Summer of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Written and directed by George Lucas, The Phantom Menace (Star Wars: Episode I) is the story of two Jedi knights who are asked by the Galactic Republic and a queen to settle a tax dispute where things go wrong as they land on a planet where they would meet a young boy who might be part of a prophecy to bring balance to the Force. The film is a prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy back in the late 1970s and early 80s where Lucas explore the origins of Anakin Skywalker and his eventual descent. Starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Ahmed Best, the voice of Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Jake Lloyd, Ray Park, Pernilla August, and Samuel L. Jackson. The Phantom Menace is a visually-thrilling but extremely messy film from George Lucas.

The film revolves around two Jedi knights who are asked by Galactic Republic and its senate to negotiate a treaty involving a trade federation who refuses to bring shipment to small planet called Naboo. There, things go wrong where they meet an alien creature and help a queen escape while landing on a planet where they meet a young slave boy whom one of the Jedi knights believes is the one person that can bring balance to the Force as darkness looms. It’s a plot that is interesting but the fact that the story begins with a tax dispute is a pretty dumb way to open a story. It would set the tone for a story that doesn’t become uneven in its involvement of politics but also in the myth of the Jedi where there’s a lot of expositions that occur where it definitely raise more baffling questions than answers.

George Lucas’ screenplay does play into a traditional structure where it’s first act involves the Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) trying to negotiate terms with the trade federation led by Nute Gunray (Silas Carson) where things fall apart. Upon landing on Naboo, they meet an exiled Gungan named Jar-Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) who would aid them in saving Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) as they try to go to Coruscant to talk with the Senate. Its second act is set in Tatooine where Qui-Gon, Jar-Jar, an astromech droid named R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), and the queen’s handmaiden Padme (Natalie Portman) try to find parts for their ship where they would meet the young slave boy Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) where Qui-Gon senses a strong surge of the Force in Anakin as he hopes to free him. Lucas’ scenario does try to keep things forward but there’s too many things as the character of Jar-Jar is this unnecessary comic relief that doesn’t really do anything for the story.

Instead, he’s a buffoon that is made to entertain kids except that he’s not funny nor is he engaging. It is among some of the problems with the script as well as the dialogue as Lucas is notoriously known for writing poor dialogue. Especially in the second act where the story moves to Coruscant as it plays into the world of politics and corruption where it does drag the story immensely to the realm of boredom. When its third act returns to Naboo where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon confront a Sith lord named Darth Maul (Ray Parks, with the voice of Peter Serafinowicz) while Jar-Jar leads the battle against the trade federation’s army of robots where Anakin is in the action during a star fight between the forces of Naboo and a trade federation’s spaceship that controls the robots. It’s a moment where a lot goes on yet it is never meshes coherently since Lucas wants to really go for something that is intense. The result only works somewhat but it is handled very clumsily.

Lucas’ direction is quite sprawling in terms of the visual language that he creates to establish a world that is very diverse but is on the verge of becoming tumultuous due to greed and corruption. Shot on various locations such as Tunisia as Tatooine and Watford, Hertfordshire in Great Britain as Naboo with much of the production shot in studios in Britain, the film does play into something that is very diverse but it has elements of racial profiling in the way some of the alien characters are depicted. It’s among the negative aspects of the film that really shows how Lucas perceive the alien creatures as either bumbling idiots or greedy creatures with very little complexity into who they are. At the same time, Lucas’ direction also tries to create elements of foreshadowing and irony as it relates to the character of Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) who would talk about the greed and corruption of politics to get Queen Amidala to get a new Supreme Chancellor to head the Galactic Senate.

It is among some of the issues in the way Lucas directs his actors where he definitely states the obvious as it relates to Palpatine while it sort of kills the suspense for anyone that hadn’t seen the original trilogy. While Lucas’ approach to some of the scenes involving the pod race in Tatooine where Qui-Gon would make a gamble to free Anakin from slavery as well as the lightsaber and battle scenes are engaging to watch in terms of his compositions and the shooting styles he uses. He’s really unable to do the same to other scenes such as the moments of suspense as well as the scenes involving the political issues in the film which comes across as very boring. Overall, Lucas creates a very uneven yet nonsensical film about a dispute between two factions in the galaxy.

