Old Ben

Lessee, there's Big Ben, Gentle Ben, Ben Franklin... but there's also "Old Ben," the hermit of Tatooine. For Christmas, we got the DVD set of "Star Wars." I already had the VHS set, which has the theatrical version of the movies as they were originally filmed/released. I hadn't really planned to upgrade to DVD yet, but we got it as a gift, so who am I to complain?

Plus, I'd talked to a friend's boyfriend, who had the set. He said that despite the box's warning that "bonus features are not rated or captioned" that it was INDEED captioned, all of it. This was a happy surprise, as 20th Century Fox is one of many many companies that refuses to caption their extras/bonus features. So I was looking forward to seeing the bonus disc, as well as watching the movies again.

While I'm not a diehard fan (i.e. I don't go to premieres dressed up as a stormtrooper), I do enjoy the first three movies. I personally think the second movie, "The Empire Strikes Back" is the best of the three. While the first movie set the tone, and the third wrapped it up, the middle had drama, romance, tension, action, and no neat and tidy conclusion. Plus Mark Hamill actually attempts to act, and the others turn in solid performances.

So we kicked back and watched the movies when we had time, and this weekend we finished watching the second and third movies. I've seen them a dozen times. I actually saw the original, "Star Wars," the year it came out. We were visiting my grandparents, and the family decided to go and see the movie at Grauman's Chinese Theatre (or a theater nearby that area-- I can't recall exactly now, but I keep thinking it was Grauman's, which by the way is now Mann's Chinese Theatre-- yes, that one, with the footprints and signatures in the cement right outside). I was still pretty young, and wasn't sure what all the big deal was about. I remember my uncles telling me the basic outline of the story, and my uncles and I played out a "lightsaber battle" on the front lawn while we were waiting for everyone to get ready and go. I don't remember the movie as clearly as I wish I could, but I know I saw it then.

I was living in New York when "The Empire Strikes Back" came out, and either went with my family or with friends to that one. I remember being excited, and it really was a nice setting. The theatre was of a similar age as the Chinese Theatre; it was a single-screen theatre, with a fantastic proscenium, decorations, curtains, the works. When I visited my childhood home a few years ago on a cross-country journey, I wanted to show my wife this place. Unfortunately I found it closed, victim to the mediocre six-screen mall clones that pass for movie palaces nowadays. By that time, the toys were out in full force, and I actually had a few.

Now, again, I'm not a maniac about the series. I don't have a houseful of every Star Wars item ever made, but like any boy of that era, I had quite a few of the Kenner action figures: Luke, Leia, Han Solo, a stormtrooper or two, Darth Vader, etc. Unfortunately at that time I'd never dreamed that something like E-Bay would appear, or that some slobbering uberfan in his forties wearing a Darth Vader t-shirt might pay a pretty penny, so I actually took the toys out of their original packaging and (*gasp*) played with them. I've been in a few collectibles shops in the last few years (for comics, which can wait as it'll take an entire post to go into THAT subject), and seen both used and pristine toys, and some of them are, um... well, collectible and bring a good price. I was a sensible kid, played with them, abused them, had lightsaber duels with them, had the Death Star blow them up, and so on, so they're pretty tattered now. Leia's head came off at some point, so I guess I can re-cast her as an early Christian martyr. I still have them; I guess I'm not ready to part with them, but right now, they're in a box. We only have so much space in this place, you know.

I also have the old bubblegum card set. Those of you whose eyes perk up at this will happily read along; the rest of you are probably scratching your heads and saying, "Uh? What's the dude talking about??" Just like baseball cards, you could buy Star Wars cards that came with a stick of bubblegum- you know, the kind that expired two weeks before it was packaged and took forever to chew. It had a hint of flavor if you were lucky. Most of the time it was just a stick of TMJ-inducing "pleasure." The real prize were the cards. There were three distinct sets, and you got two or three cards per package, if I remember right. One set had an orange border, as I recall. I avidly collected these (ok, so I was *something* of a Star Wars nerd for a teensy time), and I believe I have a complete (or near-complete) run of the cards. I was the kind of kid that took care of his belongings (partly because it was *me*, and partly because we didn't have very much money when I was growing up), so when I unpacked tons of boxes a few years ago after getting married, I hauled out a box that contained this card set. A nice trip down memory lane... I also kept them for now-- writing this, I'm now curious to know how much a full set (not in its package!) would bring.

