My understanding is that she was an important part of aggressive revisions to the first half and climax of ANH -- along with weighing in on the movie all the way back to the script phase -- but that her contributions were mostly in a different arena: pacing. The story still unfolded in a version of the connected style described here (Luke was originally introduced watching the space battle from afar on a pair of binoculars). It just took longer and lacked momentum. Marcia helped streamline the opening and amp up the climax, and obviously the movie is better for the work done there. The linear instinct, though, appears to reside in George. It's reliably exemplified in the rest of the Classic Trilogy, the Prequels, and the Indiana Jones series, too.
I'm pinning this answer because people keep bringing this up. Lucas is a great collaborator, and got career-best work out of any number of people over the years; I'm not sure why that translates to him not being responsible for the things that make it into his own movies. Also, @Soundwave3000, signal-boosting this is in no way a dig at you.
"It's a story about how a knight teams up with a wizard to save a princess." This line genuinely gave me goosebumps. Not because it was shocking or unexpected, but because it puts into words - for the first time - something I've known for decades. The beauty of Lucas' storytelling is that he hasn't really created an original story. He's created a unique setting to tell a traditional story. That's why things intuitively make sense.
Yeah, Lucas himself will tell you that; he worked hard to learn about stories, about basic stories and story structure, and timeless themes and characters. He was a story teller first and foremost, whereas someone like James Cameron has a primary focus on special effects and the story is more of an afterthought (not BAD, just not the reason he makes movies).
a myth isn't made up stories about fictional characters, it's the attempt to understand perennial modes of being. This is who we are, what we value, and what we strive for.
Funnily enough, the "Knight" and the "wizard" didn't try to save the princess at all. Saving Leia was basically a coincidence, when they ended up locked on the Death Star when they were going for Alderan. Their main goal had always been getting R2D2's data about the Death Star to the rebels.
@@zerothefaceless4888. The force works in mysterious ways. Even if our heroes had no plans for certain actions, things still worked out better than they could've expected!
One fun aspect of Lucas's "pass-the-baton" method is seeing where he violates it, and then figuring out why. There are two major instances of this that I can think of right now: The first is in Return of the Jedi, where we simply wipe from Darth Vader and Moff Jerjerrod on the Death Star to R2-D2 and C-3PO on the road to Jabba's palace on Tatooine. Kind of awkward and uncharacteristic of Lucas, right? Well, lo and behold, this was not how the film was cut originally. As I'm sure many reading this already know, the opening scene originally ended with Vader retreating to his meditation chamber and telepathically calling out to Luke to join him, at which point we cut to Luke in a cave on Tatooine, hearing his father's calls as he puts the finishing touches on his new lightsaber. Only then do we cut to R2-D2 and C-3PO, who are a few feet away waiting to depart on their mission to Jabba's palace. So this break in linearity was simply an unavoidable side effect of cutting out an unnecessary scene. The second example is in Attack of the Clones, where we simply wipe from Padme, Jar Jar, and others in Palpatine's office directly to Anakin and Obi-Wan in the elevator to Padme's apartment. Now, Anakin and Obi-Wan *have* been mentioned immediately before this, but this still feels a little unlike Lucas. And, again, we find that this is a consequence of the film being re-cut late in the game. Originally, we didn't see Anakin and Obi-Wan in the elevator at all. Instead, we cut from the scene in Palpatine's office directly to the shot of Jar Jar in Padme's apartment walking towards the elevator doors, which then open to reveal Anakin and Obi-Wan for the first time. Lucas added the scene in the elevator during re-shoots because the scene in the apartment proper made the Jedi pair's relationship come across as so hostile, and he felt that the viewer's first impression of the two should be more positive. As a result, Lucas unavoidably had to break his linearity rule, albeit in a relatively minor way. Anyway, great video as always. Keep it up!
It's interesting to see how originally the beginning of ANH was going to cross cut between luke on tatooine and 3po and r2 in space, and they decided to completely cut out those initial tatooine scenes, maybe partially because they would violate that whole passing the story baton thing
Owen haggles with Jawas like he's been interacting with them all his life and sees them as no different than any other race. Han interacts with Jabba as if he's just another crime lord, not some kind of oversized, sentient slug. Every sentient is just another sentient. Some races have quirks, sure (Nightsisters), but they're all...people.
These video essays are simply amazing 👍 Alderaan feels more like a loss in A New Hope than the Hosnian System's destruction in The Force Awakens because we kept hearing our primary characters referring to it, as a destination, throughout the first act of the film. "I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a Diplomatic mission to Alderaan." "I regret that I'm unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed." "I've placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 Unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this Droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope." "You must learn the ways of the Force, if you're to come with me to Alderaan." "Alderaan? I've gotta get home, I'm in for it as it is!" "I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing for me here, now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father." Then, Luke meets Han and Chewie and books passage to Alderaan, "Two passengers, two Droids, and no questions asked." While Grand Moff Tarkin is testing the Death Star's full potential, despite Leia's pleas, and Obi-Wan suddenly feels, "A great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out, and were suddenly silenced." When Alderaan is destroyed, that's when the Falcon reaches its destination, and comes out of Hyperspace; "Our position is correct except, there's no Alderaan." Says Han. "What do you mean, where is it?" Asks Luke. "That's what I'm trying to tell you, kid. It ain't there, It's been totally blown away." "What? HOW?!" Obi-Wan interjects, "Destroyed, by the Empire." The location essentially becomes another character in the narrative, almost as important as any one of the main cast. It's brilliant, and something seemingly overlooked by J.J. Abrams, and Chris Terio, in particular. (That's who I blame the MOST for the failures of the Sequel trilogy, the guy primarily responsible for Justice League lol AND Suicide Squad.)