Cinematographer David Tattersall does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography to capture the hot and sunny look of Tatooine to the lavish lights of the city planet of Coruscant to play into the different worlds of the galaxy. Editors Ben Burtt and Paul Martin Smith do nice work with the editing to capture some of the action in the film though its usage of transition wipes does get overused very quickly. Production designer Gavin Bocquet, along with set decorator Peter Wapole and supervising art director Peter Russell, does brilliant work with the look of the different places from the palaces of Naboo and the Gungan palaces underwater as well as the look of Coruscant and the Jedi temple. Costume designer Trisha Biggar does terrific work with the costumes from the lavish clothes that Queen Amidala wears to the robes of the Senate along with the clothes of the Jedi knights.

Makeup artist Paul Engelen does fantastic work with the look of Queen Amidala in her fully-realized regalia along with the look of some of the aliens who are part of the Jedi council. Visual effects supervisors Dennis Muren, John Knoll, and Scott Squires do amazing work with the visual effects for some of the sequences in space and some of the battles though the design of some of the creatures aren‘t so great since many of them aren‘t engaging to care for. Sound designer Ben Burtt, along with sound editors Tom Bellfort and Matthew Wood, does superb work with the sound to play into the sound effects for some of the droids along with the laser cannons and other sound textures. The film’s music by John Williams is phenomenal for not just the usage of old themes but also some new ones with its approach to bombastic orchestral music for the pod races and the lightsaber battles along with some low-key pieces for the dramatic moments.

The casting by Robin Gurland is pretty good as it features notable appearances from Warwick Davis as a pod-racer spectator, Ralph Brown as the Queen’s starship pilot, Keira Knightley as the queen’s decoy, Oliver Ford Davies as Naboo’s governor who is forced to deal with the trade federation, Hugh Quarie as the queen’s security chief Captain Panaka, Pernilla August as Anakin’s mother Shmi, and Terence Stamp in a superb performance as Supreme Chancellor Valorum who tries to settle things between Naboo and the trade federation which shows how weak he is at his job. The voice performances of Anthony Daniels as an early version of C-3P0 and Frank Oz as the Jedi master Yoda are terrific for what they provide for the story. Other voice roles from Andy Secombe as the junk dealer Watto and Lewis McLeod as the villainous pod racer Sebulba are quite good despite the dialogue their given while Silas Carson as trade federation leader Nute Gunray and Brian Blessed as the Gungan leader Boss Nass aren’t given strong material to work with for their characters.

Kenny Baker is excellent as R2-D2 as the droid who would help the Queen’s starship during an escape as he becomes a close friend to the major characters. Ray Park is fantastic as the Sith lord Darth Maul as someone who is very skilled in the dark side of the Force with Peter Serafinowicz provides a brooding voice for the character. Ian McDiarmid is brilliant as Senator Palpatine as a Naboo government official who tries to deal with the Senate while being very shady in his dealings as he conceals a much darker identity. Samuel L. Jackson is wonderful in a small but crucial role as the Jedi master Mace Windu who, like Yoda, is suspicious about taking Anakin to be trained as a Jedi as it relates to Anakin’s own upbringing and feelings for his mother. The film’s worst performance is Ahmed Best in the voice performance as Jar-Jar Binks as this clumsy and idiotic Gungan who does nothing but make a full of himself and cause trouble as he is really one of the most atrocious characters ever created in the history of cinema.

Jake Lloyd is OK as the young Anakin Skywalker as a young slave boy who is very talented in making things and being a great pod racer as he copes with the new world he is to face where Lloyd shows a lot of energy but some of his line delivery isn’t very good. Natalie Portman is decent as Queen Padme Amidala as a queen who disguises herself as a handmaiden while dealing with the chaos in her homeland where Portman has some good moments but also suffers from the script’s weakness and poor dialogue. Ewan McGregor is amazing as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi as a Jedi apprentice who is in the final stages of his own training as he tries to reason with his master about taking Anakin as he speaks for the Jedi council while dealing with his development as a Jedi. Finally, there’s Liam Neeson in a remarkable performance as Qui-Gon Jin as a Jedi master who is wise while being a bit reckless where he believes that Anakin is the chosen one and hopes to train with or without the approval of the Jedi council while coping with the presence of the Sith.

