Unemployment Theatre Day 2: STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH
It is said that we all bring parts of ourselves into the viewing of any form of art. Our ideals, beliefs, and other assorted bits of intelligent thinking that we have picked up over the years form the glasses that we watch and feel about what we are seeing. The artist might have a certain topic or idea for what he is trying to say but that just combines into our personal mind to give the complete view. You can never be sure what the rest of the world will or won't see when they look at your artwork but it will never be a one-sided experience.
When EPISODE III was originally released, one of the first things that viewers mentioned about was how the film felt like it was being taken right from the news of the day. Along with all of the mentions of empires and such, there were moments like when Anakin tells Obi-Wan that he is either with him or against him. Taking what felt like a lift from a Bush Jr. state of the union speech and transposing it to a far off world seemed to point to the idea that George Lucas was trying to make a statement about today's world and that doesn't even include Padme's statement of how liberty ends with thunderous applause.
The trick about this belief is that it is being made by looking at the film in just this moment in time. By going back through history, the evidence of death of the ideal republic is shown time and again. There are all kinds of examples, from the Romans to the Ottoman Empire to the collapse of what had been Soviet Russia. All of these different points in the timeline illustrate the same ideas that Lucas seemed to want to bring up. Republics always start to fall from the inside out. There could be wars and other strife but the republic will hold together as long as the people are working toward the common good. As soon as the treachery works it's way inside, it will eat away at the foundations and bring the whole of the republic down around it.
I'm not sure if this just proves that either men are not able to handle governing a republic or if this form of governement is just unstable to begin with but it does seem to me to be a constantly repeating event throughout the history of man. Personally, I tend to be a person that believes that form of governement is something to strive for if for no other reason that it is one of the only governemental structures that allows every person to live their lives as they see fit. This idea that we all need to be free to believe in what we choose runs in the face of most every regimental society that has ever been. From the strict ideas of Communism to devout religious societies like the Muslims that want the world to be run by the word of their God alone, it is this freedom to choose that makes a republic the kind of government that functions for the betterment of all while allowing them to speak and believe what they will so long as it doesn't cause harm or injury to their fellows.
It would seem that I'm taking a large chunck of seriousness out of what most people think of as a space adventure style of movie but this film seems to be asking questions that you don't see in the standard space epic. You could say that all I'm doing is continuing to do exactly the thing that I brought up in the opening paragraphs and I guess you could say that you're right. That also says that I have the right to view a film and take out of it the ideas of beliefs that I have a feeling about. You can see it your way and I can see it mine. Neither of us is right or wrong.
It did kind of strike me to think of Dick Cheany's resemblance to the Emperor once he turns all old and wrinkly though. All Cheany needs is that forehead divit and the look would be complete. But that's just me being silly, I guess.
It is said that we all bring parts of ourselves into the viewing of any form of art. Our ideals, beliefs, and other assorted bits of intelligent thinking that we have picked up over the years form the glasses that we watch and feel about what we are seeing. The artist might have a certain topic or idea for what he is trying to say but that just combines into our personal mind to give the complete view. You can never be sure what the rest of the world will or won't see when they look at your artwork but it will never be a one-sided experience.
When EPISODE III was originally released, one of the first things that viewers mentioned about was how the film felt like it was being taken right from the news of the day. Along with all of the mentions of empires and such, there were moments like when Anakin tells Obi-Wan that he is either with him or against him. Taking what felt like a lift from a Bush Jr. state of the union speech and transposing it to a far off world seemed to point to the idea that George Lucas was trying to make a statement about today's world and that doesn't even include Padme's statement of how liberty ends with thunderous applause.
The trick about this belief is that it is being made by looking at the film in just this moment in time. By going back through history, the evidence of death of the ideal republic is shown time and again. There are all kinds of examples, from the Romans to the Ottoman Empire to the collapse of what had been Soviet Russia. All of these different points in the timeline illustrate the same ideas that Lucas seemed to want to bring up. Republics always start to fall from the inside out. There could be wars and other strife but the republic will hold together as long as the people are working toward the common good. As soon as the treachery works it's way inside, it will eat away at the foundations and bring the whole of the republic down around it.
I'm not sure if this just proves that either men are not able to handle governing a republic or if this form of governement is just unstable to begin with but it does seem to me to be a constantly repeating event throughout the history of man. Personally, I tend to be a person that believes that form of governement is something to strive for if for no other reason that it is one of the only governemental structures that allows every person to live their lives as they see fit. This idea that we all need to be free to believe in what we choose runs in the face of most every regimental society that has ever been. From the strict ideas of Communism to devout religious societies like the Muslims that want the world to be run by the word of their God alone, it is this freedom to choose that makes a republic the kind of government that functions for the betterment of all while allowing them to speak and believe what they will so long as it doesn't cause harm or injury to their fellows.
It would seem that I'm taking a large chunck of seriousness out of what most people think of as a space adventure style of movie but this film seems to be asking questions that you don't see in the standard space epic. You could say that all I'm doing is continuing to do exactly the thing that I brought up in the opening paragraphs and I guess you could say that you're right. That also says that I have the right to view a film and take out of it the ideas of beliefs that I have a feeling about. You can see it your way and I can see it mine. Neither of us is right or wrong.
It did kind of strike me to think of Dick Cheany's resemblance to the Emperor once he turns all old and wrinkly though. All Cheany needs is that forehead divit and the look would be complete. But that's just me being silly, I guess.
posted by RED Jr. at 3:36 PM
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