This really is a great detail to highlight. And none of those instances have that felt "foreshadowing" vibe that you get in a lot of more self-consciously constructed screenplays.
I'm still finding myself coming back to watch all of your Star Wars video essays all this time later lol "@@SoUncivilized414." Watching the individual view counter increasing steadily as I do, of course. (Knowing how much attention they deserve to generate.) There are plenty of channels on RUclips that make such content, in varying degrees of quality. (Naturally.) But, I keep coming back here, (and only maybe one or two others,) because the quality is so exceptionally high. You deserve all the positive feedback that you get, don't mistake or doubt yourself, please. (I'm just sayin' 🤜 💥 🤛) #IHaveSpoken #ThisIsTheWay ✌
The first time I watched TFA I was actually rather impacted by that scene as I thought the planet that had been blown up was Coruscant, a planet made HIGHLY significant in the prequels. Of course, when I found out it was a completely different planet, I remember thinking 'well, why the hell would you do that! I have no connection to this Hosnian Prime!'
Man, when they blew up Hoznian Prime, I assumed it was Coruscant for YEARS. I thought "The Republic" was some fringe sector of the same republic from the prequels that was still holding on, still fighting, and was suddenly wiped out in TFA. But no, that's not the case. This was some "new republic" that we had never heard of at that point, or at any other point during that movie.
I mean... technically it *was* - the so-called "rebel Alliance" isn't so much an alliance of rebels as the Alliance to Restore the Republic established by Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa in opposition to Palpatine's emergency powers now in open, armed rebellion against his Empire. Once the Empire was defeated, the Alliance reestablished the Republic.
I don’t know if I’m really stupid for not realising this earlier or not, but I just realised you’re going in order and making one video based on each film in the skywalker saga
This video is fantastic. So concise, charming, a few quips, and gets the point across in an excellent manner, with very clean and supporting graphics (love the text effects!). And the 21:9 ratio hasn't gone unnoticed!
@@erikbihari3625 You mean which Sherlock Holmes adaptation said this quote? It's an original quote from the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the canon). It may have been repeated by other actors, but it's an original SH quote. :)
These really are some of the best video essays to be found on Star Wars. Clear, concise, tightly focused on a specific point or subject, while managing also to speak expansively about Lucas's series (which they have a robust understanding of), and beautifully edited to boot. Marvellous work. I look forward to more....
When I was a kid, I watched TESB and ROTJ over and over again as VHS recordings of the TBS Christmas Star Wars Marathon. My mom didn't record A New Hope for some reason but she did get the last few seconds of the award ceremony; those few seconds got me obsessed with the idea of seeing the first Star Wars movie and when I finally did, it instantly became my favorite. The dialogue and storytelling are among the best ever in any movie!
Just discovered your channel. Why didn't I even heard of you? You are absolutely nailing Lucas's mastery. Among other reasons, this is why the sequels don't match with the rest of the saga; Star Wars as a whole. A surprise to be sure, but a wolcome one.
When you talked about how George allowed the "strangeness of the world fade into the background" and made the story as familiar as possible, that struck home. I think that's why I appreciate books like Dying Earth or Black Company, and dislike others like Mistborn. Some storytelling allows the unique and interesting setting, to not be the focus of the narrative. That's what appeals to me. Really good video.
Thank you - your video made me tear up. For the last few years I've felt that my storytelling was stiff and basic - perhaps too simple - and I didn't think I had any role models to look up to. Then, you point me to Lucas. I have never before watched a video essay and felt like someone was explaining to me how my brain works. This has been immensely helpful and encouraging. You've turned my weaknesses into strengths. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! You have a great channel. I'll be sharing your videos!
I love these kinds of...well, not reviews, necessarily, but discussions around media. Like, really deep and specific commentary. Because there is so much that goes into making a movie (or a game, or TV show, or whatever) and some of it is so simple that it's easy (as a creator) to actually overlook it, and even forget it, and then the final product can be negatively impacted but it's difficult to put your finger on why. You CAN subvert nearly every "rule" of writing or filming, but you have to actually know those rules and be able to work them before you can even begin to properly break them for some reason. Unfortunately, there are an ever increasing number of people in charge of media that THINK they know what they are doing, by passing over so many of these kinds of little details and concepts and just focusing on some big and obvious stuff, and so we get so much media that is not...not BAD, but not really great either, as it's just OFF. There's a lack of patience to sit the fuck down and make sure everything and everyone in the movie is working together, because any asshole can just film actors speaking their lines--being a director is far more, even if they don't write the scripts.
Nice to see some sanity out there! When I complained about the flashbacks in TLJ people thought I was nuts. This helps me pin down exactly why that stood out!
I like that this contains really measured and factual critiques of the sequels, not just “ugh franchise ruined Kathleen Kennedy killed my childhood, objectively bad” shit, like it has actually points relating to cinematography and writing where those movies miss the mark. I like the sequels, but obviously they’re not perfect.
