Solo4114
Master Member
He'd probably just used it and it was recharging. I think it has, like, a 5 second cooldown.
Dissecting Phantom Menace's lightsaber duel
- Thread starter DuneMuadDib
- Start date
He'd probably just used it and it was recharging. I think it has, like, a 5 second cooldown.
SSgt Burton
Sr Member
I know you're making a joke, but "if" Obi needed some rest, he got it while those shields were close (he was on the far end while Qui-Gon was in Zen mode and Maul was pacing at the other end).
When the doors opened he should have force-run to the other end in less than a second... like he and Qui-Gon did to escape the Droidekas (sp?) at the beginning of the film.
But I guess Lucas figured the audience wouldn't remember that. Or nobody had the guts to mention it to him.
Kevin
When the doors opened he should have force-run to the other end in less than a second... like he and Qui-Gon did to escape the Droidekas (sp?) at the beginning of the film.
But I guess Lucas figured the audience wouldn't remember that. Or nobody had the guts to mention it to him.
Kevin
Wakeem
Sr Member
I still think TPM lightsaber fight is cool. All the video points out is that these people are actors. It's just like how you can see an actor miss a punch or something in poorly edited movies.
But some of the points about the laser/shield thing, the running, and of course Red Letter Media's discussions about the fight are spot on. You can't really break down the original trilogy like the prequels.
But some of the points about the laser/shield thing, the running, and of course Red Letter Media's discussions about the fight are spot on. You can't really break down the original trilogy like the prequels.
Kerr Avon
Master Member
Normal sword fights in movies, using metal like blades that actually have pointy bits at the end, I can see them doing choreography that is aimed to attacking a person's weapon rather than themselves. But why do lightsabers, which get covered up in post production SFX, not get to be used a little more lethally? You could put a bit of padding on them for the actor's sake, then do choreography which aims to hit them but then has actual blocks and repostes or whatever.
DuneMuadDib
Sr Member
It's one thing to aim at the sword that its parallel to the torso, which could in theory hit the torso if not for the sword. It's another to aim above the person's head where there's no hope of hitting them unless they jump INTO the swing.
MooMooEgg
Sr Member
thumbsup:thumbsup
cayman shen
Master Member
It's not that the fight is bad per se: most stage combat will look like this. It's that the directing and editing don't hide/obscure the flagrant misses.
Solo4114
Master Member
To get serious here for a second, I think there are two things to consider.
First, real sword fighting where you're actually trying to hit the other guy is a lot more constrained and a lot less flashy than what we frequently see in films. There's no twirling, spinning your blade, etc. Why? Because you open your guard up if you do stupid crap like that.
Like, in ESB when Luke does a pirouette. I always wondered why Vader just stood there watching him instead of sticking him in the back and saying ">hawhp< There. That'll learn you, you little nitwit. >pehr<" If he at least had his blade covering his back sort of I could maybe see it, but even then it defeats the purpose of the move, throws off his balance, etc.
BUT IT SURE DO LOOK COOL!!
Lucas wanted a far more dynamic, active sabre style for the prequels because the best fight of the entire six films -- the one between Obi-Wan and Vader in ANH -- is the least visually exciting. Sure, at the time it was mindblowing, but how do you compete with stuff like that when you've got Crouching Tiger to compare it to? Even if it's more technically correct to do things like that, it isn't as flashy.
The camera, as I understand it, "picks up" exaggerated movements much more easily than the subtle work that goes into a swordfight. Things like, say, foot position (which would be masked by the Jedi's robes anyway), or keeping a blade level in front of you at a middle guard position, where you're best able to respond to attacks from multiple directions, just don't look as active or as good.
Also, the Obi-Wan/Vader fight is far more in keeping with the jitai geki Japanese films where two samurai size each other up, pace around, and then you get, like, two quick strikes and one of them falls. Those fights are about economy of movement and effort, precision in strikes, and maintaining composure (and thus one's guard). That's not AT ALL what the prequel fights were about.
I don't personally have a huge problem with stage fighting that emphasizes flashiness over practicality. That's because, while I might appreciate a practical looking fight, I know most people would find it boring.
Take, for example, the 1978 film "Shogun's Samurai" (Yagyû ichizoku no inbô). In that film, two samurai face off against each other. These guys are reputed to be master swordsmen. Absolutely at the top of their deadly craft. And their rivalry has been brewing for almost the entire 2.5 hour film. They face off against each other, and the fight is incredibly short and not at ALL flashy. It's as I described. They face off, pace around, say a few words, then it's over in, like, one or two swings. That's it. Incredibly tense, but also incredibly brief. Because, the implication is, at that level of the game, ONE of them is gonna die and they're both so good that it'll probably happen in one shot. So it's all psychological. Who reads his enemy right, who strikes most effectively and fastest.
I LOVE that fight. Most people would find it a huge letdown because you don't get some 10-minute duel of spinning, flashing blades a la Flynn vs. Rathbone in Robin Hood. So, I don't expect a ton. All that said, however, Caymen is right that you DO need good editing so it doesn't look like you're just slapping your sword against the other guy's for no apparent reason, and are at least kinda sorta trying to kill him instead of auditioning for the high school marching band.
Velin Vussii
New Member
Qui-Gon was killed by an apprentice....
cayman shen
Master Member
Dan, I agree with your assessment of the samurai period films. Look at the end of Sanjuro. Two minutes of facing each other followed by "swish!" Done. A lot of it was like that, and worked dramatically. Having said that, I'm more than ok with the flashy saber fights. But the PT fights were concentrating on the wrong type of flash. If effing Kenobi flipped one more time...
Wakeem
Sr Member
But aren't the actual prop swords being used normal length? I think they are from what I remember of the making of documentaries. I guess they could have used the shorter swords and extended them in post like they did with scenes where the Jedi would cut through droids and stuff. Hollywood is safety all the time with the top actors. Probably far more safe than my high school fencing classes...
Mola Rob
Sr Member
So was Darth Maul.
All kidding aside the duel in TMP is a treat for the eyes. It's like a ballet except with light sabers and without all that other sissy ballet nonsense. John Williams music in that scene is the high point of the entire PT for me.
My big problem was not with the choreography but the overdone and overblown setting and the ridiculous way Maul died.
cayman shen
Master Member
Everybody loves the music here, but I always thought "Duel of Fates" was completely overdone. Bombastic, pompous, bloated, bad bad music crying "this is important. Really guys! I'm SERIOUS!" It's the musical version of the kid who used to give you his toys if you'd play with him.
I adore the AOTC love theme and the ROTS "Battle of Heroes" theme. Both feel far more fitting.
Mola Rob
Sr Member
That's funny because I feel the AOTC love theme is completely overdone, pompous, and sappy as hell. To each his or her own bloated theme. :lol
I don't even remember the Battle of Heroes scene from ROTS. It's the only Star Wars movie I have only seen once.
3phase
Sr Member
clancampbell
Sr Member
cayman shen
Master Member
Oh yeah, I'm literally the ONLY person I know who dislikes TPM's music. I got a glitch or something :lol
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