By the time the third movie, "Return of the Jedi," came out, I was a bit older and wiser, and not as into collecting toys, cards, and other things. I was in junior high (or maybe high school?) when this one came out. I can't remember now, but I either cut my last class, or raced downtown right after class the very first day it came out. The first showing had been earlier, I think, but I was there for the second showing, at 3 p.m. I was the third person in line, behind a classmate named Pete Padilla. He was a cool guy; not a close friend or anything, but I always liked talking to him. We hung out and kept each other company while waiting for the movie, and decided to sit with each other during the movie. These are the kinds of movies that are best viewed with more than yourself in the group. I remember being wowed by the battle on the barge, right before Jabba's ship was blown to smithereens. I groaned at how "wimpy" Han seemed to have become, and I was surprised by the revelation of the Skywalker family tree. In retrospect, there were *big* hints in the second movie, so it really shouldn't have been too much of a surprise... hmm... Yoda says "There is another"?? Not too difficult to figure out...

Several years later, before the advent of the VHS and DVD versions, I had the opportunity to go see all three movies at once; the local university was showing the three movies back-to-back-to back. I went and sat there for over six hours, watching it all in its entirety. When it came out on video, I hinted I'd like the set as a Christmas gift, and was promptly rewarded. Luckily, I held on to it, because not too long after, Lucas announced he was going to use modern special effects to create "definitive versions," and the movies you see today are these "special edition" versions.

Originally, Lucas talked about a nine-movie series, then eventually pared it down to six. He brought out Episodes I and II. These were NOT as good as his first three, and I was disappointed. I liked Darth Maul, and Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor did their best; they are good actors, after all. But the story in the two movies was way too drawn out, and could have been compressed together in a faster, more energetic movie as one. Also, Hayden Christiansen stole the title of "Worst Star Wars Actor" from Mark Hamill. While Hamill is not much of an actor (it *really* shows in the very first movie, "Star Wars" (Episode IV)), at least he tried to improve his delivery and method in the next two, and went on to a credible career doing voicework for a variety of shows and programs. I have no plans to buy these two movies at all, but I'll rent them this spring. After all, the last movie is coming out in May.

Which brings me back to the DVD set. After watching the three movies in succession, we watched the bonus disc. A word to the wise: plan on spending about three hours or more watching this. The main documentary feature clocks in at well over two hours. There's a couple of featurettes, all the movie and TV ads (and they're all captioned!!! This is rare!), artwork, movie posters, and all kinds of other stuff. There's even a short featurette previewing the upcoming finale, and it looks better than Episodes I and II.

Lucas' forte is not directing; he wisely turned over the reins for "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." Yes, "American Graffiti" is good, but it's basically a quasi-autobiography of his days in Modesto, in the Central Valley. It's pretty hard to fuck up telling your own life story. What he's going to be remembered for besides "Star Wars" is all the technical and special effects stuff he's turned out over the last thirty or so years. You can see some of this genius in the main documentary on the fourth disc on DVD.

I'm disappointed in a way there aren't going to be three more movies, or even one more, catching up with Luke, Leia, and Han years later. They're old enough now that a movie could credibly tell the tale of their later years. As it is, expect the cast to start dropping off slowly one by one. Peter Cushing is no longer around. Neither is Alec Guinness.

At least that's the great magic of movies. For as long as "Star Wars" is around, we'll always have Luke wondering about Obi-Wan, and "Old Ben Kenobi," and the connection between the two. I think that's one of the tangible benefits of being an actor/actress: immortality.

I've got May 19th down on the calendar...