Ny opinion on the sequels: The Force Awakens - A copy of A New Hope with changes but done worse The Last Jedi - A good film but it isn’t a Star Wars film and doesn’t fit into the saga The Rise of Skywalker - A bad film with a bad story and bad pacing
Everything about these videos is amazing, but one small detail I especially like is how the videos always manage to end with the final shot of one of the movies, enabling a smooth transition into the already-made outro. Excellent. So glad I found this channel while it only has a few videos, so I can easily catch up
i think it was the director for Empire who said in its DVD commentary that star wars works because "it's a simple story with complex characters", and I agree
Great, now I have to re-watch all 6 Star Wars films with a true appreciation for how they were made. The jabs at the ST were as perfect as your script, editing, and pacing; amazing video 👏👏
These videos are incredible. A few years ago, I had a friend who I would go out of my way to walk home with even though taking the bus would get me back almost an hour sooner and it was always Star Wars. We especially talked about the prequels and how they were missunderstood, missrepresented, underrated and how it delivered on the promises of the original trilogy despite the major differences in tone, atmosphere and asthetics. Over the years I've come to see it, with the famously wooden dialogue you've addressed, its arguable overuse of CGI and its approach to comedic relief, which in my opinion was never as present in the original trilogy, as a pantomime or theatrical version of the events that take place. And I don't mean that as an insult to the films at all, they simply give off that kind of tone to me and I accept and love them that way. I hope to see more from this channel, just please don't devolve into a Star Wars news channel like most others on the topic, keep up the outside-the-box approach to topics. If you somehow end up reading all this and you have any interest in my proposal, I'd love to talk Star Wars with you and maybe even collab on your videos. As a previous film/media student, it would be great to apply my skills to something like this.
I have to say I don't think I've ever seen such a new change be as great as your's, it is absolutely brilliant and brings up so many excellent points, and the quality of the videos is as good as or better than some major channels. Please keep making content!
“Nowhere in Star Wars movies is there an opportunity for an audience member to get lost or lose what is happening in the story” Try watching it with my girlfriend
Antoher thing that separates George Lucas six films from Disney films (even the better ones, like Rogue One): even with the gigantic lore, you don't need to know anything outside the movies to understand, apreciate or love the movies (Hey, Clone Wars fans! Stop with nonsenses! Nobody needs to watch Clone Wars to understand, apreciate or love the prequels). The EU exist, but you go after it if you want it, not because you need it. And guess what? A lot of people looked for the EU when they were not necessary for the movies!
Your videos are not only beautifully done, they are deep and thought-provoking analyses that feel entertaining and act much like a college course on storytelling. Thank you!
I've watched every single video you have and I now love Star Wars with so much more enlightened passion than ever. I'm a writer and DM. Please keep the video coming. My whole family loves watching them and then Star Wars. Thank you
I think Star Wars is the only good Star Wars movie. No other film is so clear. Oh, wait. You have to be into this kind of stuff, though. When my mom saw Star Wars for the first time (February 26, 1984) - she blurted out "I can't tell the good guys from the bad guys in this damn movie!" I insisted she just wasn't paying attention, but that's hardly the point, is it? I recently watched Star Wars with someone who had no interest in the franchise. Upon conclusion, she said she enjoyed the film thoroughly - AFTER the hologram scene. Until that moment she was baffled! I felt a strange sense of vindication for SW as she told me this. It's intentional, strategic, brilliant, amazing, etc - but clear only in hindsight to many an uninitiated mind. Am I making any sense?
@@diganmelaraxd6981 ...I completely understand your response to my feeble attempts to get attention on the interwebs. But I assure you, my intentions were genuine. I've gone ahead and edited the comment - not only because you called me out, but also because you're right. I love Star Wars and I have a pet peeve about what I perceive to be the maligning of the most wonderful adventure movie ever made. In my defense, consider that in the same way I am completely unaware of your actions online, you are most likely unaware of my less spammy attempts to make friends or share my thoughts. I know I am the worst person in the world, generally speaking, but just in case anyone is curious (or likes to punish themselves by listening to assholes and their stupid opinions) - kindly click my avatar, find the video titled Star War Vs. The Empire Strikes Back, watch as much as you can stand and then leave a comment explaining: A. How the presentation fails to convince or B. How the premise is sound and/or suggestions for reworking the presentation or C. How much you resent being baited into clicking on the video and any other negative drivel that gives you some kind of twisted pleasure. Lastly, I'd like to thank you, @Diganme Lara xd (I don't know how to type that second letter in your account name), for helping me realize just how inappropriate it is to try and hijack/leverage someone else's comments section! (that probably reads very sarcastic, but - I'm just trying to have some fun around here).
@@diganmelaraxd6981 ... I am the clown! But I really do appreciate you calling me out! I can't necessarily explain it, but it emboldened me to put myself out there rather than just wish ppl would pay attention. Thanks again!
These are the kinds of video essays that make me love youtube. The music, the visuals, the concepts, all weaved with sublime craftsmanship. You are an amazing artist dude
if anyone ever asks me why lucas’ star wars is so iconic, I’ll just show them your videos. I’ve never seen such clear, on point and concise analyses, heck they helped me understand why I like the films so much and I don’t think I’ll ever do a better job at explaining it. thank you for putting fans’ passion into words
Man I just found your channel today. Your videos are amazing! Professional. Well done. Excellent analysis. I keep learning new things I never thought about. And your voice is pleasant to listen to.
This video explained to me why the prequels still feel like good Star Wars (even if they often aren’t good themselves) while the sequels feel like a fan fiction
5:04 ooooh boy that was a stab at Mandalorian if I ever heard one. But I get it. I also see how Favro and Dave used the flashback to show the connection between the past and the here and now so I see both sides
I think garbage is a strong word for something that created thousand of jobs. The film is well made, has good direction, awesome cgi and special effects, a good score, great performances, but it doesnt mean the film is agood Star Wars movie or that it hasnt copied too much aspects from the first sw movie
I don't know how I stumbled across your channel but I was mind blown when I saw you only have 13k subs. You genuinely should have millions! Subscribed.
Looking back at old comments and seeing that you were at 100 subs a month ago is kinda awesome, because you’re sitting at 10k as I watch this. Really love what you’re putting together here! I shed a little tear after each video because they reminded me how much I love the Star Wars universe. Keep it up!
