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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Generation Jedi

miss wonderstarr

21:42 / 06.04.05

I'm back this evening from an entertaining session at a dressed-up cub hut in the shadow of Lucas' studios at Elstree, where a BBC3 team was filming Dermot O'Leary in tiny Skywalker tunic dancing among Jedi, troopers and Cantina aliens, while veteran Vader Dave Prowse nodded approvingly from the corner.

This is a slight promotional plug on my part, but there are a lot of Star Wars devotees on this board, and you might well be interested in this prog. Obviously it takes a wryly light-hearted approach to fandom but I get the impression it's going to be an affectionate exploration from the "inside", not a freakshow.

The pitch runs: On May 19th of this year, the final Star Wars movie, “Revenge of the Sith” is released. For anyone growing up in the 1970s, this event undoubtedly represents a significant point in their lives. Quite simply, these movies have guided us through our different life stages of the past 25 years. As kids we watched the original trilogy, it became a cult in our adolescence, the new prequels were produced in our twenties, and it’s going to end in our 30’s.

In “Generation Jedi” we intend to tell the story of our generation through the parable of Star Wars. From the innocence of “A New Hope” to the darkest episode to date in “Revenge of the Sith”, we will ask whether this journey represents a modern metaphor for our times – politically, socially, culturally, and of course personally. Have we all gone from hopeful Luke to fallen Anakin?

I believe it's meant to be broadcast to tie in with Episode III.

Regrettable Juvenilia

22:35 / 06.04.05

For anyone growing up in the 1970s, this event undoubtedly represents a significant point in their lives. Quite simply, these movies have guided us through our different life stages of the past 25 years.

One day, Star Wars fans will learn to speak for themselves and not make sweeping, over-generous generalisations about the impact of these films. That day will truly be a significant moment in cultural history.

Brigade du jour

22:54 / 06.04.05

Hmm, this is somewhat threadrotten of me, but I'm reminded of a fine documentary called 'Fanalysis' on the Evil Dead DVD. Written, directed and presented by Bruce Campbell, it mines what I expect will be a similar seam to this one, although it's not Star Wars-specific. It does, however, feature a woman who has legally changed her name to Xena, Warrior Princess. She doesn't look the least like Lucy Lawless, tunfortunately.

Jack The Bodiless

07:03 / 07.04.05

One day, Star Wars fans will learn to speak for themselves and not make sweeping, over-generous generalisations about the impact of these films. That day will truly be a significant moment in cultural history.

And one day, people who didn't grow up in the seventies will stop dismissing comments on the impact of these films as sweeping, over-generous generalisations. Dude, you weren't even born when Star Wars was released. You were two years old when Empire... was released. You were five years old when ...Jedi was released. My first memory is about going to see Star Wars with my Dad in some youth club in '78 (we were a poor working class family, and couldn't afford to see it in the cinema, so had to wait and catch it for 50p a year after it was released). I saved all my pocket money for two months to go see Empire... (no sweets for two months!) in '80, and left traumatised... and the whole family went to see ...Jedi in '83, even the one that had just been born. Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the biggest cultural legacies of my lifetime, even if, shorn of context, the films really aren't very good...

Regrettable Juvenilia

07:12 / 07.04.05

Jack: a) it's not that it wasn't part of the culture I grew up in, the toys were the first big thing I remember trying to collect; b) I know LOADS of people who are a couple of years older than me who haven't ended up obsessed by the films and the mythos to the extent that they can't recognise a clapped-out old franchise when they see one...

09:16 / 07.04.05

Fair points and all, however, Kovacs does point out that this might be of interest to the star wars devotees on the board, so it's a bit unfair to pick nits out of a bunch of people who do find it quite a formative thing for saying that they find it quite a formative thing.

Anyway, let us know when it airs, Kovacs, and did you dress up?

Regrettable Juvenilia

09:22 / 07.04.05

so it's a bit unfair to pick nits out of a bunch of people who do find it quite a formative thing for saying that they find it quite a formative thing.

Good thing I didn't do that, then, and instead quoted a specific statement and objected to that statement, eh Benny?

09:59 / 07.04.05

Of course, Mr Shaftoe, however, the tone of the pitch implies that it is aimed at star wars fans, for them and about them.
Anyway, that aside, the cultural impact and importance of the series is undoubtable, regardless of if you personally liked or disliked it or were immune to it, the series was massive. There is a tendency to act as though there was nothing like it before or after (ehem, Flash Gordon, Rashomon, etc etc) but as a whole the film changed the way that, for better or worse (I'd opt the later based on Jedi) films are made, presented and sold.
So as a former fan of star wars and a film fan in general, the programme will be of interest.

10:01 / 07.04.05

Well i did grow up in the 70s and i can't say it had much of a cultural impact on me. I'm quite excited about the new film because i'm looking forward to taking my 13 yr old son and he likes them but for me the childrens film of 2005 is definatly going to be Willy Wonka.

10:23 / 07.04.05

Anyway, that aside, the cultural impact and importance of the series is undoubtable, regardless of if you personally liked or disliked it or were immune to it, the series was massive.

