I am super happy to see this. A struggle for me over the last 20 years has been to get folks to see the Star Wars prequels as films in their own right that contribute visually and allegorically to mythography established in the original trilogy. I’ve often wondered if the subtlety of interplay between cinematographic decisions and metaphorical language did not precisely hit home because folks did not want to admit they were seeing as much of a critique of our own society as the downfall of Anakin Skywalker.
Lucas took a lot of undeserved shite because people began to be influenced by the criticism so ever present through the internet. I am very excited, understand, by what Disney is doing in many ways. But Lucas did push more boundaries of exploration than most see him doing. Did he do it with the great panache of some arthouse directors or even other blockbuster directors? No. Yet he did it with a profound commitment to exploring what it means to sink to the depths of despair in a society that offers too many distractions even for the most disciplined of beings.
The craftmanship of The Force Awakens might be more precise and sturdy than the unwieldy prequels, but that doesn’t mean it’s a greater piece of art. “I think Disney treats its fans like its shareholders,” Weatherholt said, “This is to say they take the least amount of risk to cater to established interests. Balance is certainly in order, but I am much more forgiving to a complete disaster of a film with noble intentions than a safe, brainless flick.
”The Prequels Strike Back: A Fan’s Journey will release digitally on September 14, and will be screened at the Alamo Drafthouse Theatre in Austin,TX on October 6th.
Source: It’s Not Cool to Hate the ‘Star Wars’ Prequels Anymore | Inverse
Lucas’s stature as an artist, as well as his relentlessness as an admitted “micromanager,” is demonstrated by the tremendous climax of Revenge of the Sith, which he directed. The last of the six episodes filmed, this prequel takes the saga to its midpoint. Sith ends with the birth of the twins Luke and Leia, 19 years before they appear as young adults in the original Star Wars movie. Crosscut with the babies’ birth, during which their mother dies, is the tortured, cybernetic birth of Darth Vader, like Frankenstein’s monster in his laboratory, now attended by pitiless surgical droids. Finally, after nearly 30 years, the mystery of Vader’s origins as the mutilated and reconstructed Anakin Skywalker was revealed to the audience who had made him a legend.
Source: Why George Lucas Is the Greatest Artist of Our Time – The Chronicle of Higher Education
CALL ME MAGGIE 