The _establishing shot_ sequence will always give me the chills. If nothing else (and that would be an immense disservice to SU's work), this point cannot be understated.
@@SoUncivilized414 I still come back to this. Whenever youtube forget what I have and haven't watched before and I see anything by you pops up, I think I'll keep on bringing this video up. Bring me near to choking up. The lens through which beauty can be is as wondrous as the scene beyond.
This video was so well done and has brought me a new appreciation for George. Super high quality for a channel of this size, I really hope you get out there because you really deserve it
Tbf it wasn't just George, Johns score was just bad ass. ILM sound effects screaming tie fighters, the hum of the light saber, laser blasts. Just all absolute perfection and it showed with its crowds who watched the movies. I will bet history will show long from now that SW is the illiad of our time.
I agree that one of the main reasons that Star Wars works is down to the simplicity of the plot and how it moves in the film. However, I remember reading some years ago, that this was not originally the case with the first film. When it was shown to a test audience in its original state, they just did not get it and could not follow it. I think it was Coppola (please correct me if I’m wrong) who told Lucas that it needed a complete rehash and persuaded him to have it edited. Hence quite a bit of the original movie got scrapped and certain scenes were reordered to produce the film we have come to love.
That story is a bit of a myth. Star Wars was originally edited by John Jympson, but he was fired because the edit simply wasn't shaping up. Lucas (who had, at that point, quite a lot of other things to take care of) edited the film on the weekends and was helped by Paul Hirsch, Richard Chew, and his ex-wife Marcia. They were able to pull together the film on schedule even though everything was late, and it turned out great.
Bro made a video about linear storytelling using linear storytelling. The video literally ends with the analysis of the throne room scene and has end credits after. King shit 👑
I've written exactly one novel in my life so far that every one of my readers has described as remarkably clear and understandable. Now I know where my inspiration came from
I recently found your channel and I'm impressed, from what I've seen you truly know Star Wars and every video you have done is of high quality. You have earned my subscription and I'm excited to see what comes next and maybe in the far possible future a video on Clone Wars.
But wasn't a New Hope sort of a mess originally and Marcia Lucas stepped in and saved it in editing?
My understanding is that she was an important part of aggressive revisions to the first half and climax of ANH -- along with weighing in on the movie all the way back to the script phase -- but that her contributions were mostly in a different arena: pacing.
The story still unfolded in a version of the connected style described here (Luke was originally introduced watching the space battle from afar on a pair of binoculars). It just took longer and lacked momentum. Marcia helped streamline the opening and amp up the climax, and obviously the movie is better for the work done there.
The linear instinct, though, appears to reside in George. It's reliably exemplified in the rest of the Classic Trilogy, the Prequels, and the Indiana Jones series, too.
I'm pinning this answer because people keep bringing this up. Lucas is a great collaborator, and got career-best work out of any number of people over the years; I'm not sure why that translates to him not being responsible for the things that make it into his own movies.
Also, @Soundwave3000, signal-boosting this is in no way a dig at you.
This video explains the source of those claims and why they're wrong.
ruclips.net/video/olqVGz6mOVE/видео.html
I'm sick of people trying to discredit Lucas with that claim
@@procyon6370 Halfway through this. Devastating takedown so far.
"It's a story about how a knight teams up with a wizard to save a princess."
This line genuinely gave me goosebumps. Not because it was shocking or unexpected, but because it puts into words - for the first time - something I've known for decades.
The beauty of Lucas' storytelling is that he hasn't really created an original story. He's created a unique setting to tell a traditional story. That's why things intuitively make sense.
Yeah, Lucas himself will tell you that; he worked hard to learn about stories, about basic stories and story structure, and timeless themes and characters. He was a story teller first and foremost, whereas someone like James Cameron has a primary focus on special effects and the story is more of an afterthought (not BAD, just not the reason he makes movies).
a myth isn't made up stories about fictional characters, it's the attempt to understand perennial modes of being. This is who we are, what we value, and what we strive for.
Funnily enough, the "Knight" and the "wizard" didn't try to save the princess at all. Saving Leia was basically a coincidence, when they ended up locked on the Death Star when they were going for Alderan. Their main goal had always been getting R2D2's data about the Death Star to the rebels.
@@zerothefaceless4888. The force works in mysterious ways. Even if our heroes had no plans for certain actions, things still worked out better than they could've expected!
Yes, the setting(s) of Star Wars is what makes Star Wars amazing
This is the absolute most underrated channel I’ve ever seen
I can't believe the quality of these videos compared to the likes/subscription rates
Right!!!!
When I went to subscribe and saw that it only had 1.57K, I was so surprised. The quality of these videos are on par with huge analysis channels.
I thought the exaxt same thing
I was just about to say that
One fun aspect of Lucas's "pass-the-baton" method is seeing where he violates it, and then figuring out why. There are two major instances of this that I can think of right now:
The first is in Return of the Jedi, where we simply wipe from Darth Vader and Moff Jerjerrod on the Death Star to R2-D2 and C-3PO on the road to Jabba's palace on Tatooine. Kind of awkward and uncharacteristic of Lucas, right? Well, lo and behold, this was not how the film was cut originally. As I'm sure many reading this already know, the opening scene originally ended with Vader retreating to his meditation chamber and telepathically calling out to Luke to join him, at which point we cut to Luke in a cave on Tatooine, hearing his father's calls as he puts the finishing touches on his new lightsaber. Only then do we cut to R2-D2 and C-3PO, who are a few feet away waiting to depart on their mission to Jabba's palace. So this break in linearity was simply an unavoidable side effect of cutting out an unnecessary scene.
