Putting on the mask
Star Wars”
mastermind George Lucas sets stage for Darth Vader’s
ascent
DAVID GERMAIN
Director George Lucas directs actor Anthony
Daniels, who plays the robot C-3PO, in Star
Wars. — AP |
OPENING PARAGRAPHS
Two decades ago, George Lucas pulled off the
mask to reveal the face of one of cinema's greatest
bad guys. Now, he's about to slip the mask back
on.
Lucas offered a preview on Thursday of his final
Star Wars chapter, which spells out the last dark
steps the once good-hearted young Anakin Skywalker
takes to become the villain Darth Vader.
“It’s not like the old Star Wars,”
Lucas told theatre owners at the ShoWest convention.
“This one’s a little bit more emotional.
We like to describe it as Titanic in space. It’s
a tear-jerker.”
Opening on May 19 in the US, Star Wars: Episode
III – Revenge of the Sith brings full circle
the mammoth sci-fi saga Lucas began in 1977 with
the original Star Wars (Star Wars: Episode IV –
A New Hope), which shattered box-office records
and remains one of the top-grossing movies ever.
Reaction was mixed on Episode I – The Phantom
Menace and Episode II – Attack of the Clones,
many fans grousing that the first one was too much
a kiddie flick and the second one too sappy a love
story. Calling the latest movie a Faustian tragedy,
Lucas said he is not concerned about whether Revenge
of the Sith will draw more barbs from Star Wars
fans.
“I feel that I’ve made the movie the
best I can and it turned out the way I wanted it
to be, so I’m happy,” Lucas, 60, told
AP in an interview. “I never try to anticipate
what the world’s going to think or even worry
about whether they're going to like it or not. That's
not my job, to make people like my movies. They
either like them or they don't. That’s completely
out of my hands.''
The intensity of the action and themes in Revenge
of the Sith will probably earn it a PG-13 rating
in the US, Lucas said. The first five Star Wars
movies were all rated PG.
LAST PARAGRAPHS (NO PUNCTUATION)
The trailer screened on Thursday showed what fans
have been waiting for since Lucas began the story
of Anakins journey from good toward evil in The
Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones Namely Anakin
in the guise of Vader: Black cloak mask and helmet
an outfit rigged with lifesupport devices for Skywalker
whose battle wounds have left him part flesh part
machine
Lucas knows that many fans wanted the prequel trilogy
to introduce Vader early on rather than trace Anakins
downfall from nice little boy to bratty teen to
dark knight of the galaxy Revenge of the Sith presents
Anakin in Vaders black getup only at the very end
of the movie Lucas said
Obviously fans would love to see a movie about
Darth Vader running around killing people said Lucas
who was also on hand to receive a galacticachievement
award from ShoWest organisers Im not telling that
story and Im not interested in that Thats not what
the movie is
This first trilogy is really about the father the
struggles of a father or a man basically to find
himself and at the same time fall into a trap of
wanting certain powers making a pact with the devil
and basically spending the rest of his life regretting
it
LAST PARAGRAPHS (FULL PUNCTUATION)
The trailer screened on Thursday showed what fans
have been waiting for since Lucas began the story
of Anakin’s journey from good toward evil in
The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Namely,
Anakin in the guise of Vader: Black cloak, mask
and helmet, an outfit rigged with life-support devices
for Skywalker, whose battle wounds have left him
part flesh, part machine.
Lucas knows that many fans wanted the prequel trilogy
to introduce Vader early on rather than trace Anakin’s
downfall from nice little boy to bratty teen to
dark knight of the galaxy. Revenge of the Sith presents
Anakin in Vader’s black get-up only at the
very end of the movie, Lucas said.
“Obviously, fans would love to see a movie
about Darth Vader running around killing people,”
said Lucas, who was also on hand to receive a “galactic-achievement
award” from ShoWest organisers. “I’m
not telling that story, and I’m not interested
in that. That’s not what the movie is.
“This first trilogy is really about the father,
the struggles of a father, or a man, basically,
to find himself, and at the same time fall into
a trap of wanting certain powers, making a pact
with the devil and basically spending the rest of
his life regretting it.”
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