Re: Star Wars Models ...

At 03:04 PM 8/5/96 +0100, Adam Delafield wrote:
>
>The trench-run is itself a remake. Watch Dambusters, the attack on the
>dams is virtually identicle to the attack on the deathstar, even down
>to the phrases used by the pilots.

While we're on the topic, _Star Wars_ is a virtual steal from Akira
Kurosawa's film _The Hidden Fortress_, a black&white samurai epic. R2D2
and
C3PO are Ashigaru peasants. Han Solo and Obi Wan Kenobi are one
character in
Kurosawa's version. 

Warning, the following is a "spoiler" for _The Hidden Fortress_ (THF).

The film starts with the two peasants arguing in a wasteland after a
battle.
They go their separate ways only to meet again in a prison. This is
virtually scene-for-scene Star Wars from the point where the two droids
crash land to the part where they are captured by the jawas. Even Lucas'
horizontal wipes, where the scene "slides" across the screen to show the
next scene, was used much earlier in THF. 

The peasants find a "hidden fortress" with a princess and a general and
are
recruited to get the princess home. They dress as peasants and sneak
into a
town, where enemy soldiers are searching for her. They sneak away from
the
soldiers (much as Luke et al sneak INTO Mos Eisley). They are soon
followed.
They come across two enemy soldiers who run away. The general follows
them
on horse back (reminiscent of Han chasing the stormtroopers in the Death
Star while Luke and Leia run for the Millenium Falcon). He gets one of
the
soldiers but not before he's surrounded by an opposing general (Darth
Vader;
and you thought it was only a COINCIDENCE that Vader's armour looks like
a
samurai's). The Kenobi/Vader fight is much more protracted (and better
done)
in THF, and the result is different. The good general wins and is thus
freed
by the losing general.

Eventually the princess gets home (but not before an interesting twist;
I'll
leave it out here since it doesn't correspond to _Star Wars_ and so
isn't
pertinent). 

Anyone who's a major fan of SW should check out this film. I still
haven't
decided if Star Wars is a well done tribute to Kurosawa or a blatant rip
off. It's probably a bit of both.

Allan

Allan Goodall:	agoodall@sympatico.ca
"You'll want to hear about my new obsession.
 I'm riding high upon a deep depression. 
 I'm only happy when it rains."    - Garbage