The second example is in Attack of the Clones, where we simply wipe from Padme, Jar Jar, and others in Palpatine's office directly to Anakin and Obi-Wan in the elevator to Padme's apartment. Now, Anakin and Obi-Wan *have* been mentioned immediately before this, but this still feels a little unlike Lucas. And, again, we find that this is a consequence of the film being re-cut late in the game. Originally, we didn't see Anakin and Obi-Wan in the elevator at all. Instead, we cut from the scene in Palpatine's office directly to the shot of Jar Jar in Padme's apartment walking towards the elevator doors, which then open to reveal Anakin and Obi-Wan for the first time. Lucas added the scene in the elevator during re-shoots because the scene in the apartment proper made the Jedi pair's relationship come across as so hostile, and he felt that the viewer's first impression of the two should be more positive. As a result, Lucas unavoidably had to break his linearity rule, albeit in a relatively minor way.
Anyway, great video as always. Keep it up!
Fantastic comment.
So civilized
This scenes with obi wan's fake beard are unavoidable. The beard looks ugly as hell, but they were necessary
@@ramonbetzler7786 What...?
It's interesting to see how originally the beginning of ANH was going to cross cut between luke on tatooine and 3po and r2 in space, and they decided to completely cut out those initial tatooine scenes, maybe partially because they would violate that whole passing the story baton thing
"He lets the strangeness of the world fade into the background and makes the story itself as familiar as possible." I wish more movies would do this.
Its impressive how normal George Lucas made this abnormal world feel.
Owen haggles with Jawas like he's been interacting with them all his life and sees them as no different than any other race. Han interacts with Jabba as if he's just another crime lord, not some kind of oversized, sentient slug. Every sentient is just another sentient. Some races have quirks, sure (Nightsisters), but they're all...people.
This channel is going to blow up. No idea when, but this guy is succinct, clear, and insightful. Very interesting! Thanks for the content!
I completely agree
Hey I'm not the only one who just randomly got recommended this guy, yeah I hope he does
66th lik3
For me a New Hope doesnt work...I dont like this episoxe
I completely agree with you it's only a matter of when not if. 🙂
This Channel has great potential........ We will watch your Career with great interest.
A surprise to be sure, but a welcomed one.
but he doesnt upload alot, it's treason then
@@adelkhairaldin5586 I cannot teach him... the boy has no patience!
@@robertleftwich2811 He will learn patience.
These video essays are simply amazing 👍
Alderaan feels more like a loss in A New Hope than the Hosnian System's destruction in The Force Awakens because we kept hearing our primary characters referring to it, as a destination, throughout the first act of the film.
"I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a Diplomatic mission to Alderaan."
"I regret that I'm unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed."
"I've placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 Unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this Droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."
"You must learn the ways of the Force, if you're to come with me to Alderaan."
"Alderaan? I've gotta get home, I'm in for it as it is!"
"I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing for me here, now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father."
Then, Luke meets Han and Chewie and books passage to Alderaan, "Two passengers, two Droids, and no questions asked." While Grand Moff Tarkin is testing the Death Star's full potential, despite Leia's pleas, and Obi-Wan suddenly feels, "A great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out, and were suddenly silenced."
When Alderaan is destroyed, that's when the Falcon reaches its destination, and comes out of Hyperspace; "Our position is correct except, there's no Alderaan." Says Han.
"What do you mean, where is it?" Asks Luke.
"That's what I'm trying to tell you, kid. It ain't there, It's been totally blown away."
"What? HOW?!"
Obi-Wan interjects, "Destroyed, by the Empire."
The location essentially becomes another character in the narrative, almost as important as any one of the main cast.
It's brilliant, and something seemingly overlooked by J.J. Abrams, and Chris Terio, in particular. (That's who I blame the MOST for the failures of the Sequel trilogy, the guy primarily responsible for Justice League lol AND Suicide Squad.)
This really is a great detail to highlight. And none of those instances have that felt "foreshadowing" vibe that you get in a lot of more self-consciously constructed screenplays.
Wow, great writeup and details here, I forgot how Alderaan was so central to everything.
I'm still finding myself coming back to watch all of your Star Wars video essays all this time later lol "@@SoUncivilized414."
Watching the individual view counter increasing steadily as I do, of course. (Knowing how much attention they deserve to generate.)
There are plenty of channels on RUclips that make such content, in varying degrees of quality. (Naturally.)
But, I keep coming back here, (and only maybe one or two others,) because the quality is so exceptionally high.
You deserve all the positive feedback that you get, don't mistake or doubt yourself, please.
(I'm just sayin' 🤜 💥 🤛)
#IHaveSpoken
#ThisIsTheWay ✌
The first time I watched TFA I was actually rather impacted by that scene as I thought the planet that had been blown up was Coruscant, a planet made HIGHLY significant in the prequels.
Of course, when I found out it was a completely different planet, I remember thinking 'well, why the hell would you do that! I have no connection to this Hosnian Prime!'
(meanwhile, in TFA): oh my god! They destroyed the republic! You bastards!
Man, when they blew up Hoznian Prime, I assumed it was Coruscant for YEARS. I thought "The Republic" was some fringe sector of the same republic from the prequels that was still holding on, still fighting, and was suddenly wiped out in TFA. But no, that's not the case. This was some "new republic" that we had never heard of at that point, or at any other point during that movie.
I mean... technically it *was* - the so-called "rebel Alliance" isn't so much an alliance of rebels as the Alliance to Restore the Republic established by Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa in opposition to Palpatine's emergency powers now in open, armed rebellion against his Empire. Once the Empire was defeated, the Alliance reestablished the Republic.
