Quote:
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch
(Post 13612356)
The Star Wars story was about a dad who lost his way and a son who didn't, and their reconciliation at the end. There is no other story and continuing it is kinda pointless.
The franchise caught 2 huge breaks: 1) Darth Vader, a great character who's rated as like the 3rd best movie villain of all time by surveys, and 2) Harrison Ford taking Han's role. Had neither happened the franchise would've been a fart in the wind.
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So very very very much of the franchise depended on the first film, ANH. Some of it fortuitous. Some of it by design. Some of it just timing.
The story itself came at a time when the nation was hungering for it. It was swashbuckling, triumphant and escapist in an era where grit, realism and pessimistic allegory were hitting too close to home and were wearing moviegoers out. Not just the popcorn fare, but all the most acclaimed material was about decay and failure and shattered illusions. One big Vietnam and Watergate pity-party.
The special effects were revolutionary and presented the first time in history that fantastical elements weren't cheesy.
The editing was taut and really focused on coherence, which gave the narrative a natural and easily followed flow [see below].
A BIG BIG BIG factor was John Williams' score. It practically dictated a universal emotional response to the storyline.
The cast were, with the except of Sir Alec, either complete newbies or costumed 'aliens' and they all knocked it out of the park, if not in total acting proficiency at least in capturing the mood intended. Again, a lot of this goes back to editing.
Jaws introduced the concept of the blockbuster, but Star Wars was the first blockbuster we were prepared for and sort of expecting. First entering the era where people expected something spectacular in the summer that everyone HAD TO see right away.
Finally, first film to capitalize on the synergy of a toyline where kids went home and collected pieces of the film and acted out their own narratives all day every day.
Mood, timing, editing, score, toys. All the things that made ANH the lynchpin in a generation of moviegoing.
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