Despite all of its amazing visuals, top-notch technical work, and some thrilling sequences, The Phantom Menace is a terrible film from George Lucas. Though it does have moments that are worth watching, it is hampered by a poor script as well as characters that serve no purpose to the film at all. Even as it features elements of political allegory and things that has no business being in a sci-fi adventure film. In the end, The Phantom Menace is mess of a film from George Lucas.

Star Wars Films: Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back - Return of the Jedi - Attack of the Clones - Revenge of the Sith - The Force Awakens - The Last Jedi - The Rise of Skywalker

Related: Holiday Special - Caravan of Courage - The Battle for Endor - The Clone Wars - Fanboys - The People vs. George Lucas

Star Wars Anthology Films: Rogue One - Solo - (Untitled Star Wars Anthology Film)

George Lucas Films: THX 1138 - (American Graffiti)

© thevoid99 2015

Fanny & Alexander

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 4/23/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Fanny och Alexander tells the story of two kids dealing with the death of their father as well as their mother's marriage to a bishop. A complex story about family dynamics and the changes from the observation of children in the early 20th Century reveals Bergman's direction style at its peak. Featuring a huge cast that includes regulars Harriet Andersson, Erland Josephson, and Gunnar Bjornstrand in a cameo. Fanny och Alexander is a sprawling, haunting masterpiece from Ingmar Bergman.

At a small Swedish town in Christmas 1907 is the rich Edkdahl family led by a retired actress named Helena (Gunn Wallgren). With a large family that consists of three songs in the philandering Gustav Adolf (Jarl Kulle), failed professor Carl (Borje Ahlstedt), and the success theater owner/actor Oscar (Alland Edwall), they all live happily as another play is held that features Oscar's wife Emilie (Ewa Froling) as their kids in the 10-year old Alexander (Bertil Guve) and the 7-year old Fanny (Pernilla Allwin) look on for the Xmas holidays with their cousins and servants including the young maid Maj (Pernilla August). Helena also invites her late husband's Jewish friend Isak Jacobi (Erland Josephson) whom her grandchildren love as the Edkdahl's life seems perfect despite a few things. Then a few months later, Oscar falls ill as the family dynamic changes as the young Alexander is in shock as he watches his father on his deathbed during these final moments.

Following Oscar's passing, Emilie gains a new suitor in a handsome bishop named Edvard (Jan Malmsjo) who wants to give Emilie, Alexander, and Fanny a new life to the surprise of Helena and the rest of the family. Forced to leave the home they had loved along with the family that has cared for them, Emilie and the children move to Edvard's home near the sea that is filled with crosses little bits of furniture and paintings. With Edvard's strict sister Henrietta (Kerstin Tidelius), their immobile aunt Blenda (Marianne Aminoff), and a maid named Justina (Harriet Andersson), the lives of Emilie and the children take a dark turn with Edvard being very hard on Alexander. The Ekdahls go into a family crisis when Helena learns that Gustav had impregnated Maj while starts to see Oscar's ghost as well.

Trapped in Edvard's home and Emilie becoming pregnant, Emilie and the kids want to return to their old home as Helena's attempts to bribe Edvard failed. After learning about the abuse that Alexander has to suffer from Edvard, she reaches out to Helena again who decides to take some action with the help of Isak with the help of his nephew Aron (Mats Bergman). The ordeal would prove to be a trying moment for the Ekdahls as they yearn for a new beginning though it wouldn't be easy considering the events that impacted Fanny and Alexander.