I don’t know if I’m really stupid for not realising this earlier or not, but I just realised you’re going in order and making one video based on each film in the skywalker saga
Your comment made me realise this, so thanks!
It seems that this channel is a New Hope
star wars being so meta
Excellent video! Superb observations very clearly communicated.
This video is fantastic. So concise, charming, a few quips, and gets the point across in an excellent manner, with very clean and supporting graphics (love the text effects!). And the 21:9 ratio hasn't gone unnoticed!
It's the little things.
@@SoUncivilized414 "The little things are infinitely the most important." - Sherlock Holmes
@@adventureswithaurora. Wich one?
@@erikbihari3625 You mean which Sherlock Holmes adaptation said this quote? It's an original quote from the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the canon). It may have been repeated by other actors, but it's an original SH quote. :)
These really are some of the best video essays to be found on Star Wars. Clear, concise, tightly focused on a specific point or subject, while managing also to speak expansively about Lucas's series (which they have a robust understanding of), and beautifully edited to boot.
Marvellous work. I look forward to more....
*1 month later* (in sponge bob monologue)
When I was a kid, I watched TESB and ROTJ over and over again as VHS recordings of the TBS Christmas Star Wars Marathon. My mom didn't record A New Hope for some reason but she did get the last few seconds of the award ceremony; those few seconds got me obsessed with the idea of seeing the first Star Wars movie and when I finally did, it instantly became my favorite. The dialogue and storytelling are among the best ever in any movie!
This channel almost instantly became my favorite Star Wars RUclips channel.
Just discovered your channel. Why didn't I even heard of you? You are absolutely nailing Lucas's mastery. Among other reasons, this is why the sequels don't match with the rest of the saga; Star Wars as a whole. A surprise to be sure, but a wolcome one.
When you talked about how George allowed the "strangeness of the world fade into the background" and made the story as familiar as possible, that struck home. I think that's why I appreciate books like Dying Earth or Black Company, and dislike others like Mistborn. Some storytelling allows the unique and interesting setting, to not be the focus of the narrative. That's what appeals to me.
Really good video.
Thank you - your video made me tear up. For the last few years I've felt that my storytelling was stiff and basic - perhaps too simple - and I didn't think I had any role models to look up to. Then, you point me to Lucas. I have never before watched a video essay and felt like someone was explaining to me how my brain works. This has been immensely helpful and encouraging. You've turned my weaknesses into strengths. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!
You have a great channel. I'll be sharing your videos!
I love these kinds of...well, not reviews, necessarily, but discussions around media. Like, really deep and specific commentary. Because there is so much that goes into making a movie (or a game, or TV show, or whatever) and some of it is so simple that it's easy (as a creator) to actually overlook it, and even forget it, and then the final product can be negatively impacted but it's difficult to put your finger on why. You CAN subvert nearly every "rule" of writing or filming, but you have to actually know those rules and be able to work them before you can even begin to properly break them for some reason. Unfortunately, there are an ever increasing number of people in charge of media that THINK they know what they are doing, by passing over so many of these kinds of little details and concepts and just focusing on some big and obvious stuff, and so we get so much media that is not...not BAD, but not really great either, as it's just OFF. There's a lack of patience to sit the fuck down and make sure everything and everyone in the movie is working together, because any asshole can just film actors speaking their lines--being a director is far more, even if they don't write the scripts.
Nice to see some sanity out there! When I complained about the flashbacks in TLJ people thought I was nuts. This helps me pin down exactly why that stood out!
I was so bothered by those haha
The lack of establishing shots was the first thing that made Force Awakens feel wrong to me.
This style is also used in a lot of old musicals as well.
I love this style of storytelling, I want to make stories like this someday 💯💯💯
Same.
Yes, but musicals and plays usually also contain a LOT of exposition said by characters.
Gotta love New Hope!! Most iconic movie ever!!!
May I recommend ruclips.net/video/xBu4LSjr0wM/видео.html
I like that this contains really measured and factual critiques of the sequels, not just “ugh franchise ruined Kathleen Kennedy killed my childhood, objectively bad” shit, like it has actually points relating to cinematography and writing where those movies miss the mark. I like the sequels, but obviously they’re not perfect.
Except he is hating on the sequels, as he should
But they *are* objectively bad
@@SirenChats Smoth brain.
The sequels had their moments, but watching the new trilogy feels like eating a pie and finding it has no filling
Ny opinion on the sequels:
The Force Awakens - A copy of A New Hope with changes but done worse
The Last Jedi - A good film but it isn’t a Star Wars film and doesn’t fit into the saga
The Rise of Skywalker - A bad film with a bad story and bad pacing
A RUclipsr who actually understands cinema,I could cry
Everything about these videos is amazing, but one small detail I especially like is how the videos always manage to end with the final shot of one of the movies, enabling a smooth transition into the already-made outro. Excellent. So glad I found this channel while it only has a few videos, so I can easily catch up
i think it was the director for Empire who said in its DVD commentary that star wars works because "it's a simple story with complex characters", and I agree
Great, now I have to re-watch all 6 Star Wars films with a true appreciation for how they were made.
The jabs at the ST were as perfect as your script, editing, and pacing; amazing video 👏👏
You got me at the Establishing Shot.
Everyone one of Star War's Establishing Shot would come out of a painting.
