Star Wars questions

L

L. U. D. O.

New member
Hello all,

Watched "Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" last night on Sky...

A few questions:

- When Luke is training with Yoda, and goes into the cave, an "apparition" (is that what it is?) of Darth Vader confronts him...
When Luke cuts its (because I'm not sure what it is) head off, there's a face underneath...who is that meant to be?

- Critics always say that TESB is the best of all six, ...why? Is it because it's a lot darker than "A New Hope" or because it's the first part of the "End - with ROTJ", or because we meet Yoda, Darth tells Luke he's his dad...?

- Is it just me, or is Mark Hamill a really bad actor compared to Harrison Ford?

gaffer
 
The face is meant to be Luke himself, he is confronting his darkest fears that he would be drawn to the darkside himself.
As for it being the best of the films well my fave will always be A new hope but I will concede that TESB is the best directed and shot of all the films and it moves the story along brilliantly I think.
 
1. It's meant to be Luke's face. I think it's supposed to represent Luke's struggle with the dark side - in defeating it he becomes it.

2. Not really sure, but it's my favourite star wars film too. Lots of good action scenes, plus there's a lot of good character development too.

3. Oh yes.

:D
 
continuity mistake -
when hans solo is placed in the carbon freezer thing his hanRAB are tied behind his back yet when the plate thing re apears with him on it his hanRAB are in front of him
 
Empire is seen as more of a complete film than the others. A mixture of light and dark, action and character. Plus it has no Ewoks. People hate them Ewoks.

Han is as a much more interesting character than Luke. It was always gonna be easier for Ford to come across the better actor.
 
Not quite right. His hanRAB ARE tied at first but infront of him not behind, and just before he is lowered into the Carbon Freeze chamber two Ugnaughts remove his binders, thus allowing him to raise his hanRAB in front of him.

However his upper arms are also bound to his torso, which somehow disappear when we next see him 'alive' in ROTJ.

How sad am I for knowing this?

Empire is the best of all six films in my opinion, it benefits from having Lucas moved to producer and Irvin Kerschner directing (a man who much better understanRAB the need for the chacters to develop beyond Lucas's Farmboy, Pirate and Princess) but also because the story gets to its 'dark before the dawn' moment. Plus there is also THAT revelation of Vaders which steals the whole show.

And yes Ford is a much better actor than Hamill as evidenced by their comparative bodies of work.
 
Yes, has Hamill ever done anything else of note?
Was he "typecast"?

I mean, you cringe when Luke is battling Vader...

gaffer
 
Unfortunately for Mark Hamill, it's his voice talent that is in more demand than his physical acting ability. His is a face that will always be remembered as Luke Skywalker (no bad thing!) and as such he has never really been able to get away from that character (see the Simpsons episode where he shows up on broadway singing 'Luke be a Jedi tonight' to the tune of Luck be a Lady), compare him to Harrison Ford who was never solely associated with Han Solo, largely due to the good fortune of landing the role of Indiana Jones, this allowed the public to see him as someone other than the character who made him famous and also opened many other doors in Tinsletown than were opened for Hamill.

So whilst Ford has gone on to be one of HollywooRAB screen legenRAB making some critically acclaimed movies on the way, Hamill has been plying his trade as the voice of cartoon characters, check out his IMDB page and you'll see how many there's hundreRAB, and gaming geeks will know him as Christopher Blair in the Wing Commander series, despite this lack of opportunities on the big screen hamill always seems to be more appreciative of his role as Skywalker and not at all bitter that the role that made him also effectively ended his movie career. Not so Harrison Ford who always seems embarrassed of his association with Star Wars (he even seemed embarrassed during the movies, I swear there are scenes in which he looks as though he can't believe what he's being asked to say and do) to the point that he won't even talk about the films anymore. Weird huh?
 
Interesting,

It's true that you would first associate Ford with Indiana Jones, and I'm surprised that he won't talk about SW anymore, as they are much bigger films that IJ ever was...

I once saw Hamill play a parody of himself (with a lightsaber) in an American spoof movie, when I was flicking through channels once...

gaffer
 
Episode V is one of the greatest films ever made. EASILY the best Star Wars movie, and one hell of an example of how to tell a fantasy/sci-fi story, by placing the characters above everything else, and by making them believeable no matter what the look like (Yoda - a green muppet that feels more real than the CG creations of the prequels).
 
Here's my interpretation...


Yoda describes the cave as containing whatever is taken in there. Luke sees Vader and gives in to his anger by decapitating him. The cave is "strong in the darkside", at a subconcious level Luke is already aware that Vader is his father and fears turning into him. This is why Luke accepts the truth at then end of the film (on board the Falcon). It has also been suggested that the cave masked Yoda's presence on Dagobah - dark balancing light...


A combination of all these... In my opinion, it is the best not only due to the direction (of both the film itself, and the direction that the story moves in). Yes, it is a very dark film and deals with some complex themes. As the middle chapter of a trilogy it has the job of continuing the story from the first part and setting up the final part. To do this the characters must be put into difficult and dangerous situations to keep the viewers interest. How will they get out of this? Remember, at the end of this film the Rebels have been made homeless again, Han is frozen in carbonite, Luke has discovered that Vader is his father and lost a hand in the process - can it get much worse?


No comment...;) Having said that, Hamill did receive critical acclaim for his protrayal of the Elephant Man on broadway after ROTJ, but this can be balanced out by "Slipstream".
 
It's all persepctive. Compared to Hayden Christensen, Hamill is up the with Brando and Pacino. I think it shows the strength in Ford's performance rather than a weakness in Hamill's.

Umm... Think the other questions have been duly answered. The "Dark Side Force" of the tree on Dagobah hiding Yoda became EU canon when it was mentioned by Timothy Zahn in the Thrawn Trilogy in 1994.
 
I'd agree with that.

Mark Hamill's best know work most recently is probably for voicing Joker in the animated series of Batman.



That'll be Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back where he plays Bluntman & Chronic's nemisis Cocknocker...
 
True, but what's so bad about that? Not only is it a living (it's amazing how long a career voice actors can have - Mel Blanc, anyone?) but there's a reason they're billed as "voice talents" - not all of them have great range, but for every Trey Parker there's a Peter Hawkins or a Nancy Cartwright.

And give Hamill credit for also doing the voice of the teacher at bodyguard school...
 
Back
Top