Title:
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed
Featuring
Interview Clips With: Peter Jackson, J.J. Abrams, Mathew Bortolin, Stephen
Colbert, Marc Ecko, Linda Ellerbee, Steven A. Galipeau, Mary Henderson, Edward
Hudgins, Dr. John Lyden, Elvis Mitchell, Carla A. Rubino, Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr.,
Joss Whedon, Leon Wieseltier, Dr. Jonathan Young, Dan Rather, Nancy Pelosi, New
Gingrich, Camille Paglia, Tom Brokaw, Carl Silvio, Joan Breton Connelly, and
Kevin Smith
Running
Time: 92 minutes without commercials
Media:
The History Channel (NTSC DVD Screener)
World
Premiere Monday, May 28, 2007, at 9pm (ET/PT)
Network:
The History Channel (Check your local cable/satellite listings for channel)
TV
Rating: Not Available At The Time Of Review
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
The
History Channel World Premiere documentary Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed is
not the typical documentary one usually associates with the subject matter.
There are no interviews with George Lucas or cast members, but rather the
documentary focuses upon the mythic, political, and historical influences the Star
Wars Saga was built upon and how it reflects upon our contemporary era, why Star
Wars has stood the test of time, and why it will continue to influence
generations in the future the way Homer and Shakespeare has and also why it will
be studied and viewed in different ways for generations to come.
Being
raised on Star Wars I found Luke Skywalker’s journey to be
inspirational and very relatable when dealing with the day in and day out dramas
of being a kid whether it was gaining friends and learning how to handle
bullies, dealing with cruel teachers, passing tests, and achieving goals like
graduating. I’d see a Star Wars film as a new year of challenges and
remember going to see A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and
Return Of The Jedi on the big screen over and over again either with
my father, my brother, cousins, friends or by myself. I’d count the years
between films and would mark the summers when a new film would be released as a Star
Wars summer. When A New Hope first premiered on HBO, I remember
recording it on my parents’ first VCR and watching it over and over again on
tape or if it was airing on HBO again, tuning in and watching it again. Every
weekend as a boy when I’d get my weekly allowance, I’d go to the toy store
and buy a new action figure. I had a display shelf that friends would see and
adapt the idea in their own homes. My brother was always great when it came to
arts and crafts so sometimes he’d improve upon a figure, like giving Darth
Vader a more realistic cape then the one the figure came with. I still have the
original Art Of books from the classic trilogy and a bunch of new ones
that I’ve collected over the years. Star Wars and George Lucas inspires
me as he and Steven Spielberg inspired many kids over the decades and their
names are arguably among the top ten names I think students will cite as what
made them want to go to film school. I even was a college intern at
Lucasfilm’s Manhattan office, which was within a brownstone off Park Avenue.
Though the NYC office was devoted to the production of TV commercials, I did see
a freelance Story Analyst working there and know projects that came to pass were
discussed in teleconference meetings between San Rafael and New York.
Unfortunately I still can’t discuss what I saw or heard because I signed a
mandatory confidentiality agreement before I worked there as an intern. I never
got to see or hear George Lucas personally. I think he came there once, but that
was when they first opened the Manhattan office and that was long before I
interned there, but I got a sense for the company and the family like atmosphere
they had, like having employee yearbooks as well as annual barbecues at the
Skywalker Ranch that employees from both coasts attended. So that is just a bit
of how Star Wars and George Lucas has had an effect upon my life and
I’m still affected today.
The
documentary is divided into nine parts focusing upon various characters from
both the classic and prequel trilogy and in the case of Luke and Anakin
Skywalker, contrasting them as well. The sections follow Joseph Campbell’s
outline of mythic story structure and covers The Hero’s Journey, Mentors,
Warriors and Damsels, Jesters and Monsters, The Seduction of Evil, The Death of
Liberty, Man Versus Machine, Redemption and Resurrection, and the final
reading reads as The Circle Is Now Complete. There is a lot of emphasis
of Greek mythology, but the one thing I felt is missing is the implied origins
of Anakin Skywalker revealed in Revenge Of The Sith. Usually in Greek
tragedies either the hero or villain will attempt to change a prophecy by
committing several acts he or she thinks will create a different future and
prove the prophecy wrong, but ultimately what they do only ends up bringing it
all to fruition.
I can
understand why this is not discussed because it is only speculation, but if the
Sith did create Anakin to both destroy the Jedi and create the ultimate Sith
Lord then isn’t it more than ironic that in creating Anakin Skywalker,
ultimately they create the very instrument that will bring about the prophecy of
bringing balance to the force by destroying the Sith? Also if the Jedi wonder
about the prophecy as well, why would they be surprised to find out that indeed
the Sith had endured for a millennia especially since there was a perceived
imbalance or discord within the force they slowly began to feel grow stronger?
Interesting
historical comparisons include comparing the Empire to the Third Reich, the
crowning of Napoleon as Emperor after the French Revolution, the fall of the
Roman Republic and rise of the Roman Empire, and even comparing a sentence
Anakin Skywalker states in Revenge Of The Sith to a speech George W. Bush
gave in 2001. One will also learn the origins of words for people and places in
the Star Wars Saga like Jedi and Naboo. People interviewed include TV
Producers J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon, Filmmakers Peter Jackson and Kevin Smith,
Critic Elvis Mitchell, and former Network Anchormen Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather
among many others.
Even if
most of the comments are very familiar, it’s nice to re-explore the roots of
the saga and discover new things. Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed will
make its World Premiere on Monday, May 28, 2007, at 9pm (ET/PT) only on The
History Channel. May The Force Be With You All…
©
Copyright 2007 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.