A more personal work than some of the earlier films that Bergman made, the film is really about family, death, and faith in of complexities and spirit. Even the question of existence and how death changes the family dynamics in the most unexpected times into something that marks a transition for the Ekdahls. Bergman doesn't give answers into existentialism or anything but rather explore dynamics, relationships, and how spirituality works in mysterious ways. While the film might be slow to some audiences, even in the first hour. It's only to serve on what Bergman is trying to do which is to have the audience to get to know this unique family known as the Ekdahls. They're flawed, they don't always do the right things, and sometimes they're badly mistreated. Yet, it's a family that audiences can relate to for those flaws and how they love each other and spend time during this holiday where everyone comes together. It's in the first act where Bergman doesn't exactly tell the story but get people to relate to these fully-realized characters in all of their glory.

Then the mood of the film changes and the real story finally begins with the second act by an act of death and transition. The scene of Oscar in his deathbed surrounded by his wife, mother, and children is one of the most heartbreaking scenes to watch. Even to see Alexander's reaction in this and the funeral march as he's comforted by Fanny as he isn't sure how to respond. Even as they see the ghost of their father later on, they know that things are changing but don't know what's going to happen. When the bishop Edvard arrives into the story, Bergman is aware that the audiences will know something bad will happen. Bergman's script definitely sets a momentum of what is to come as once Emilie and the children arrive at Edvard's home. The mood and look of the film definitely changes. Even the Ekdahls home, full of life and color, feels amiss in something.

By the third act when Emilie and the children struggle for freedom, the aftermath is complex. After everything the family has gone through, not everyone will believe everything has gone back to normal. Even through the mind of Alexander during his encounter with Isak's nephew Ismael (Stina Ekblad) in a haunting scene. While Bergman's script reveals characters going through the changes in their life and how spirituality plays into their lives. It's in Bergman's eerie, observant, and atmospheric direction that really drives the film in its unique structure and storytelling. The look and feel of the film changes through each act to let the audience know where they at and how to respond. Even in some of the film's haunting moments, Bergman captures its dread and horror simply through its emotions. It's in the direction that Bergman really holds the film together in all of its entrancing and dramatic moments.

Longtime cinematographer Sven Nykvist helps Bergman in bringing a unique vision to each act of the film. In one of the rare Bergman films in color, Nykvist's enchanting photography really brings life to the film. From the lighting and colors in the first act, the camera work is amazing and wide open with its lenses and movements. In the second act, it's grayer and there's very little light from the windows as the mood is darker with more shadows and in the Ekdahls, the artificial look starts to show with the colors still being white but lifeless. In the scene of the Jacobi home, the look of the film is even more intimate to reveal the world Fanny and Alexander are living with its puppets and darker lighting to reveal this new sense of intimacy and shelter. If Bergman's direction is given any amount of magic, it's through the amazing work of his late cinematographer Sven Nykvist.

Art director Susanne Lingheim and set decorator Anna Asp create some exquisite sets on the film's interior settings. Notably the rich colors of green, red, and earthy colors to convey the atmosphere of the Ekdahls that is contrasted to the grayish look of Edvard's home. Even the home of Jacobi is great with its array of glass objects and most of all, the puppets with help from special effects supervisor Bengt Lundgren. Costume designer Marik Vos-Lundh does some amazing work in bringing life to the costumes from the dresses filled with array of colors that would match the look of the homes the characters are in. The look of the clothes are breathtaking that complements the art direction as well as Nykvist's photography.

Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson does some great work in the film's cutting which is given an elliptical pace to build the momentum. The film also works on the perspective cuts as well as fade-outs to close each act or scene. The editing works to convey the emotions of the film. Sound mixers Bjorn Gunnarson, Lars Liljeholm, Bo Persson, and Owe Svensson also do great work in conveying the different atmospheres of the environment the characters live in. To the intimacy of the Ekdahl homes to the horror surrounding Edvard's home. Music composer Daniel Bell creates an amazingly rich score that captures each sequence of joy and sadness. Bell's orchestral arrangements reveal the sense of dread and tension that is surrounded in the second act while having wonderfully melodic textures to convey the richness in the first.

