts, PT and OT, it would work very well. The first act explains the dark politics of the Republic and then the fall of a tragic hero, Anakin. The second act is more action packed and forms the epic structure of the saga, as well as the redemption of the tragic hero.

 

G-FETT-
You're right about having kids. What was I thinking in the mid 90's? But seriously, it's great watching my kids enjoy the films. It is one of the few things that will actually make my two year old son sit still for five minutes. Although when the Jedi swing into action in the arena in AOTC, he is jumping around acting it out, pretending to be swinging a lightsaber.
As for my daughter, I'm leaning toward showing her the OT. She's already been asking to see them. I was trying to make sure she's old enough to appreciate them (she'll be six). Anyone out there that young when they first saw Star Wars? (I was 12 when I saw it 1977)

tun_dot_com-
You're absolutly wrong and how dare you not care about Luke, Han, and Leia! From now on, no one should even bother listening to you, since you know nothing. Just kidding, of course! But I know how some people can get on these boards!
I'm glad you were shocked by the Vader revelation! It was a big moment for us old-timers as well. And I too find it very interesting that you felt Luke, Han, and Leia were distracting from Anakin's story. That is definitely a new viewpoint! Hopefully, if you're a big enough fan and will watch them again, you'll begin to appreciate them as well.

Lars_Muul-
Yes, your "Force dialogue" is insightful. I guess it is hard for us who grew up on the OT and had 20 years of knowledge of the Jedi and the Force to tell whether someone fresh starting with TPM would be able to follow it. Well, for one thing, in the opening crawl, it establishes the Jedi Knight as the guardians of peace and justice of the galaxy. So that should be enough of a starting explanation. Afterall, that's the definition we got from Kenobi in ANH. As for the Force, the opening dialogue between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan may be confusing to a "newbie." But when we first see them in action, we can see there is some extraordinary things about them: holding breath, deflecting laser bolts, Force pushing droids, burst of speed. I guess it is slowly explained throughout the movie (and the Saga).

And by the way, tun_dot_com, as far as the focus of the OT switching away from Vader, think of it like the roleplaying game (at least the WEG). In the PT, Anakin is a player character. He collects too many Dark Side points and falls to the Dark Side. As a result, the character is turned over to the GM for use as a GM character.

 

The Grand Experiment:

Back in November I happened to watch the 5 existing SW movies in sequence over a period of about three near-consecutive days. It wasn't planned but it just sorta happened that way. I was surprised by how well the Saga worked.

This got me thinking. What if they were watched in sequence, all in one day?

I finally got a chance to try this over the past weekend. It took a lot of planning to snag this one day but it turned out to be a good weekend for it, the weather being nasty, things being slow and people being away etc. . .

Anyhow, I have to say that the overall effect was good. It takes a lot of concentration and there are still some holes left by EIII's non-existence, but it really held together. The end of ANH really mirrored the end of TPM; ESB mirrors AOTC and echoes all the way back to TPM; ROTJ echoes TPM and probably EIII. Generally, it left a cogent impression on me and a pleasant 'aftertaste'.

For the moment I am absolutely SW glutted. Although I hadn't looked at any of them since November I definately have had my 'fix' for a few months. But the thing Does work! Sure GL needs to be do some tweaking and he's missed a few opportunities to tie things together - but I'm reserving final judgement 'till the thing is finished.

If you ever have a day with nothing going and feel up to it you should try this. I took 1/2 hour breaks between each film and that cushioned it pretty well. It's still a butt-buster, 'though!

 

I would prefer watching them in chronological order 1,2,3,4,5,6. Personally I would feel watching them in chronological order would create better drama and build more suspense as each episode is shown.

I look at all the 6 episodes as "one big story" and NOT 2 separate trilogies. I look at Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader as the main character of the SW Saga being in all 6 episodes from his first appearance as an innocent child in TPM to his full Redemption in ROTJ. This is how I view the SW Saga, it's just my opinion.

I have never attempted to watch 1,2,4,5,6 in one sitting and I won't until Episode 3 is out and all 6 are made available on DVD. Since the PT movies have been released I haven't really watch the OT too often I am saving it when I can watch all 6 at once. I can't wait when I am able to sit down and watch all 6 of them from begining to ending!

 

Man oh man, Tun_dot_com! I don't know how you ever escaped that revelation. It's rare for someone to never hear of it throughout their life and then see it for themselves. The line, "I am your father" is joked about so much on TV and movies and stuff. My favorite one is the episode of The Simpsons where they did a flashback when Homer was dating Marge. Homer and Marge go to opening night of The Empire Strikes Back and when they are leaving the theater, there is a line of people waiting to watch it next. Homer blurts out, "I can't believe that Darth Vader is Luke's father." Homer said it loud enough that everybody in line waiting to see it next heard it and started screaming at him.

 

Actually, Homer and Marge were standing in line when someone came out and said "I can´t believe that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker´s father!", to which Homer responded with his famous "D´oh!"
It´s still a great scene, though

Back to the subject: If I have kids in the future, I will definitely show them Star Wars chronologically.
Imagine taking a week off just to show SW to your kid for the first time. One episode each day. What an adventure that would be!

 

Actually, Homer and Marge were standing in line when someone came out and said "I can´t believe that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker´s father!", to which Homer responded with his famous "D´oh!"

ACTUALLY D_Lowe´s description of the scene IS the right one !

 

Funny. I guess they changed the episode for the swedish broadcast then, because I can assure you that I am also right.
....or maybe I´m wrong

 

" Actually, Homer and Marge were standing in line when someone came out and said "I can´t believe that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker´s father!", to which Homer responded with his famous "D´oh!" "


LOL! When I came out of ESB:SE, I walked by the line and shouted "Who would have thought that Darth Vader is Luke's father!" People kinda stared me for a while and then laughed.

I'd always wanted to do that!