So then I find out that Lucas decided to add something similar to Return of the Jedi to the scene where the Emperor is thrown over the chasm. I was seriously hoping it was just some people stirring some crap but nope it's there. And the sad part is that Lucas didn't really need to do it.
As it was originally shown, it was almost perfect filmmaking. The dialogue there was needed and there was no extraneous dialogue. The lighting and music was perfect for the scene. I can't really recapture the lighting but I can sort of capture what I liked about the scene.
Maybe I'm crazy but based on the angles of his face and the lighting, Vader's face almost changed expressions. Unfortunately, I didn't quite get the way it was in the movie but here I tried to get where he is looking at Luke. To me it almost looks like sympathy or pity or something as Luke is getting electrocuted by the Emperor. If Vader could cry, you could almost see a tear coming down his face, I think. Especially as you hear Luke pleading for his father to help him.
Then Vader turns to the Emperor, his face almost looks pissed. I think I got that a little more here but unfortunately, the flash doesn't help me. It doesn't need dialogue and nor does it need the dreaded, "Noooo". Vader didn't need to say anything because you could see it.
And just before Vader throws the Emperor down the chasm, he lifts his head up. It's almost as if he's saying, "That's fucking it". Again, he didn't need to say anything and Lucas didn't have to add the "Noooo" because it sounds silly. In a way, it kind of ruined the scene for me but not too much.
And just a straight on shot of Vader.While I didn't mind some of the changes that Lucas made when he released the Special Editions, I did mind the scene where he made Greedo shoot first because it changed a fundamental impression of Han Solo. And it was an unnecessary change to boot...It's not like it Han Solo was shooting in cold blood, I mean Greedo had a gun pointed at him. And I get the impression that if you're going to point a gun at Han Solo, you better prepared to use it because he will teach a valuable lesson. So by having Greedo shoot first, it looked more defensive...I guess. But again, he had the gun pointed at Solo, so in the words of Mel, "The best defense is a good offense". The other changes made were okay because they made the universe look more complete. Anyways, I did buy the blurays and will watch them and have enjoyed what I watched so far.
Thank you for reading my rant.
The scene in III where Vader is reborn and cries "Nooo" always reminds me of the climactic scene in V -- you know where I'm going with this! -- when he tells Luke he's his father, and Luke cries "Noooo". Somehow the two sucky scenes really tie things together.
ReplyDeleteThe different between those scenes is that I actually like the one in Empire. Somehow the Luke Noooo seems more heartfelt or something. The Vader one sounds silly. The one on the bluray sounds sillier. And as far as tying things together, I think a better one is the scene where Anakin is fighting Dooku Vs. Vader and Luke on the Death Star.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the Anakin/Vader scene in Revenge of the Sith is supposed to parallel the Luke scene in Empire Strikes Back -- Lucas has gone on and on about how Luke and Anakin's stories paralleled to show how Anakin made the choices he made and ended up as Vader, and that there was a real threat of the same happening to Luke.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Revenge of the Sith just doesn't compare to Empire Strikes Back as far as the scenes go. Empire Strikes Back is overall a better film, no doubt, but it also has the advantage of the audience being surprised by the revelation as well as seeing Luke's emotional reaction. In its parallel scene, we only learn that Sidious has lied to Anakin yet again, and we have to rely on the vocalization for the emotional connection (which I agree sounds rather silly, but is necessary).
As for the scene in Return of the Jedi that the post is about, I have to agree. Nothing needed to be done with this scene to make it better. Visually we know what's going on, and unlike the scene in Revenge of the Sith, it does not require a vocalization to show it.