Reviews

What Are Star Wars Movies Trying to Tell Us? (If Anything)

12/19/2015

What was the message?

I see the latest Star Wars movie is out. I didn’t understand the first one in 1977 so I doubt I would understand the latest.

I remember taking our son, who was nearly 8, and sitting in the dark and wondering what was happening.

“Why is the human allied with that furry guy?” I asked, and he shushed me.

Was some of it symbolic or allegorical? Did it refer to our own foolish wars, past or present or future? What were their motivations? I didn’t know. Still don’t.

I could figure out some kind of oedipal tension between the old human and the kid, but the only person I could relate to was the Harrison Ford character, named Han Solo. In this huge universe, aren’t we all Han Solo?

I also liked Ford in “The Frisco Kid” (1979) about a Polish rabbi and an outlaw and some even worse outlaws in the west. The hairy creatures were real. The rabbi (Gene Wilder) asked the Han-Solo outlaw (Ford) what he was going to do next, and Ford replied in lascivious and bigoted language.
This was before Ford’s features became frozen permanently between fear and anger. He was young then.

Star Wars did have some sex appeal. We got a report about The Empire Strikes Back (1980) after our younger daughter went with friends from high school.

Apparently, one of the human characters was about to be killed in some outer-space way, and one girl shouted at the screen, “You can’t kill Billy Dee Williams! He be the sexiest man in the galaxy!”

I love some supernatural touches: Emma Thompson as the merciful angel, Meryl Streep as the spirit of Ethel Rosenberg, in “Angels in America.”

Generally I favor movies with reference to some moral code -- Orson Welles lurking in the shadows, Tony and Maria seeing each other across the gym, Clint avenging his buddy’s death in a “shit-hole” bar.

Movies have gotten away from me. Zombie films and Harry Potter films and extra-terrestial films.

Who needs new monsters? Trump and Cruz scare me enough.

peterk

12/19/2015 11:16:46 pm

"Trump and Cruz scare me enough." and Hillary and Bernie don't?

George Vecsey

12/20/2015 08:40:39 pm

Peter, thanks, man, for reading right through to my spur-of-the-moment last line. I was looking for a quick way to get out of my riff, and the Devil made me do it.
But, no, my politics and my skin-crawling instincts don't kick in the same way for Trump and Cruz as they do for Hillary and Bernie.
As Marcus Samuelsson writes in the NYT today, we're used to Trump in NYC. The crazy uncle. But loose out there in the land? Yikes. GV

Brian Savin

12/21/2015 09:54:32 am

Chef Samuelsson, an African Swede, is a walking poster child for the best of America and he walks his talk by producing brilliant food that reflects his American experience.

I wish we had real substantive diversity in our political discussion that reflects the richness of collective experience and learning. Did anyone ever hear a political debate in the UK? By comparison our Democratic and Republican debates are geared to an audience of dense children. The same is true throughout our lowest common denominator culture. The generic potty humor of network comedies pale in comparison with the British comedies that rely on building exaggerated characters that speak to our human traits. The dumbing of America is pitiful. Let's embrace and mine our diversity to take advantage of our diversity. I'll step down from the soap box now.

bruce

12/21/2015 12:56:57 pm

brian,

I mentioned recently to George in an email that it's incredible that it's incredible the best a country of about 320,000,000 can produce for one of its two main parties.

you didn't have to watch a political debate in the uk to look at some adults. there was a federal election in Canada October 19th. there were several debates and they were heated. the PM called the longest campaign in the country's modern history--tho brief by American standards--and ran the most misleading and negative campaign in history. he was sent home to Calgary after being smashed. unfortunately, the obscene amount of money and the inattentiveness and gullibility of much of the electorate make it a whole different ball game in the usa.

bruce

Brian Savin

12/21/2015 07:52:11 pm

Well taken, and amen, Bruce.

bruce

12/21/2015 08:42:02 pm

brian,

thanks and sorry for the repeat of it's incredible. in the old days i could just let 'er rip. now if i don't go over correspondence letter by letter, i find whole words omitted, their for there, you're for your etc etc.

however, i still spell labour, neighbour et al the right way, eh!

as an aside, i know most americans don't know much about canada so i guess i should've mentioned the losing prime minister was a conservative. rather right wing by canadian standards.

cheers,

bruce

George Vecsey

12/22/2015 08:36:39 am

Brian, can't defend US TV. Only series I've watched in 3-4 decades is The Sopranos (so therefore I understand everybody else's passion for their favorite.) You don't think the three Democrats were more detail and information-centric than the Republicans? Even if one hates center-left politics, I heard the three Dems speak more to how gov't works, or should work, than the others. Please, stay on the soap box. I value your opinions and knowledge. GV

bruce

12/21/2015 01:05:36 pm

George,

I thought the original star wars were enjoyable tho they went down a notch per movie. saw the first of the next bunch and that was enough.

I thought with the numbers of boomers we'd be a good market for decent movies. hasn't happened tho. I saw the martians recently and thought it was ok, but hardly deserves a best movie Oscar nomination. saw Trumbo and enjoyed it. my cousin is married to a Trumbo from Illinois who is related but can't recall how. second or third cousin? saw bridge of spies on the flight home from france and enjoyed it. brought back some memories. I flew air Canada and a few years ago they apparently decided to treat passengers as adults. rare to hear bleeping instead of what is actually said. that censorship drove me crazy. I find I catch on up films I've missed while flying these days....don't go many anymore.

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What Are Star Wars Movies Trying to Tell Us? (If Anything)

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