¶ … Star Wars culture and its evidence that the cinema has a direct impact on America history through the phenomena that it causes. The writer explores the Star Wars movie from the 1970's and argues that it is possible for a film to create an entire culture of existence as was proven by this movie and its subsequent releases. There were four sources used to complete this paper.
Since the beginning of the silver screen millions of movie goers have flocked to theaters to be entertained by their favorite actors and directors. Some movies flop, while others make a profit and every once in awhile a movie is released that creates an independent culture of followers crossing all economic, social and racial boundaries. This was the case of the first Star Wars movie which was released in 1976 and created a multiple decade following of fans. Whether the movie made the culture or the culture made the movie is arguable however, the impact the movie had on American society cannot be ignored. It is a classic study in human nature, wants and desires that began with the first rolling of credits.
SHORT SUMMARY
Before one can begin to understand the hold Star Wars has had on the American public for the past 30 years one must first have a grasp of the storyline itself. Star Wars tells the story of a young Luke Skywalker who is good natured and pure. He lives on a planet called Tatoonine which is filled with dust. Living with his aunt and uncle, Luke dreams of having a different life. He dreams often of becoming a rebel soldier. The soldiers are led by Princess Lea who is played by Carrie Fisher and she is working with her army to fight against evil forces of darkness. The evil empire is taking over planets by force and violence and destroying the freedom and lives of the innocent who inhabit those planets. The ship the Empire uses is called the Death Star which sets the stage for understanding which side each character in the movie is on.
The side of evil is led by Darth Vader and the Grand Moff Tarkin. Shortly after the story begins Luke's aunt and uncle are murdered by the evil force troops. Luke locates a message from Princess Lea in an android pleading with him to come and help rescue her people for the good of the world. To perform this task she first asks him to locate Obi-Wan Kanobi who is an old mysterious hermit who has amazing powers. His quest to find the Obi-Wan Kanobi is aided by Harrison Ford who plays a rouge who is money hungry and basically will work for whichever side wants to pay him the most. In addition to Ford's character there is also a sidekick named Chewbacca who has since been referred to across the nation as the "walking rug."
Throughout the movie this team of mismatched personalities and beings encounter many difficulties and obstacles in their search for Princess Lea and the effort to rescue her.
In the end they did rescue her and the movie went on to become a foundation for an entire new culture.
WHAT HAPPENED?
One might be hard pressed to explain what happened following the release of Star Wars. Americans have long been known to invest much of their time and energy into entertainment even going so far as to see movies a second time, but Star Wars swept the nation with such a mad craze that people were lining up to see it a dozen or more times while it was in the theaters. It was not unusual to stand in line for hours on end to get a ticket to be able to see the show (Strickler, 1997). Hundreds of thousands lined up across the nation to buy tickets for shows they had to come back at a later time to stand in line again to see the show. It was a movie that people were willing to call in sick from work to see, a movie that couples would see with each other, in groups, with kids and without. It was a movie that triggered entire cultures to band together in the loyalty and study of the movie and its meanings. Underground discussions occurred that argued whether there were hidden and underlying meanings or not, and there are still debates as to the political significance of the movie and its plot (Strickler, 1997).
With the release of the movie came the sound of "Star War Geeks," a nickname for those who lived, breathed and ate Star Wars moments and discussions. As the counter culture began to form several defining characteristics of individual members began to surface which included:
The willingness to stand in line for hours
The positive effects of "Star Wars" were that a youthful infusion of optimism and innovation, and greater directorial control became manifest the Hollywood film industry. Note that this sudden upsurge of interest in the public in the doings of Luke Skywalker was not predicted by studio powers-that-be, nor was the resultant gross. True, although success in movies today is often measured by opening weekend results, "Star Wars" took awhile to
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