Darth Vader (A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…)
Today is May 4th – “Star Wars Day.” Initially popular with small groups of fans, it’s grown all over the world as a day to celebrate all things STAR WARS , with George Lucas and Disney both embracing it in recent years. To mark the occasion, we are taking a look at the first Star Wars movie and how it’s become way more than just a film.
The original movie, released in May 1977, has become the most successful film of all time. So successful, in fact, for many people the year is 0044, Jediism is a religion and a philosophy, The Force is real, and speaking like Yoda is still funny. And that number seems to be growing, such is the influence that Star Wars increasingly exerts on our popular culture.
One of the reasons for its incredible success is its beautifully direct story. Finding light in the darkness; the prince saves the princess; the underdogs win against the odds; fighting injustice. That it unfolds in space is almost incidental. As a story, it could be set anywhere. Its science fiction setting does nothing to detract from what is at its heart – an uncomplicated “good against evil” morality tale.
The impact by Star Wars on the film industry has been huge, and not only for inspiring a dramatic rise in the very niche genre of science fiction in the late 1970s. In the years after its release, the focus of Hollywood-made films shifted away from traditional deep and meaningful dialogue-led stories based on dramatic or comic conflict, with a strong emphasis on script and character. What emerged was a preference for simpler scripts and plots, and direct storytelling over character development.
The late 1970s also saw a major gear-change in new technology and marketing. The technical ability to create the high level of believability in the STAR WARS universe largely didn’t exist in 1977, and a whole special effects industry grew from this one movie. Star Wars also almost single-handedly invented the “Summer Blockbuster” and changed how we the cinema goers consumed our films. Suddenly, we were hungry for action-packed, effects-packed epics – all jostling for prime position in the summer release schedule.
The film struck a direct chord with people and very quickly took on a life of its own, long after it disappeared from the cinemas. In the late 1970s, Tomohiro Nishikado, a Japanese video game designer, wanted to create a new shooting game but couldn’t decide on a setting he liked. After seeing Star Wars, he was inspired to use an alien world as the setting – and Space Invaders was born. It has since become the highest-grossing video game of all time.
A sure sign of mass popularity is when something starts appearing in the general lexicon. In 1985, President Reagan said, “the Force is with us” when discussing the development of the Strategic Defense Initiative to protect against nuclear attack from the Soviet Union, which he referred to as the “Galactic Empire.” The initiative itself quickly became known as “Star Wars” in the press and media.
Following the 2011 UK census, Star Wars appeared in the headlines in a different way. “Jedi” was recorded as the seventh most popular faith with almost 180,000 claiming that as their religion. A similar pattern was seen in many other census counts around the world that year.
Whether you are a passionate devotee learning Wookie as a second language, or an occasional fan who simply enjoys the film, May 4th is a perfect reason to share something fundamental. Although Star Wars happened “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” it reinforces cultural values that we all recognize here on Earth today – the power, and the joy, of storytelling.
See bottom of the Muse to discover how to speak like Yoda.
Darth Vader in the Death Star Canteen, by Eddie Izzard (Video by Thorn2200 )
HIGHLIGHT
Sunday, May 16, at 3pm
LIVE! Stream: “Afternoon of Cello and Violin”
With the Zaks Duo
-MUSE-Ilana-Zaks-
Join us for an afternoon of music by two incredibly accomplished young musicians playing an eclectic program on violin and cello. The program will include music by composers Johan Halvorsen, G. F. Handel, Niccolo Paganini, Bernard Romberg, Bernard Romberg, Gabriela Lena Frank, Maurice Ravel, and Henryk Wieniawski.
Violinist Ilana Zaks has performed with many orchestras including the Boston Civic, Rhode Island Philharmonic, and Cape Cod Symphony and has studied with Donald Weilerstein for the past 12 years. As an entrepreneur, Ilana’s passion resides in creating theatrical multidisciplinary collaboration, breaking the stereotypes of modern musical experiences through inclusion of contemporary works by women, popular recital works, and works she commissions. Ilana will be joined by Eric Zaks, Assistant Principal Cellist of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.
More info
To enjoy our LIVE! Stream concerts, please go to the Cultural Center Livestream Page at the time of the event:
https://www.cultural-center.org/ccofcc-live
Our LIVE STREAM performances are free, but donations are greatly appreciated and will benefit the musicians and the Cultural Center’s ongoing programming that promotes live music in our community.
