John's Favorite Scenes

Now that the entire Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader saga has made it to the screen, I would like to reflect upon my favorite scenes from the saga.

1. "I am your father."
   No words can truly capture the shock and surprise that gripped audiences in 1980 when the evil Lord Vader revealed to Luke Skywalker that fateful line on his parentage. I still remember the fans arguing as we left the theater, "Could he really be Luke's father? It's got to be a trick!"

2. Pursuit of the Tantive IV
   So powerful and memorable an image is that first scene of A New Hope where the Imperial Star Destroyer plows past the camera after the little Rebel Blocake Runner that George Lucas refused to swap it out for the Special Edition despite the creation of an impressive recreated version of the scene shown on Omnimax screens. For so many people, this scene is Star Wars.

3. The Jedi Purge
   The mini-montage and adjoining clips that are the Jedi Purge are an excellent bit of cinematography, perhaps amongst the best in the entire saga. John Williams' score perfectly captures the betrayal and sadness of the moment and dominates over the effects and vocal tracks, which are deliberately subdued. Yoda's sensing of the great disturbance in the Force taking place--when he drops his cane and touches his head--is a very nice touch... and, of course, Anakin's ultimate descent to the side of Evil is marvelously done as he prepares to slaughter innocent children who had thought him their succor.

4. "You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!"
   I love the scene that supposedly got Sith its PG-13 rating. Anakin, in his arrogance, is crippled by Obi-Wan's winning light-saber cut and slides down toward the river of lava, bursting into flames and shouting, "I hate you!" at his former friend, mentor, and father figure. Obi-Wan's pained reply stands as one of the better-acted lines in the films: "You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!" More than anything else, this scene captures the difference between the light and dark sides of the Force.

5. "A more wretched hive of scum and villianry..."
   The entry into the cantina in A New Hope is a moment unequaled throughout the other films and works perfectly as it illustrates naive farm-boy Luke's first steps into the wilderness beyond the familiar. The rogue's gallery of aliens and thugs is a brilliant application of the Mythic Cycle and Hero's Journey, proving Lucas an apt pupil of Joseph Campbell.

6. The Duel of the Fates
   As bad as Phantom Menace was overall, I managed to see it time and time again, largely for one instant and the ensuing fight. When the hangar doors open and reveal Darth Maul and the two Jedi drop their cloaks, announcing, "We'll handle this," one can almost forget about Jar Jar Binks, and the ensuing fight reveals for the first time what a true light saber duel looks like.

7. Death of Padmé & Anakin / Birth of the Twins & Vader
   Though I dislike the robots helping deliver Luke and Leia, overall I really like the cinematography of this scene. We alternate between the shadowy chamber where insectile robots operate with no care for pain on the screaming, charred Anakin Skywalker and the brightly-lit organic room where Padmé Skywalker delivers their twins. The old passes away, both in the final transformation of Anakin to Lord Vader and Amidala's death to be replaced by the new: Darth Vader, symbol of darkness, and the twins who will ultimately be his redemption.

8. Theatrical Version of Cut on Chancellor Palpatine in Episode I
   In the theatrical release of The Phantom Menace, after newly-elected Chancellor Palpatine (who any fan with a clue knows is the Emperor-to-be) halfheartedly attempts to convince Queen Amidala to "stay here where it's safe" rather than returning to Naboo, the scene cuts away while in a close-up on Palpatine's face, and as the wipe progresses up the screen, you can see Palpatine upturn his lips in a little yet significantly-knowing grin. "It's all going according to my plans," he's thinking--a very nice touch, in my opinion, that even then demonstrated what a sinister master strategist Palpatine was. You won't find this version of the scene in the current DVDs of the Phantom Menace, though--for whatever reason, the wipe now finishes before the Chancellor grins (I need to review the original VHS release for comparison).