It was popular, but is it still important? For anyone growing up in the 1970s, this event undoubtedly represents a significant point in their lives has been called as overstating it somewhat.

I mean, yeah. I agree, the financial success of Star Wars had a huge and far-reaching effect on the film industry. And? Is this documentary going to be about that effect, or just about the Lucas films and how grate they are? Lucas approved = it’s just marketing for the new film, dude. And as far as the ‘franchise’ goes, I kinda think maybe it’s things like this that make up a big part of what Star Wars fans are buying into these days: documentaries telling them over and over how terribly important and significant their childhoods were, and hammering home how utterly central Star Wars was to that. It's a nice narrative to buy into, but that doesn't make it so.

Jack The Bodiless

10:28 / 07.04.05

I know LOADS of people who are a couple of years older than me who haven't ended up obsessed by the films and the mythos to the extent that they can't recognise a clapped-out old franchise when they see one...

You seem to be confusing the cultural impact of the whole Star Wars behemoth from 1977 to the present day with the fans, the movies and the mythos. Which is, frankly, an easy mistake to make, especially considering how much contempt you normally display for genre fanboys. Let's put it another way - the cultural impact of these movies extends well beyond the Star Wars movies, Star Wars fans or the increasingly moribund Star Wars mythos, and certainly well beyond anything George Lucas has or will ever have a hand in. They changed cinema and our relationship to cinema (irrespective of even whether you've seen the movies, and I know people around my age that haven't, the way society interrogated the cinema changed considerably in the late seventies, and it would be idiotic not to consider the Star Wars phenomenon a huge part of that. That's not even going into the emergence of the tie-in merchandising industry and the advent of CG in cinema, or the number of musical artists that have referenced elements of the saga (usually a good indicator of the cultural impact of any artefact).

A few more examples: thousands of people in the UK tried to register their religion as 'Jedi' in the last census; the theme tune is more instantly recognisable nationwide than the national anthem; the recent release of the DVD box set for Episodes 4-6 was a media event nearly on a level with the release of the last Harry Potter book.

You don't have to like it - or even have experienced it - to appreciate the effects the Star Wars saga have had on Western culture.

10:29 / 07.04.05

Well, if we're talking about far-reaching effects on the film industry we *are* talking about a significant - dare I say important - historical event*. However, how that event is interpreted is open to question.

Many people hate Star Wars because of it's (alleged) effect on Hollywood film.

*I appreciate that SW's impact on the film industry is open to debate

10:30 / 07.04.05

Post in response to Bed-Head

10:42 / 07.04.05

Boboss, I dunno. Original Star Wars trilogy = important and influential, for all the reasons JtB just listed. Good or bad doesn't need to come into it. I’m really not disagreeing with that. But, fast forward to the 21st century, and Revenge of the Sith = actually, standard issue blockbuster which is being sold as being a ‘culturally significant event.’ Is what I’m saying.

Star Wars fans are looking forward to it. I can so understand that, and I wouldn't want to spoil any of the fun of that by participarting in a grouchy thread, but I don't really think anyone's grouching. Just saying that RoTS probably isn't going to change everything like the original Star Wars did. So, how are you defining 'significant?'

miss wonderstarr

10:50 / 07.04.05

No, I didn't dress up. I wore a Cyberdog tshirt called "Tron". I am doing an interview for the prog next week.

10:53 / 07.04.05

'the theme tune is more instantly recognisable nationwide than the national anthem'

Good solid evidence to back up your case there Jack

11:20 / 07.04.05

Just saying that RoTS probably isn't going to change everything like the original Star Wars did.

I couldn't agree more.

11:34 / 07.04.05

I think maybe my second to last post was a little confusing.

When I talked about significance I was referring to the OT.

12:28 / 07.04.05

I think I totally got that. Any confusion might be coming from the programme described in first post. Again, the *one* line that drew an objection was about the release of RoTS: For anyone growing up in the 1970s, this event undoubtedly represents a significant point in their lives. I’m not the only one picking up on the way this programme is being pitched here, managing to slide from being about ‘the fan experience’ into a claim that it’s about events of a greater, wider, absolutely undeniable significance, without a seconds thought. As part of a general strategy to flog the new movie on the retrospectively defined strengths of another film, from an entirely different age.

Yes. There probably *is* such a wider analysis to be done. But I’m betting it won’t be an officially-approved one, not now. This is *just* marketing. It’s frothy and fluffy, and hurrah for that. ’Wryly light-hearted approach to fandom’, Dermot O'Leary! etc. Enjoy the fun and ignore all the more dopey claims.

So, would you like to talk about the significance of the OT in this thread, or carry on about the proper perspective for ROTS?

15:51 / 07.04.05

for me the childrens film of 2005 is definatly going to be Willy Wonka.

Howl's.

Moving.

Castle.

20:15 / 07.04.05

for me the childrens film of 2005 is definatly going to be Willy Wonka.

Howl's.

Moving.

Castle.

Heh... Sorry, i was being annoyingly facetious earlier. Having a grumpy day. Still more of a Willy Wonka fan than a Star Wars fan though to be honest but there's no denying it's influence and impact. And theres nothing wrong with enjoying kiddies things of course, we all read Xmen and Pullman etc.