Finally, there's the film's large cast. Featuring small performances from then unknown actors like Lena Olin as one of the Ekdahl's maids and Peter Stormare as one of Jacobi's men. The film also includes other small but memorable performances from Kristina Adolphson, Majlis Granlund, and Svea Holst as the loyal Ekdahl maids, Anna Bergman and Bergman regular Gunnar Bjornstrand in small cameos as theater patrons, Marianne Aminoff as Edvard's sick aunt Blenda, and Maria Granlund as Gustav's daughter Petra. In the role of Ekdahl's nephews, Mats Bergman is great as the charming, puppet-loving Aron while actress Stina Ekbald gives a haunting performance as Aron's psychic brother Ismael. Kerstin Tidelius is great as the strict, intimidating Henrietta while Bergman regular Harriet Andersson is also amazing as Justina, Edvard's spy who is shady and complex in retrieving some information from Alexander.

Borje Ahlstedt is excellent as the frustrated Carl who doesn't seem to be loved as much as his other brothers while Christina Schollin is great as his wife who tries to be supportive despite the contempt she receives from his family. Jarl Kulle is great as the fun, loving, philandering Gustav Adolf who seems to love a lot of women including the maid Maj while trying to maintain the role as the man of the house after his brother Oscar died. Mona Malm is also good as Gustav's wife Alma who understands her husband's philandering but knows it will always get the best of him. Pernilla August, known to American filmgoers as Shmi Skywalker of the Star Wars prequels, is great as the maid Maj who loves Alexander and is given a chance to lead a life but has trouble seeking her own individualism without hurting anyone.

Bergman regular Erland Josephson is great as the elderly yet magical Isak Jacobi who brings companionship to the widowed Helena while using magic to help out the children in their escape. Gunn Wallgren is great as the family’s leading patriarch Helena who is essentially, the glue of the family who keeps everyone together and on-line while being the one to comfort them and knowing what value family has. Allan Edwall is great as Oscar, the loving father who had it all until his death when he's forced to see things go wrong after his death including a heartbreaking scene with his mother about what happened. Jan Malmsjo is also great as the disciplined bishop Edvard who may seem charming and loving but underneath is a man who has dark intentions in ways of breaking Alexander's spirit. Ewa Froling is also good as Emilie, the wife who lost the love of her life only to be desperate for a new love. Froling’s performance is excellent in its development from being a desperate woman to someone trying to gain freedom and ends up playing a new role.

In the respective title roles of Fanny and Alexander, Pernilla Allwin and Bertil Guve are great in the performances they give. While Allwin doesn't have a lot of scenes in the film, her character is importance as the observer of all and like her grandmother, carries a unique sense of strength and comfort to her older brother. Allwin's performance is subdued and entrancing for someone of that age as it's one of the great performances captured on film. Bertil Guve is amazing as Alexander with the way he surrounds himself in this life he knew. When he's forced to make new changes, Guve's natural performance reveals the pain of the changes and how he's nearly broken down by his stepfather. Even when he's forced to confront his own father’s death, he has trouble understanding things revealing his anger and dissolution towards God. It's these performances where the heart of the film lies.

While Fanny och Alexander isn't as plot-driven or heavy as other, earlier films, it's still one of Ingmar Bergman's masterpieces. Anyone who wants to see an intelligent yet enduring film about family will enjoy this. While it may be slow at first, it pays off right in the middle and towards the end. For anyone wanting to see a great film by Ingmar Bergman or a magical family film, Fanny och Alexander is the film to see.

Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music in Darkness) - (Port of Call) - (Prison) - (Thirst (1949 film)) - (To Joy) - (This Can't Happen Here) - (Summer Interlude) - Secrets of Women - Summer with Monika - Sawdust and Tinsel - A Lesson in Love - Dreams (1955 film) - Smiles of a Summer Night - The Seventh Seal - (Mr. Sleeman is Coming) - Wild Strawberries - (The Venitian) - (Brink of Life) - (Rabies) - The Magician - The Virgin Spring - The Devil's Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence - All These Women - Persona - (Stimulantia-Daniel) - Hour of the Wolf - (Shame (1968 film) - (The Rite) - The Passion of Anna - (The Touch) - Cries & Whispers - Scenes from a Marriage - (The Magic Flute) - (Face to Face) - (The Serpent's Egg) - Autumn Sonata - From the Life of the Marionettes - (After the Rehearsal) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) - Saraband

© thevoid99 2011