These videos are incredible. A few years ago, I had a friend who I would go out of my way to walk home with even though taking the bus would get me back almost an hour sooner and it was always Star Wars. We especially talked about the prequels and how they were missunderstood, missrepresented, underrated and how it delivered on the promises of the original trilogy despite the major differences in tone, atmosphere and asthetics. Over the years I've come to see it, with the famously wooden dialogue you've addressed, its arguable overuse of CGI and its approach to comedic relief, which in my opinion was never as present in the original trilogy, as a pantomime or theatrical version of the events that take place. And I don't mean that as an insult to the films at all, they simply give off that kind of tone to me and I accept and love them that way. I hope to see more from this channel, just please don't devolve into a Star Wars news channel like most others on the topic, keep up the outside-the-box approach to topics. If you somehow end up reading all this and you have any interest in my proposal, I'd love to talk Star Wars with you and maybe even collab on your videos. As a previous film/media student, it would be great to apply my skills to something like this.
I have to say I don't think I've ever seen such a new change be as great as your's, it is absolutely brilliant and brings up so many excellent points, and the quality of the videos is as good as or better than some major channels. Please keep making content!
“Nowhere in Star Wars movies is there an opportunity for an audience member to get lost or lose what is happening in the story”
Try watching it with my girlfriend
"Oh look, it's the vacuum cleaner again" No mum, that is R2D2....
@@racernatorde5318 LMAO
Antoher thing that separates George Lucas six films from Disney films (even the better ones, like Rogue One): even with the gigantic lore, you don't need to know anything outside the movies to understand, apreciate or love the movies (Hey, Clone Wars fans! Stop with nonsenses! Nobody needs to watch Clone Wars to understand, apreciate or love the prequels). The EU exist, but you go after it if you want it, not because you need it. And guess what? A lot of people looked for the EU when they were not necessary for the movies!
4:32 - this dialog is perfect and it's only now that i get why. It not only explains the plot but ALSO shows the character of Leia and Darth Vader
Your videos are not only beautifully done, they are deep and thought-provoking analyses that feel entertaining and act much like a college course on storytelling. Thank you!
Just saw your Palpatine video, I subscribed immediately. How do you only have like 600 subs?
I've watched every single video you have and I now love Star Wars with so much more enlightened passion than ever. I'm a writer and DM. Please keep the video coming. My whole family loves watching them and then Star Wars. Thank you
It's like poetry, it rhymes
i love the fact that this is as much of a roast of the sequals as it is him praisning Gorge Lucas
I love how you explain Star wars
I think Star Wars is the only good Star Wars movie.
No other film is so clear.
Oh, wait.
You have to be into this kind of stuff, though.
When my mom saw Star Wars for the first time (February 26, 1984) - she blurted out "I can't tell the good guys from the bad guys in this damn movie!"
I insisted she just wasn't paying attention, but that's hardly the point, is it?
I recently watched Star Wars with someone who had no interest in the franchise.
Upon conclusion, she said she enjoyed the film thoroughly - AFTER the hologram scene. Until that moment she was baffled!
I felt a strange sense of vindication for SW as she told me this. It's intentional, strategic, brilliant, amazing, etc - but clear only in hindsight to many an uninitiated mind.
Am I making any sense?
@@VirtualSG Stop spaming dude, that's no good.
@@diganmelaraxd6981 ...I completely understand your response to my feeble attempts to get attention on the interwebs.
But I assure you, my intentions were genuine. I've gone ahead and edited the comment - not only because you called me out, but also because you're right.
I love Star Wars and I have a pet peeve about what I perceive to be the maligning of the most wonderful adventure movie ever made.
In my defense, consider that in the same way I am completely unaware of your actions online, you are most likely unaware of my less spammy attempts to make friends or share my thoughts.
I know I am the worst person in the world, generally speaking, but just in case anyone is curious (or likes to punish themselves by listening to assholes and their stupid opinions) - kindly click my avatar, find the video titled Star War Vs. The Empire Strikes Back, watch as much as you can stand and then leave a comment explaining:
A. How the presentation fails to convince
or
B. How the premise is sound and/or suggestions for reworking the presentation
or
C. How much you resent being baited into clicking on the video and any other negative drivel that gives you some kind of twisted pleasure.
Lastly, I'd like to thank you, @Diganme Lara xd (I don't know how to type that second letter in your account name), for helping me realize just how inappropriate it is to try and hijack/leverage someone else's comments section! (that probably reads very sarcastic, but - I'm just trying to have some fun around here).
@@VirtualSG Nono, i mean, your video is so good, but the spam sometimes can be annoying.
@@diganmelaraxd6981 ... I am the clown!
But I really do appreciate you calling me out!
I can't necessarily explain it, but it emboldened me to put myself out there rather than just wish ppl would pay attention.
Thanks again!
Just finished all your current videos, and had to subscribe. Excellent content.
The Lucas bashers (I hate them) always forget one of Lucas' most amazing talent : world building.
These are the kinds of video essays that make me love youtube. The music, the visuals, the concepts, all weaved with sublime craftsmanship. You are an amazing artist dude
I love that your videos are in cinematic ultrawide
Oh my God, somebody finally spoke up about the problems with introducing flashbacks in the 8th movie of a series.
Alright I need more so very uncivilized content already.
“Italy Planet.” 😂 Spot on description, my friend!
Taking potshots at the Sequels then moving on like it was nithing is so funny
In the fifth element the hero and villain never actually meet.
The crew from the original star wars and the prequels did all of that. For that, I thank them for making these movies.
The TV-series are very iconic, too, tbh. Dave Filoni has understood the art of making Star Wars almost as much as Lucas.
Dave should’ve handled the sequel trilogy.
Wow i just discovered and you are already one of the best out there.
if anyone ever asks me why lucas’ star wars is so iconic, I’ll just show them your videos. I’ve never seen such clear, on point and concise analyses, heck they helped me understand why I like the films so much and I don’t think I’ll ever do a better job at explaining it. thank you for putting fans’ passion into words
Very well made looking forward to the next video
Gotta appreciate that you were spot on with revealing the next videos!
