vkanrek@BBNCCF.ARPA (07/20/84)
From: Vicki Kanrek <vkanrek@BBNCCF.ARPA>
Well..,no. Lucas, if I remember the quote correctly, is closest
to the 'true definition' of SW (ALL THREE!) when he calls (or
whoever calls) it a 'space opera'. As a Wagnerite from way,
way back, the story, as it were, of SW IV-VI, is too closely
akin to Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen (written in the 19th
century, and taken from Norse mythology from TRULY WAY, WAY
back!). To top off the similarity, which almost made me pee
despite getting wrapped up in the emotion of the moment, when
Luke lights Darth Vader's (excuse me, Anakin Skywalker's)
funeral pyre, John Williams, in his inimitable plagiaristic
style, actually cites part of the so-called "immolation motif"
from Gotterdammerung, the last opera of Wagner's tetralogy.
Wagner's "Ring" has been set in many different time periods of
late, especially in Europe; to the dismay of some die-hard and
purist Wagnerites. The latest in terms of most-advertised
version is the Chereau directed and Boulez conducted Ring that
was broadcast on PBS last year. About 3-5 years prior to that,
the Ring was actually set (sets and costumes!) in the 'science
fiction/fantasy future', space helmets, suits, and Vader-like
respirators and all. So, you see, Lucas is certainly not the
first to pick up on the Wotan/Odin myth. (For those of you into
the Greek version, we're talking Thor, Zeus, etc. - I'm not up
on my Greek mythology at ALL -- too much keeping track of the
Norse, Wagner-German and modern day (i.e., Lucas) details.)
Considering the ONLY thing that originally got me in to see Star
Wars was the fact that Alec Guinness was in the movie, it's
amazing that (a) when the movie was over I was SO taken by it
that I couldn't figure out which role was Giunness' since the
movie was so great and (b) I have now become an absolutely
die-hard Star Wars person, vacillating in 'hero'-worship between
Ben and Darth. (Ben turned out to be such a jerk - please pardon
me. Vader alsmot turned out to be a simp - I'm getting too
cynical in my old age) But, really and truly, I love ALL these
films. BUT I don't want to see another one come out - it simply
couldn't live up to the first two and the majority of the last
one (I HATED the inclusion of the Muppet Show!)
Well, this was supposed to be a generally positive statement and
I unfortunately got too caught up in some details that used to
bother me alot, and now, although I wanted to state them, I have
to temper it with the fact that I don't care about the
inconsistencies or grade-school mentalities that sometimes crop
up in these movies - I just plain love 'em just the way they
are!!
Vicki Kanrek
("I've kissed Leonard Nimoy! At 14, my life was complete!!")