Star Wars

George Lucas – 1977 – USA

The first film I watched in 2014 was the most important one in my life.  As for countless others in my age group, Star Wars  - (aka Episode IV aka A New Hope) – had the biggest impact on me since childhood.  It is the ultimate cult film.  It is the quirky independent film that engulfed and redefined the mainstream.  It is possibly the most broadly influential film of all time; (right up there with Potemkin, Citizen Kane, Breathless, The Godfather and Reservoir Dogs).  I watched the original theatrical version; minus any nips, tucks and CGI “improvements” that have been layered onto it over the years.  What struck me anew is how nourishing the photographic image can be; which takes us to the nature of art in general.  As much as painting, photography can communicate a person’s sensibility in a rewarding way that has yet to be matched by the legions of special effects technicians who work on current FX-based movies.  Along with its easy charm and humanity, the lived-in, clunky, rusted sets of Star Wars give it a character and resonance that cannot be improved upon.  Likewise, Lucas’ direction – stately, reflective compositions alternating with exhilarating montage – is such a contrast to the frantic ADD mentality of later movies that it underscores yet again the tragedy of Lucas’ career; i.e. his abandonment of filmmaking for mogulhood.  The difference between CGI movies – (including Lucas’ own prequel trilogy) – and the original Star Wars is the difference between the assembly line and craftsmanship, and between eye candy and eye protein.  Warts and all, Star Wars is still good for the eye and good for the soul.