I have a feeling your channel is about to blow up. Your videos are fantastic!
Man I just found your channel today. Your videos are amazing! Professional. Well done. Excellent analysis. I keep learning new things I never thought about. And your voice is pleasant to listen to.
the cinematic rule break of suddenly showing not only flashbacks but SUBJECTIVE flashbacks hit me in the face like a truck in the cinema
This video explained to me why the prequels still feel like good Star Wars (even if they often aren’t good themselves) while the sequels feel like a fan fiction
Same.
The prequels are brilliant.
I've seen all four of your videos. Very, very well done. Subscribed! Looking forward to the next four.
5:04 ooooh boy that was a stab at Mandalorian if I ever heard one. But I get it. I also see how Favro and Dave used the flashback to show the connection between the past and the here and now so I see both sides
“That ones garbage!”
YES. Thank the maker SOMEONE else doesn’t like TFA!
How did you get the impression that not liking TFA was unpopular? It's not an uncommon take.
@@pseudonymousbeing987 remember a lot of people actually loves TFA
@@anti-dreamstansunited3391 But how many of them actually like 'Star Wars'?
@@cm5913 err, I don't rly know, I don't like TFA, just saying, there are a decent amount of ppl who enjoys TFA.
I think garbage is a strong word for something that created thousand of jobs. The film is well made, has good direction, awesome cgi and special effects, a good score, great performances, but it doesnt mean the film is agood Star Wars movie or that it hasnt copied too much aspects from the first sw movie
I've never thought to look at Star Wars structurally. Brilliant. Thank you.
Sequels: Im about to end this mans whole carrer
I don't know how I stumbled across your channel but I was mind blown when I saw you only have 13k subs. You genuinely should have millions! Subscribed.
Well, this channel is underrated. Excellent video essays.
Commenting is good for the algorithm. ;D
I follow a lot of Star Wars channels, and this one is on it's way to become my favorite already! Please keep up the great work. Such quality content
Hahaha "Italy Planet" 🤣 That's brilliant.
Looking back at old comments and seeing that you were at 100 subs a month ago is kinda awesome, because you’re sitting at 10k as I watch this. Really love what you’re putting together here! I shed a little tear after each video because they reminded me how much I love the Star Wars universe. Keep it up!
This man has earned a subscriber from me
Yep. This is how 7yo me and my 5yo brother were hooked in 1977.
Your Star Wars videos are a pure joy to watch. I hope you make more!
The _establishing shot_ sequence will always give me the chills. If nothing else (and that would be an immense disservice to SU's work), this point cannot be understated.
I was looking forward to that bit the entire time I was putting this video together.
@@SoUncivilized414 I still come back to this. Whenever youtube forget what I have and haven't watched before and I see anything by you pops up, I think I'll keep on bringing this video up. Bring me near to choking up. The lens through which beauty can be is as wondrous as the scene beyond.
This video was so well done and has brought me a new appreciation for George. Super high quality for a channel of this size, I really hope you get out there because you really deserve it
You could not be more right.
My understanding has been deepened. Thank you, sir!
Just had to subscribe! Thus channel is going to be big!
Please do a video about, why the sequels have failed in your opnion. Thank you
Star Wars won the Oscar for best editing, and it's no wonder. I like the break down of why Star Wars was perfectly edited.
Ahh, yes! My second favorite biome: ITALY!
See you at 1 mil subs, this channel is gonna blow up real soon
Your channel is soo great, don't give up Soldier.
Tbf it wasn't just George, Johns score was just bad ass. ILM sound effects screaming tie fighters, the hum of the light saber, laser blasts.
Just all absolute perfection and it showed with its crowds who watched the movies.
I will bet history will show long from now that SW is the illiad of our time.
This channel is pure gold.
I agree that one of the main reasons that Star Wars works is down to the simplicity of the plot and how it moves in the film. However, I remember reading some years ago, that this was not originally the case with the first film. When it was shown to a test audience in its original state, they just did not get it and could not follow it. I think it was Coppola (please correct me if I’m wrong) who told Lucas that it needed a complete rehash and persuaded him to have it edited. Hence quite a bit of the original movie got scrapped and certain scenes were reordered to produce the film we have come to love.
That story is a bit of a myth. Star Wars was originally edited by John Jympson, but he was fired because the edit simply wasn't shaping up. Lucas (who had, at that point, quite a lot of other things to take care of) edited the film on the weekends and was helped by Paul Hirsch, Richard Chew, and his ex-wife Marcia. They were able to pull together the film on schedule even though everything was late, and it turned out great.
This was a great point! I hadn't realized this before!
I'm getting addicted to this channel. Also, as a Southerner with a very mild accent, I love your subtle twang :)
Oh yeah! Tryna rep that Southern literary tradition
"It's starts at the beginning" = First released movie is Episode IV.
Checks out.
This video helps to show how garbage the ST really is
I absolutely love the way you describe Star Wars.
I like these videos so much. They explain the concepts of star wars you feel but can’t quite explain all the time. Keep this content going.
Loving this channel, hope it’s smooth sailing from here on out! Amazing content.
Bro made a video about linear storytelling using linear storytelling. The video literally ends with the analysis of the throne room scene and has end credits after. King shit 👑
I've written exactly one novel in my life so far that every one of my readers has described as remarkably clear and understandable. Now I know where my inspiration came from
When he says “all six of the Star War’s movies”
I recently found your channel and I'm impressed, from what I've seen you truly know Star Wars and every video you have done is of high quality. You have earned my subscription and I'm excited to see what comes next and maybe in the far possible future a video on Clone Wars.
You explain everything I think and actually make it make sense. You are brilliant, you are awesome