Finally, Something good comes from George Lucas!
I know I'm going after a sacred cow here, but I think that Episodes 1, 2, and 3 (well, except for the lightsaber fights) give me an opening.
I found a link to this article, over at Salon.com, on "George Lucas: Galactic Gasbag." Basically, it takes George Lucas and Joseph Campbell to task for claiming all those classic literary works as "inspiration" and "sources."
I also found the part about Leigh Brackett and her contribution (or verbally disavowed lack thereof) to be very interesting. Kudos to the article for pointing out the flaw in the argument that she had next to nothing to do with the quality of Empire Strikes Back, as fast as the reader thinks of it.
So what do y'all think? I'm especially curious to see what you have to say, unmaker, since you've entertained many a person with the illustrated argument about just how much of a Joseph Campbell "cookie cutter" story Star Wars is. (I still recall " 'Now George, there's usually an item of power. It's traditionally been a sword, but it doesn't have to be, it can be a cup, or a stone, or -' 'No, it's a sword! A Glowing Sword, that'll cut through anything!' ")
I found a link to this article, over at Salon.com, on "George Lucas: Galactic Gasbag." Basically, it takes George Lucas and Joseph Campbell to task for claiming all those classic literary works as "inspiration" and "sources."
I also found the part about Leigh Brackett and her contribution (or verbally disavowed lack thereof) to be very interesting. Kudos to the article for pointing out the flaw in the argument that she had next to nothing to do with the quality of Empire Strikes Back, as fast as the reader thinks of it.
So what do y'all think? I'm especially curious to see what you have to say, unmaker, since you've entertained many a person with the illustrated argument about just how much of a Joseph Campbell "cookie cutter" story Star Wars is. (I still recall " 'Now George, there's usually an item of power. It's traditionally been a sword, but it doesn't have to be, it can be a cup, or a stone, or -' 'No, it's a sword! A Glowing Sword, that'll cut through anything!' ")