There's a decent interview with George Lucas over on The Hollywood Reporter today, mostly consisting of questions regarding the Star Wars films, which saw a Blu-Ray release before Christmas and now have a 3D re-issue coming to theaters this weekend with The Phantom Menace. Of course, never being one to let a sleeping dog lie (not that it's ever really slept), Lucas feels it necessary to revisit the Han/Greedo brouhaha with this little bit of self-delusion:
The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn’t. It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that Han shot first, because they wanted to think that he actually just gunned him down.
Let's just discuss this for a minute. First off, there's no way that Greedo shot first in the original cut of the film, no matter what kind of wide shot logistics you want to talk about. There's no gunfire sound, and obviously no gunshot coming from Greedo's side of the table. Han shoots him, sure, but it's hardly in cold blood: he had a gun in his face and Greedo all but tells him that he's going to shoot him. Han shooting Greedo under the table before Greedo can pop a shot off is not only permissible, but it's the right thing to do. Greedo's gun was a foot away from Han's face! If Han was actually going to wait for Greedo to shoot before firing back, that would've made Han the dumbest character in the entire original trilogy.
No one wants to think that Han is a cold-blooded killer who indiscriminately murders innocent people, but that's just the point: we never did. Han was about to get murdered, and by pulling his trigger first, he saved his own life and rid the galaxy of someone who obviously had it coming. There's nothing ignoble about Han's actions, as Lucas seems to think; there's no need to correct them or make them "better." He's a good man trying to make his way in a bad world and is willing to do what it takes to survive, even if it occasionally means shooting someone from under a table. This is precisely why we like him. Changing his character into one that waits for someone to shoot at him when they have a gun to his head doesn't make him a more likable character; it makes him a more stupid one.
Why do I get so riled up about this when I know I shouldn't? I would at some point like to simply banish all thoughts of the new Star Wars from my head, and live in a Total Recall-ish existence where I remembered how they made me feel when I was a kid, without any of the last 20 years or so of changes. Let's make this happen, Internet.
@Olivaw said:
I don't even mean the special edition, I mean that Han was supposed to die on the battle of Endor (which was originally the Wookie homeworld). I mean just imagine that for a moment: instead of that stupid, shitty teddy bear picnic, we'd have had a warrior race of badass guerrillas.
@connerthekewlkid said:
Screw Lucas. What does he know? He gets WAY too much credit for Star Wars.
There's enough evidence that Lucas is deliberately trying to destroy the originals. It's vile, dumb, and disgusting. I don't know what he's trying to prove, but it has to stop.
Fix the editing? Don't make me laugh. Nothing looks more stilted than that "dodge". It's so jarring and horribly done, and he has the nerve to call that editing "fixed".
George, you deserve no credit for any of your "successes".
Is there any way to get Star Wars into child protective services?
People care about this crap?
why does this matter to people...
@phoenix87x said:
Bravo.
@DXmagma said:
@connerthekewlkid said:
@Atary77 said:
@Aetheldod said:
@TheHT said:
@Sanj said:
@triple07 said:
@redleader said:
‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’
That's why we care. :)
@Hjels: Actually, that's why we're all saying to not give a crap. Arguing over stupid shit George Lucas does and says is the real evil here.
@TheHT: I disagree, but I respect you opinion.
This is Lucas, straight-up admitting he's an incompetent film maker then? That he couldn't make a simple scene comprehensible to his audience?
nope, no way. Han shot first and it's because .....I ..........said do.
@Draxyle said:
Lucas, is an egomaniac that can't handle it when people point out his mistakes. Rorie summarized the scene perfectly. The fact that Lucas has to create straw man arguments to justify his actions is crazy...well that on top of just bold face lying. I guess he thinks everyone is a Tween and will just buy his line of B.S.
No doubt@ddensel said:
Bravo! That is all that needed to be said. End thread/
@Hjels: Because there's nothing more evil then a director changing his films.
tit.
@DXmagma: Oh, I'm sorry. I was not aware we were only allowed to object to THE most evil thing in the world.
@Hjels said:
I agree with you, but the timing of this is strange, on the week that the phantom menace 3D is coming out? Is george lucas trying to just get people talking about Star Wars so more people go see the phantom menace?
So, did he always mean for Luke and Leia to be siblings? Quick, reedit that kiss from Empire Strikes Back!
@Ninja:You see? Not just evil, but evil genious. :)